i dont know
that doesnt sound expensive to me

It's all about supply and demand - the rarer something is or the more desirable it is, the more expensive it is. You might try some place like Oak Hill gardens. The plants won't be as exclusive, but they will be more affordably priced and likely larger.

Julie

Julie, I am actually kind of close to Chicago. But I have searched OakHill website, they do not have any ensifolium, etc. The price is good. But I have no clue about the species they are selling.

I know what you mean. I paid $20 for a Cymbidium tigrinum at a going out of business sale earlier this year when other plants were $1 up to $10. There was one in bloom however and I had to have it.

I only have two Cymbidiums.

For flowering sized plants, $25 isn't so bad and while SB has a good rep, they're not known for "bargains." I see them sometimes on Ebay but usually not especially cheap; you might find a somewhat more unusual variety for that price, something at least a little variegation in the leaves for example. His prices aren't low either but he has nice plants, so you might check out New World Orchids's website, too...

If it's any consolation USA prices seem to be about the same as UK. In Brazil plants are cheaper but only in proportion to the general cost of living, which is about half of USA and Europe. If you order plants from here it will cost you more. Cym species are not grown much. Have you looked at Japan? They have lots of these orchids which they call "rann". With all the costs of importing, however, I doubt it would work out cheaper. The cheapest orchids, almost anywhere, are hybrid Phals and Catts, because these are what sell the most and are easy to propagate en masse. More expensive are rare species and special clones. Cym species are quite a speciality, so you should expect to pay the price being asked really.

Actually, I don't think $25 is such a bad price. Sadly, orchids are an expensive hobby. Just had a Stanhopea embreei delivered from Andy's. Pant and shipping came to $50 even :(.

If you're willing to be a bit patient, buying younger plants and growing them to maturity yourself can be less expensive. I almost always purchase young plants or seedlings instead of mature blooming plants... they fit readily into my budget for plants, and I get the satisfaction of growing them to blooming size, myself! I feel a little bit guilty buying plants that someone else cared for and grew... just a little quirk of mine.

Oak Hill Gardens has very reasonable pricing, especially if you're ok with buying younger plants. I believe their pricing on blooming plants to be very fair, though. They're certainly worth checking out, and they have a very nice website.

Jodik, I have searched Oak Hill. They don't seem to offer the ones I want, such as this little perfumer:

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If it's really ensifolium you want... you might try Cloud's Orchids up here in Canada. They usually have several types of ensifolium - right now, they only have one ensifolium (v. Tie Gu Su Xin) listed on their website, blooming size at $25. You could try e-mailing them to see if they have anything else not listed. From experience, when Cloud's says BS, they really mean it and you'll get a nice healthy plant. However, being in Canada, there are extra conditions - namely min. $50 order, plus $15 for phyto and CITES, plus shipping. I've included a link to their Cymbidium page below. Hope this helps.

Julie

Here is a link that might be useful: Cloud's Orchids - Cymbidiums

snasxs - that's a beauty! I only have two Cyms, and one of them is a recent purchase from Oak Hill... I know they don't carry much in the Cymbidium department, but I was able to grab a 2" pot containing Cymbidium Pepita 'Chiquita', a miniature. It has new growth, and was on the sale table for a whopping $2! I'm happy I grabbed one of these!

I hope you're able to find the ones you want!

Gee, I am complaining about $25 and Julie asks me to buy $50.

I know "Tie Gu Su xin". It is a pure greenish white form.

Also, Jodik, for your cited pepita "chiquita" - do you have a picture? Does it have nice scent?

Ah but you'd get blooming size plants. Seems to me you were complaining about spending $25 for a small division...

Julie

There's a good reason to spend the money on blooming size. Orchids can take forever to grow and bloom especially outside of greenhouse conditions. I feel its a waste to buy seedlings or small divisions. They are not like other plants. I grow orchids for the blooms. I've had seedlings take 5 years before I got one flower. Never again!

Julie is right, go for the blooming size plant.

I'm afraid I don't have a photo, and I'm not sure if it's scented... it's still too young to bloom. I did see one offered on Ebay recently, and the photo showed a dark salmon pink flower with a darker center... very pretty!

I just Googled it, but nothing came up in the first couple of pages.

There are occasionally some nice Cyms available through Ebay... that might be a place to find the types you want, and you might find them for reasonable prices... just a thought. :-)

Lol Jane NY, please speak only for yourself. If you want to spend money on blooming orchids, go do it. I will NEVER EVER do that.

I always buy small divide and enjoy the cultivation process. For me, the process is more joyful than blooming, although I do get a lot of blooms.

Jodik,

I am after the fragrance. I would not buy something so clueless.

Snasxs, dear...people here are offering, very politely, the options they can think of. No need to talk back; posters take their time to answer and suggest, and if you do not like the suggestion, then hey, say thank you and look for options yourself.

Do you grow Cymbidium Nut? Warm growing, beautiful, and extremely fragrant. A blooming size will cost around 25-30-35 dollars...

Here is mine, bought it for 20, near blooming size a while back. Pictured bloom from last year...One of my favorite cymbidiums {{gwi:198512}}From Orchids January 2008

Olya

...beggers cant be choosers...

Olyagrove,

I am looking for something small.

As for the "suggestions", it is a personal case.
Jane emailed me asking for my detailed address and contact information. She said she wanted to send two large "boring" Phals to me for free.

After I supplied the information, she started to ask for a shipping fee and asked me to pay.

I told her that I had friends living in NY and they could go pick the plant up.

She NEVER responded after that.

How would you react?

Snasxs, I was just merely suggesting based on the available info...

C. Nut is an intermediate. It is a lovely orchid if you have room.
I have one miniature very similar to Nut, but smaller...unfortunately, i do not know its name! I bought it as a NOID seedlings few years back for 3 dollars...
Maybe anyone has suggestions on what it is...very fragrant {{gwi:198513}}From Orchids Feb-March 2007

Olya - I remember when you posted the photo above - it's marvelous. Such great color. I remember seeing a hybrid similar to that...I can't for the life of me remember the name..'something express/empress'...it was a newish hybrid from Taiwan I think, and supposedly had some nice traits that got collectors excited. It was for sale at clouds for a while but not anymore.

Snaxs - aren't most orchids typically more expensive than other plants anyway? And price is not really related to size...I've paid a lot of money for small things, and I've also gotten pretty big things for free.... If you want cheap divisions, go to your orchid society, and watch the members sale table, or ask people you know for trades. Bargains appear at nurseries once in a while, but that's why they're called bargains :)

Yes Calvin - it was empress something and I do remember seeing a picture of the flower at Clouds Orchids! I posted this photo before and got suggestions on the ID, but the search is not bringing up the post anymore. I think you got me on the right track, though! Thank you :)

olyagrove, can you put your hand in the picture, so that I can tell the size of the plant? Thank you so much!

I will check on the size of the clay pot tomorrow; that should help
Olya

I agree that it's nice to find things at bargain prices, and I also enjoy the growing process when starting with smaller plants. However, in many years of gardening, including over 30 years of growing orchids, I've discovered that once varieties do become commonly available (and, as a result, less expensive), I don't want them as much anymore. Years ago, for instance, Phals were hard to get and far from "boring", but now they're in every grocery store and treated as throw-away plants. Maybe exclusivity is the silver lining to paying higher prices for unusual plants. Who else has specimen plants like the one you posted above? You're not gonna see that in Trader Joe's!

I also have to say that orchids are not the only plants for which it's possible to drop a bundle these days; you almost have to take out a second mortgage to purchase a tree peony (not to mention the intersectional hybrids), a Japanese maple cultivar, or one of the newer Magnolia xbrooklynensis varieties!

Hi Bubba,

Here is my observation: people grow tired of mere looks. A Phal or a Catts can be strikingly beautiful for the first bloom. But after that, many people no longer look at them anymore. This is because the exotic and rare has become a daily routine.

However, people react to sweet scent quite differently.

People remember it and people want it always. For example, gardenia has been successful for centuries. It is still one of the best sellers since 1800. In Florida, people might no longer feel the excitement for the white-rose looks, but they always love the fragrance.

Similar case with O Fragrans: I did not even look at them until I smelled them. After that, I love them persistently.

The Chinese cyms are not species. They have been in cultivation for 5000 years. They are intentional kept to be small and green. It is a plant for endured enjoyment. The key of their attraction is fragrance.

I think this is the key to identify a long-term popular seller.

I'm just a novice, so getting an orchid to bloom is a wondrous thing to me... getting a bloom with scent would be a huge plus at this stage of the game! However, I hope I never become so jaded that I can't appreciate an orchid for what it is... regardless of bloom or scent.

I do hope you find the specific orchids you're looking for...

Nicely said, Jodi. And I've never lost that sense of wonder, whether my good, old reliable Paph spicerianum is spiking or it's my new favorite Paph malipoense.

Julie

Individual-will has minimal impact to the market-reality!
BTW, I saw a real beautiful deep-purple Paph at Trader Joes for only $10.

Thank you, Julie...

I recently saw a white Paph with purple stripes and markings on Ebay... I didn't check the price because I can't afford any more orchids right now, but it was the most unusual and beautiful color combination I've seen yet... in Paphs, that is.

I'm kind of partial to green flowers in most plant types, but the shape of orchids each lend themselves well to their different color combinations.

olyagrove,

You never get back to us. Somehow I notice a similar plant possibly with better color ... very fragrant.

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snasxs, so sorry, have been busy during the week! I volunteer at an animal rescue, and weekends are crazy - I do a lot of browsing at work during the week ;-)
Still need to check on the plant size. I believe it is an 8 inch pot, standard clay pot (not azalea). Will confirm

The plant in the picture is quite similar...Here is a close up of my flowers (also, last year blooming) I like the color of mine! :)

{{gwi:198517}}

The plant is spiking again, and is still very small.

8 inch pot! I consider that a HUGE cym!