Lily

We will be visiting Oahu, Big Island and Kauai in December. I am interested in taking photos of the orchids and also buying plants to take them home. Any ideas where to see and buy them? Thank you

y

Not sure about the other islands, but ther are a couple of orchid farms on the north shore of Kauai...(near Princeville)...they have a nice selection and will ship them for you...

I would say, however, unless you are a very sophisticated collector, you will find more selection and much better prices at your local Home Depot...I'm sure the ones at the farms are rarer vaieties and represent some great hybrids and all that, but in the end, it is not worth the hassle.

On the Big Island, ther are wild orchids growing by the side of the road on the way to the volcano...and in the National Park...take some pictures there!

Jessica

y can you get leis at those North Shore Farms on Kauai? I want to find where to find leis on Kauai.

Lily don't mean to insult your knowledge but my kmart in NYC sells orchids the company I work for buys the same from a florist for a couple hundred dollars. So you should keep your eyes pealed at these places.

Susan

There are a few orchid farms on the north windward shore of Oahu, just south of the Polynesian Cultural Center. You can look around, purchase and have orchids shipped home. Or, they will package it properly and you can carry it on the plane home with you. The tricky part is keeping it alive back home, at least for me.

Lily

Thank you Y, Jessica and Susan. I am saving this information and will use in December.
I brought some orchids from Costa Rica in June and they are doing well.
Thanks

xxx

My husband is into orchids and when we went to Hawaii, we stopped at a few orchid farms. Unfortunately I can't remember the names. I think I found them in one of the Hawaii travel books. But he had plants shipped home and it seemed the best way because the orchid place has to have them inspected to receive the argricultural okay to be shipped to the mainland. So they take care of that and then package them up safely for transport. Just something to keep in mind though, he did try to take a box of plants on as a carry one and of course the airline decided it was too big so they had to check it. We had to make sure the box was put in the cargo portion of the plane where it is temperature controlled. Otherwise the plants can freeze. As another little note, they have the best farmers markets in Hawaii. Gorgeous cut bouquets of all the different tropical flowers Hawaii is famous for in this great bamboo container. $5. Can't beat that - and some of the people at the farmers market will ship cut flowers to your house. We did that and received this great bouquet after we arrived back home - for many $$$ less than if you ordered just a stalk or two through FTD. I know thats more than you wanted to know, but it was a nice reminder of our trip to have these gorgeous flowers that lasted for weeks.

Jessica

interesting xxx which islands are you talking about for the Markets? I will be on Kauai two weeks in August.

alex

I saw this B&B on the Travel Channel and checked it out the last time we were on Kauai - it is located on a 3 acre tropical flower farm in Kapaa. One of my co-workers just booked it for her honeymoon in June. I think you can buy both plants and cut flowers there and have them shipped to the mainland. You could probably also e-mail the innkeeper and ask her for recommendations on where to buy orchids if they do not sell them there.

http://www.kakalina.com/index.html

Jessica

thanks Alex that is helpful

michele

My husband buys orchids when we got to Oahu and has them boxed and carries them home without any problems. He buys them at an orchid farm in Honolulu-I can't remember the name , but I know it starts with an "F" and is well known. I fI remember, I'll post.

michele

Lily,
Wow, was I off. The name of the place is Kawamoto Orchids. Website is: www.kawamotoorchids.com

orchidlover

I found some beautiful orchids, now in bloom in my Texas home again one year later, at Walmart in Lihue. They were supplied by a private local grower. I have not seen the species I bought there anywhere locally, and they were very reasonable (4 dollars and up). Buy an orchid in bloom when you arrive and decorate your hotel room. Leave it for the maid if you want, or carry it on as I did. No problem.

Patty

Jessica,

There's a outdoor fair in Kapaa (I believe it's Thursday thru Sunday) - I purchased some plumeria leis there about a week ago. Also we saw leis for sale just along the side of the road in Kauai. The farmer's market in Hanalei is another possiblity (I'm not sure what days this one takes place).

lcuy

On Oahu, two of the best places to buy orchids are at Star market in their garden center or at Wallys garden center on Beretania street about 2 blocks from Star. As long as the orchids are not planted in dirt they will go through agriculture. There are some orchid farms in Waimanalo as well. On the big Island are orchid farms on the road from kamuela to Hilo. They tend to have a good selection that they will pack for shipping or for carrying and include some varieties that do better in cold weather as well.

PBGulsrud

Do NOT pay the extra cost for special boxing of purchased orchids and the certification stamp. Just buy orchids that are not grown in DIRT! Orchids grown in bark, lava rock, or bare-root are fine, and will not be a problem with the agricultural inspector at any Hawaii airport. I stuff my carry-on with as many orchids as possible, with flowers sticking out the top. Carol and Reid Kawamoto, of Kawamoto Orchids, located in a canyon above Honolulu are wonderful people and 2nd generation growers. If you buy too many to carry on the plane , they will inexpensively mail them home for you. Check them out on eBay. H & R Nursery is also a good source. They have a great web site. On Kauai, the two certified nurseries I found were small and expensive. The local orchid club had a great sale at the library near the airport. Blooming orchids were $8-$20, with no problems at the airport. I was disappointed with my recent trip to Maui. Tropical Orchid Farm was worthwhile, however the other orchids nurseries were rude and not to be recommended by me. Try to attend a farmer's market, held twice a week, near the airport. I heard some quality orchids are sometimes available. Always check Home depot,, on any of the islands, as you can be surprised by some desirable AOS orchids in bloom for $10-$15! My next trip is to Hilo, where I hear most of the orchid farms are located.

cruisin_tigger

>>

Agree with that! I was amazed at what you got for the price.

Another tip is pick up a bouquet from the airport shops. They are all ready to go - inspected and all. I think it was like $13 for a nice bundle. I just wrapped a wet paper towel around them from the washroom and laid it up in the overhead. Made it all the way to Chicago with no problems.

november_moon

Ummm...this thread is over 10 years old. How did PBG even find it to resurrect it?

Songdoc

I can't imagine how it got resurrected, but since it was ...

Akatsuka's Orchids near Volcano on the B.I. is INCREDIBLE. But that said, you can get great prices at WalMart in Kauai--but a lot of them are too big for carry-on bags.

regelwidrig1

I just stumbled into this old discussion, but am very interested in reply #4 where Lily bought orchids in Costa Rica and got home with them. Does anyone have recent experience with buying orchids in Costa Rica and getting them back to the U.S.? If so, where can you buy them and what was the shipping procedure like?

A side note on Kauai orchids: my wife and I bought some there over 10 years ago at a nursery on the way to the airport and flew home with them. They are still alive and surprise us occasionally with blooms.