New Acquisitions from June's Orchid Estate Grand Opening

[Scott Ware]

I took my own advice from the other thread and made a quick trip to Florida this weekend to visit June's Orchid Estate for their Grand Opening.

Of course couldn't resist adding to my collection.

I will post more photos of the event in a new thread, but I want to share photos of these really beautiful slippers separately.

The first is Paph. Krull's Donna Brown (Peacock Formal x Peacock Dawn). I'm pretty hard to impress when it comes to mottled leaf hybrids, but this one grabbed me and yanked me across the room the moment I arrived. It's one of the most spectacular flowers I have seen in all my time keeping orchids. It's exciting to imagine what the flowers could be like when this relatively small seedling grows into a large plant.

The second acquisition is Paph. Leonard's Pride (Leonard Smith x rothschildianum). This single-growth seedling had huge, beautifully formed flowers with brilliant colors and long flowing, unusually wide petals. This is another one that makes the imagination run wild as to how much the flowers might improve on a large, multi-growth plant.

 

[goldenrose]

:rollhappy::rollhappy: Just a little quick trip across the country! What a riot - I'm totally envious!
Nice picks! Multis like that - I'd have to have at least one! and I'm with you - not a maudiae X type but that one is pretty darn nice!
Do I dare ask ...... how were the prices?

 

[Scott Ware]

Thank you, Rose - I'm very proud of these two plants.

The prices were GREAT! Lots of really beautiful orchids in the $15-$25 range.

There were also some really fine connoisseur-quality plants in the multiple house payment range. There was something for everyone.

Something else they had that was really popular was a huge variety of beautiful ceramic orchid pots priced lower than what I would have thought would be wholesale. I heard more than one person comment, "Shouldn't you be charging more for these pots?"

 

[Bob in Albany N.Y.]

Scott, Those are beautiful. I can't wait to see more. Wish I could have made the trip with you.

 

[SlipperFan]

Beauties, Scott! Looks like you were in the right place at the right time!

 

[NYEric]

Nice acquisitions, if you want to kill me tell me there was a Paph Chrystelle there!

 

[etex]

Great buys!! Both are amazing!!

 

[Scott Ware]

Eric - how about if I do that SLOWLY. I'll start off by telling you they had HUGE pots of Paph. Gloria Naugle for $25-$35.

 

[Lanmark]

Very nice acquisitions! I like the fact that you travelled to get what you wanted. How fun!

 

[Scott Ware]

Hi Lanmark!

This trip was a rare opportunity I would normally not have had, and I love being spontaneous. Thank goodness for Alaska Airlines and great fares on nonstop flights coast-to-coast.

It was a very satisfying trip - I got to meet lots of people I hadn't met before, hang out for a few days with my best friend, visit with old orchid friends I hadn't seen in awhile and enjoy the setting of one of the prettiest nurseries I've ever seen.

 

[Lanmark]

Hi Lanmark!

This trip was a rare opportunity I would normally not have had, and I love being spontaneous. Thank goodness for Alaska Airlines and great fares on nonstop flights coast-to-coast.

It was a very satisfying trip - I got to meet lots of people I hadn't met before, hang out for a few days with my best friend, visit with old orchid friends I hadn't seen in awhile and enjoy the setting of one of the prettiest nurseries I've ever seen.

Spontaneous is good! In what manner did you transport the plants back home...as carry-on in-cabin?

 

[smartie2000]

Paph. Krull's Donna Brown is stunning..
and those Gloria Naugle are hard to come by at that price and that size

 

[parvi_17]

Thank you for giving me a heart attack with those Gloria Naugles! Sometimes it really sucks to be living up here...

Nice acquisitions btw!

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Sounds like it was a fun trip! I agree that the Krull's Donna Brown is amazing, just perfect...

 

[Yoyo_Jo]

Scott - awesome purchases!!!! :drool:

So, oke: do we get to tour June's place for the 2010 Paph Symposium? Anything decided yet as far as the venue?

 

[JeanLux]

good purchase Scott!!! And thanks for giving your impressions of that new nursery!!!! Jean

 

[Scooby5757]

So jealous...

 

[Scott Ware]

Spontaneous is good! In what manner did you transport the plants back home...as carry-on in-cabin?

I started off by packing everything up to take to the post office and send to myself via express mail, but had second thoughts and just decided to take the box to the airport and check as baggage. The customer service agent at the check-in counter asked me to put the box over in the TSA's special inspection area and the next time I saw it was when I picked it up at baggage claim in Seattle. Interestingly - every plant I had carefully wrapped and taped in newspaper arrived with TSA tape on it. It turns out that the TSA had opened every single plant, inspected it individually and then (carefully, it appears) rewrapped and taped them all just as they were.

Scott - awesome purchases!!!! :drool:

So, oke: do we get to tour June's place for the 2010 Paph Symposium? Anything decided yet as far as the venue?

Hi Jo - this is being worked on right now. I'm pretty sure we'll get to tour June's place. One idea is to alternate the venue every other year between Tampa and Orlando. June has wonderful open areas for meetings, talks and special gatherings, and she is really looking forward to getting involved.

 

[Ernie]

Krull's Donna Brown is the nicest Maudiae-type hybrid I've seen in a long time!

-Ernie

 

[Ernie]

Interestingly - every plant I had carefully wrapped and taped in newspaper arrived with TSA tape on it. It turns out that the TSA had opened every single plant, inspected it individually and then (carefully, it appears) rewrapped and taped them all just as they were.
QUOTE]

Odd they did that for a flight within the US (Tampa to Seattle?)? I've packed and traveled with TONS of plants and they almost always go to TSA, but I've never had a box opened by them. They ask what they are (if I'm around- at the smaller airports), x-ray them, then off they go.

-Ernie