A Visit to RF Orchids in Homestead Florida While on vacation in Florida the first part of August 2006, my wife Beverly, the grandkids and I took a side trip to RF Orchids in Homestead Florida which is about 30 miles south of Miami.  We had planned to visit 2 or 3 nurseries in the area but we spent so much time at RF Orchids, we had to bypass the others.  As you will see from the pictures this is one of the cleanest and well maintained nurseries you will find.  They specialize in Vandaeous type orchids but do have one greenhouse of Cattleya and a few other types. When we entered the first greenhouse we were met by Ana with a tray of ice cold drinks.  These people really know how to treat a visitor.  Ana spent most of the morning with us and was more of a tour guide than a sales person.  She is really knowledgeable and we learned a lot from her.  Thanks Ana. We were privileged to be taken on a tour of Robert Fuchs home which is next door to the nursery and the second set of pictures are of his outdoor area.  All of these orchids are grown outdoors year round and most have been in place for years and are huge specimens.  Needless to say we purchased a few things and had them shipped.  They arrived in good condition and all in bloom or bud.  I am looking for an excuse to go back to South Florida.

Ready to deliver The entrance into RF Orchids The waterfall by the entrance The first parrot cage by the entrance The sales area for blooming plants Sales Area Sales Area Sales Area Sales Area Sales Area Vanda House #1 Blooming   Vanda House #2 Vanda House #3 Tables of Vandas Mokara Sayan X Ascda. Bangkhuntian Gold Coronadoara Crownfox Vanda Susan Best   Vanda Miss Joaquim ( Do a Google search for the history ) Vanda Miss Joaquim Okaara Scarlet Queen 'Chile Pepper' Trimmed off of palm trees and used in arrangements Cattleya and misc. genera More of the Cattleya house All Cattleya's are grown in aliflor with a small bit of tree fern Ana - Sales and our tour guide

The following pictures are of the landscaped areas of Robert Fuchs home.  It is like walking through a tropical jungle.

 

The trees are full of orchids
	A bed of Epidendrums and a tree of Vandas
Vandas have covered this tree	Schomburgkia and Vandas
Brassavola	Vanilla
	A Cymbidium that blooms in South Florida
	Schomburgkia with typical long infloresence
Brassavola	More Schomburgkia
Pots of Vanda Miss Joaquim
Tree is covered with orchids.  Look high.
	Epidendrum
Pool with black tile bottom	And a blue Vanda in the middle
More of the many parrots
A huge clump of Vandas	And a huge Brassavola nodosa
A pool with three water falls formed from a natural sinkhole	And filled with fish and turtles
Including 2 albino catfish
A turtle overlooks the pool
A great Phal in the open club room	I would like to thank RF Orchids for the great time we had visiting the nursery.  It is a first class operation and enjoys a reputation for breeding and growing world class Vandas and other related genera.   As you tour the grounds you realize that what you are seeing is very close to the way many orchids grow in the wild.  At least as close as you can get without visiting the jungles. This week I received the plants I ordered while there and they are in great condition.  Now what to order next? You can visit their web site at http://www.rforchids.com There are over 20 Orchid nurseries in the South Florida area so another trip will be in order to visit more of them.  How about a Newcomers field trip?