Sandra L.

What a great find! Andy's Orchids is such a special place with so many varieties of orchids and other plants that like to live in greenhouses. I came to their Fall 2020 Open House to see what rare orchids catch my eye. I was so surprised to find other plants such as Anthurium and Peperomias! I'm a novice indoor plant mom so I need a lot of help when visiting these places. Luckily, Andy's staff is super friendly and very knowledgeable with every single plant on site. Ian in particular spent a lot of time teaching me what to look for when selecting a healthy orchid to care for all of the plants I purchased. He even helped me fasten down an orchid I purchased to help it root better! This place is huge! There are so many greenhouses that holds plants all the way up to the ceiling! I also love how clean this place is. My hubby and I did not leave with any bug bites like we usually do when we visit greenhouses. There is a range of prices so if you're just looking for something pretty and affordable, give this place a try! If you are an expert looking for rare orchids, this place is also for you! And for that special group of you, and you know who you are, who are still hunting for the String of Turtles, they have a ton here that are healthy and very affordable ($20-$40) depending on the size you get . I highly recommend this place! It's also nice to just walk around if you don't mind the humidity inside the greenhouses.

Nita U.

Two words: Hell. Yeah. Went for the winter open house and was in plant heaven! Not only are there more orchids and orchid species than you can imagine, they have a good variety of other plant species too. I was overwhelmed in the best possible way. The staff on hand were friendly and help my newbie self pick out some orchids to take home. I'm not too familiar with the orchid world at the moment, but to me the prices seemed fair. Overall it's awesome and definitely worth visiting their open houses!

A friend and I visited today and we had a really great time! The nursery is incredible to walk through and you can tell the plants are healthy and happy. Andy and Taylor were super friendly and I would definitely recommend check into this place out!

If you're not intending to but something here, try clearly marking them. Otherwise it's unprofessional to say something. Isn't for sale even though it's not marked as such. You just lost a customer and a neighbor. I just left an open house and after searching through the nursery I found something I liked but it didn't have a price tag, hundreds were on pieces of bark and didn't have a price. Many items had 'NOT FOR SALE' signs on them so I carefully chose one and brought the one I wanted to the front to get the price. After several employees handed it around to try and help, Andy himself swooped in and said it wasn't for sale, he must have forgotten the sign to say it wasn't for sale. When I went back there was only 1 item of that variety that had a 'not for sale' sign. Beautiful items there, but what a waste of time and so unprofessional. Have your act together before you open to the public. Do you want to sell your items or not?

Maribel T.

Look no further Orchid lovers. Call, schedule an appointment, go to one of four of their yearly public open houses, or shop online. This place is fantastic. I've been wanting to come here but live outside of the area. Well worth the drive. This place is amazing and staff are wonderful. They also have some hoyas, philodendrons and other rare species.

Ethan F.

Orchids big or small, they've got 'em all. Andy's is the most amazing orchid nursery I've ever seen, it's simply orchid heaven. Many orchids can be grown epiphytically, that is their roots can attach to a log or piece of cork bark; Andy's specialty is growing "orchids on a stick." I've seen Andy's with their hundreds of stick mounted plants for many years at local plant shows, and I've purchased from them, but this was my first visit to the nursery. It blew me away. It's hard to imagine 750,000 orchids from the tiniest miniatures the size of a quarter to humongous 12 foot tall specimens. They really do have them all, big and small. Besides the focus on stick mounted plants, another unique aspect of Andy's is that they specialize in orchid species, the only hybridized plants they sell are hybrids that would naturally occur in the wild. Every single plant you see at Andy's you can go out somewhere in the world and find it growing in the wild. The plants are spread throughout a number of greenhouses and shade houses, I think I counted six or seven from cool and humid to hot and dry and everything in between. You can purchase at a local plant show in California, online, by setting up an appointment, or at one of the open houses they do throughout the year. My first visit was at an open house and although I have knowledge of orchids, I'm very much a beginner and the unguided visit was a bit overwhelming. I might suggest setting up an appointment so you can be sure you have help selecting plants suitable for your growing conditions if you are a beginner. Most of the plants are labelled and there is a key to help you identify temperature, water, and lighting requirements. Between all their plants they most certainly can find something suitable for anyones growing conditions.

Eric C.

What you'll soon appreciate about Andy's orchids after you purchase from them is that they are genuinely invested in how well your orchid does. Even though they tend to call me while I"m driving, they follow up with me about 2-3 weeks later to see how well I'm doing with my plant. Andy is the first person I go to if I hear of a new Cymbidium species being discovered or looking for unusual Cadetia species.

Steve H.

By far the top orchids on this planet. I've been buying from Andy online, in person at their greenhouse and when Harry, Andy's brother, is a guest speaker here at the Greater Las Vegas orchid society meeting once a year. Every shipment has arrived in perfect condition Plus. A trip to their facility will knock you off your feet with close to 750,000 orchids in their greenhouses. Can't find the special or rare orchids that you would like to add to your collection? Check their website or email them. I've been buying from them for 5 yrs. Need help in the care or maintenance of any orchid? Email them. They know it off the top of their heads, almost scary, as I can't remember what I had for breakfast. Btw. The Greater Las Vegas Orchid Society meets the first Sunday every month, guests are welcome. Contact me. Phsteve1@aol. Com

Mary F.

Today was the first day of the Spring Open House at Andy's Orchids in Encinitas, CA. It is literally a business that is run in the front and back yards of the Orchid Guru's private home. YOU HAVE TO SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT! OMG! Run, don't walk to Andy's place, and experience what it must be like to walk amongst the wild plants in the Central American jungles. He has about 7,000 species of orchids - not the types that one would see at Trader Joe's, Lowe's or Home Depot. Andy is an Orchid collector, and propagator. He assures future generations of all flower lovers will have a huge variety of beautiful, unusual and unique orchids to enjoy. He is famous for his "Orchids on a stick," which literally means, you will see orchids that prefer to grow and live on a piece of wood, a broom handle, or a piece of a branch from a tree. It is amazing to walk through his muggy but shady greenhouses. I felt as if I were somehow magically transported to a humid, green, wild jungle; somewhere south of El Salvador, or Panama! There was a sudden tropical rainstorm that occurred - as we were passing through the greenhouse at the rear of the property! (It was just the overhead sprinkler system.) I loved how the plants responded to the gentle rainshowers with their flowery scents, and vivid shades of green on green. Andy has the most incredible collection of wild orchids assembled, and they are beautiful! The greenhouses smell like a botanical wonderland, and everything inside of them is alive with greenery. There is green moss, Spanish moss and all sorts of orchidrey. I don't even know how to describe what I saw in there today...it was beautiful beyond description!! They also offered their patrons complimentary hot coffee, bottles of water, and a crockpot of turkey chili; to help fill our bellies as we ponder how many orchids could we possibly fill our cars with? The Orchid caretakers were friendly and had good advice on how to properly raise every plant on the property. Prices are fair, and they even have small orchid specimens for purchase on tables, so everyone can afford what's on sale at Andy's Orchids. But mind you, the bigger the plant, the more you're going to pay. They have a nice system of parking your purchases on a table while you wander around the grounds to shop, so you don't have to walk around with stacks of delicate plants. They have a nice business set up, and we even met with Andy himself - he is such a sweet man. I had a question about a Cymbidium orchid plant that I was raising at home, and I was about to throw it out because some of the leaves had turned black. But he looked at the picture of my orchid that I had on my phone, and he was quick to tell me to hang in there - keep it growing, and in time, those old black leaves would be replaced by new ones. The plant was just sunburned, and that made perfect sense. Cymbidium orchids need time to adjust to a new environment, and mine was bought from Lowe's and was kept indoors. Cymbidiums do just fine outdoors, but one must keep them in a stable location in order for the plant to successfully adapt and thrive. I ended up buying an orchid on a plank of wood; I believe it is called a Denopobrium Kingiaholm. It is a slice of heaven to look at! I also bought a precious Oncidium orchid plant that has a long stalk on it, ready to bloom! I can't wait to see what the orchids on this plant looks like! Please, please do all you can to go to Andy's Spring Orchid Show! He is a true expert in the world of the mysterious and unique orchids, and he is a very nice man to share all he knows about them. LOVE Andy, and his entire staff of orchid wranglers. They totally ROCK!!! P.S. I took LOTS of pictures for you to enjoy. But you have to GO THERE and see it, and smell it for yourselves. It's a joyful spot in a secret spot in the road. X O

Douglas G.

This is hands down the most comprehensive and beautiful orchid nursery I've ever seen. We came during an open house, and it was well worth the drive down to Encinitas. They have so many species it's hard to fathom. Prices are extremely reasonable for this type of product. As a fan of orchids, this place overwhelmed me. I'll definately need to spend more time here. The greenhouses are every orchid growers wet dream. They also had a wide selection of tillandsia, rhipsalis, ferns, platycerium and exotics. The staff are extremely knowledgable and friendly. I wish I could buy every single plant here. Their website is also very comprehensive and educational. This nursery is suprisingly clean and bug free as well. Be sure to find a mounted specimen to take home, as they have a huge selection.