what is (are) the coolest orchid you got in an unlikely place?

[DirtyCoconuts]

I want to know about the best bag baby find, Trader Joe's treasure or local nursery gem you have found.

I have a few really lucky bag baby finds but i want to know what the coolest, rarest, fanciest, whatever orchid you have ever found and in an unexpected place.



I'll make a list of mine for a later post

[Shadeflower]

I just checked my records and it turns out a phal I bought at our local DIY store once has been flowering for exactly 12 months, 366 days. Is there a record for longest recorded orchid flower duration? I think mine could be a contender.

[DirtyCoconuts]

that is amazing!!! also, kudos on awesome note taking

i have a few amazing bag baby finds but my favorite is the nodosa i found at a church community garage sale. a woman was selling a rusted out plant hanger with tillies and this nodosa in it for like $3 and i was delighted to help their church for the exchange

[Shadeflower]

wow, that's very generous of you
Wish it were like that here, the selection here is no good.
Same old phals every year and that's it.
I've never seen a Cattleya sold in a shop here..

[DirtyCoconuts]

yeah, i am always reminded about how lucky i am with the availability of plants when i hear about Europe

[SADE2020]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

yeah, I am always reminded about how lucky I am with the availability of plants when I hear about Europe

But except the Catas, I've always believed we could found a lot of more variety here in EU.

I have a Phal I got when i was having my daughter, 8 yrs now...and is a champion. I love 💕 that phal

[rbarata]

This one is one of the several I've found...there was another variety with a different color but I didn't bought it.



Two years later it turned into this. A crawling growth habit that made me offer it to someone with enough knowledge to take good care of it and with enough space for it to grow freely.

[Mr.Fakename]

Local nursery gem would be my Phalaenopsis lowii.
I bought that one the first time I went to the local greenhouse.

I was looking for a gift, and decided to pop by to see what they had. Their website is super outdated and barely says anything, and their FaceBook page was not updated, so I had little information, and little hope to find something.
Oh boy, how wrong was I.

It's a very odd bulding, a patchwork of greenhouses and poly tunnels, very old style.
It is PACKED with orchids, most of which I've never heard of and never will again.
Super friendly owners, super cool plants everywhere, a true dream.

The Phal in question is a pretty darn good find, as lowii is a rare plant; and it comes from the breeding line of a great grower who had retired. I had to seize the opportunity, and the lowii rewarded me by being a very good plant.


And if you want the mother of all unlikely places, there's a yearly orchid show in a thousand-year-old abbey in Southern France, a truly magical event and location: Accueil - Abbaye de fontfroide

[Diane56Victor]

Bunnings, a local hardware chain, sell Phals all year, Cyms at flowering time and once or twice a year little bubble packs of the tiniest orchids, usually Cattleya and Oncidium.

I picked up an Aerides leeana on 15th July 2019 for $8 knowing nothing at all about the species but decided I was up for a challenge.

Despite its diminutive size, probably less than 35mm or 1 inch tall it has powered on and is now a plant of respectable size given its size when purchased.

The success of this little plant has encouraged me to expand my Aerides collection. I now have bought more Aerides from different sources, oderata (pink x sibling) in July 2021, houlletiana in July 2021 and three quinquevulnera plants in Sept 2021, all growing well.

[Shadeflower]

oh wow Dianne, not sure you realize what you've gotten in to.

Mind you I have too but Aerides are sooo slow to mature.

I'd estimate 8 years before you see blooms. Or I am a slow grower lol.

Once they get bigger they start to grow faster but they need to get a lot bigger to be flowering size.