Buying 'Chids online?

[Izzie]

I've never heard the rave reviews for OrchidWeb that I've heard for Carter & Holmes, H&R, Oak Hill, and Andys.

[Brotherly Monkey]

I think Jewel Orchids, Santa Barbara Orchid Estates, and Mountain orchids are my favorite vendors. With me making regular purchases from Andy's and Tropical Orchid Farm, as well

[peeweelovesbooks]

I've always received the plants from Orchidweb.com in pristine condition. And, if you know anything about me, you'd know I'm like SUPER picky about these things. (Grin)

[Jill H]

I think more than anything...is actually knowing and
learn how to care for the orchid you receive. Because it doesn't matter how great the orchid is if you don't care for it properly, and meet it's need's.
I've had many classes with Greg and Liese of Oak hill gardens, and that opened the door for me.

[Beverly]

,
I noticed that no one mentioned Orchids by Hausermann, Exotic Orchids of Maui, Piping Rock, J&L orchids, or Fenders Flora.
Those are some of my favorites besides Oakhill and Andy's.
Just my
Beverly

[SOS]

Depends on what you want. Truly.

[KTorchid]

Do you guys think it makes a difference geographically where i order plants from? I live on the east coast (Pennsylvania) and I'm not sure if I ordered one from Hawaii if the long trip would be more likely to damage it? Or is it all pretty much the same?

[Lorraine]

Hi KTorchid,

I had to put in my Doing your research as to what type of orchid will grow the best in the environment you have to give will help you decide.

I live in South Florida and when visiting Hawaii a few years ago when I started growing orchids thought they would do great for me & bought a bunch. I was surprised when they did not. Some can not tolerate the heat we have for months. So I learned to do my homework first rather than buy everything I liked.

There are many vendors mentioned and they have great plants but checking out culture information and looking up what others have done will be invaluable to you.

I hated losing some of my early chids but looking back I really didn't do enough homework. I have bought online many times and seek out Orchid Shows in my area. I don't know where you live but hopefully you can get to a local show nearby.

[PaphMadMan]

Originally Posted by Izzie

I've never heard the rave reviews for OrchidWeb that I've heard for Carter & Holmes, H&R, Oak Hill, and Andys.

Well, here's a rave review for OrchidWeb...

In 35 years of buying orchids by mail order, beginning long before 'online' was an option, covering hundreds of plants from dozens of vendors, no one does it better than OrchidWeb. The quality of the plants, the care taken in packing and the customer service are comparable to any of the best mentioned in this thread.

Any vendor can have a bad day or a bad plant once in a while. Problems during shipping are outside the control of the vendor and usually the biggest source of problems. Distance doesn't matter as much as you might think - most shipments will be on at least 2 planes along the way, often more unless both you and the vendor are in major metro areas or shipping hubs, and most orchid plants are well able to take 5 days or more in transit without any detriment if they are packed well.

The biggest risk to the plants will be on the day you receive them in any case - handling practices by the shipper in your area, any extreme weather in your location, how remote your location is.

[dounoharm]

i buy online all the time, and have had few disappointments.....mostly by the sellers already mentioned! as it was said, all sellers can have a bad day, but in general, the plants arrived in good condition and up to expectations....and most sellers if you tell them you are not happy will try thier utmost to satisfiy you....carmela orchids in hawaii are great sellers too! as paphmadman said, be sure you are there when your orchids arrive to recieve them and care for them on arrival.....