Diamonds in the rough? Ever find something special from a big box store?

[KonaLady]

last year I found an angraecum eburneum at Home Depot in Hilo. Its leaves had been mostly chopped back and it had one forlorn spike with a few browning flowers, which is how I identified it. Although it was ugly, it really stood out from the usual suspects. It has now grown very nice foliage, three big growths. No flowers yet, but I read that they do not take repotting well and may not flower for a while. It cost $6.97.

[Orchid Whisperer]

I've gotten a bunch of nice named/awarded Cattleya hybrids (mericlones), some species (Encyclia cordigera, Dendrobium spectabile, others), and some nice named and labeled Phal and Paph hybrids.

[Nanotyrannus]

Originally Posted by WhiteRabbit

About 5 or 6 years ago, I very surprisingly found a BIG Neofinetia falcata at Summer Winds nursery (a retail nursery / garden store chain that generally carries only the usual suspects orchid-wise) - and it was already a very good marked price (also a surprise compared to the usual cost of orchids there - I suspect they just didn't want to charge what may have seemed to be too much for a 3" pot orchid), and as it was finished blooming, I asked for, and got, a discount! ;D About 3 years ago, I also found a very nice Holcoglossum amesianum - it wasn't a bargain, but the fragrance made me have to have it! ;p

How big of a Neo. are we talking? And a discount on top of that? I'm too shy to ask for a discount like that haha.

Originally Posted by Whimgrinder

Today I found Colemanara Masai Red with two bloom spikes at Trader Joes for $7.99 - and yes - I did take it home with me!

Thanks for the inadvertent ID! My dad brought home that exact orchid from TJ's!

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

I've gotten a bunch of nice named/awarded Cattleya hybrids (mericlones), some species (Encyclia cordigera, Dendrobium spectabile, others), and some nice named and labeled Phal and Paph hybrids.

Where'd you find species? Share your secrets!

EDIT: I ended up buying the Den. kingianum! Pic attached. It's a handsome beast with maybe 30 pseudobulbs.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Nanotyrannus

Where'd you find species? Share your secrets!

EDIT: I ended up buying the Den. kingianum! Pic attached. It's a handsome beast with maybe 30 pseudobulbs.

The species were Better Gro bagged orchids purchased at Lowes. In addition to what I mentioned, I purchased a Maxillaria tenuifolia and a Rossioglossum (Oncidium) ampliatum this way; I have also seen other species Encyclias, Dendrobiums, Cymbidiums, and Oncidium alliance plants as bagged Better Gro plants at Lowes.

Recently, I have seen fewer orchids at grocery and big-box stores that are even named (except the Better Gro brand plants). This is one reason I have not purchased many plants at local stores in recent months.

The D. kinganum is a good catch!

[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by Nanotyrannus

How big of a Neo. are we talking? And a discount on top of that? I'm too shy to ask for a discount like that haha.

Well, it wasn't a ginormous specimen, but still a very nice size
I'm going to see if I can dig up the pic I took of it when I got it ...
It was only tagged as Neofinetia falcata, but from the leaf span / size of fans, it must be an Amami Island variety, and there were 7 mature size fans, and 3 small newer ones (yay - I found the pic) - it was marked at $19.99, but they gave me a 15% discount. I only thought to ask for a discount because I had read of other people doing so when plants had finished blooming.

The funny part was, I was out on my bike, so I figured I was safe to go in and look at orchids, as I wouldn't be able to get any safely home on my bike, so I couldn't buy any this trip - but this (especially being done blooming, so no worry about protecting the flowers) fit nicely in my backpack

So, first pic is when I got it (July, 2010, 3" pot), the second pic is from June 2014, 4" pot (most recent pic, as I didn't take any photos when it was in bloom last summer). I don't know how many fans there are now - a few more than there were One of our Neo growing board members gave it the nickname 'Gojira' (Godzilla)

[wintergirl]

Very cool, that neo is a diamond.

[Mandy2705]

😱 amazing!


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[Nanotyrannus]

Originally Posted by WhiteRabbit

One of our Neo growing board members gave it the nickname 'Gojira' (Godzilla)

I think you win the thread! That thing is a proper monster. I thought I got a good deal on a young Neo, $25 for 4 fans.

I got some more impressive (to me) Phalaenopsis noids.



This one I got at a Trader Joe's, it's fragrant and smells very sweet. Not like candy, but like a flower.



This lovely lady I got at a Ralph's. I thought it'd be fragrant, and I was right. It smells like dog feces!

[pipsxlch]

I found a couple photos from a year ago of my Bc. Theresa Ricci (Bc. Hippodamia (B. nodosa x. C. aclandiae) x. C. aclandiae). I had bought it as a Lowe's Better-Gro bag baby about 6 months before these photos were taken.




This is now. I can't even count the pbulbs, but it looks like 50 anyhow.




Here's a couple flower shots from before. They open olive green, and fade to clear deep yellow. The spots stay dark purple, and the lip is a hot magenta the pictures didn't really capture. It flowers A LOT. It will be out of bloom, then have a flush for a month or two with the whole plant seeming to be covered, then have spotty (no pun intended) blooming for several months with individual growths blooming as they mature. It has been in spotty bloom since the last flush early last summer. Since this photo a week ago, it has opened 2 more blooms and has a spike of 3 maturing.



Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be especially fragrant. Just a slight sweetness, unless I don't try at the right time (it's outside, so I have to actually go and smell them)

[Nanotyrannus]

Amazing Cattleya! I'm always on the hunt for orchids that bloom whenever they want. Does it have a fragrance? I'll have to keep an eye out for Better-Gro bag babies. All the Home Depots and Lowes in my area don't carry them.