Comments regarding Aloha Orchid Nursery

My orchid arrived today.Very well packed exactly as described.This is the second time I have ordered from them and have not been disappointed.Responded to my questions promptly as well.Thanks for the beautiful plant.At 125.00 cost it was a bargain! Will be purchasing again.

I have ordered from this company both from when they were in Waianae and now that they're in Pahoa, Big Island over 20 times with orders as large as 10 orchids. I have rarely been disappointed in their specimens. They ship quickly (although I do live in Hawaii) and only once did I have to contact them in which case they were courteous and fixed the problem immediately. If you want plants in bloom or not ,you should check the part of the web called Plants in Bloom before ordering them, you'll get them one way or the other. I have found from my own orchids that, while they may seem to have a specific bloom period, they have a mind of their own and will bloom according to your environmental conditions. One thing you should know about this nursery is that some things are grown there while others offered for sale are brought in from neighboring nurseries. Either way I am happy with their products and will continue to order from them.

I have purchased Orchids from Aloha for 7 years some were very large shipments some delivered in the middle of winter (10 degrees ) to cure the wintertime blues.
I have always recieved what I ordered with no problems They have always shipped me great plants I have only lost one and that was my fault. Actually on some plants I was a little shocked to see the size, and yes I had to repot,I enjoy doing that, it's called Orchid growing.
I had a few that were knocked loose in the pot and some were a little shaken up after traveling 3000 miles So was I when I flew back from Hawaii

I have ordered twice (for a total of over one dozen plants) from Aloha and both times my orchids arrived quickly and in very good condition. I do nothing special to them, just water twice a week and keep out of direct sunlight. They have looked absolutely beautiful for months and the blooms are magnificent. I am a true novice when it comes to orchids. But I do know beautiful and these are definitely beautiful! I am more than happy with Aloha and would recommend them highly.

Great company! I ordered the orchid of the month for 12 months for my mom as a gift and for myself. I also have ordered orchids for my office (twenty phals in bloom and perfect) and I have placed several orders throughout this past year.

ALL of the plants arrived on time, were well packed and were WITHOUT any disease. They have all continued to do well in my greenhouse and have repeatedly bloomed. My mother, who is not much of a gardener has been able to keep her plants healthy and beautiful in her house.

I also had the opportunity to visit the orchid house while I was in HI. It was beautiful and their staff was very friendly.

Orchids are not for everyone, they can be challenging at times. This is part of the fun and also the allure. Perhaps the other reviewers should remember this when they criticize this company from which I will continue to purchase healthy and beautiful orchids.

I've ordered from http://www.alohaorchid.com at least six times and have been exceedingly happy every single time. I know there are several other websites with names SIMILAR to the above.. I just wonder if those of you who've ordered and had bad experiences have ordered from a similarly named website and confused it with this one.

I've ordered a total of over 70 plants from them.. and I've been happy with every single one. On my initial order I requested small phalenoepsis and had a few bud drops - but this is typical of ordering via the mail. All of the cats I've ordered have been LARGE, gorgeous and several were awarded. My only negative is that coming from Hawaii, the growing mediums are often not appropriate for dry California...

but my orders have ALWAYS promptly shipped, been VERY well packed and arrived on time (only one time it was delayed by a day but that was Fedex's fault.. they tried to deliver before my store opened.)

I'd give them a GLORIOUS review. I'm very happy and never receieved a diseased or bad plant. They often pack a variety of stages of bud developement so that you get lasting blooms.

Also - under the best of circumstances shipping orchids you can't guarantee that blooms will arrive or not drop off.. orchids are far from fragile, but they are succeptable to blast or bud drop if exposed to heat/cold or a change in humidity.

So for those of you wondering whether you should order... I say YES YOU SHOULD... contact me if you have any questions. Scott Farrell c/o Zanzibar Trading Co. (916) 443-5601 http://www.zanzibartribalart.com

Scott

I have ordered many times from Aloha Nursery and have received large robust orchids in perfect cultural condition.

In fact one plant, C. Caudebec was awarded recently for its unusually beautiful distribution of spots.

They have always sent me much more plant than I expected and certainly more than I have ever received from other orchid sellers.
Mary

I've ordered Blooming Orchids as gifts on several occasions and have always been pleased.

The orders always shipped promptly, they sent what I ordered, and the plants are all still healthy and thriving. Their prices were quite competitive as well.

I will definitely order from them again.

I just received my 5 new babies. Babies, oh no, they way exceeded my expectations! I had read the reviews and admit that I was somewhat concerned, but am I glad I decided to give them a shot. I did phone them because there was a concern of the arrival time [my being in town for the shipment] and they sent me the tracking information when they shipped. I had put in the comments about the shipping issue but wanted to call to confirm. They couldn't have been nicer. Am I placing another order? You bet cha.

I do wedding flowers in Maine and have purchased from Aloha Orchids often, with unfailing success. Last Summer their white, Mauna Kea Snow phalenopsis, ordered with many spikes, produced a stunningly beautiful, Bridal bouquet. The amazingly elegant flowers of this very large phalenopsis appeared to gently flap their floral wings in space with every step that the bride took as she walked through a slight, foggy drizzle to the distant ceremonial site. The vision was most memorable.
I paid a bit more for these plants to get the in-bloom, multiple spikes.The plants were of a most exceptional quality. Aloha Orchid also provided me with many offerings of tiny green orchids- perfect in size for men's boutonnieres when arranged with a few long needles of white pine, our State "flower". Some of these green orchids were even fragrant.
Aloha Orchids made me very happy.

I too am quite surprised to read the negative reviews. I have ordered from them six times since May 2006. Each time the plants arrived in perfect condition, very well packed, and completely free of insects and disease.

The only negative is that of a grab bag shipment of 20 dendrobiums, 3 had no name tags. All were in full bloom and have remained healthy and vigorous for months.

AO doesn't believe in answering emails and they don't have their database so you can get tracking information, but they do deliver high quality plants at a very reasonable price.

Are these people ordering from the same company I am? I have ordered orchids from them many times. I have never received any plants of poor quality. I have always received large, healthy plants with bloom spikes even though I didn't pay the extra for a plant in bloom. I have always received timely e-mails from them and their delivery time and response have always been very quick. Good company to do business with. In fact I just placed another order today!

I've ordered 3 or 4 times in the past year. Plants are excellent, bursting with growth and excellently packed-if they're in flower, the flowers are alive and perfect. Highly recommended.

I am stunned to see the bad reviews of this company. I bought gift collections for my daughter, son-in-law, and French teacher from Aloha. They were oncidiums, dendrobiums, and cattleyas, respectively. They were delighted. My daughter knows orchids better than I so I deferred to her judgment and orders several dendrobiums. A few had the roots circling the pot and I'll repot when they're done blooming, if that ever happens. But several are sending out new spikes and I've seen no sign of mealy bugs. If I have to fault them for anything, it's that they didn't return my phone calls when I was stressing about delivery dates. But they made sure the gifts arrived on time, and I was charged correctly for them.

My recommendations are: SBOE for cyms and laelia anceps (ask for Perry or Wayne), CalOrchid for laelias (but they lag -- ask for Lauris), and Aloha for dendrobiums. Avoid ebay -- you'll have more fun tearing the money up in little pieces and throwing it to the wind...

I have ordered a total of 36 orchids from AO, within the last 6 months. Of these, 14 were ordered by variety, 22 were part of various assortments.

Of the 36 plants, 2 arrived with a mealy bug problem. One died after being treated with approved chemicals, the other recovered (slowly). In addition, one other plant died, either from cold weather or crown rot. Either way, both plants were replaced (no charge, but with shipping) in my next order. Of the 14 varietal orchids, 3 were substituted. Among the 22 assorted (avg. price $6-7 each) at least half of them were severely potbound (ie, they were a lot bigger plants than I expected). I was advised all plants in these assortments were blooming-size, but none would be in bloom. 9 of the 22 were in bloom or bud, upon arrival.

This nursery may, or may not, suit the needs of collectors with Type-A/controlling personalities, but they are TERIFFIC if you own a retail greenhouse! The wholsele/assorted orchids are generally large, and bloom within 6 months. Some of them show enough color to be immediately resold. For the private gardener, wholesale orchids start in lots of 5, which is not unreasonable. In my experience, most of them will be large, mature plants that have bloomed many times. No, you can't pick your favorites, when you by them by the lot, but I've never received an orchid I couldn't resell.

I ordered five orchids from Aloha Orchid in September. One orchid arrived in spike. They were packed very well. One orchid (Dendrobrium Superbum) had very few leaves so I e-mailed the company. They immediately responded by telling me that this particular orchid normally loses its leaves. The prices were excellent and the plants were very large. One is in bloom now and another is about to bloom. I will definitely order from them again. It was a great experience overall!

I recently ordered orchids from Aloha (for myself and as a gift for a relative).

The blooming orchids I had sent to a separate address were as advertised and in good shape. The closeout special I received was large healthy plants, a number of which were in bud or started spiking not long after I received them. Packing was good. Prices are reasonable (or more than reasonable for the closeout items). Good experience.

I did not see this option offered, but would pay extra for a heat pack, seeing that certain &#^* shippers think nothing of dropping off a carton of orchids on your front steps in 20F weather without ringing the doorbell, even with the box appropriately labeled, warning to avoid extreme cold and heat.

I ordered three orchids last week for my mother, and they arrived today in wonderful condition. They are very healthy looking, either blooming or with multiple buds, and are bigger than expected! We are both thrilled with Aloha's orchids, careful shipping, and very reasonable prices. Definitely recommended!