Hi Ted--
I also have a conflict with Columbus' orchid society, so don't make meetings. Ditto for MVOS. I do check their websites and get to their shows when I can (if you do go, have someone hold your checkbook and wallet the first time).
The selection at Lowes varies greatly from store to store. The Heath location carries bag babies during the summer, my local store rarely even carries phals, so I've gotten in the habit of checking stores when I'm in the area. BTW, Menard's doesn't seem to carry orchids at all and HD is pretty much phals.
If you do look for orchids at Lowes, the bag babies are usually tucked in with the rest of the tropical foliage/house plants, so it's easy to miss them....Also, check their condition carefully--they can be in great shape, but sometimes they're rather rough if they've been there a while (and the Lowes staffs know little to nothing about orchids, so they're either not watered or grossly overwatered). That said, I picked up some NBS plants a couple of weeks ago: B. nodosoa, Bl Yellow Bird, Eplc Volcano Trick 'Paradise', and Epc Charlie Brown for under $15 per plant. Did pass a Maxillaria tenuifolia by since it was very, very dry and the pseudobulbs had shriveled to nothing--pity since the blooms smell like coconut....
My local Kroger stores carry phals, but they're no-ID's, and I've had to become more choosy about plants since my space is finite. I will occasionally find den phals at Kroger, but that's pretty rare.
I'll have to check out the other Oakland locations--though I'm already looking at what's out on the porch and wondering how I'll fit it all back in the house....
Good luck with your orchid hunting. Keep me posted how your plants do!
Catherine
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