Good Morning!

[rrillera]

My name is Roman and I reside in the Pacific Northwest. Periodically, over the years, I have picked up a few orchid plants here and there. Following a recent trip to Hawaii, my enthusiasm over orchids grew! Can anyone suggest or recommend a reputable retailer who successfully ships orchid plants? My favorite orchid is the Psychopsis.

Thank you.

Roman

[BillC]

Hi Roman, welcome to the forum, I can only think of one guy who could trust completely and he is our super moderator, jerrymeola@hotmail.com

Jerry runs an orchid nursery in Florida and if you email him with your wants I am sure he will accomodate you

Bill

[JLu]

There are many orchid vendors who are excellent. Many of them are in California so that plants you purchase would have a short trip. Go to

Orchids Source Directory

for a list of california sources. You can also find sources nationwide.

You'll find orchids to be a consuming hobby.

[myorchid]

Welcome Roman! Where in the Pacific Northwest are you? I am in Poulsbo, WA.

I agree with Bill, Jerry has good orchids and mine have arrived without any problems.

Do you have orchids now? Please post pictures of them!

[made4engineering]

If you are looking for orchid species:
Oak Hill Gardens
Santa Barbara Orchid Estate
Andy's Orchids
also Cal-Orchid (has limited selection but the plants I got from them were great)

[norris]

Hi Roman, and welcome I recently bought a Psychopsis orchid at a show. The grower is Gold Country Orchids located in Lincoln CA, I think that's in northern CA.

[kid a]

Originally Posted by rrillera

My name is Roman and I reside in the Pacific Northwest. Periodically, over the years, I have picked up a few orchid plants here and there. Following a recent trip to Hawaii, my enthusiasm over orchids grew! Can anyone suggest or recommend a reputable retailer who successfully ships orchid plants? My favorite orchid is the Psychopsis.

Thank you.

Roman

Hello there! Welcome to the forum!

[Tobi]

Hi and welcome to the forum Roman. I agree with Bill C. on contacting Jerry. He has an
excellent selection and since he is a moderator here I'm sure he can help you pick out
some that will adapt to your growing conditions.

[arleneg]

Hi & welcome to the forum.

I agree with the recommendations, since I've ordered/bought from all of them before.

Let me add two more - orchids.com and orchidweb.com

[jay]

Hello and welcome to the forum! I too love the Psychopsis.

Good luck in finding more.

[patticake]

Hi, Roman!! I have my first Psychopsis! It's small, but I can't wait for it to grow! Welcome!

[solay]

Hi, welcome. If you go on orchidmall.com there is a whole list by state of orchid nurseries. Now I have to go look up Psychopsis. Not sure what it looks like. Probably will want one too once I see it. Drats!!!

[rrillera]

I live in SW Washington, just a few miles north of Portland, OR. Over the years, I have simply been an admirer of Orchids and only very frequently picked up a few over a span of 15-years. I was never able to get them to re-bloom. I don't think I was able to provide optimal conditions for them. I would relocate them to my in-laws' where they were able to get them to re-bloom.

A couple of weeks ago, I was in Hawaii where Orchids sold for $5.00-$15.00. I successfully brought one home. I was amazed at how inexpensive they were in the Islands. At those prices, I would have to CARE if they bloomed again or not! However, alas, I live in a very forested area with cooler temperatures; where orchids command between $50.00 and $100.00 apiece. Thus, when they don't bloom again, I get frustrated. At any rate, upon research via the internet, prices online in Hawaii are very reasonable. Shipping, on the other hand is expensive.

I tend to learn towards orchids that are a bit more exotic and unusual. I don't tend to purchase those orchids we see daily at Trader Joe's, Safeway, Home Depot......

Anyways, thank you for your warm welcome! I am looking forward to joining in on your discussions and learning about orchids. For the record, I am completely Orchid Illiterate!

Thank you for allowing me to introduce myself!

Roman

[articuno75]

Rrillera~ First I want to welcome you to the forum !

There are several vendors in Hawaii with both reasonably priced orchids and shipping. Finding them on the other hand can be daunting.

I have found one in Hawaii that has some. It's called The Orchid Farm. Truly nothing over $8.50 and shipping is done USPS. I only had one incident with them involving an orchid, but it was replaced without hesitation. Customer service in my book A+.

But truly, no one can beat our very own Geek Jerry He's the goto Guru!

[rrillera]

I frequently find myself purchasing Orchids that I find pleasing to the eye. I have NO IDEA what they are or what they are called. I would like to learn how they are named and such. Any reading suggestions?

Thank you!

Roman

[Greenhouse Gal]

Good Morning rrillera / Roman,

google orchid books. There are TONS out there. Pick 2-5 that look really interesting. Get those books vital statistics. Complete correct title, author or editor, ISBN #, year published, publishing company. Of these the ISBN # is probably the most important. Make a note on where you found the information. Take this to you local library. Most libraries in the US are part of an interlibrary loan program. Interlibrary loan allows you to barrow books from all across the country at little or usually no cost. Ask at the library about interlibrary loan, do they participate, is there a cost. I don't know if other countries have similar programs but others should ask at there local libraries. If you are near larger collage or university libraries they may have some nice books in their collections. If you really like a book after you have seen it, then track it down to buy for your very own.

Sitting on my desk right now are:
Flora's Orchids, Ned Nash and Isobyl La Croix, ISBN 0-88192-721-X, 2005, Timber Press

The Practical Encyclopedia of Orchids: A Complete Guide to Orchids and their Cultivation, Brian and Wilma Rittershausen, ISBN 0-681-14038-0, 2007, Hermes House

Orchids a Practical Handbook, Brian and Wilma Rittershausen, ISBN 1-84309-209-3, 2002, Hermes House

(The Rittershausen's have written a lot of orchid books.)

(Ok. Really there are several more on my desk but I am tiered of typing now. Can you tell I have a book problem as well as an orchid problem?)

Since you said you wanted to id your plants any of these might help. Most have at least some cultural info on the plants they cover.

I will be interested to see what books others will suggest.

[Sharyn]

Originally Posted by rrillera

I frequently find myself purchasing Orchids that I find pleasing to the eye. I have NO IDEA what they are or what they are called. I would like to learn how they are named and such. Any reading suggestions?

Here's a link with suggested orchid books used by our forum members. There are quite a number of great books. Happy reading.

http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/gen...ure-books.html