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Orchids
Ivens Orchids are probably the best orchids in the world. These are not supermarket-grade orchids but a far superior product.
Imogen Stone sources all of its orchids from Ivens Orchids in St Albans; just 5 minutes from our workshops. When you order from us we collect and package your orchid just before it is despatched. This means that your orchid is as fresh as can be and has not been shocked during transportation. You can purchase orchids in the Orchid Shop.
Phalaenopsis orchids are ideal house plants because they like to be kept at temperatures between 16°C and 28°C, as do we! This is great once they reach the house but what happens to them before they arrive? Orchid plants sourced from most florists and superstores in the UK travel via a number of paths that include more than one of the following stages:
- Just before Phalaenopsis orchids are ready for sale they are finished in the greenhouse at approx. 24°C that is the high end of the ideal temperature range for fast growth without over-forcing (forcing a plant to grow with high feed and temperatures will make the plant week and they do not keep flower well).
- The plants usually leave the grower's nursery on temperature controlled lorries and travel to either of two Dutch flower markets where temperatures are kept low (usually between 5°C and 10°C).
- They are next transported to the UK, usually in temperature controlled lorries, and delivered to either a warehouse or to another flower market where temperatures are again kept low to protect cut flower stocks.
- Most florists buy their orchids from the flower market.
- Most florists are not orchid experts and they keep their orchids in their shops; sometimes they are there for weeks before they are sold. Some people will tell you to look for bud on a plant to be sure that it is fresh but this isn't a totally reliable technique: Quite often tight buds will never open and they can drop off if the plant has been shocked.
In extreme circumstances a plant can drop both bud and bloom due to transportation shock.
Remember, you get what you pay for. Cheap orchids are frequently low quality varieties that have been bought cheap, (usually on-the-clock which is the method used in Dutch flower auctions,) and then transported poorly. Good quality orchids cost more to grow and that is why they have a higher retail price.
Imogen Stone can provide other orchid species besides Phalaenopsis. Please call us on 0844 818 4480 if you are looking for something in particular.
About Ivens Orchids
Ivens Orchids was founded in 1970 by Tom Ivens, initially to grow Cymbidium and Phalaenopsis for the cut bloom florist trade. The company was purchased by Terry & Jean Cook in 1987 and is now a family run business supplying the florist trade in and around London with quality orchid plants and cut bloom.
The greenhouses were originally of wooden construction and in 1993 they were replaced with three new greenhouse units, a total area of 1280sq metres, which is environmentally controlled by the latest computer equipment.
Ivens Orchids have extended the range of genera to include Cymbidium, Phalaenopsis, Odontoglossum, Dendrobium, Oncidium, Masdavalia, Zygopetalum and they still enjoy growing many of the less commercial species.
Ivens Orchids concentrates on growing orchids to the highest standard. The majority of their stock is grown from seed or stem propagation on site in their laboratory and they are constantly producing wonderful new hybrid crosses.
Regular winners of RHS gold medals, they aim for the highest standards in orchids.
Our orchids are a fine example of Imogen Stone quality. Our customers know that we only supply the highest quality products at great prices and that is why they come back time and time again. So why not join them and become an Imogen Stone customer too? You will never want to buy flowers from anywhere else!
For Orchids - think www.imogenstone.com
For more information about orchid care visit our Plant and Orchid Care page.