I thought this was pretty amusing:
http://news.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=1310782006

Bill Landers

Well, while many in this newsgroup might disagree, I have got say I have
found this sentiment to true among non-orchid people. I have learned to
cringe when somebody sends an orchid as a sympathy gift, especially after a
death or illness to a non-orchid collector. It can and does cause a type of
stress they would rather not be dealing with again. Over the last ten years
I have accrued a couple of anecdotes where the poor receipting says "thank
you" to the giver and then spends the next 6 to 8 months calling me (my
number is on my tags) with ever more desperate pleas for advice as the plant
slowly dies in their care and in some cases calls with what feels like
projected anger and denial neither the plant nor I deserve. I wouldn't
think it was strange except it happens on gift orders and more often than
not on sympathy gift orders than it does when the order comes from the
person buying the plants for themselves.

And as an orchid collector, I would much rather have a gift certificate from
an orchid vendor than the average large white Phal or Oncidium intergeneric.
I can take that 50 or 60 bucks you probably got charged and buy something I
can't get myself in spike for $7.50 each in lots of 10 or 12.

"Is this for somebody who collects orchids?"
"Yes, it is!"
"May I suggest a gift certificate because orchid collections are often
grouped according to what the collector has learn they can grow in the
conditions they have. Do you know what kind of plants they grow?"
"Ah, no, but I have seen them and they have some like this one [a Phal], but
I have never seen a white one there before. They'll love it! And besides a
gift certificate is so impersonal."
"Okay.... Well, what would you like me to write on the gift card? How 'bout
this, 'Here's something I know you don't have. Can't imagine why?'"

This one usually works, "Might suggest that the week before Christmas is the
wrong time to ship a blooming Phal to Northern Wisconsin and my no questions
ask return guarantee will only apply if I can choose when to ship and I
probably can't ship there until the spring."

(The week or so after Christmas is kind of fun to, as all the orchid
collectors, sporting new sweaters and socks proudly come through buying the
gifts they wanted ...and often an amazing amount of them... that nobody
thought to give them....)
....but I digress as usual.

On the other hand, I have many customers who received their first orchid as
a gift and are now hopelessly addicted.

Al

"Bill Landers" wrote in message
...
I thought this was pretty amusing:
http://news.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=1310782006

Bill Landers

On the other hand, I have many customers who received their first orchid
as a gift and are now hopelessly addicted.

After that long dissertation, you end with this? G

The article is funny. I know people like that. Got to agree with Al,
however. Our Society sometimes gives non-orchid speakers Phals as gifts when
cash is not appropriate. The reactions vary, from our County Sherrif (male),
who loved it, to a State Representative (female) who shrank from it with
"Oh, no, that's too much responsibility!"

Interesting.

Diana

I give orchids that are in flower and tell the person that I will take
it back when it has bloomed out and return it when it blooms again.
Some take me up on the promise, some want to keep it. I win either way.
Joe T

Diana Kulaga wrote:
On the other hand, I have many customers who received their first orchid
as a gift and are now hopelessly addicted.

After that long dissertation, you end with this? G

The article is funny. I know people like that. Got to agree with Al,
however. Our Society sometimes gives non-orchid speakers Phals as gifts when
cash is not appropriate. The reactions vary, from our County Sherrif (male),
who loved it, to a State Representative (female) who shrank from it with
"Oh, no, that's too much responsibility!"

Interesting.

Diana

Good idea, Joe. I like it.

Diana

"jtill" wrote in message
ups.com...
I give orchids that are in flower and tell the person that I will take
it back when it has bloomed out and return it when it blooms again.
Some take me up on the promise, some want to keep it. I win either way.
Joe T

Diana Kulaga wrote:
On the other hand, I have many customers who received their first
orchid
as a gift and are now hopelessly addicted.

After that long dissertation, you end with this? G

The article is funny. I know people like that. Got to agree with Al,
however. Our Society sometimes gives non-orchid speakers Phals as gifts
when
cash is not appropriate. The reactions vary, from our County Sherrif
(male),
who loved it, to a State Representative (female) who shrank from it with
"Oh, no, that's too much responsibility!"

Interesting.

Diana

LOL!!!!!!!! what a great article!

"Sometimes the children are so busy themselves they don't have time for
physical movement and are forced to become horrible little fat balls
that look like someone has shrink-wrapped a school uniform round a
space-hopper."



hee!!

but he's right of course; i had no sooner killed my first onc when my
birthday came around and a friend gave me--an onc. fortunately it's
actually a big husky vuyl that's growing pretty well (and trying to
climb out of its pot and eat the phal next to it) and blooms regularly,
so i didn't have too much of the "oh crap what if i kill this plant?!"
problem.

my mother gave my SIL a diffenbachia that she'd had for literally 30
years; my SIL is terrified she's going to kill it and offend my mother.
of course, i think my mother gave it to her because the damn thing
refused to die for 30 yrs, and this was a good way of getting rid of it
without just throwing it away. (neither of us can just toss a healthy
plant--which i why have two big NOID phal's approaching specimen size
in my living room. -sigh- )

--j_a

On Fri, 15 Sep 2006 17:53:08 -0400, "Diana Kulaga"
wrote:

Good idea, Joe. I like it.

Diana

I wish my neighbor would join this "return it club". Her daughters
friends keep giving the daughter blooming Phals. Mom only brings them
here when they have lost a leaf or two and look desiccated. I keep
telling her, she over waters them. Then she waters it just before she
brings it over. Sometimes it is even still sitting in water. Last
time it took 7 days for the moss to dry with out a pot around it. I
would love to get it immediately after the blooms drop.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/orchids

Great article. Thanks for posting Bill!

I am one of Al's many customers who received my first orchid as a gift, and
am now hopelessly addicted. I would never have considered buying an orchid
on my own before this gift, but even after I got it, I don't think I would
have really gotten into orchids, if it had not been for the sense of guilt
over decapitating that first orchid with the window blinds soon after I got
it and then having to buy a second one just like it, so that I could tell
the gift giver that the orchid was doing beautifully, and then my guilt led
me to actually figure out what to do to keep the orchid alive, and the first
orchid recovered, and then they both rebloomed, so naturally I had to get
another ... and now I was telling my mother-in-law the other day that I am
trying to be good and not buy any orchids this month, and she asked what
about next month, and I said, oh no, next month is October and we have an
orchid show in DC, and I cannot possibly not buy any orchids then!

Joanna

"al" wrote in message news:m%COg.41$GO2.32@trnddc01...
Well, while many in this newsgroup might disagree, I have got say I have
found this sentiment to true among non-orchid people. I have learned to
cringe when somebody sends an orchid as a sympathy gift, especially after
a death or illness to a non-orchid collector. It can and does cause a
type of stress they would rather not be dealing with again. Over the last
ten years I have accrued a couple of anecdotes where the poor receipting
says "thank you" to the giver and then spends the next 6 to 8 months
calling me (my number is on my tags) with ever more desperate pleas for
advice as the plant slowly dies in their care and in some cases calls with
what feels like projected anger and denial neither the plant nor I
deserve. I wouldn't think it was strange except it happens on gift orders
and more often than not on sympathy gift orders than it does when the
order comes from the person buying the plants for themselves.

And as an orchid collector, I would much rather have a gift certificate
from an orchid vendor than the average large white Phal or Oncidium
intergeneric. I can take that 50 or 60 bucks you probably got charged and
buy something I can't get myself in spike for $7.50 each in lots of 10 or
12.

"Is this for somebody who collects orchids?"
"Yes, it is!"
"May I suggest a gift certificate because orchid collections are often
grouped according to what the collector has learn they can grow in the
conditions they have. Do you know what kind of plants they grow?"
"Ah, no, but I have seen them and they have some like this one [a Phal],
but I have never seen a white one there before. They'll love it! And
besides a gift certificate is so impersonal."
"Okay.... Well, what would you like me to write on the gift card? How
'bout this, 'Here's something I know you don't have. Can't imagine why?'"

This one usually works, "Might suggest that the week before Christmas is
the wrong time to ship a blooming Phal to Northern Wisconsin and my no
questions ask return guarantee will only apply if I can choose when to
ship and I probably can't ship there until the spring."

(The week or so after Christmas is kind of fun to, as all the orchid
collectors, sporting new sweaters and socks proudly come through buying
the gifts they wanted ...and often an amazing amount of them... that
nobody thought to give them....)
...but I digress as usual.

On the other hand, I have many customers who received their first orchid
as a gift and are now hopelessly addicted.

Al

"Bill Landers" wrote in message
...
I thought this was pretty amusing:
http://news.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=1310782006

Bill Landers

At least I'm not the only one that had a window blind accident with an
orchid :-) One of my first purchases, Den. Caesar, had both new growths
decapitated in a tragic accident soon after I got it. Fortunately it
recovered and is still with me.
-danny

"J Fortuna" wrote in message
news:AJ2Qg.6549$uj3.6218@trnddc08...
Great article. Thanks for posting Bill!

... I got it, I don't think I would have really gotten into orchids, if it
had not been for the sense of guilt over decapitating that first orchid
with the window blinds soon after I got it and then having to buy a second
one just like it, ...

Joanna

J Fortuna wrote:
Great article. Thanks for posting Bill!
next month is October and we have an
orchid show in DC, and I cannot possibly not buy any orchids then!

Joanna

Joanna, what show, where, when? My sister lives in DC and I've been
trying to get her to go to a show. Which works out about even, she's
been trying to get me to Virginia.

I sort of got her started with some of my divisions and keikeis. It was
fun, told her not to worry, if she could grow a plant she could handle
those orchids, if she had questions to call, and if they died at least
they were the right price. Of course at the time, they looked small
and helpless, but now that they've grown, I think she's taken to
calling them audrey 1-about 35.

Nancy

Great article, Bill. Thank you for sharing :-)

Weng

The National Capitol Orchid Society Show and Sale is always held over the
three day weekend culminating in Columbus Day Monday. This year it is
October 7th-9th

http://ncos.us/ncos/fallshow.htm

The link to information only shows about 11 vendors but these are an
abbreviated list of only vendors who returned a requested by the society to
post a link to their website. There are probably closer to 2 dozen.

"Nancy G." wrote in message
oups.com...

J Fortuna wrote:
Great article. Thanks for posting Bill!
next month is October and we have an
orchid show in DC, and I cannot possibly not buy any orchids then!

Joanna

Joanna, what show, where, when? My sister lives in DC and I've been
trying to get her to go to a show. Which works out about even, she's
been trying to get me to Virginia.

I sort of got her started with some of my divisions and keikeis. It was
fun, told her not to worry, if she could grow a plant she could handle
those orchids, if she had questions to call, and if they died at least
they were the right price. Of course at the time, they looked small
and helpless, but now that they've grown, I think she's taken to
calling them audrey 1-about 35.

Nancy

And while you're visiting the show be sure to attend the Orchid
Lectures....We have a great opportunity for everyone to learn something new
about growing orchids. Bring your questions for the lecturers!

The description is on the Website.

See you there,
Gene



"al" wrote in message news:e0bQg.6609$uj3.1050@trnddc08...
The National Capitol Orchid Society Show and Sale is always held over the
three day weekend culminating in Columbus Day Monday. This year it is
October 7th-9th

http://ncos.us/ncos/fallshow.htm

The link to information only shows about 11 vendors but these are an
abbreviated list of only vendors who returned a requested by the society
to
post a link to their website. There are probably closer to 2 dozen.

"Nancy G." wrote in message
oups.com...

J Fortuna wrote:
Great article. Thanks for posting Bill!
next month is October and we have an
orchid show in DC, and I cannot possibly not buy any orchids then!

Joanna

Joanna, what show, where, when? My sister lives in DC and I've been
trying to get her to go to a show. Which works out about even, she's
been trying to get me to Virginia.

I sort of got her started with some of my divisions and keikeis. It was
fun, told her not to worry, if she could grow a plant she could handle
those orchids, if she had questions to call, and if they died at least
they were the right price. Of course at the time, they looked small
and helpless, but now that they've grown, I think she's taken to
calling them audrey 1-about 35.

Nancy

On Thu, 21 Sep 2006 01:22:04 GMT, "Gene Schurg"
wrote:
And while you're visiting the show be sure to attend the Orchid
Lectures....We have a great opportunity for everyone to learn something new
about growing orchids. Bring your questions for the lecturers!
The description is on the Website.
See you there,
Gene
"al" wrote in message news:e0bQg.6609$uj3.1050@trnddc08...
The National Capitol Orchid Society Show and Sale is always held over the
three day weekend culminating in Columbus Day Monday. This year it is
October 7th-9th
http://ncos.us/ncos/fallshow.htm
The link to information only shows about 11 vendors but these are an
abbreviated list of only vendors who returned a requested by the society
to post a link to their website. There are probably closer to 2 dozen.

Ok - Now what is going on 2 weeks later and north. We will be in NJ
on the third weekend in October. The show in Neptune was canceled so
I am looking for an "Orchid fix" some where not too far from Freehold,
Where ever that is. Son packed up my granddaughter of 6 weeks and
moved her to NJ - we will be getting even by staying a week just 6
weeks after they moved into their house in Freehold. G Getting even
is sweet - but going one better is better.

SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/orchids