Kate, no show, just places that sell nice orchids cheaply. You should talk with Elaine as she is coming from Sarasota.

Jim

Kate, it's not a show, there are just three specific growers in Apopka who sell to the public that we like to visit once or twice a year. But we do have a nice show in Sarasota the first weekend after New Year's, Jan 3rd & 4th.

http://www.sarasotaorchidsocie...

Especially for those of us who are growing our orchids outdoors, it's worthwhile not to pay the extravagant prices for show orchids in full bloom. At least I feel that way. If I've paid a fortune for an orchid I feel much worse if some critter, disease or insect gets at it.

Last visit, I got Epidendrums (grow in full sun in hanging baskets or in the ground) for $3 each, a gorgeous big Phaius in bloom for $8 and several other treasures.

Elaine, y'all will have to promise not to pick my brain and find out I know so much less about orchid growing than you.

Regarding the eBay purchase, I would still raise a claim with eBay. They are obligated to mark the package as LIVE PLANTS otherwise there is no way the the USPS will know to at least TRY to keep them indoors.

It is worth a shot. I wouldn't tiptoe around that. Don't post feedback until you are done with the entire claim process.

My 2 cents. Remember that eBay sides on the purchaser most times. Also, if they didn't advertise that it was bare root, that is incorrectly described and grounds for immediate claim.

It is easy to do a claim and if you are unsure how to do it, you can call eBay and they will walk you through it.

Good luck! Melissa

My husband is always saying that we should move to Florida and I always say I don't wnt to. Reading post above has made m tempted for the first time!

Otherwise.....I'm stuck with Internet shopping, where can I fid some of the more unusual species plants other than ebay? Even hybrids, there are very few nurseries listed on the Green Pages. I was thinking of starting another thread of the best and worst of the online sellers, call it "naming names" or something like that (I recently heard a radio programme about Burl Ives).

I hope to work on the feedback later today for ebay. Maybe I'm over sensitive, but I thought the tone of their email was a little snippy, especially as I had tried to be very nice in my note.

Me, me, me, Lore!

Thanks for the info about the show. Lore, it sounds like even though you may not want to move to FL, it may be worth it to come down just to buy plants in person! Esp at those prices mentioned....$3? $8? Oh my goodness, I'm going to be overrun by orchids!!! (my dream come true!)

1. Mais oui, Ken!

2. $3. Or $8. .??? Sounds like a dream come true!!! Goodness, it's a hard decision.

Forgive me,I must post this picture of Georgy with a new bow.




So what do you think, shall I start a thread for those of use who are deprived of local orchid nurseries!

Large blooming Phals = $5; blooming hard cane Dendrobiums =$4; Large Vandas with 3 feet of root = $12; blooming Cattleyas = $6; long live Apopka!

Jim

That's just amazing, Jim. I can't even purchase plants at so-called wholesale prices at anywhere near that cost. It just isn't fair!

One plant that I love is Coelogyne cristata. Just out of curiosity today, I did a google search and came up with: several ebay listings, SBOE, Orchidweb, nurseries in Australia. No you know why I use ebay. I've never ordered from Orchidweb and I'm not a big fan of SBOE.

I can predict that the same thing would happen if I looked for many other orchids that I really like and would like to grow, eg. Dockrillia, Lockhartia, etc. any suggestions?

Is there any reason why C cristata seems to have become rather scarce?

I never see it because I think it may require conditions much cooler than South FL...and thus I've never sought it out, either...I'm already invested in this spiral aloe I've got and I fret over it constantly, I don't need any more cool weather plants! But C. cristata is a beauty! I rarely see the cool weather orchids for sale anywhere, maybe they are more challenging?

That's the reason I don't carry "cool" orchids, Lore. They would do fine for six months and probably struggle the other six months. I don't have any AC out in the greenhouses and besides, all my orchids go outside in April and remain outside until October/November. Our average high during those months would probably be 85 F+ and it isn't a bit unusual to have many days in the mid to upper 90's. Some years (three years ago) we have days 100-110.

Now there is the Coelogyne Unchained Melody which does fine in warmer temperatures. And many of the Coel. mossiae and cristata out there for sale might be Unchained Melody anyway. Except - growers like Orchid Limited/ Orchidweb and a few others will surely sell you the species.

What temperatures does the species need? I wonder if there might be an advantage to living in the frozen north after all (shivering in long underwear in the house, I don't want to light th wood stove because I have to go out at 10.00. Last night, one of the dogs got under the covers). It is probably 63 in the house right now.

I will have to look for Unchained Melody, the name rings a bell. I hope it is readily available (in the spring!).

Is Orchids Limited/Orchidweb pretty reliable? I've never ordered from them. I may have said this before, but I have not had good luck with plants from SBOE and the prices are so high.

Did I mention before that I lived in a virtually unheated house with big windows in England, I grew the best standard Cyms.

It's 63 degrees outside today and I'm shivering!!! I lived through plenty of that in VA at the foot of the mountains where I used to live...I must be reptilian because I require large amounts of heat and humidity to thrive.

I would think that Orchids Limited is one of the best Orchid nurseries around. Not cheap, but their plants are excellent.
I should mention that the Phrag Jason Fischer, bought in 2004, is still alive and kicking!!

When I got outside long enough to look at the thermometer today, it was 17!

Ugh! 17 !

Ursula, can you post a picture of that? I'd like to see what a 10 year old orchid looks like! I don't think I've ever seen any old orchids where the owner knew how old it was.