Orchid shopping in Miami

[2Barefeet]

I have an opportunity to travel to Miami in either Jan or Feb. I can either go the weekend of the Tamiami Festival or I can go later in February and hit as many of the area growers as I can cram into one weekend. It seems like the Tamiami Festival would be the better choice for shopping, but I've never had the opportunity to really visit any orchid growers before. I've always had to mail order and I'd love to be able to actually shop in person. Can anybody recommend one or the other? Any growers I should be sure to check out while I'm there? I mostly grow Vandas so Motes would be at the top of my list.

[FSUOrchids]

Go to the Tamiami festival. You get growers from FL, Hawaii, and all over the place. It's enormous.

Motes is not generally open to the public, I think you would have to call in advance and see if they are open. They do periodic open houses. I have not been down to that area since Irma so I have no idea how much damage the growers sustained. I know Motes and RF Orchids did pretty well. If you are in the Redlands area I would check RF. Vandas are their specialty. There is another grower not too far away called Banjong Orchids that primarily also stocks vandas. They have more Asian imported varieties.

[2Barefeet]

Thanks. I didn't think about some of the growers not being open to the public.

[estación seca]

I would go to the Tamiami festival and prepare to be overwhelmed. Perhaps spend a day and a half there and try to hit one other nursery, if they are open.

I don't know how Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden did in the hurricane. That would also be worth a trip. It's in the south part of metro Miami, almost on the coast.

Motes and RF had substantial but not crippling hurricane damage. RF Orchids has a retail area that is normally open to the public, but I would check first.

It is a really good idea to go to a nursery just so you can see how orchids grow in an excellent environment. Pay attention to the amount of light in the greenhouses, and notice it may vary from one to another. And note the plants growing in different kinds of light. Take a light meter if you have one, and make notes. Pay attention to the humidity around you. Ask lots of questions. Nursery owners are almost always happy to educate, unless they have something at hand they really need to get done.

[FSUOrchids]

RF has been open again for awhile, it seems they did reasonably well with the storm. The greenhouse tour is still closed though.