ISO the Illusive Soph. coccinea

[Tim P.]

Good Evening,

This could be a long, and emotional story. Have tissues at hand...

I went to my annual orchid show this year, and had thought about the purchase of a coccinea... they tend to be very expensive so I was going to see what the prices were before getting my hopes up.

There is always a vendor there that has one... and only one. It also always sells within the first few minutes of the door opening... something about crazy orchid enthusiasts such as myself Anyway, I got there, an HOUR early before the doors were even open. When I finally got into the show, there, lo and behold, was the hallowed coccinea, not one, but two. The price was right, but the vendors weren't there yet so I decided to make a quick trip around the loop. Well, by the time I made a five minute loop to wait for the vendor, one other shopper had one in his hand to hold it for buying... and a vendor at the next table put the other one "aside" for themselves... all without having the vendor selling them present. Needless to say, I was hopping mad and disappointed... All of this transpired without the seller even present, and I had waited a year to get one at the show. Had I known it was acceptable in america to "reserve" items for sale without a merchant present, I would have done so.

I decided I want to get a coccinea, and have never had such an issue trying to find a species! I have emailed everyone that sells them (that I know of)... and no one has gotten back to me.... even the seller at the show has not answered a call or email.

At this point my will is broken lol! Anyone have an ace in the hole to find one of these illusive plants? As you guys can understand, after you set your mind on an orchid, neither wind, sleet, snow nor hail will stop us!

Thanks for listening, and for your vendor lists

[isurus79]

Peter Lin at Diamond Orchids is the Sophronitis king, IMO.

[nikkik]

I loved reading your story, but I am sorry for the disappointing experience.

Ben at Orchid Eros sells a 4n plant for $30:
Welcome to Orchid Eros

Good luck finding your plant, please update us when you have gotten one. I would love to read about a happy conclusion to this story.

[Tim P.]

Originally Posted by nikkik

I loved reading your story, but I am sorry for the disappointing experience.

Ben at Orchid Eros sells a 4n plant for $30:
Welcome to Orchid Eros

Good luck finding your plant, please update us when you have gotten one. I would love to read about a happy conclusion to this story.

Orchid Eros was one of them that I tried emailing. They no longer have coccinea listed in their online catalog either :/ my prospects are getting slim. Thanks for the tip though. I might try calling them.

---------- Post added at 11:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:40 PM ----------

Originally Posted by isurus79

Peter Lin at Diamond Orchids is the Sophronitis king, IMO.

I completely agree with you. I love what he has done for the sophronitis genre as a whole. I, in fact, bought a wittigiana from him two or three years ago and it is thriving. (Those dreamy pink blooms have still alluded me to this date though... here is to hoping for next year)

That being said, I have sent him some messages, and am awaiting a response as far as availability goes. I know he just got done selling his most prized divisions before Christmas, and also just got done selling two rounds of coccinea on ebay a couple months ago in bloom. I don't know how many plants there will be to choose from any more. I also am kind of picky in the fact that I am willing to pay a little extra for a nice plant, so I would like to see a bloom if at all possible. There are some wonderful coccinea, and there are some very, very lousy coccinea blooms. I know beggars cant be choosers, but when I spend that amount of money, I like to know what I am getting to avoid surprises and potential disappointment.

As a side note, I love your profile pic! As time progresses I am more and more tempted to give the nobilor and walkerianas a try!

[nikkik]

Originally Posted by Tim P.

Orchid Eros was one of them that I tried emailing. They no longer have coccinea listed in their online catalog either :/ my prospects are getting slim. Thanks for the tip though. I might try calling

It's still listed online on Ben's pricelist under Cattleya's at the very bottom of the list. I know a few people who recently ordered this exact plant from him, so I would definitely call if you are not getting a response through email.

[Tim P.]

Originally Posted by nikkik

It's still listed online on Ben's pricelist under Cattleya's at the very bottom of the list. I know a few people who recently ordered this exact plant from him, so I would definitely call if you are not getting a response through email.

That is odd! I went to his website directly, and couldn't find that link! Thank you so much for directing me to it! I think I might order two!

Do you know, does he ship in plastic or clay pots? How is your culture that you grow them?

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Tim P.

As a side note, I love your profile pic! As time progresses I am more and more tempted to give the nobilor and walkerianas a try!

Thanks for the compliment! Just so you know, Lowes has C. walkeriana 'Carmela' clones for $8. I was surprised to see one about a month ago and grabbed it. You should grab one of those and start experimenting with walkeriana! If it dies, oh well. Spend another $8 and get a new one until you've gotten the hang of it.

[Tim P.]

Originally Posted by isurus79

Thanks for the compliment! Just so you know, Lowes has C. walkeriana 'Carmela' clones for $8. I was surprised to see one about a month ago and grabbed it. You should grab one of those and start experimenting with walkeriana! If it dies, oh well. Spend another $8 and get a new one until you've gotten the hang of it.

Well shoot! Apparently my lowes arent special like your lowes

---------- Post added at 11:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 PM ----------

Alright everyone! Here is the update we have all been waiting for. I talked with Peter Lin and he came up with two coccinea in bloom that he felt were good choices for me. I chose one of them, which was a good price for how large the plant is, in bloom to boot. I would have been able to save money with orchid Eros, but upon calling them, the vendor said that he just re-potted his and that he recommended I go with Peter. I was actually tempted to buy one from both vendors,and attempt mounting the cheaper one, but alas, I took the advice and went with just one from Peter. I am SOOO EXCITED. Will upload pix when the plant gets delievered. Both Peter and Orchid Eros were more than helpful. Orchid Eros has especially won my future patronage with telling me the truth that I would be better off to go with Peter. And of course, Peter offers the best of the best... I cant say anything negative about either one of them

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by isurus79

Thanks for the compliment! Just so you know, Lowes has C. walkeriana 'Carmela' clones for $8. I was surprised to see one about a month ago and grabbed it. You should grab one of those and start experimenting with walkeriana! If it dies, oh well. Spend another $8 and get a new one until you've gotten the hang of it.

Yeah, I snapped up that Lowes C. walkeriana deal too. Can't pass up a deal like that. Mine is now "potted" in a hollow section of tree fern. We'll see how it does over the summer.

[Tim P.]

Originally Posted by nikkik

I loved reading your story, but I am sorry for the disappointing experience.

Ben at Orchid Eros sells a 4n plant for $30:
Welcome to Orchid Eros

Good luck finding your plant, please update us when you have gotten one. I would love to read about a happy conclusion to this story.

As a side convo, it appears that you grow your coccinea indoors? I would most love to hear about your culture... lighting... watering... everything I want to arm myself with all the information possible so I don't kill the thing once it arrives! I am what some would consider seasoned at orchid growing, but growing any old catt and a coccinea are two totally different things!