Where are you in your orchid collecting

[Cattleya17]

I started with Cattleyas they were the only ones i could not kill! I have found my tastes have left the floofy hybrids i only have one i plan to keep indefinitely and thats Blc. Chia Lin New City. all other catts are Species catts and one primary hybrid (B.Little Stars) and two Laelias I think i will always love them!!! im not really into Paphs...... i only like one and its Armeni-White, i do not own it but i admire it very much.

I went through an Angraecum Phase that is ending now i have 4. I am now in a Phalaenopsis phase i guess you could call it. its just got inflamed with my recent purchase of a Phalaenopsis Schilleriana!

I dont think i will have a collection based on just one species or genera, i want to get into Masdevallias but i know i will kill them.

having limited space i am limited in my choices in plants. they have to be under 2 1/2 feet. I will definitely expand my collection of Phals, this is because the plants stay short and they make a HUGE impact!!! tons of flowers and many are fragrant its perfect!

I used to get in trouble when i first started out because like a few of you mentioned before, when i went to my local green house i wanted them all and bout a few every month. then winter came and i had no room for them!!!!!! now a plant has to be exceptional. I mean make my heart stop give me chills its so beautiful could have it bloom over and over and never get tired of it Exceptional. I have to not be able to live with out it before i order it or buy it.
Im proud of myself cuz now i can go to my local greenhouse and not stand there for an hour trying to pick one. i can say " Hey! Sam You can live without this one!"

[Gage]

I've been crazy about growing plants since I was a kid, but the orchid bug bit me some time after my wife received a yellow Phal as a gift. It wasn't my choice of bloom, but I was excited about trying to keep it growing and alive. I put it on the porch with the other plants (most of which were suffering from the poor light), and half neglected it. After a while I repotted it, and the next winter it put out a spike, and that did it for me! Before that I thought you had to have a greenhouse to bloom orchids. I love Phals, Vanda types, and Oncidiums the best, but I can't get any more Phals because of indoor space. I also have a few Dendrobiums and now several Catts. And I always lean towards minis. Compact growth and compact blooms, and fragrant please, but if it's not little and I can't say no... Right now I have forty something orchids, and I am very happy with what I have. Although I could probably find room for another 40, I think the time factor is keeping my collection growth rate modest. Over the past couple of years only a few have died on me, and a few I have saved from death's door. But I am always learning their different needs and what makes them thrive (and what doesn't!).

[orchidsarefun]

My focus has changed.....like the weather ! I grew Cymbidiums outdoors year round ( Jhb, South Africa ) and after moving to the Chicago area, found that growing orchids indoors was just as satisfying...and really no choice. I started with various Catts and have added Dends and Phals. They have all done well, and the Catts have a new lease on life as I put them outdoors in Summer. I have now focused on Species Phals, and I may just attempt to propagate via seed. I think my Baldans Kaleidoscope Phal, rescued from Lowes 3 yrs ago, was a catalyst in increasing my interest as it has grown massive, with roots coming out of a 8in pot at the bottom. Aint no stopping it ! My collection is fairly small....but I have 3 spare south-facing windows to fill.

[Bud]

I am located at the top of the world! I have only to go to the flower district( yeppers NYC has a whole street=5 av blocks of maily flowers )...and I can order any orchid I want that is sold in the market=in fact I can even pre-order contraband orchid in chinatown...but I started with two phals I found on the dumpster of Waldorf Hotel while waiting for my roomate to get off work. I was attracted to the porcelain vase and the colorful plastic butterflies adorning the plant. It was not dead but the flowers were all dried up so the Hotel thrashed it...now ...if you look at my list of orchids they are all eclectic and varied...I favor vandas more...and minis

[Gage]

Originally Posted by Bud

I started with two phals I found on the dumpster of Waldorf Hotel while waiting for my roomate to get off work. I was attracted to the porcelain vase and the colorful plastic butterflies adorning the plant. It was not dead but the flowers were all dried up so the Hotel thrashed it...

That's awesome, what a great way to start! lol