It Was Saturday Morning ..
And the night before my wife and I planned a day trip toward the coast. We would be heading to the small shore town of Linwood New Jersey. Linwood is located in the Southern part of NJ and just across the bay from the resort towns of Atlantic City and Ocean City. Although we wouldn’t step foot on the beach that day, we would come awful close. We could still see glimpses of the Bay beyond the neighboring gold course, and smell the salt air wisping past our noses.
Our mission wasn’t to spend time on the sandy shores, which were a bit chilly today anyhow, but rather to pay a visit to a unusually unique, niche garden shop. A hidden gem! So hidden in fact, not even the locals know about it!
It sounds funny that I say the locals don’t know about something in their own town…
But this is sort of true in a way. We met a woman at the bar last night and she lives in the town of Linwood New Jersey where this unique shop located. She expressed that she has a passion for plants and gardening, so I mentioned this shop to her. She had no clue that it existed and she had grown up in this area. Although she had moved away from that town, not too far away, she still considered herself an expert on the area. She was totally surprised, in a good way, that this place existed. She made plans to visit it the very next day; Friday!
So What Kind Of Shop Are We Talking About? ..
I guess it’s about time I let you in on the excitement! (exciting for me anyway) THE SHOP IS AN ORCHID SHOP!!! And an Awesome Orchid shop at that!!! But I think given the title of the post and the map up there, you figured it out already. I've never been that good at keeping a secret anyhow. hahaha.
~ Waldor Orchids ~
When we arrived, pulled into the dirt and crushed oyster shell parking lot, we noticed that the building was nothing to write home about. It almost looked slightly under cared for. We may not have even noticed it sitting there, if it weren't for the fact we were actually looking for it. After parking the car, we made our way through the shops front door. At first we were not sure we were in the right place. Even though the door was clearly marked with the word "Entrance", it still didn't feel quite right.
It would soon become evident that one would never realize the amount of beauty that lives on the other side of those light, pasty grey walls, until they find their way to the other side of them. We assumed, given the looks of the outside of the place, that we would be in and out of here in about 15 minutes. We couldn’t have been more wrong with our first impression.
By the time we would be ready to leave, we logged in about two and a half hours of browsing. Those light grey walls at the front of the building where only disguising and masking the true beauty of what lay behind them.
At first, when you walked through the front entrance, we almost felt as if we were intruding on the employee areas of the building. It’s a very laid-back and a sort of “help yourself” type of atmosphere. No one bothers you why you browse the endless greenhouse space. They were there if you needed them, but overall they left you be and left you enjoy the space on your own time.
There wasn’t a lot of work being done at this time, because I think they do most of their work Monday through Thursday. The facility is open to the public only on Fridays and Saturdays. I do believe I read a sign somewhere that they will accommodate larger parties during the week by appointment only. During our visit we only ran into a handful of other people browsing the plants. It was not crowded as far as people go but definitely crowded as far as a Orchids go!
Some of the isles were very tight, but we did our best squeezing in behind benches and tables, display cases, and hanging displays. They were all sorts of orchids ranging from wall hanging orchids, grouped orchids, orchids hanging from baskets, orchids hanging off of rocks, they were even orchids growing in the cracks of the greenhouse floor. All the orchids seemed very happy and content in there environment.
At first it seemed as though it was a little chaotic in the organization of the plants. After spending a little time I realized that they were grouped depending on their species, there environmental needs, and size. There were some greenhouses that were quite chilly, while others were dry and warm, and others contained small water features and waterfalls that put humidity into the air for the humidity loving plants.
There was even some Koi Fish to be seen in some of the indoor ponds, frolicking in the small waterfalls.
Wall Hanging Orchids were around every corner. There were very little unused spaces to be found within these greenhouses.
Orchids could even be found hanging from the ceilings. Some of them appeared to have been here for many MANY years...
So Many Orchids.. So Many Flowers To Enjoy ..
Well established plants
Plants just starting out and getting their feet planted
Fluffy, Frilly, Crazy looking Orchids
More Common species of Orchids
And the more RARE species of Orchids
Small, Big, Clustered, Singular, Odd and Not So Odd Orchids.
Just Every Kind Of Orchid You Could Think Of
And just take a look at this unique orchid...
Maudiae Paphiopedilum Orchid AKA Ladyslipper Orchid
And ONLY $40.00 USD
We slowly wandered through the greenhouses together.
With smiles on our faces and a occasionally sharing a distinct laughter we hadn’t had in a while. It was the sound of two people in love, loving the time we were spending together in a place of calm and beauty. Since the pandemic has kept most unique businesses closed and our travels to warm tropical places nonexistent, we couldn't help but to feel warm, cheerful and giddy. It was just nice to have something different to do on a Saturday that didn’t even require an entrance fee.
We were having fun.
During our exploration of the greenhouses, I did eventually find the location of the Phalaenopsis species. And if you know me, I like my Phals! Oh boy did they have a bunch of Phalaenopsis! More than I have ever seen in one place before in my entire life. And the best part is that almost 80% of the plants were either blooming or were ready to bloom. What a sight this would be in another week. It almost tempted me to make a second trip back, this upcoming weekend, to see them in full bloom.
You will be so surprised to find out what happened next!
And NO, we did NOT buy a Phalaenopsis Orchid this time
Nope! We did something a whole lot more exciting..
We bought a Dendrobium Orchid!!!
We are now branching out with our collection. We couldn't leave without buying something. That just wouldn't have been the right thing to do. I have no will power when it comes to Orchids.. None at all.
This is the a new species for us and we are excited to try something new. We now have a total of 10 Orchids; 9 Phalaenopsis and 1 Dendrobium.
Meet the new member of our Orchid Family ..
Dendrobium ~ 'Silver King'
The species sort of resemble bamboo in a way .. where all of their foliage grows in tufts at the top of the stalks. Flowers will form about twice a year, on the tops of the stalks and in small groupings, when the conditions become cooler and dry. They like the southern side of the house, and prefer bright indirect sunny spots. This is perfect, because that is where our other Orchids are right now, and they LOVE it there. We are hopping that this one thrives there as well.
Other than that, I can't tell you yet. I am still learning about this species. I am sure I will have more to share later, as time passes.
Molly and The New Orchid ..
I couldn't pass up an opportunity to introduce Molly to the new Orchid, and it went as you would expect. She took one look at it and said "Screw this, I'm out of here!" One day Molly. One day you will come to realize that these beauties mean no harm to you. And on that day I may capture a nice photo of you next to one. hehehe.
A Little Bit More About Waldor Orchids ..
WHO ARE WE?
We are a fourth-generation family-owned and operated orchid Wholesale/Retail operation Christian business offering orchid plants and orchid supplies in the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware area along with shipping in the continental US.
We specialize in potted Intergeneric Oncidiniae, Paphiopedilum, Cattleya, Phalaenopsis, Dendrobium, Cymbidium, Gift Plants, Gift Ideas, and Hobby Plants .
OUR MISSION
Waldor Orchids wants to continue by preserving the old-time heirloom collections and selecting the very best of anything new to preserve for the future. We continue to provide the same quality and old-fashioned service that our customers have grown accustomed to.
OUR PROMISE
We want to deliver you only the finest and the best orchid-related products, If you ever have an issue please contact us so we can resolve this issue. We want every customer to leave with a smile on their face.
WANT TO KNOW OUR DEEP HISTORY?
If you do, then the above quoted information and their "Deep History" can be found here on their website.. Waldor.com
Have You Been Here?
Well If Not.. And You Have Nothing Better To Do On A Lazy Friday or Saturday, And Your In The Area, Pay Them A Visit.. You Won't Regret You Did. Message Me and We'll Come Join You!!!
TGIF Everyone and Happy Market Friday As Well!
Not sure if this qualifies for #MarketFriday by @dswigle or not, but I know she will like the pretty flowers nonetheless. Hi Denise! Hope you enjoyed all of those BEAUTIFUL flowers.. But I think I know the answer to that already! hehe.
“One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am - a reluctant enthusiast....a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards.”
― Edward Abbey
Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!
All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.
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