The Orchid Garden

Questions about Orchids and Mums

Question:

I have couple questions and hope that someone on the net can help me. 1.  I received an ad from Willow Nursery Sales in Westport, CT    about the exotic Hawaiian Orchid bulb (Arundina Bambusifolia).    I couldn’t find this name in the Western Garden Book.  So,    I have no idea what is it.  The price on the ad is 4 bulbs    for $2.99.  The ad also said that this is a gorgeous plant      with rich fragrance and bloom on any season of the year.      This sounds too good to be true.  I would appreciate any    comments you have about the Willow Nursery and/or the    plant.

I’ve seen some similar ads of late and have been rather puzzled by them… the Arundina Bambusifolia that I’m familiar with is a VERY large plant (up to 4 feet or so) that’s not really terribly suitable as a houseplant. It also needs rather more sunlight than one is likely to be able to provide without a greenhouse (or with one for that matter in some areas).  The terminology that they use is also a little confusing.  Arundina, like almost all sympodial orchids, have pseudobulbs that grow from a creeping rhizome– NOT true bulbs.  Do they mean that you get a plant with 4 pseudobulbs, or 4 1-pseudobulb plants, or what?  Either way I truly doubt that whatever you get would be of blooming size;  these things can take 7 or so years to bloom from seed, and they’re probably pretty young plants that they’re selling at that price….. I’d guess 2 to 5 years from blooming.  They are rather fragrant, but they certainly don’t have blooms on them at all times as the as seems to imply.  Personally I’d steer clear of them, though I will admit to being curious.

Response:

I have couple questions and hope that someone on the net can help me. 1.  I received an ad from Willow Nursery Sales in Westport, CT     about the exotic Hawaiian Orchid bulb (Arundina Bambusifolia).     I couldn’t find this name in the Western Garden Book.  So,     I have no idea what is it.  The price on the ad is 4 bulbs     for $2.99.  The ad also said that this is a gorgeous plant       with rich fragrance and bloom on any season of the year.       This sounds too good to be true.  I would appreciate any     comments you have about the Willow Nursery and/or the     plant. 2.  If you know of any mail order Chrysanthemum specialist, I     would appreciate the name and phone number.   Thanks very much for the help, Kim

Response:

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