I've gotten some requests for ideas for Mother's Day for those of you out there with addicts like me for mothers or mates. If you have a serious orchid lover to buy for, I would suggest a gift certificate from her favorite vendor. Every hobbyist has a "wish list" of plants she wants and this way she can get one of these. Most vendors selling on line have a gift certificate available that can be purchased and easily sent, printed or otherwise given to your mother.

New Products Available for Orchid Growers
Carter and Holmes, one of the premier orchid vendors in the US, has a new humidity tray which is not only useful but extremely good looking. This tray is one of the nicer ones I've seen and would be a great gift for indoor growers.

Enlightened Orchids has a GE Weather Station which reads temperature and humidity for an incredible price of $12. All orchid growers should have one of these. This vendor also has a nice selection of orchids grown under lights and perfect for the indoor enthuiast.

Quarter Acre Orchids has a new plastic humidity tray for indoor growing that will keep your plants from sitting in water. It's inexpensive, so you can get a bunch of them! Also a good selection of plants chosen for growing indoors.

Orchid Conservation Donations
If your mother is into conservation there are a number of different ways to donate. For the orchid grower who has everything, how about an acre of land in Ecuador through he World Land Trust. Your gift will be saving habitat for endangered orchid species.

Ecuagenera. is an orchid nursery with an attached school supported by the nursery. It is one of the most interesting orchid stories around. Parkside Orchids has a special checkout item for this very worthy cause.

Cards, Jewelry, Books, Magazines, Miscellanous
The NY Botanical Garden has an exceptionally nice selection of note cards, journals, engagement calendars and other desktop accessories with orchids. Cynthia Padilla , Angela Mirro , and Elenora Freeman have beautiful hand-made cards and prints.

Orchid Books is an online bookstore associated with Librairie Pantoute a Quebec City independent bookstore. The site is available in French or English and is dedicated entirely to orchid books and has very good pricing. If you are looking for a specific book, this is the place to go. The customer service is outstanding!

A highly recommended magazine is Orchid Digest; information on subscriptions can be found at Orchid Digest Magazine.

You might want to start out an Orchid of the Month Club membership for someone fairly new to orchids. I did this and really liked it because after a year you end up with blooming orchids year round. To find a listing please go to Miscellaneous Orchid Gifts, it is at the end of the article.

For the novice, intermediate or experienced grower The Potting Workshop ™ CD has something for everyone!! I personally recommend this CD.

Orchid Jewelry
A really interesting jewelry site fonseca Accessories Inc. produces jewelry from specially preserved Dendrobium flowers which are then trimmed in gold. I recommend this vendor.

Check out The Golden Orchid which has fantastic solid gold or sterling silver earrings, pendants, pins and sculptures. Each creation is an exact reproduction of an actual flower. I recommend this vendor.