Orchids you regret losing and wish you could have again.

[BrassavolaStars]

Hello all,

Are there any orchids that you had in your collection at one point that didn't make it that you miss especially but cannot locate a replacement?

For me, these plants are Cymbidium Tiger Tail “Talisman Cove”, Trichoplia x Ramonensis, Aeranthes grandiflora “green ice”, Angraecum sesquipedale “Star of Malagasy” x Mount Zion, Kefersteinia aurorae, and Seidenfadenia mitrata. I’ve been searching for these plants ever since I had them but lost them.

The mitrata isn’t too uncommon but it is expensive so I haven’t repurchased it yet, the kefersteinia is only available rarely and would need to be imported. The others seem to not exist anywhere. This is especially true with the cymbidium hybrid in that clone and the Trichopilia. Both of those seem to be extremely rare and I’m not sure I’ll ever find them again.

[camille1585]

What a painful topic... It's always difficult to lose a plant, and even more so when it's a favorite, and truely heartbreaking loss when that favorite plant can't be replaced easily. I really hope that you will be able to replace some of them at some point. Sometimes it can be worth asking on Orchidboard about them, and you could get lucky!

For me, the biggest regret is the loss of my first ever Phal. It was a noid hybrid multiflora type, that looked a lot like Phal Brother Spring Dancer. Prolific bloomer and keiki machine, and I lost it when I neglected my collection for 2 years when life got in the way.

My second biggest regret is the loss of my Phal. Anna-Larati Soekardi x Phal. wilsonii. It made gorgeous, graceful spikes. It died back in 2012 or 2013, and I have never seen it anywhere for sale since then, despite keeping an eye out for it.

There are a few other I miss I can't replace, Like Phal Little Sister, Phal Fantasy Musick and Gastrochilus japonica. I see the Gastro once in a while, but either it's in the winter when I don't dare order anything, or it's in a different EU country and I can't justify 20-30 euro of shipping costs for one plant.


Phal. Anna-Larati Soekardi x Phal. wilsonii by Camille, on Flickr

[SouthPark]

I feel the loss. I lost 3 orchids when first beginning growing .... C. skinneri, Rlc. Memoria Crispin Rosales, and Laelia anceps. The only one I had taken a while to replace is Mem. Crispin Rosales. So I was in the same situation for quite a while .... many years. But all ok now. So .... if one looks long enough and put in enough effort and time, then there's always hope. No guarantees but always a chance ...... to get a replacement or even encounter something equally special.

I still haven't re-aquired skinneri - as it is readily available, but got a very nice replacement anceps and Mem. Crispin Rosales. These days ..... I apply the same approach as digital data. Make backups .... divisions. And separate them. It's spreading the eggs out in different baskets. This is done especially for hard or impossible to replace orchids.

I haven't lost an orchid ever since that time.... thank goodness and the teachings of a great local orchid breeder and grower - who isn't with us anymore.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

I still haven't re-aquired skinneri, but got a very nice anceps and Mem. Crispin Rosales. These days ..... I apply the same approach as digital data. Make backups .... divisions. And separate them. It's spreading the eggs out in different baskets. This is done especially for hard or impossible to replace orchids.

Very good advice! This is something all growers should think about. Sometimes it's not possible, like when the plant is really large (no space for a duplicate) or can't be multiplied easily (monopodials).

I have done this when possible with my favorites, and it already saved me once from a total loss. I'm waiting for the back-up plant to produce keikis so that I can duplicate it again...

[SouthPark]

That's true Camille. I forgot to include the comment ... backups where possible or whenever possible.

Also.... that white flowered orchid with violet colours is exceptional in flower appearance. I would love to grow that particular one!

[Keysguy]

Good topic but why is it in the " beginner discussion" forum?

I once toured a fellow New Englanders massive home built orchid greenhouse that was roughly 40 ft x 100 ft and held a collection of at least 2000 mature orchids. When I got to the area that housed an office, mechanical systems, potting area and supplies I noticed 3 large (I think they were maybe 3# each) coffee cans stuffed full of plant tags.
When I asked him about them he shrugged his shoulders, laughed and said "If you're not killing a few, you're not learning anything". How true!

I haven't racked up that many yet but I've done in my fair share and then some probably.

Thinking about it, I think there have been 3 that were particularly painful.

1) a specimen awarded Sedeira japonica I bought at an auction.
2) a Catt. dowiana
3) Dendrophylax lindenii (enough said!)

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!

[DirtyCoconuts]

Originally Posted by Keysguy

Good topic but why is it in the " beginner discussion" forum?

I once toured a fellow New Englanders massive home built orchid greenhouse that was roughly 40 ft x 100 ft and held a collection of at least 2000 mature orchids. When I got to the area that housed an office, mechanical systems, potting area and supplies I noticed 3 large (I think they were maybe 3# each) coffee cans stuffed full of plant tags.
When I asked him about them he shrugged his shoulders, laughed and said "If you're not killing a few, you're not learning anything". How true!

I haven't racked up that many yet but I've done in my fair share and then some probably.

Thinking about it, I think there have been 3 that were particularly painful.

1) a specimen awarded Sedeira japonica I bought at an auction.
2) a Catt. dowiana
3) Dendrophylax lindenii (enough said!)

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!

they call them ghost orchids because it is already dead LOL

[Clawhammer]

Originally Posted by Keysguy

Good topic but why is it in the " beginner discussion" forum?

I once toured a fellow New Englanders massive home built orchid greenhouse that was roughly 40 ft x 100 ft and held a collection of at least 2000 mature orchids. When I got to the area that housed an office, mechanical systems, potting area and supplies I noticed 3 large (I think they were maybe 3# each) coffee cans stuffed full of plant tags.
When I asked him about them he shrugged his shoulders, laughed and said "If you're not killing a few, you're not learning anything". How true!

I haven't racked up that many yet but I've done in my fair share and then some probably.

Thinking about it, I think there have been 3 that were particularly painful.

1) a specimen awarded Sedeira japonica I bought at an auction.
2) a Catt. dowiana
3) Dendrophylax lindenii (enough said!)

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!

Any learnings to share from the C. dowiana murder? I just acquired two older seedlings and would love to avoid the mourning period.

[SaraJean]

Ugh, I have a shoe box of tags from orchids that I’ve killed. My two most painful were
1. My Angrecum sesquipedale. I got this several years ago as an itty bitty seedling (I love growing seedlings) about 3” tall in a 2.5” pot. It was finally reaching blooming size this past summer when it got a bacterial infection and went downhill fast. This species is easily replaced but I was attached to that dang plant


2. Fred Clarke had found some seeds from his original batch of Fdk. After Dark cross that he was able to germinate. Since these were unawarded, unbloomed seedlings of such a famous cross, I bought three of them. I was really looking forward to how these turned out. I had an exceptionally bad round of spider mites last summer that I could not get under control. Half of my Catasetums were wiped out, including these three

Last summer was a bad year for my orchids, lol

[Keysguy]

Any learnings to share from the C. dowiana murder?

It was a long time ago in my greenhouse in NH. I think I recall it was shortly after I put up the gh and I suspect it was before I had learned that a lot of plants can't survive a NH winter going to 55F every night for 6 months nor depend on just the occasional 5 hours of winter sun and expect them to prosper.

By the time I sold that house (4 years ago) I was spending a fortune on propane for heat and supplemental lighting but my orchids were much happier. I'm ready to give the dowiana another shot now that I'm growing in the Keys where I have become a Cattleya genius.