Buying online...Orchids.com?

[lotis146]

Hello!

Well things seem to be going good so far with my newly repotted Orchids. Since delving into caring for Orchids versus having Orchids I've become more and more interested in being an Orchid enthusiast for real!

So I told myself NO MORE ORCHIDS until those that I have now pull through their compromised state. Then I bought the grocery store Phal. that turned out to have been dyed the beautiful dark purple/violet color that it is. And I've jumped on here, asked questions, presented my circumstances, and got some great advice and repotted my group. Oh btw, checked the roots of the store bought (I named it Desire because I was so drawn to its color...hm...) and they look pretty good. The medium was really dry so I soaked it good today (maybe should have sooner).

And now that I've been through all of this, and grown closer to my group, I'm kind of wanting to get a new type of Orchid. So I was browsing online and created some wishlists.

My question is: have you ever bought from Orchids.com? And what does it mean when they say: Note: husky plant? Does that mean it's big, like a husky guy? Or...? What about Hauserman's Orchids? The second has a greenhouse I could potentially visit in the future but of course they don't have the same kinds. So I thought I'll buy one from each! But then, hmmm, what if I get to the greenhouse and wish I'd have bought all from them? Of course my impatient side wants me to buy one of them from Orchids.com RIGHT NOW RIGHT NOW! The one I'm looking at is:

Oncda. Kilauea 'Hawaii' note: husky plant (Onc.sphacelatum ' Sunbeam' AM/AOS x Oncda. Charlesworthii ' Mishima' HCC/AOS) (Mature Size)


Anybody with experience with either of these retailers and/or this plant or something like it? Mind you, if you don't already know I'm an amateur! I'm in the US Midwest, FYI in terms of looking at retailers.

Thanks!
Lotis

[escualida]

I've had multiple experiences with both and I would highly recommend Hausermann's, and warn you to steer clear of Orchids.com.

Hausermann's really cares for their plants and about their customers, they respond to your emails, and if they make a mistake (which they rarely do), they will replace the plants at no cost to you and don't make you send the other ones back.

Orchids.com only cares about making a buck. 90% of the plants I've gotten from Orchids.com have been virused, somehow compromised, or simply NOT the plant that I ordered, the staff is rude and require you to pay return shipping if THEY make a mistake.

If you search within the forum I'm sure you'll find reviews of both merchants too but this was a quick summary of my opinion and experiences.

[lotis146]

Originally Posted by escualida

I've had multiple experiences with both and I would highly recommend Hausermann's, and warn you to steer clear of Orchids.com.

Hausermann's really cares for their plants and about their customers, they respond to your emails, and if they make a mistake (which they rarely do), they will replace the plants at no cost to you and don't make you send the other ones back.

Orchids.com only cares about making a buck. 90% of the plants I've gotten from Orchids.com have been virused, somehow compromised, or simply NOT the plant that I ordered, the staff is rude and require you to pay return shipping if THEY make a mistake.

If you search within the forum I'm sure you'll find reviews of both merchants too but this was a quick summary of my opinion and experiences.

I really appreciate your reply to this, thank you, especially since I was about to purchase a plant from Orchids.com. I'm going to do what I can to get to Hausermann's, thank you for that recommendation as well. On one hand it's super great that it's so soon (2 more days!) because that will feed my impatience to satisfaction, then again I have barely any time to prepare! It's good to know as well that they are good with customer care, leads me to believe that they are invested in their clientele.


Thanks!
Lotis

[GeorgiaVL]

Originally Posted by lotis146

Hello!

Well things seem to be going good so far with my newly repotted Orchids. Since delving into caring for Orchids versus having Orchids I've become more and more interested in being an Orchid enthusiast for real!

So I told myself NO MORE ORCHIDS until those that I have now pull through their compromised state. Then I bought the grocery store Phal. that turned out to have been dyed the beautiful dark purple/violet color that it is. And I've jumped on here, asked questions, presented my circumstances, and got some great advice and repotted my group. Oh btw, checked the roots of the store bought (I named it Desire because I was so drawn to its color...hm...) and they look pretty good. The medium was really dry so I soaked it good today (maybe should have sooner).

And now that I've been through all of this, and grown closer to my group, I'm kind of wanting to get a new type of Orchid. So I was browsing online and created some wishlists.

My question is: have you ever bought from Orchids.com? And what does it mean when they say: Note: husky plant? Does that mean it's big, like a husky guy? Or...? What about Hauserman's Orchids? The second has a greenhouse I could potentially visit in the future but of course they don't have the same kinds. So I thought I'll buy one from each! But then, hmmm, what if I get to the greenhouse and wish I'd have bought all from them? Of course my impatient side wants me to buy one of them from Orchids.com RIGHT NOW RIGHT NOW! The one I'm looking at is:

Oncda. Kilauea 'Hawaii' note: husky plant (Onc.sphacelatum ' Sunbeam' AM/AOS x Oncda. Charlesworthii ' Mishima' HCC/AOS) (Mature Size)


Anybody with experience with either of these retailers and/or this plant or something like it? Mind you, if you don't already know I'm an amateur! I'm in the US Midwest, FYI in terms of looking at retailers.

Thanks!
Lotis

I just purchased a Phal. Schilleriana from Orchids.com and I received the plant in full bloom as advertised. Very happy with it. So, if Orchids.com says husky, you might receive a hug plant in the mail. All kidding aside, you might want to call Orchids.com before placing your order, that way you get what you want

[orion141]

I have heard some horror stories about orchids.com. I have heard good things about Andy's orchids though. Good luck

[Subrosa]

Exotic Orchids of Maui has a nice selection of hybrid Catts at very good prices, and their customer service is excellent as well. The only downside is a $150 minimum order, which given their pricing can add up to a lot of plants!

[tucker85]

I've bought plants from both Orchids.com (Norman's) and Hausermann's. I've received good orchids and good service from both. I have probably about 20 orchids, both cattleyas and phalaenopsis, from Orchids.com and many of them are excellent. Any phalaenopsis that comes from Taiwan wholesale nurseries is likely to have a virus. Viruses don't adversely affect phalaenopsis like they do cattleyas. Never-the-less many growers don't want viruses in their collections and I understand that. Most of Norman's phals are from Taiwan so you can take that into consideration.

[james mickelso]

I have heard both good and bad about Orchids.com. They might be a middleman by taking your order and procuring it from another vendor whom they can not control. Hausermans has been in business for years and has great customer service. And a large selection. Sunset Valley orchids is very good too. As are many other retailers. Shipping costs are high though so make sure you want what you order. Shows are the best place to get orchids. Or nurseries if there is one close enough. In fact Ray here from First Rays has good quality orchids at decent prices. Where are you in the MW" There may be a nursery near you that you don't know about. Also orchid clubs are great for trading or opportunity tables where you can get nice orchids.

[JanS]

I must contribute to this thread to reinforce the negative comments about Orchids.com (Norman's) and the positive comments about Hausermans. From my experience, Orchids.com sucks! About 3 years ago I made a fairly large (@$350) multi-plant purchase from them for the first (and last time). I spent quite a bit extra to get each plant in "bud or bloom". When the plants arrived, one had a near-dead (end of bloom) flower on it that fell off the next day, a cat. had one "bud" on it about the size of a pea (which yellowed and fell off a week later), and another plant was well under the size advertised. I e-mailed them my dissatisfied-customer comments, along with photo documentation and was ignored twice. Then I called and spoke to a poorly-english speaking person who pretended (I am sure about it) to not understand why I am dissatisfied, kind of playing the Abbot-Castello "Who's on First" dialog game.

On the other hand, my order from Hauserman's was perfect, with at least one plant much better than advertised and a signed sheet saying my plants were chosen by one of the Hauserman family members. I also buy orchids directly from them when visiting family in Chicago and their operation is fantastic.

Two pieces of advice (besides "steer clear of Orchids.com"): 1) If ordering from a new dealer, don't make the mistake I did and order only a small - 2-3 plants batch to test them out; 2) If you can get to Hausermans personally and don't care that you may not get the orchid you want in bloom due to the timing of your visit, it's worth the wait and pick out the nicest plants by yourself or with their help. They always have many blooming specimens in the forward greenhouse, but you can go anywhere else you want and find the section of your particular species of interest and get one that calls out to you!

[The Orchid Boy]

Is there any orchid in particular that you want? Perhaps if we knew the type we could reccomend some good vendors.

Here's a few you can look up: Carmela Orchids, Fox Valley Orchids, Carter and Holmes Orchids, Orchid Inn USA, Mid-Pacific Orchids, First Rays, Piping Rock Orchids, Windy Hill Gardens, Botanica Ltd., H and R Nurseries, R.F. Orchids, & schordje.com.

Ok more than a few. But I've had good seedlings with almost all of them or at least heard good things about them. And I've got to say I love slipper orchids. They can be pretty or pretty wierd and most are easy to grow.