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Greetings,
We have been participating and selling at the Redlands
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not a recent photo, as he is not aging well...
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International Orchid Festival in Homestead, FL almost every year for about 15 years now. It is a great destination idea in the month of May for species hobbyists (like you!), as there are 50+ growers there selling plants from all over the globe .
A few years ago, a good friend of mine decided to accompany me to the festival. He is an orchid collector and a longtime customer of Oak Hill Gardens. In exchange for the free trip/shopping excursion, meals and some plants, he offered to help me sell at the festival.
During a lull in the action, he asked if he could take break from selling at the Oak Hill booth and shop the other tents at the festival. He was gone for about an hour, and came back quite amped and revitalized, with a few bags of plants in tow.
"Check out all this cool stuff I got, dude," he said as he spilled the contents of his bags on the table. Included in the dozen or
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Ouch!
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so bare root plants were three species that I recognized immediately. "You know, brother," I said, "these three varieties we have on OUR sales table right here. Not only did you pay more money for the ones you bought elsewhere, but our plants are established in a pot and actually have LIVE roots!"
"Oh......," said he....
I have come to realize that it is very exciting for orchid hobbyists to rap with and buy from international vendors directly. I believe I understand the allure (probably the same reason that all the infomercials on TV have dudes with Australian accents - so dashing and aurally intoxicating!). In fact, it seems that the farther away a vendor comes from, the greater his expertise and the more money we are willing to pay for his plants! I have no statistical proof of this, but it would make good fodder for a study in human nature, eh?
One of the things we have always prided ourselves in at Oak Hill Gardens (and I believe it sets us apart from a majority of our competition), is that we "harden-off" our plants by letting them establish a root system before we offer them up for sale. There is some real value in that, don't you think? I'm not saying that all international vendors sell root-less and withered plants, but a lot of them do, and folks don't seem to think twice about it before digging into their wallet.
I dare say that if you can find a plant you are looking for here in your own backyard (whether it's at Oak Hill or another reputable domestic vendor), it probably is planted in a pot and has a root system. This will give you a significant head start on growing it out and seeing it bloom. In the highly unlikely event that you do receive a plant from Oak Hill with a weak or withered root system, our policy is that we will replace the plant or refund your money immediately. (Good luck with getting a refund from "The Guy from Honduras".....).
We may not be the most exotic vendor in the world (who ever bragged that they procured their dream orchid and had it shipped from Chicago?), but our plants are established and have roots. Period. However, I know that this fact alone will not be enough for everyone. Therefore, my plan is to dig into by old VHS collection and find that Crocodile Dundee tape so I can work on my Australian accent.....
G'day, mate!
Greg
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June Special - "?Que es Esto?"
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 | | Kegeliella atropilosa |
South and Central Americal Species
This month we are featuring three very unusual species from this part of the world. We produced them here at Oak Hill Gardens in our lab. They are so unusual that Spanish-speaking customers at the Redlands festival pick them up off the table, give me a puzzled look and say "?Que es Esto?," or something like that. You can get all three plants for only $15.00 in this months special. Check it out at the link below....
 | | Gomesa crispa |
?Que es Esto? June Special
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Shore Festival at Silva Orchids - Neptune, NJ
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Last Chance to Save 10%
on Pre-orders!
Hurry! This Sunday, June 5th, is the deadline to place pre-orders to be driven to New Jersey. You can save 10% on plants pre-ordered from Oak Hill Gardens for the June 10-11-12, 2011 Shore Festival at
Silva Orchids. See info on the festival below!
Shore Orchid Festial - Silva Orchids |
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Growing Tip of the Month - by Liese
| |  Sit Down Strike?
Liese is on sit down strike at the moment. She isn't doing nothing, however. She sits down when she mounts our orchids onto cedar shingles - you might say she's our "Mountin' Mama" (not the same kind that John Denver used to sing about....).
Anyway, she told me to write the Tip-of-the-Month for June. I tried, but the article above ended up reading more like a "Blog-of-the-Month," now that I've had a chance to review it.....please take it in good spirit!
Liese will be back in a couple of weeks with another tip and some NEW ORCHID OFFERINGS! Stay tuned!
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Thanks for being there for us!
Greg, Liese and Hermann |
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