Santa Barbara Orchid Estate

Just left here with a horrible taste in our mouths.
When we arrived, the lady immediately asked us how she found them & if we grew orchids already. When we responded no, she pointed us in the direction of the very first row of the greenhouse and that as beginners we should head that way and back towards the parking lot.
We explored a little and saw some amazing and beautiful plants. Super impressive! We picked out a couple small plants mounted on cork wood and brought them to the front to buy them and ask how to care for them.
She immediately asked why we’d want to start with something so hard, if we’d failed at orchids before (not sure where she got that from). She ended up telling us that you had to remember to water them every day, and basically told us that there was no way we would take care of them. Mind you, she did not know us, ask us what plants we take care of, etc. She was extremely condescending and rude, and we ultimately left without the plants. She even bad mouthed a previous customer!
This place is beautiful, but if they truly cared about the orchids, they would do a better job of inspiring their customers to care for the orchids and learn about them.

Awesome experience — very educational and patient with all our questions !!! we will visit again to add to our recent purchase.

Had a great first visit here about a month ago. Wandered around looking at all the beautiful things then received great customer service when I mentioned what I was looking for. Suggested a few great choices and they had another specific kind I wanted. He took the time to package the plants for transport carefully and included care instruction sheets as well as verbally giving me advice/​hints. Great guy providing great product — a wannabe gardener couldn’t ask for more! Oh and the plant I got as a gift bloomed magnificently when he said it would and the little special kind I saved for myself is still growing strong.

This place is a treasure and a jewel! A vast, truly vast selection of orchids. Beautiful, rare, almost overwhelming. Hot and humid like the rainforest in the greenhouses. The staff was busy, very knowledgeable and helpful. It’s truly a labor of love. This is a can’t miss experience if you love orchids… maybe not for the beginner as the plants are on the pricey side. But most are rare and unique so I’m not surprised.

I love coming here to look at all the beautiful orchids. I do feel guilty for not buying flowers each time I go. Keep these guys in business and buy some orchids. It can be really humid in there on warm days, so go early or on a cooler day.

Best selection of temperature tolerant orchids for growing outdoors in SoCal. Their plants are not cheap, but you don’t have to worry about soft greenhouse plants wilting in the heat or catching a chill. Most have been grown outside.

Although out of the way, this place is extremely beautiful. I will give it that. However, I’m really bothered by the attitude of one of the managers. My grandmother really loved orchids and when she passed away, my mom picked up the hobby and collects them. She doesn’t know the scientific names of the plants, so I guess she’s not a true collector, but she knows them by sight.
My sister and I found this place and thought it would be perfect. We picked up a pot ‘for beginners’ worth $ 10 close to the front entrance and brought it back with us to continue looking. When my mom asked about the green house and if the orchids in there were for sale, the manager (who was busy entertaining some ‘guest author’ VIP) snootily replied that there was ‘nothing cheap in there’ and then ignored us.
My sister and I were shocked at her rudeness. Yes, we were holding a $ 10 plant, but both of us are professionals and make money just fine, thanks. We would have paid for whatever caught my mother’s fancy.
Another lady who did help us was extremely kind and helped us look up prices without the attitude; however, I refuse to ever go back and patronize an establishment that doesn’t treat its customers with respect.

Fabulous orchids, knowledgable staff, and the place has character. Definitely worth the stop. Our Garden Club loved every minute and left very happy. Thank you Alice!

WOW! I’ve never seen so many orchids in place! It was amazing. They are very helpful guiding you to the right type for where you live and the growing conditions.

Fantastic staff, amazing selection and a cool facility.

A great place to walk through and enjoy the blooms. It is a retail establishment but no pressure to buy anything. The property it is on is very nice, love the entrance and all the flowers that were in bloom out there. Nice arrangements. Camera worthy.

Such a large orchid nursery in such a lovely location, over looking the Pacific Ocean.
Come by and get lost on their many many orchid plants. Enjoy the hour or 2 inspecting every orchid species.
Feel free to ask questions and poke around. The staff are so friendly an knowledgable!
I recommend going if you are every in Santa Barbara. This place is really a gem and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Prices for plants are a little high. Some are «rare» and not the averAge cymbiums? We see at the mall or stores.
I bought a few wooden boxed planters and hangers.

This floral company is the reason Unilocal invented 5 stars, though 5 stars is not enough. SBOE orchids are the most beautiful breathtaking flowers I have ever seen. Healthy, vibrant, last a long time. Staff /​management is excellent, they ship anywhere in the US. Forget FTD. Replace with SBOE. And be happy.

This huge property houses an enormous number of outdoor-​appropriate orchids (especially for California climates) like Cattleyas, Cymbidiums, Dendrobiums. Lots of plants for the amateur enthusiast ($ 25 – 35 price range) all the way up to rare/​old plants worth hundreds of dollars for collectors.
It is worth a stop — be prepared to explore the jungle! Many people are only familiar with the phalaenopsis orchids from outlets like Trader Joe’s but the vast diversity of the orchid family is overwhelming and fascinating. Ask the staff if you have any questions — first thing to discuss (if you are looking to purchase) is what the weather conditions are like at your house. They can then direct you to the most appropriate plants for your situation.

Mesmerizing.
This place is huge and very easy to get lost in. It is absolutely fascinating. They have all kinds of orchids.
The staff is very knowledgable of orchids and can answer almost any question you can come up with. This place is definitely worth a visit.

Not complaint about customer service and packaging. This time I purchased in person, may be not the right time or some reasons, plants are small division and not very healthy but I paid for original price. I raised my cymbidium in outdoor and non of them are just like that. No regret because this is a place to find good cymbidium but a bit disappinted for sure.

Wow, I got lost in here. This place is huge and overwhelming. It’s like a jungle and you don’t know which direction to go to. My family talks about this place all the time and also know some of the owners here because they belong in the orchid society group. I am still learning about all the different types of orchids and I am passionate about plants. When we arrived here, everyone was helpful and showed us around the estate. Best customer service because everyone knew so much and will go above and beyond when you ask them a question. I spent probably at least 3 hours here browsing and also bought two birthday gifts for my family.

If you are passionate about orchids this is an amazing place.

I know SBOE grows more than just cymbidiums, but the best time to come is in spring right before the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show in March (
). During this time, you’ll see an abundance of cymbidiums in colors that’ll blow your mind. You think seeing them in pictures is a beautiful sight? Then you need to come here in person and see them yourself.
I live in San Jose, CA and driving here can take about 4 hours. With that in mind, I’ve been here about 10 times and each time I easily spend an hour just checking out the orchids and enjoying the grounds. There is plenty of parking and the people who work (Paul, Wayne and Alice) here are very helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. Sometimes, I’ll stop buy here on my way to LA and I’ll tell myself that I’m just going to take a look, but that never happens. I always end up buying an orchid because the color of the flowers tempts me, especially if it’s an orchid that’s hard to get.
SBOE has one of the biggest cymbidium collections available for sale ranging from standard to pendant types. Prices are fair and reasonable compared to other orchid nurseries. I know you can buy a cymbidium at Costco for around $ 17, but the ones they sell are boring and have poor color quality in there flowers. I would rather spend a little more and get an orchid that will grow strong and show good quality (of course, that’s depends on the person taking care of it as well).
If you’re curious in buying an orchid and having them shipped to you, then you can rest assured that the orchid will be packed with care. I’ve ordered from SBOE in the past and all the orchids were securely packed with no damage at all. If you’re looking to buy flowers for someone like your mom, then I suggest investing that money in an orchid, especially from here. They always have an orchid of the day, so if you just want to see what it is be sure to sign up for it through their website.
In addition to orchids, they also sell potting mix and pots all moderately priced. Some of the pots they sell here you can’t find at your local nursery.
One final tip. If you plan to check out the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show, be sure to stop by SBOE. They always have a big sale and offer good orchids at a very affordable price.

SBOE has a large variety of plants. So if you’re just looking around for something unusual and perhaps rare, you’d probably want to go to SBOE as your first stop! You can spend hours looking around at their large amounts of seemingly constant blooming Cymbidiums and Masdevallias. They also have a large collection of Dendrobiums, Lycastes and Laelias. If you’re looking for a rare species of Cymbidium, or a hard to find hybrid, I’d start with them first as they will either have it or know where to find it!