Santa Barbara Orchid Estate — Attraction in California

First time customer: Their website is absolute garbage. It’s ugly, difficult to use and needs to be desperately updated. There’s no excuse for in this day in age not to have online checkout.

Like all the other reviewers who mentioned Alice, I had the unfortunate luck to be “helped” by her. Helped is in quotations because she was anything and everything except helpful.

I tried to purchase several masdevallias from them by emailing. Asked for pictures of the plants. Alice said okay. Then sold the plants to somebody else. So unprofessional. I was told by Alice that the plants I was interested weren’t for me because they were really difficult. Like I didn’t know what I was doing or didn’t do my own research already. Alice tried to rush me to ship the plants. I declined because I had not seen a photo of the plants. I don’t feel that requesting photos of the plants I was interested in purchasing is an unreasonable request. Alice made it seem as such! Buy somewhere else if you don’t want to be belittled and then have the plant you’re interested in sold to somebody else despite your inquiry. I’m appalled by the service. I’d be open to purchasing from them if I was helped by somebody else other than Alice but even then it’ll take a lot of convincing not to simply take my money elsewhere. This first time impression of them is anything...

If you're looking to buy some flowers that you're okay with replacing every season then this is not the place for you. If you're serious about taking the time to learn and care for specialty orchids then come to the SB Orchid Estate. This crew knows everything from the scientific name down to the region and specialized growing condition of each orchid. Based on your specific environment and experience they can help you find the right orchid for you, and if you're willing to learn, teach you what you need to know. Yeah, a couple of them can come off as a little abrasive but it's because they truly care about their plants and want to make sure they go to a good home. Come in with respect, questions, and a humble evaluation of your own horticultural abilities and you'll be incredibly satisfied.

Went again and they're just as helpful as ever. Bought two new plants...

Amazing place. I visited multiple times in the past but now order online. While website is a bit difficult to navigate, Alice always provided me with an exceptional customer service. Most of the plants I recieved were established, bloom size, beautiful and healthy. Even seedlings are big.Since most are grown outdoors, there may be imperfections but these are strong orchids. I also virus tested a few at random and they were all virus free. Alice provided me with plant photos each time and shipping was fast, everything was wrapped with care, box was even labeled with where spikes were. Without a doubt, Santa Barbara Orchid Estate is very high on my list when I shop for new orchids to add to...