J&L Orchids began as the culmination of the lifelong hobby of Janet & Lee Khun in 1969. The two of them, chemists, had spent their vacations traveling the world and by then they decided to use it to fund their expanding orchid collection and travels. By selling the seedling and hybrids from the plants they collected, they were able to travel to more remote areas and hire helpers to care for the greenhouses full of orchids.

When Janet and Lee retired in 1978, they passed the business on to their three employees: Cordelia Head, Lucinda Winn, and Marguerite Webb. Together they traveled the world to collect and discover many new species and pioneer the art of Masdevallia hybridization. Over the years, they also were invited to talk and judge at many international orchid shows to share their knowledge.

By 2014, though, they began to wind down and put the business for sale. Over the next few years, they started to sell off some of their plants, until the start of 2017, where the Carreno family discovered the nursery and dedicated itself with Cordelia Head to restoring the collection and promote the collective effort in conserving species that would otherwise be lost and forgotten in our rapidly-changing world.