On Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:25:50 -0700, Anthony wrote:

They are not rare...they are very difficult to grow at times...one
mistake and your out of $16 to $75 that I have seen. I don't know if you
get any guarantees on them though.

They will usually guarantee it was alive when you paid for it, no more.

Orchids are expensive mostly because they grow very slowly. By the time
they are ready to sell they have used up a lot of time and space in an
expensive greenhouse operation.

Some orchids are even more expensive because they are rare. If you
already have a hundred orchid varieties in your greenhouse then it could
make sense to pay $75 for that unusual variety you have been looking for,
otherwise probably not.

Here in zone 5, southeastern Pennsylvania, the only kind of orchid that
grows inside easily is Phalaenopsis. I would advise a beginner to poke
around on the web reading various instructions on selecting a site and
caring for them, so as to get an idea of the range of locations and care
methods which can be made to work (rather than just one method), pick one
that suits you, then buy several cheap Phal's you like the look of and
try them in several different spots that seem suitable, for maximum
chance of re-blooming of at least one. Then move the rest to the place
where they do best. I have heard a lot of cases of "I had that orchid
for years but it never bloomed until I moved it to this spot, now it
blooms every year", and that good spot is not always obviously better
than the place it wouldn't bloom.

I have tried a number of other orchid types (a greenhouse manager I know
gives then to me), but in spite of expert orchid advice from my wife they
rarely bloom for me. Her typical expert advice is "I can't believe you
are still trying to grow *that* orchid *here*, throw it out", often
shortened to a certain look and the single word "compost". I usually
admit she was right a few years later when it finally dies, but sometimes
they bloom and she admits to being amazed :-).