Why are Orchids so expensive

 They are not rare...they are very difficult to grow at times...one
mistake and your out of $16 to $75 that I have seen. I don't know if
you get any guarantees on them though.

 
They are rare in North America and northern Europe- at least the showy
flowering ones are. And they require specific conditions to flower,
which are not available to N. American or European growers unless you
put in the money. So those suppliers that sell orchids sell them to
the cognoscenti or the naive.

Which are you?

Chris

 On 4/19/11 5:39 PM, Chris wrote:

My Phalaenopsis orchid blooms quite well, almost every year, in my
breakfast room window.  The flowers last a few weeks.

My Cymbidium orchid did not bloom for four years.  Then I moved it onto
a patio in full sun (bringing it indoors only when the weather forecast
indicated a killing frost, 2-3 nights this past winter).  One long spray
of flowers just finished a month of bloom.  I see two other flowering
shoots starting.

Yes, you do need the right conditions for orchids to live and bloom.
You also need the right conditions for peonies or tulips to live and
bloom; my climate is not right for either of those two.  And you need
the right conditions for lemons and guavas, which thive in my back yard.

Conclusion: Stick with what is suitable for your own garden.  Don't try
rosemary or oranges in Duluth.  Don't try rhododendrons in Palm Springs.

--
David E. Ross
Climate:  California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at <http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary>

 they are cloned and that makes them more expensive than plants from seeds.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Somewhere between zone 5 and 6 tucked along the shore of Lake Michigan
on the council grounds of the Fox, Mascouten, Potawatomi, and Winnebago

 On 4/19/11 4:25 PM, Anthony wrote:

If you want less expensive orchids, attend an orchid show.  Many
hobbyists sell their plants for less than charged at retail nurseries.

You might also try to find a nursery that specializes in orchids.  They
often grow their own stock and thus do not have to markup from wholesale
to retail.

In any case, a plant in flower -- almost any plant other than annuals in
pony packs -- generally costs more than the same plant not in flower.
But who wants to buy an orchid if you can't see what the flower might
look like?

--
David E. Ross
Climate:  California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at <http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary>