Saturday, September 18, 2010

Air travel with orchids!

Darn, I had drafted a blog posting last weekend and then it didn't save!

I recently went on a small orchid shopping trip while home visiting on the West Coast. I've done a few domestic flights with orchids, as well a cross-country drive, so I wasn't worried about transporting my orchids back on the plane.

This most recent trip was a piece of cake. I only had three relatively small-sized orchids that I purchased while visiting a small greenhouse just outside the Cowichan Valley. I wrapped them in newspaper and they fit perfectly, side by side and upright, in a jute carry-on bag. I stored them in the overhead adjacent to other luggage to make sure they wouldn't fall on their side. I didn't get any inquiries about them while going through Security at the airport.



So my new acquisitions are as follows:

Phragmipedium grande 
Cymbidium georginii
Aerangis biloba

I already have one Phragmipedium hybrid that has not yet bloomed for me. In fact it's one of those plants that I often wonder if it's been dormant since I bought it! Even after moving it to more light, it hasn't really done much. But I once looked after a friend's Phrag hybrid and it bloomed and it was a pretty exciting event!

I chose the Cymbidium because I have two hybrids that I love and that have bloomed well for me. I wanted to try my hand at my first Cymbidium species! This one is quite small, especially relative to my two hybrids. 

I'm very excited yet frightened of the Aerangis at the same time! I realized that since I no longer live in a cool-growing orchid environment, I might as well try my hand at an intermediate / warm growing species! We'll see! I have yet to find more permanent homes for these new plants, but for now they are acclimatizing to their new home in our kitchen.


14 Comments:

At 4:37 p.m., Anonymous Sarah said...

Congrats on your new additions! I've never tried to fly with orchids, I think it would make me so nervous. But I'm sure one day I will feel compelled to try it. :)

 
At 8:42 p.m., Anonymous Online RSA said...

Ooh congratulations :) Don't you have to have special permits to fly plants? I got my mini-cactus confiscated at the airport :(

 
At 10:21 a.m., Anonymous Grace C said...

How did you get past the airport officers with those lovely plants? I went to Malaysia got myself a nice orchid but not successful getting past the officers, too bad!

 
At 10:41 a.m., Blogger Naomi @ WCOE said...

Online RSA and Grace C, I was only flying domestically, ie. within Canada, so it is not an issue.

I have never flown across any borders with orchids and I know you need special permits to do that. I'm sure you also need a lot of patience and maybe some luck too for that to be successful!

 
At 3:12 p.m., Anonymous Anonymous said...

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At 6:12 a.m., Anonymous Anonymous said...

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At 12:06 p.m., Blogger zXc said...

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At 4:38 p.m., Anonymous Orchid exporter said...

very nice pctures and setup you made ! i like your blog

 
At 3:54 p.m., Anonymous Wholesale Orchid said...

congrats of me too, sich a nice made report i will come back on your blog indeed !

 
At 10:55 a.m., Blogger bedava chat said...

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At 12:41 p.m., Anonymous Anonymous said...

Could you please tell me the greenhouse you purchased the orchids from near the Cowichan valley. I am looking for a replacement plant for my father in law. Thanks!

 
At 7:03 p.m., Blogger Naomi @ WCOE said...

Hi there,
The seller I visited in Chemainus was Windowsill orchids. However, when I was there in August I learned that they are going out of the orchid selling business, so they may no longer be available:
http://retirees.uwaterloo.ca/~jerry/orchids/odeal.html#BC

 
At 8:08 a.m., Anonymous Orchids that are said to look like animals said...

Wow! I though it would be illegle to fly with Orchids because of all the illegal trade they are trying to stop. I would love to get some of the rarer Orchids that you can't buy here in the states! Great post and congratulations!

 
At 8:54 a.m., Blogger Naomi @ WCOE said...

I was flying within Canada so it's fine to transport if you aren't crossing into another country.

 

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