Join a local society. Most speakers offer orchids for sale. Plus you get local knowledge. And a pleasant social experience.

I would do that but nearest one is 1 1/2 away and I work 70 hours a week lol

The exchange forum is still here. Orchid Exchange However there is not a lot of activity.

If the local society is not accessible, try some of the online vendors and sellers on ebay. A few of the forum members even sale some of their plants there.

And beyond that, there are even vendors that sell orchids for a living...many of them selling small plants rather cheaply.

Yes, I know a guy who always turns up at the last hours of a show and always seems to get a bargain. The world is the same wherever, the blow-ins always turn up at the death (like long lost relatives). They are a pain at shopping centre shows where you are trying to pull down the display in an orderly manner so that display plants do not walk.

nommarune, maybe think about buying say a compot of phals via email from an orchid nursery, that way you will have some trading stock.

What's a compot??? And I got my downy rattlesnake orchids in yesterday just planted em ^^ not a typical orchid but if I can get em to do good in the pots I put em in I can plant them outside where I live.

Compot = Community Pot. Containing baby plants usually ready to potted individually. OR you could even buy a flask of orchids ready to taken out and potted individually or in community pots. The flask is the cheapest option, but you need growing experience.

Some one will give you some USA costs. Pointless me quoting Australian nursery prices.

Good luck with your Goodyera pubescens!

Community pots are a good suggestion if you have a decent level of experience in growing and have a good growing area, they need more care than large blooming size plants. Carmela orchids brings community pots of many cattleya clones at their events, at least they did when I attended 4-5 years ago.

ArthurM, I suggested big shows at closing time as the vendors will put up sign of prices marked down, I did not suggest interfering with vendors as they pack up their stuff..... although price haggling is the universal language and if you're looking to buy in volume it is certainly worth the try....

Can anyone suggest a good site to get compots from?

Nom - H&R Nursery sales comp pots and orchids of varies sizes. You may want to check them out. I think you would appreciate the pricing and diversity.

I am not sure what is your level of experience with growing orchids. It sounds like you are towards the beginning of your hobby journey. If so, I would caution on the compots. While they are a great way to get a large number of plants, they required a lot more care. Additionally they could be years away from blooming. As the plants get older, they will take up more and more of your growing space and not add much diversity to your collection. Plus, they are not that cheap. Lets say you spend $25-$50 (varies by type of orchid and number of seedlings contained) on a compot containing 8-10 seedling. Of those 8-10, 6-8 make it and require repotting into larger individual container, which take up a lot more space than the original compot. Now you have increased your collection but they are all the same orchid with minor differences - color variation, flower size, etc. If you are simply looking to increase the number of orchids in your collection, you have the time and energy to provide extra care, and you have a ton of patience, compots may be a great option. However if you a looking to increase the types of orchids you are growing, compots may be limiting, especially if you don't have a ton of space.

When I first started growing, I bought a lot seedling because of the cost and wanting to build my collection. I did not know most of them were YEARS away from blooming or that they would take more care. So I ended up with a fair amount of seedlings (even after taking into account the ones that died) but no new flowers. To remedy the lack of new flowers, I started adding mature and new blooming sized orchids to my collection. If I could do it over again, I would have purchased less seedlings and spent the money of few blooming sized plants. I ended up spending more money in the long run.

Thanks for the input! I am not an absolute beginner but at the point where I know but still second guess myself. And honestly, I want both a bigger collection and a diverse one. I will check the site out. Most of where I get my orchids are the clearance ones that have been cast away as a loss. If I think I can save it I buy it.

Good info Darlene! In my beginnings I would buy blooming plants each month. That way If they re-bloomed I would have flowers all year. It worked...

Nom - I think most of us got into the hobby in similar ways. You are going to be hard pressed to find as many good deals at those same box store clearance prices as you expand your collection. But it is worth it for the diversity.

Harvey - I wish I had started how you described. Unfortunately, that idea only came to me a couple of years into the hobby. Now I have something in bloom every month.