On Fri, 24 Aug 2007 15:24:53 -0400, "Diana Kulaga"
wrote:

must be some *real* orchid sellers in your area too.......The farthest we've
driven for orchids is about 150 miles, from home to the Redland Festival.
Not to be missed if you're ever in Homestead in May. It's like orchid
Nirvana!

Diana

Don't tell John.
He is planning our fall trip from Denver to Chicago for the Chicago
Orchid Growers Festival the 3rd weekend of Sept. double check the
date if your going, I could be wrong. Of course No trip to Chi-town
is complete if we don't do a little side trip up to Wisconsin to visit
Chuck Ackers in Waunakee.
Oh - Ya that makes this about 1800 miles -- oops I did a quick Google
Map and it is 2077. This has become our annual pilgrimage like your
trip to Readlands. It is so much easier now that we are both retired
and I don't have to wait to leave until after my Wed night class or be
back to teach again on Monday.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/main.php

"SuE" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 24 Aug 2007 15:24:53 -0400, "Diana Kulaga"
wrote:

must be some *real* orchid sellers in your area too.......The farthest
we've
driven for orchids is about 150 miles, from home to the Redland Festival.
Not to be missed if you're ever in Homestead in May. It's like orchid
Nirvana!

Diana

Don't tell John.
He is planning our fall trip from Denver to Chicago for the Chicago
Orchid Growers Festival the 3rd weekend of Sept. double check the
date if your going, I could be wrong. Of course No trip to Chi-town
is complete if we don't do a little side trip up to Wisconsin to visit
Chuck Ackers in Waunakee.
Oh - Ya that makes this about 1800 miles -- oops I did a quick Google
Map and it is 2077. This has become our annual pilgrimage like your
trip to Readlands. It is so much easier now that we are both retired
and I don't have to wait to leave until after my Wed night class or be
back to teach again on Monday.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/main.php

Congrats on retirement! I'm envious!

K

Congrats on retirement! I'm envious!

K

Tell you what, Kath - being retired, I now wonder how I ever had time to
work!

Diana ;oD

Diana Kulaga wrote:
Congrats on retirement! I'm envious!

K

Tell you what, Kath - being retired, I now wonder how I ever had time to
work!

Diana ;oD



Ah, shaddup! *LOL* I got 13 more years hard labor.

K

13.... I'll trade you. I have another THIRTY!!


--
Yours Sincerely
Kye


"K Barrett" wrote in message
. ..
Diana Kulaga wrote:
Congrats on retirement! I'm envious!

K

Tell you what, Kath - being retired, I now wonder how I ever had time to
work!

Diana ;oD

Ah, shaddup! *LOL* I got 13 more years hard labor.

K

Guess I was lucky. #1, I liked what I did. #2, I was able to retire before
*retirement age*, for various reasons. Frank did, too, after a long career.

Diana

"Kye" wrote in message
...
13.... I'll trade you. I have another THIRTY!!


--
Yours Sincerely
Kye


"K Barrett" wrote in message
. ..
Diana Kulaga wrote:
Congrats on retirement! I'm envious!

K

Tell you what, Kath - being retired, I now wonder how I ever had time to
work!

Diana ;oD

Ah, shaddup! *LOL* I got 13 more years hard labor.

K

Gee...I forgot about this email chain.

First of all....yes, I do live about 25 miles from Al and visit out there
whenever I am bored with my collection or when he says he has something
interesting in flower. Even though I don't have any room and am faced with
a disaster in 6 weeks when stuff comes into the house, I still find
something to bring home with me.

Second, the light bulb just went on here...Duh....All along I though Al was
short for Alan or Albert and here it's short for Alien!

Seriously, where ever you live....you should occasionally visit a REAL
orchid greenhouse in your area even if it's just to see how real plants
look. I know what you mean about the guy who follows you around and makes
you feel like you're wasting his time. There is a grower that I visited
recently for the second time who seemed really wierded out that I wanted to
just explore and see what was available in his (very pitiful) collection.
He stood there with and stared at me the whole time. Not chatting or
offering any conversation. I won't go back there again.

On the other hand when I travel I do make a point to visit growers in the
town I'm visiting on business or vacation. I have a small colapsible
carryon bag that I take with me for plants to come home. No grower has
everything in his/her inventory online. Those wierd and in small quantity
plants are real treasures to find at these places.

Good growing,
Gene





"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
news:NNqwi.7069$xc5.1365@trnddc06...
I was at a local HD today to get parts for the toilet repair. I stopped by
the garden section (like a moth to the light).

They had three fresh carts of phals, onc sweet sugar, and dendrobs. 6
inch pot for 19.95. SAD looking plants from Florida. I wanted to make a
sign and tell the customers to drive out and see Al. At the same price
they would get something happy and healthy.

I'm sure the same is true in your area.

Good growing,
Gene

On Mon, 27 Aug 2007 21:19:30 GMT, "Gene Schurg"
wrote:

On the other hand when I travel I do make a point to visit growers in the
town I'm visiting on business or vacation. I have a small colapsible
carryon bag that I take with me for plants to come home. No grower has
everything in his/her inventory online. Those wierd and in small quantity
plants are real treasures to find at these places.

Good growing,
Gene

Years ago John traveled for/with IBM. Suit - White Shirt- Tie -
Uptight etc. We were in Chicago - Great Orchid Territory - We were
spoiled. But when he had to go to CA he took his "totes" zip carry
on. One time he came back with is 2 suiter (hard sided Samsonite)
checked and the carry on bulging. Seems he had packed what clothing
he could in the totes and packed the rest around the great finds from
one of the Paph houses in Malibu. Yes, his suit was rolled up and
stuffed in the "totes bag."

You have to be an Orchidholic to understand the reasoning. No one in
his office did.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/main.php

"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
news:CdHAi.3$MN4.1@trnddc03...
Gee...I forgot about this email chain.

First of all....yes, I do live about 25 miles from Al and visit out there
whenever I am bored with my collection or when he says he has something
interesting in flower. Even though I don't have any room and am faced
with a disaster in 6 weeks when stuff comes into the house, I still find
something to bring home with me.

Second, the light bulb just went on here...Duh....All along I though Al
was short for Alan or Albert and here it's short for Alien!

Seriously, where ever you live....you should occasionally visit a REAL
orchid greenhouse in your area even if it's just to see how real plants
look. I know what you mean about the guy who follows you around and makes
you feel like you're wasting his time. There is a grower that I visited
recently for the second time who seemed really wierded out that I wanted
to just explore and see what was available in his (very pitiful)
collection. He stood there with and stared at me the whole time. Not
chatting or offering any conversation. I won't go back there again.

Exactly! This has been our experience every time we go someplace where you
need to make an appointment. The last place was a pond installing
business..... the man following us every step totally ruined it for me. I
couldn't wait to get in the car and leave. Someone needs to clue these
people in that if the person needs help they are fully capable of asking for
it.


On the other hand when I travel I do make a point to visit growers in the
town I'm visiting on business or vacation. I have a small colapsible
carryon bag that I take with me for plants to come home. No grower has
everything in his/her inventory online. Those wierd and in small quantity
plants are real treasures to find at these places.

Apparently the middle TN area doesn't have a lot of devoted orchid growers
and buyers or we somehow missed them on Google.


Good growing,
Gene





"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
news:NNqwi.7069$xc5.1365@trnddc06...
I was at a local HD today to get parts for the toilet repair. I stopped
by the garden section (like a moth to the light).

They had three fresh carts of phals, onc sweet sugar, and dendrobs. 6
inch pot for 19.95. SAD looking plants from Florida. I wanted to make a
sign and tell the customers to drive out and see Al. At the same price
they would get something happy and healthy.

I'm sure the same is true in your area.

Good growing,
Gene

"SuE" wrote in message
...
You have to be an Orchidholic to understand the reasoning. No one in
his office did.


I may start checking online Orchid sellers and see what's involved in
purchasing some plants that way. But here again, this is a hobby for those
with nice incomes. That limits some of us to how many plants we can afford
to buy. Aside from the money I also like to get plants young and small and
have the pleasure of watching them grow while others want a mature plant
ready to flower.

Actually, I find the plants on line to be very inexpensive. The trick is
that you have to get enough shipped to you at a time so that the shipping
costs are spread across all the plants. Some companies like Carmela in
Hawaii charge a flat rate ($20 if I remember correctly). If you have some
who wants to share the order that makes it even better bargain.

H&R (also in Hawaii) is very resonable with the shipping costs and their
plants are quite cheap.

OakHillGardens has been great for mail order and have nice plants.

I recommend mailorder as a great way to ge some really cool plants that you
would never find at a Home Depot.

Good Growing,
Gene




"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...

"SuE" wrote in message
...
You have to be an Orchidholic to understand the reasoning. No one in
his office did.


I may start checking online Orchid sellers and see what's involved in
purchasing some plants that way. But here again, this is a hobby for
those with nice incomes. That limits some of us to how many plants we can
afford to buy. Aside from the money I also like to get plants young and
small and have the pleasure of watching them grow while others want a
mature plant ready to flower.

"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
newsv5Bi.2041$_A5.617@trndny03...
Actually, I find the plants on line to be very inexpensive.

What do you consider inexpensive? :-) Some people with high 5 or 6 figure
incomes think $100 for an orchid is inexpensive. What I saw were in the $15
range and up. Most were more than that. Order a few plants, add S&H and
you're looking at $100 in one shot. For some of us retired folks that's a
lot to spend on plants. I realize the growers have to make a living and I'm
sure the plants are worth it, but....... let's face it, orchids are not an
inexpensive hobby. That' why I look for those that are marked down now that
we're on a more limited income.

The trick is
that you have to get enough shipped to you at a time so that the shipping
costs are spread across all the plants. Some companies like Carmela in
Hawaii charge a flat rate ($20 if I remember correctly). If you have some
who wants to share the order that makes it even better bargain.

I live in an isolated area out in the boonies. The people around here don't
even know what orchids are, or that you can grow them at home.


H&R (also in Hawaii) is very resonable with the shipping costs and their
plants are quite cheap.

I'll check them out right now. BTW what do you consider cheap? I'm almost
afraid to ask.

OakHillGardens has been great for mail order and have nice plants.

I recommend mailorder as a great way to ge some really cool plants that
you would never find at a Home Depot.

I think I already checked out Oak Hill but will again. I'd love to get a few
fragrant orchids. You never see them in the stores here.

Most of today was spent in the greenhouse installing the bubblewrap
insulation from Charlie's in 104 F heat. All this for plants. My neighbor
thinks I'm crazy.





Good Growing,
Gene

Well, like everything in life....you get what you pay for.

Aside from the once in a while lucky find at Home Depot or Lowes, most of
the time I find them to have plants that have dried out, been blasted with
cold air (from the door or A/C) or overpotted because someone thinks a plant
from a 4 inch pot is worth more money if they move it up to a 6 inch pot.

My limit for a single plant is $50. I have broken that rule very few times.
My usual price per pot is about $15.

I have become the Orchid Snob that I swore I would never become. I won't
just buy a plant because it's cheap. I want a label (no more Phal Sans Nom
pour moi). I like to see some AOS awards if it is something that has
bloomed. I want it healthy and bug free. If it is a speculative cross I'd
like to know something about the parents. Yeah...I'm an Orchid Snob and
proud of it!

I have a large greenhouse for someone who does this as a hobby. If I'm
going to take my time away from my other plants to care for something that
is sick or sad then I'm not going to enjoy the hobby. Life is too short to
doctor something back that someone else has ignored. Space is limited and
expensive (as you know) in the greenhouse. I want to increase my chance of
success.

I want big flowery plants that when someone sees it goes "I want that!" I
have a few of the tiny interesting things that I grow just to see if I can
but most of my stuff have big beautiful flower potential.

To keep the costs down I would recommend that you find another orchid lover
who is close by and share the shipping costs. Group your purchases and
check multiple sources. If you buy one from this guy and two from this
other guy your per plant shipping cost is going to kill you. Rather than
buy 10 HD Bargains over the year save your money and buy some good stuff
mailorder.

Good growing,
Gene



"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...

"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
newsv5Bi.2041$_A5.617@trndny03...
Actually, I find the plants on line to be very inexpensive.

What do you consider inexpensive? :-) Some people with high 5 or 6
figure incomes think $100 for an orchid is inexpensive. What I saw were
in the $15 range and up. Most were more than that. Order a few plants,
add S&H and you're looking at $100 in one shot. For some of us retired
folks that's a lot to spend on plants. I realize the growers have to make
a living and I'm sure the plants are worth it, but....... let's face it,
orchids are not an inexpensive hobby. That' why I look for those that are
marked down now that we're on a more limited income.

The trick is
that you have to get enough shipped to you at a time so that the shipping
costs are spread across all the plants. Some companies like Carmela in
Hawaii charge a flat rate ($20 if I remember correctly). If you have
some who wants to share the order that makes it even better bargain.

I live in an isolated area out in the boonies. The people around here
don't even know what orchids are, or that you can grow them at home.


H&R (also in Hawaii) is very resonable with the shipping costs and their
plants are quite cheap.

I'll check them out right now. BTW what do you consider cheap? I'm
almost afraid to ask.

OakHillGardens has been great for mail order and have nice plants.

I recommend mailorder as a great way to ge some really cool plants that
you would never find at a Home Depot.

I think I already checked out Oak Hill but will again. I'd love to get a
few fragrant orchids. You never see them in the stores here.

Most of today was spent in the greenhouse installing the bubblewrap
insulation from Charlie's in 104 F heat. All this for plants. My
neighbor thinks I'm crazy.





Good Growing,
Gene

"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
news:SGhBi.1654$Pa5.545@trndny09...
Well, like everything in life....you get what you pay for.

Aside from the once in a while lucky find at Home Depot or Lowes, most of
the time I find them to have plants that have dried out, been blasted with
cold air (from the door or A/C) or overpotted because someone thinks a
plant from a 4 inch pot is worth more money if they move it up to a 6 inch
pot.

Oh yes, this is quite true for many stores. The bigger store in a nearby
city has an older women working there who is good with the plants and she
CARES. I bought most of my orchids there over the years. She directs me to
the new arrivals and she does take care of those marked down to 1/2 price.
Their orchids are guaranteed for one year. They give you a refund - no
questions asked. Only 1 has died on me so far.

My limit for a single plant is $50. I have broken that rule very few
times. My usual price per pot is about $15.

I have become the Orchid Snob that I swore I would never become. I won't
just buy a plant because it's cheap. I want a label (no more Phal Sans
Nom pour moi). I like to see some AOS awards if it is something that has
bloomed. I want it healthy and bug free. If it is a speculative cross
I'd like to know something about the parents. Yeah...I'm an Orchid Snob
and proud of it!

Nothing wrong with that. I buy what I see and like, like the deep yellow
phal I picked up today. Those I bought out of bloom so far have not been
disappointments. One den is now blooming with 2 spikes - a deep purple
color. Two more are starting to shoot up spikes. One seems to still be
resting.

I have a large greenhouse for someone who does this as a hobby. If I'm
going to take my time away from my other plants to care for something that
is sick or sad then I'm not going to enjoy the hobby. Life is too short
to doctor something back that someone else has ignored. Space is limited
and expensive (as you know) in the greenhouse. I want to increase my
chance of success.

I wont take sick and sorry plants for any price. They're not worth the time
to carry home. These are nice healthy plants, just out of bloom.

I want big flowery plants that when someone sees it goes "I want that!" I
have a few of the tiny interesting things that I grow just to see if I can
but most of my stuff have big beautiful flower potential.

Don't they all with good care? :-)

To keep the costs down I would recommend that you find another orchid
lover who is close by and share the shipping costs. Group your purchases
and check multiple sources. If you buy one from this guy and two from
this other guy your per plant shipping cost is going to kill you. Rather
than buy 10 HD Bargains over the year save your money and buy some good
stuff mailorder.

You're judging plants you haven't seen. Anyone can purchase a big beautiful
flowering orchid. How many can start with small young plants like my catts
and and in a year or two have gorgeous blooms?

I live way out in the country. I don't know anyone in my area that is
interested in orchids.


Good growing,
Gene