Where to buy orchids online? Reviews of my favorite orchid vendors
Therefore, like many of you, most of my orchids have come from online sources. I have found it relatively difficult to sort out the best places, so I'd like to share that knowledge with you!
Disclaimer: I have received no gifts or goods for this post, and I do not sell or get paid by anyone selling plants. These are my own opinions based on plants I received and my geographic location-- your experiences may vary!
My Favorite Places to Buy Orchids Online
The first place I ever bought an orchid online was Hausermann Orchids. They still hold a special place in my heart, and many wonderful plants have come from them. I love browsing their catalog, so many wonderful classics that are easy to grow and bloom, and many special species-- I keep an eye on their new listing and "coming soon" page, as every now and then they post something irresistible. They are also a great place to start since they sell small plants that are very reasonably priced, and it is fun to grow them to maturity and see them bloom.
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| Prosthechea cochleata, bought as a young plant from Hausermann in 2022. |
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| The same Prosthechea cochleata in 2024. |
Hausermann has excellent customer service, which I have had to use a few times, which is not bad since I have place many orders from them: once I got a plant with mealy bugs, and once they sent the wrong plant. In both cases, they responded immediately on email, and provided a refund or replacement. Out of dozens of plants, only one has tested positive for a virus, and that one is likely to have been a division from an older plant. In one memorable order, a Mystic Maze that was not supposed to be in bloom, and they sent one in a box that was 3 feet long, impeccably wrapped, with a huge spike loaded with buds. What a way to addict a new orchid lover!
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| Phalaenopsis manii mounted on a cedar shingle from Hausermann, as I received it 2 years ago. It’s only a little bit larger today, it’ll take it a decade to bloom at this rate! I’m moving it to a pot on its next growth cycle. |
The one thing that Hauserman sells that doesn’t work for me is small plants mounted on cedar shingles— many of these are very tiny seedlings. Even with a misted, tented mounted plant area where I have lots of other plants that do well on mounts, the cedar shingles have not worked for me… I pretty much always end up moving them to pots or more appropriate mounts. The only good thing about the shingles is that they are so smooth that most plant roots can’t anchor well, so they are pretty easy to transfer, and they are cheap!
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| Phalaenopsis Mituo King Bellina has been in my collection for 18 months. It came from Brookside Orchids in April 2023. |
Brookside Orchids is a very reasonably priced vendor that is great if you are building a collection and are interested in orchid species and hybrids of various genuses. The one time I had a problem with a plant, I found them to be very uncommunicative on email. However, I reminded them on a future order, and received some choice plants (but no communication!) so perhaps they would rather speak in plants than words. I have virus tested many of the plants I received from them and none have tested positive for common viruses.
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| Catasetinae from the August 2023 Sunset Valley release. |
Sunset Valley Orchids is a master hybridizer, and they are a reliable source for vigorous Cattleyas and Catasetenae, as well as Aussie Dendrobium and Sarcochilus hybrids. While they specialize in hybrids, they also produce select species orchids with excellent parentage. They have spring and late summer releases that are worth getting on the mailing list for, although many are available through the website year-round. I've never gotten a virused plant from SVO, and they are super-responsive via email or phone.
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| Phalaenopsis celebensis from Plants Well Traveled on Etsy in 2022. The spike broke in transit— maybe this was fortunate, since the plant could then devote its resources to adjusting to its new home. |
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| Phalaenopsis celebensis mounted and blooming in 2024. |
Many of my phalaenopsis species have come from Plants Well Traveled on Etsy, which is geographically close to me and whose plants have a very high rate of success in my grow area. They are a reseller of imported plants, but these are well chosen and well-cared for, which can make a huge difference in success.
Andy's Orchids has sent me some wonderful plants. These are very reasonably priced and very well established in their pots or mounts, and he has a great selection of orchid species, many which are difficult to find anywhere else.
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| Lycaste cruenta blooming fabulously in April 2024, only 5 months after I got it from Andy’s. |
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Aerangis mystacidii, one of Andy’s famous “Orchids on a stick” from January 2023, still hanging in there in my collection, has yet to bloom.
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Diamond Orchids (Peter T. Lin) never fails to send vigorous, well-grown plants that seem ready to burst into bloom at their earliest opportunity. He has a great collection of species and his own hybrids, and specializes in mini and micro-mini plants, but not exclusively. His "store" consists of a list of plants, but he is very quick to respond via email and sends plants that are well packaged and shipped quickly.
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| An outrageously floriferous and lightly fragrant mini hybrid phal from Orchid Classics, it arrived in December 2022 and is flowering here in September 2024. Phalaenopsis Younghome Lucky. |
Orchid Classics has great and reasonably priced Phalaenopsis orchids, some of my most vigorous hybrids and a few great Phalaenopsis species have come from them. They do a wonderful job of shipping in cold weather, have excellent customer service and they tend to have tempting holiday sales. They are my go-to if I need an impressive gift for someone, as they often have in-bloom plants and know how to ship them to arrive in good condition. On one order that got massively mishandled by the post office, Orchid Classics immediately made it right, no hassles.
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| Phalaenopsis Deventeriana X Phalaenopsis violacea, commonly known as Phalaenopsis Liodoro, from Big Leaf in March 2023. This is the bloom shortly after I got it, it is now much larger with two new basal growths and a long spike. |
Big Leaf Orchids has great Phalaenopsis species and amazing novelty hybrids, and occasionally they import other select plants that appeal to enthusiasts. While the novelty hybrids are very pricey, the species and recent imports are very reasonably priced. Excellent customer service and shipping.
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| Paphiopedilum barbatum blooming from 3 growths about a year after I got it from Kim Fedderson at my local orchid society’s annual show. |
Fair Orchids (Kim Fedderson, New Jersey) comes to my local orchid society's annual sale, and I buy an orchid from him every year. It is wonderful being able to discuss your pick in person with a knowledgable owner. I have never bought from his online list, but they are likely to be quality plants.
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| Anguloa from Ecuagenera, October 2024. All the way from Ecuador and looking good! |
Ecuagenera is based in Ecuador and has location in Apopka, Florida. You can order from the Apopka location but the catalog is limited and in some cases, prices are higher. If you order from the main Ecuador site, the selection is huge and they ship your plants to Apopka, and then they get shipped from there to you. Plants arrive bare-root in spagnum in a plastic baggie. In 2022 I ordered Phramipediums, and they were far more reasonable to buy from Ecuagenera than from any vendor I've seen in the US. Recently I ordered a couple of Anguloas and Oncidium sotoanum, both of which are largely unavailable from any other US vendor that I'm aware of, and I've been looking. Most of the bad reviews mention plants that arrive in bad condition, having suffered heat or cold-- if you order from them, consider ordering in spring or fall, as your order will have less of a chance of suffering extreme weather as it travels through the hottest part of the US. The most recent order arrived in a box lined with styrofoam that looked specially designed to address the temperature issue.
Vendors that I've ordered from only once...
Orchids.com has a huge presence on the web, perhaps due to their choice domain name, and the fact that they sell on multiple platforms. Reviews of their plants and customer service on forums are pretty dismal, but the one time I ordered from them was unproblematic and the plants were of good quality.
Flask and Flora was only on social media when I bought from him, and now it looks like he has a web presence. I ordered two plants that were Cattleya species divisions, and one is unlikely to be what he says it is (waiting for a bloom, but the leaves and growth patterns are wrong for the species), and the other turned out to be a backbulb division that never grew at all. I voiced my concerns and was only given advice to wait and see. This is one of my most disappointing purchases and I'm unlikely to buy any more from him.
Triton Orchids on Etsy took a long time and a lot of back and forth to send the plants, but when they arrived they were as described and have grown well.
Orchidnick on Etsy is where my two Neofinitias came from, and they were a great price for the size of the plant. They’re my “starter” neos 😉. They bloomed this summer!
Paph Paradise has a great selection of Paphiopedilums. The two I bought from him have done great, one came in bud and the other is a rather small seedling for the price, but it has grown well.
Last year I bought a couple of mini Phalaenopsis from New World Orchids. They were slow to ship but communicated this well, and they were impeccably packed. They have done amazingly well for fussy, particular species. I have admired their Neos, and I sent some to my Dad as a gift and he was impressed, but I've never sprung for any for myself.
I got a couple minis from Tarzane Group, and they were also beautifully packed and have done well so far, I've had them less than 6 months.
Most of my Paphiopedilums came from Orchid Inn, Sam Tsui, who recently retired.
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