Best place to order online

[whalloper]

Hi everyone!

Im very new to orchids, but I feel an obsession coming on. Ive had one phal which I bought in bloom about 5 weeks ago which is still doing well. I bought another beauty this weekend with 5 flowers and MANY more buds. I basically reasoned with myself... if the buds (or most of them) open, I can get another 1 or 2

So, my question is wheres the best place to buy orchids online, or is it even worth buying them online? Ive looked at a few places and for example, theres a place called "Aloha Orchid Nursery" that SEEMS to have some great deals, but Im not sure.

Especially if anyone has personal experience, please give my your feedback, its really appreciated!

[NancyG]

I really like getting them at orchid shows instead of online. I've been disappointed when buying online because the plants are so small.

[whalloper]

Originally Posted by NancyG

I really like getting them at orchid shows instead of online. I've been disappointed when buying online because the plants are so small.

Really?
Where can I find a list of local upcoming orchid shows? How are the prices at the shows, seems like it would be expensive, no?

[lmartiny]

Check your area for local garden societies and orchid societies. People have success buying both ways. At least at a show, you see what you are buying.

[PhalPal]

Here is a thread where many of us contributed our favorite places to buy orchid stuff. http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/gen...endations.html

I love ordering online and have purchased some great plants at great prices. I agree that buying at shows is the best, but I almost never find what is on my 'wish list' when at a show. However, prices at shows are terrific!! There is competition all around the sellers so they have to have good prices or we will just go to the next booth for a better plant/price.

[ChryssM]

Whalloper, my geography is terrible but Stony Brook Orchids in New Jersey may be near you if that helps !

[ARodney]

Since I live on an island with very limited choices from the hardware/garden store and our society's show is once a year, I order most of my orchids online. I've purchased orchids from orchids by Hausermann, Carmela orchids and on eBay. However, you have to be careful who you buy from on eBay. Whenever I purchase from eBay, I look at their rating and read the fine print. Good luck on your orchid buying endeverse.

[BGGraham1]

LOVE Carmela's! The plants I got from them a couple of weeks ago were really healthy!

Oh, and if you like mounted ones, try Andy's.

[janet_a]

amaliobenet--you can often find very good deals at orchid shows with lots of vendors. my two vandas were US$5 each at longwood.

what part of the country are you in?

(and i'm sure whalloper has discovered the joys of the longwood SEPOS show by now. )

this is the current AOS show schedule:

Orchid Show Schedule

some of these shows may also have vendors.

[ChryssM]

YES, I'll vouch for ANDY'S along with many other members of our 4 local societies here !!!

[ARodney]

I also forgot to mention Oak Hill Nursery and Exotic Orchids Of Maui.

[koshki]

Does anyone know of or have an easy way to search for orchids for sale on line without having to go to each individual site? My bookmarks for orchid sellers on line is so big, if I start looking for a specific plant site by site, I will be in front of my computer all day and get nothing else done! (Not to mention all the "other" things I'll end up ordering!)

[Dendian]

Aaahh, yes, Katherine - awhile back a Geek posted a Google Search he had created to search nurseries for plants they have for sale. I have used it a couple of times, and bookmarked it for when I don't want to spend hours looking for a certain plant. I do not use it when I have a day off and I WANT to spend hours looking at orchids tho....

Here is the link: Google Custom Search - Orchid Nurseries

If you find some nurserys he didn't include- you can tell him and he will put them in too...

[Emma Grey]

Katherine - A method I use to find specific plants is to do a Google search using the orchid name and the word "price". For example: "Phal. bastianii price".

This usually works for me.

Dian - That is an awesome link. Thanks for sharing it!

[ChryssM]

Speaking of which, I got my P. bastianii 'Munchkin' CCM/AOS as a keiki off the blue ribbon Longwood show plant in the Orchidphile display !!! Absolutely COULD NOT resist !! I've bought other plants from her that are definite keepers ! She's known for high quality plants accordingly priced. If you got the dough that's where you should go !!! Poet and don't know it !!!

[orchidaddict789]

Ones I've personally dealt with, and they're all great:

Kawamoto Orchids (ordered)
Al's Orchid Greenhouse (bought in person)
Carmela's Orchids (ordered)
H & R Nursery (bought from an orchid show)
Oak Hill Gardens (bought from orchid show and ordered)

I just placed a large order with Oak Hill. I can't sleep because I'm so excited!

I personally would not deal with Aloha Orchid Nursery...

You can visit this link: Guide to Gardening by Mail, Mail Order Gardening, and Catalogs to check out customers' reviews of orchid nurseries, or garden centers in general.

I also buy from ebay, and I'm mostly happy with the results. The trick is to figure out which sellers are good and avoid the bad ones, which isn't too hard if you check their feedback.

[bearded orchid]

I've had really good luck and healthy plants from HP Norton's Orchidview, Carter & Holmes Nurseries, and The Orchid Gallery via Amazon and eBay.

[koshki]

Originally Posted by Dendian

Aaahh, yes, Katherine - awhile back a Geek posted a Google Search he had created to search nurseries for plants they have for sale. I have used it a couple of times, and bookmarked it for when I don't want to spend hours looking for a certain plant. I do not use it when I have a day off and I WANT to spend hours looking at orchids tho....

Here is the link: Google Custom Search - Orchid Nurseries

If you find some nurserys he didn't include- you can tell him and he will put them in too...

Oh, geez...be careful what you wish for! I tried that link a while ago and couldn't get it to work, so I forgot all about it.

How can you tell which nurseries are included in his search engine?

[Dendian]

Yes, it is best to be careful what you wish for - you might get it!

I don't really know which ones he included but I guess you could email and ask him - the link is right there. 318 websites, and using the keywords does bring up a whole buncha nurseries - but I did find a few plants elsewhere that did not show up on the search engine, so I know its not all-inclusive. I probably should figure out which ones.. and let him know so he can include them

[kevin020]

the best place to purchase online is at this company called lee & company. if you google search hawaiian grown orchids lee and company you should be able to find it.
they're based in hawaii and have the greatest quality i've seen in quite a while. they ship incredibly fast and the customer service is unmatchable. you won't be disappointed. and they offer free shiping for orders over $50!

[jpyerry]

I've bought the vast majority of my collection from vendors on ebay, and I can say that with a couple of exceptions, it has been a very positive experience! For the most part, people are honest, the bad ones just don't last very long. Do you have to be careful? Absolutely!

I have ordered from a few vendors directly, Kawamoto and Oak Hill Gardens were both very pleasant to deal with!

My only actual bad experience was when I ordered a plant that was supposed to be a Phal cornu-cervi red variant, and the plant I received was not a cornu-cervi, which was discovered after the plant bloomed, what it actually is I have no idea, I just know what it is not. The vendor was a new user from Thailand, by the time it bloomed the user was long gone from ebay. In addition, the plant introduced Phalaenopsis mites into my collection, which took months to eradicate. Lesson learned on this one, do your homework on the vendors, and as another member indicated, check feedback profiles, if someone has quite a few negative remarks or no feedback at all, buy with extreme caution.

But really, after probably 70 purchases of orchids and carnivorous plants on ebay, the one or two bad ones have not been enough to change my purchasing habits, it has just made me more cautious. I should mention that I live in an area that has one good orchid nursery, everyone else are garden centers that either sell NOIDs or ID'd plants with extreme markups, I'm not even lucky enough to have a Lowe's with nice ID'd plants like many users seem to have, so online buying is a requirement if I want to seriously expand my collection.

Another person mentioned that buying online you often receive smaller plants. This may be true, but I don't see it necessarily as a negative. Not only can you save some money on plant purchases, but I also find it very satisifying to grow a plant from a small size and bring it bloom. At times, I almost feel like I am cheating if I buy an in-bloom plant, because it does not feel as though I have "earned" the blooms.

Give on-line buying a chance, if you do your homework, you will be satisfied!

Justin

[Leafmite]

Al's Orchid Greenhouse is a terrific place! The plants are exactly as described, the service is fantastic. He is a guy that really cares.
I've also been pleased with Carmella's, Hausermanns, and Oakhill. I haven't tried Andy's yet but...someday.
Leafmite

[jsehorn]

I am remarkably fond of Odom's Orchids. They have a marvelous selection of Catts, plus some Oncidiums, Paphs, heat tolerant Cymdidiums, and a few Phals. I've ordered from them many times and have always been remarkably satisfied. Their prices are reasonable, and their plants are always HUGE for the price. If you're into Catts, you should definitely check them out. Their customer service is top notch as well.