I am going to be in Toronto, canada in a couple of weeks and was hoping to buy a few orchid plants.
Any suggestions as to where to go
Thanks
Mike mjf45322@aol.com
also, keep in mind that you will need paperwork to get plants back across the boarder. this can be problematic....trust me. ive had my xterra searched every month for the last 3 months now. and thats with the correct paperwork.
So far I have not had any problems bring plants back across the border. Of course I do not go out of my way and show them the plants. I was told before that as long as you have certificates from the nursery that you should be ok, I usuall bring them back bare root. I used to buy alot several times a year from Claregreen in the Toronto area when they were open.
Have any of you had plants take away?
Mike
mjf45322 can you dress up as santa and stop by my house on your way home and throw one down my chimney? (serious question) cause i live in a small town in canada and i cant find anything but Phals.
Where in Canada do you live. I am coming to the down town Toronto area for just a few days to visit my wifes family. Hope to hit a couple of places.
Mike
We have had plants taken away at the border.....and thats with the correct paperwork. The problem is that not all of the Border Guards or the USDA officials know what the rules are. Last spring a group of us from Rochester went up to Cloud's and purchased orchids. All the plants went into the same car, with all the paperwork and the Border Guards had a FIT! It took several trips back to Canada to get them in (as well as 3 extra hours) We have also had speakers from Canada have problems. Fortunatley now I know to just ask to see the USDA guys and since I come across at least once a month I know the 3 people who work on the weekends and they smile when the see me. But it was my frequent crossing that made things easy in the end. The main problem is that nobody knows the difference between commercial and individual purchases. So many guards working the boarder that they don't see orchids on a regular basis so everyone immediatley gets they're tail all up in a fluff. Once they decide they are going to seize the plants there is nothing you can say or do. Correct paperwork or not. One of our society members was actually told by a Border Guard that his new orchid would look nice on the Guards kitchen table. Talk about crossing a line!
Hi, I concur completely with Cowboys comments. Any orchids I've imported have been looked after by others so I can have no direct comment . However do not take the rules in either direction lightly as some do. I have an aquaintence (commercial) who's wife spent six months in an American jail for exporting finches which may or may not have been an error in species identification on their part. D-D-