Buying Orchids Online

[boxerfan]

Has anyone bought orchids from orchids.com or carter and holmes? What was the quality of the plants. Did they survive to bloom? What types did you buy? Thanks, Lisa

[Ak_Orchid]

I've purchased lots of orchids from orchids.com and had them arrive in great condition. I've purchased Phals, Dendrobiums, Vandas and a couple species from them and been pleased with every order. All that were to be in bud/spiking survived the trip to Alaska. They also have excellent customer service.

[Sharyn]

I've ordered from Carter & Holmes. They're a good company and the plants I ordered arrived packed very well and in perfect condition. I can't give you good feedback on the sizes sent as mine were miniature plants and they were smaller than I expected. It's been awhile but pretty sure they were sent by UPS. There's a box to check on the order form if you want/or do not a substitution. If they're out of stock on the exact plant you want, they will substitute the same size and pretty close to your order, unless you specify otherwise. Important: Be sure to check what size pot you're buying, as some of their plants seem pretty reasonable in price until you realize that the 2.5" pot will take 2-3 years to flower - depending on the orchid. You might want to invest a little more for a mature plant. It all depends on your budget & your patience. Good luck.

[Fabolusus]

I have a few phals from Carter and Holmes. I am very pleased with them, and 2 are currently in bloom. I have quite a few orchids from Parkside www.parksideorchids.com. I have consistently received very healthy and hard to find orchids from them.

[Maddy]

Orchids.com is the only one I've tried so far, and I've been very pleased with them. I think the blue phal I ordered from them over the summer is about to give me a spike at last.

While we're on the subject, does anyone know a good place for miltonopsis? They seem to be particularly hard to find online.