Thumbs up for Paramount Orchids

[shadytrake]

So I took advantage of the economical USA paperwork with the minimum 75CAN order from Paramount Orchids.

I had never ordered out of the country by myself but since Paramount advertises that they assist with the paperwork, I decided to give it a try.

I made my pre-order in April for shipping when the weather warmed. Paramount had excellent e-mail communication. As soon as they were ready to ship, they notified me of the amount and when to call to make the payment.

I paid by credit card to take advantage of currency exchange. They advised me when the shipment would go out and e-mailed me the tracking number.

Even though it was a holiday weekend and I missed the postman, the extra 2 days at the post office did not affect the plants. They were still slightly damp (so they must have been well watered for the trip).

Now about the orchids. One C. hybrid arrived in sheath and is quite big for the price. The E. hybrid came in bud and it looks like the spike survived shipping. The Den. tobaense hybrid is nice sized and should bloom next season. The Den. harveyanums (4) are nice divisions (one is smaller). The E. vitellina is excellent (it is a challenging grower so having a big plant to start is a plus).

I'll post pics after I finish putting them on wood mounts.

Excellent plants, excellent communication, excellent shipping and an easy way to get orchids to the USA from Canada. Too bad they can't give a freebie, but with paperwork regulations, they can only ship what is on the paperwork.

Great vendor.

[WhiteRabbit]

That's awesome! Can't wait to see pix of the new babies!

[shadytrake]

Here are a few pictures. Haven't repotted the Cattleya yet but here is a link to the bloom. It is gorgeous. I can't wait for the bloom.

http://www.paramountorchids.com/jpg/...Loddiaca31.jpg

I put all of the Den harveyanums on the same mount to pool the humidity.

[sarahliz79]

Just out of curiosity... were those listed as full blooming size or something else?? Thanks!

[FairyInTheFlowers]

Wow, its quite sad that you in the US have received better service than several of us here from Canada. Unfortunately, I will never order from them by mail again.

[sarahliz79]

Yeah... I'm a little hesitant after reading several negative threads about them but one thread mentioned that one of their partners were quitting so maybe things are a bit better now??

Course since they ARE moving maybe they're getting rid of their less than optimal plants....

They have such a nice selection of oncidiums tho

[shadytrake]

Originally Posted by sarahliz79

Just out of curiosity... were those listed as full blooming size or something else?? Thanks!

All were listed as flowering size. The harveyanums are a little smaller than FS but they are rare and they are in great shape. All of the others were well established FS. All of these are challenging to grow so having healthy plants to start is in my favor.

[sarahliz79]

Thanks for the info! Hope they're all growing well for you

[sarahliz79]

BTW... did you opt for shipping them in pots or bare root and do you happen to remember apx. how much shipping was?? I'm soooo tempted!!

[shadytrake]

My order was 218 CDN and total paperwork and shipping was 77.81 CDN.

I got a good exchange rate that saved me about $10.

That was for 8 plants. I thought it was fair especially when I saw the plant size of 4. Two were really much larger than I expected.