The best orchids to go for

[Kevinator]

Hello everyone.

Kevinator here. I am now four days away form going to the Santa Barbara International Orchid Fair and Show. I was planning a list of need-to-get orchids, so I would like some of your own suggestions. Since I'm not really much of a phal. or cattleya person, I will be looking for some of the more..ehem, "unusual" ones. Please provide personal experience with the orchids.. if you can.

Thanks!
Kevinator

[Stray59]

Kevinator;
Have you tried bulbophyllum - just about any of them; my reliable Bulb. longissimum is a great show along with Bulb. medusae which is about as odd looking as they get - and some are fragrant, even if that fragrance is of dog-poop!
Have fun at the SanBar show!
Steve

[ronaldhanko]

Buy one of each, then you know you got the best ones!

[FSUOrchids]

I mean I try and do research before picking up certain types...

This includes deciding what I want to add to my collection (so in the past it has been to add types that I don't have). At my last show I wanted to get a Vanda for sure, as I can't get those locally without a hassle, the prices are better, and the growers are more specialized. I also picked up some nice oncidium hybrids (I only had one other oncidium). In the future I'm planning to pick up a paph and a cymbidium, neither of which I have in my collection. I'm holding off on some of the more exotic types for now (ie. Bulbophylum), but that's a personal choice.

[ronaldhanko]

What I said earlier, I said jokingly, but if you do not know exactly what you want, talk to some of the vendors and ask them for suggestions from their stock and tell them too how you intend to grow the plants. Andy and Harry from Andy's Orchids are always helpful and have some very unusual things.

[tucker85]

I know Santa Barbara Orchid Estate grows a number of their orchids outdoors on trees. Since you live in southern California you should ask them which orchids do well outdoors there. I think Laelia anceps may be one of them. Many people grow cymbidiums out there also. As far as indoors, I see a lot of people growing paphiopedliums now.

[cbuchman]

I too like the "unusual" ones. I have been very pleased with my Dendrochilum uncatum (long racemes of 30-50 tiny light green flowers with a purple dot) and Octomeria juncifolia (long grass like leaves with tiny yellow flowers along the leaf). These were both recommended by Andy's orchids (don't know who) after a detailed discussion of my conditions and my preferences. I am very pleased with both recommendations!

I am also enjoying an Epi Stamfordianum and its alba variant that were recommended to me by the owners at Orchid Alley Kauai.

The common thread here is that by engaging the vendors in the selection, I got great plants that will thrive in my conditions and had a fun conversation to boot!

So enjoy the selection process as much as the purchase and growing.

[james mickelso]

Kevinator, don't miss the donation or species group tabels at the show. Great deals and plants to be had. And SBOE has set up some fabulous sales as does Cal Orchids across the street. When are you going? We will be there Sunday with a van full of folks.

[gravotrope]

You can judge what to get, as described in three of the four posts before this one...on your culture conditions/level of attention. In Southern California, I don't think you have cool enough winters (if you're growing outside) to get Pleurothallids/Masdevallias/Draculas, but some of these species are both interesting and can be grown warm. I am not familiar which species in that alliance are more warm, but they are sensitive to tap water, so I was recommending something along the lines of not taking up too much space. I'm sure doing a bit of research or listening to someone else who has an opinion of these plants will help you figure out what to get. Andy's orchids as earlier mentioned is pretty informative, with the temperature tolerance, country origin, and photos but keep in mind it can be very challenging to find a species by name at a show.

Ones that are more forgiving are things like tolumnias, oncidiums, odontoglossums, zygopetalums, dendrobiums, and brassias, which all have natural drier periods in their culture with few exceptions. Try and find some images of these genera and I think you will like them.

Gongora and Stanhopea could be something to think about as well.

The most important thing I would say, is to tell the vendor what your conditions are, and what other orchids you have so it's not too much of a challenge to culture them all well.

---------- Post added at 01:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:50 PM ----------

Oh since I'm here....Psychopsis, tolumnia, and dendrobiums will rebloom out of the old canes/spikes, so that could be something to keep in mind....

[Rowangreen]

Just wanted to clarify: are you saying you are not interested in Phals and Cats, or that you are interested in unusual ones?

Some unusual orchid ideas... how about Chysis? I recently aquired one at an auction (Sedinii) and also got to see one last week in flower at my society (aureum). Really impressive, striking plant with quite unusual growth, but seems to be quite tough. Quite big, but you have Stanhopeas don't you!

I don't think a collection is complete without a Lycaste aromatica. Not as big and showy as some Lycastes, but amazing scent.

Huntleya: I think these are difficult to grow (which is why I'm saying no to one!) but they have amazing wierd flowers. I got to see a burtii at my society: flowers are as big as my hand, have raised bumps all over the petals and sepals, and one lady told me she thought it was really freaky because it looked like a face looking at her LOL

Ghost orchids: I know the Florida one is very hard to grow, but apparently the Jamaican species (sorry, don't know what it's called) is easier.