Where to buy ?

[Optimist]

Estacion said it best. One thing that I have discovered in my short life as an orchid collector, is that you have to be a fanatic about "who" you buy from. I am in a tiny town where "Orchid" means Taiwanese phalenopsis from a grocery store. I get my plants on-line. I trust the on-line sources-- including eBay. There are "small growers"-- people who pick up flasks and grow them to seedling size or larger and then sell them. The problem with "Stores" is that the customer wants flowers. If you want Roths, Phrag Grandes, or other more unusual plants that go for 100 dollars, you have to get seedlings, and then put in the "sweat equity." Other than that Orchid society shows and then the orchid growers (often a long drive).

[AnonYMouse]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Photo is gone.

Fixed. Had dupes so deleted but deleted the wrong one, I guess.

[dounoharm]

this is the way of this new century....I had the joy and pleasure of working (pretty much free) at an establishment in mill valley ca....they were on the way out when I was there, as the property value had gotten so high they just did away with the agricultural zoning....they grew roses and orchids for the cut flower trade, and also had some wonderful old species and crosses....anyway, it was a great experience!

I also had the pleasure of touring a couple of the old family houses in southern ca and florida....I don't think we have ANYTHING like that anymore....

the business of 'cut flowers' are usually the Hawaiian import orchids...cym phals and dens.....cattleyas are rare indeed!

there are few places left in the usa to buy orchids. it is an expensive hobby that requires dedication for many years....there are a few specialized orchid houses left, I found some thru as site called 'orchid mall' years ago...

piping rock, I think has the best paphs and phrags...but other species, I don't know...good luck!

[snowflake311]

Originally Posted by dounoharm

this is the way of this new century....I had the joy and pleasure of working (pretty much free) at an establishment in mill valley ca....they were on the way out when I was there, as the property value had gotten so high they just did away with the agricultural zoning....they grew roses and orchids for the cut flower trade, and also had some wonderful old species and crosses....anyway, it was a great experience!

I also had the pleasure of touring a couple of the old family houses in southern ca and florida....I don't think we have ANYTHING like that anymore....

the business of 'cut flowers' are usually the Hawaiian import orchids...cym phals and dens.....cattleyas are rare indeed!

there are few places left in the usa to buy orchids. it is an expensive hobby that requires dedication for many years....there are a few specialized orchid houses left, I found some thru as site called 'orchid mall' years ago...

piping rock, I think has the best paphs and phrags...but other species, I don't know...good luck!

Thanks everyone. I found the site. The Orchid Mall - Plant Sources

This it what I was looking for thank you.

[Cheddarbob14]

dounoharm beat me to it

We bring you the finest Paphiopedilum, Phragmipedium, and other orchids available.: Piping Rock Orchids

Can't speak from personal experience, but many here seem to be quite happy with there purchases from them. I have yet to rebloom the 1 noid paph that I have, once I do, that's the 1st site I'm going to, to expand.

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[Bohata]

Originally Posted by Cheddarbob14

dounoharm beat me to it

We bring you the finest Paphiopedilum, Phragmipedium, and other orchids available.: Piping Rock Orchids

Can't speak from personal experience, but many here seem to be quite happy with there purchases from them. I have yet to rebloom the 1 noid paph that I have, once I do, that's the 1st site I'm going to, to expand.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

I ordered from this site for the first time this year: a Pap. bellatulum and a Paph. Mount Toro. Both are of good quality and, with a bit of tlc, should bloom next year.

[Fairorchids]

Check the AOS web site for show listings (mostly over for the season now). Then, go to the web site of the sponsoring orchid society, and see who they have invited as vendors. That will give you some idea about what plant material to expect at that show.

In response to several of the above comments:

The reason most regional nurseries have closed is not the attitude of the general consumer (they never bought orchids in the old days), but rather the heating costs. Even though oil now is trading in the high $40s per barrel, in the 1960s it was $6-8 per barrel, and just a couple of years ago it was over $100.

When you consider that it takes 3-16 years to grow an orchid seedling to blooming size, there is no way to recover the cost of doing that in temperature to cold climates.

Compounding the issue is the fact that growers in Hawaii can grow the plants to blooming size in half the time due to their natural environment being so perfect for these plants.

We can't change the past, so we have to live with what is.

• Ebay is one source, but be careful - many 'near BS' plants are tiny seedlings.
• Orchid shows are the best place to see a large variety and select plants in person.
• Orchid Societies are another source. In addition to raffles and auctions, most speakers bring plants for sale too.

[Dollythehun]

Amen.

[fooferdoggie]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Trader Joe's, many supermarkets, and big box hardware stores often retail nice orchids. They often lack nametags, and may have rotten roots from poor care at the retailer. TJ frequently sells Paphs.

Realize slippers are propagated by seed or division, not mericloning, so they are precioussss. One does not simply walk into Phrag store.

we got a sweet sixteen a miniature sharry baby for 18.00 I went to transplant it and it was two plants in one pot. got a mounted orchid on amazon and the pic showed a grown plant and t was just a tiny baby plant. eBay has been pretty good. Orchids Trade and Sale on facebook seems good lots of growers there.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by snowflake311

Yeah That is what I am asking. Can you find Phrags at stores? Do you have to buy them online? I know they are grown from seed. Some place has to sell locally in Nor Cal? I don't mind spending money on the plant. I just don't like spending it on shipping for a plant I don't get to see before I buy you know.

In short, there are usually no stores you can walk into that will carry a Phrag of any kind. They need special care, and rarely will anybody at a Trader Joe's or a Home Depot will know what to do with something like this. You are more likely to find a Paph hybrid with no ID at an Armstrong Nursery or a Trader Joe's than you will a Phrag or even a Paph species. The exception for obtaining a Paph species at places like an Armstrong Nursery would be Paph delenatii. Paph delenatii rarely pops up at an Armstrong Nursery, but I'm seen them there before.

You will either have to search the web for specialty nurseries, which are going by way of the Dodo, or you must attend a show to purchase from an international seller.

I have experience selling a few of my orchids before, and I am not a professional grower, but I can attest to what estacion seca had said, and I will say that I have severe reservations of selling any of my orchids if I needed to based off of some of my experiences in the past. The problem is largely how the economy in this country has devolved, and that eventually translates to people not willing to foot the actual cost of the plants.

Shipping costs have also risen. And because of that, the actual cost of shipping the plants are a deterring factor as well. You see, shipping a plant properly means that the plant has to be packed a certain way to ensure it arrives to the buyer safely. What some people are not considering are the costs of the packing materials on top of the actual shipping service. This is why shipping is no longer $6 for a small package, for example.

Piping Rock Orchids I can vouch for. I have purchased from them before.

You may also try Hillsview Gardens for Paph hybrids.

For Chinese Paphs, another source is Hengduan Mountain Biotech currently run by Wenqing Perner. Please support her business. Her husband Holger Perner just passed away. If you want a steady, legal, and fairly affordable source of Chinese Cyps or Chinese Paphs, please support her by buying some of her plants when she comes to a show in the US. It is not necessary to purchase a ton of plants from her. Paph armeniacum has been on their price list regularly since they've opened their business to the public. It is not "buying American" if you buy orchids from her, but it is straight from the source - namely, China. I mention this as a supplementary source in case you are looking for other plants that American nurseries do not carry or if you are looking to get plants to breed into the American stock we have circulating around for more genetic variation.

Thai Paphs are a whole different story...other than scrounging around the net for a local seller that will sell at an affordable price, there aren't many international sellers that offer these guys at the show rounds. Thai international sellers don't always stick around for very long.