NOIDs or No NOIDs?

[Tindomul]

There is no shame in showing NOID's. The shame is that no one else will be able to find the same plant if they like yours. A rose by no name smells just as sweet. I prefer positively ID'd plants, its the taxonomist in me screaming out for order. I like knowing what I have, I like to know where they came from, and how all my plants are related to each other. In any case, I really hope we have not become a bunch of NOID snobs.

[Tindomul]

Originally Posted by RoyalOrchids

Oh, and my roses are R. 'Louis Phillipe', R. Ducher, R. Martha Gonzalez, R. 'Old Blush', and R. 'Karl Ott'

What? No Rosa rugosa or R. multiflora, or R. palustris????? Just kidding, its just those are the only ones I know.
Many if I was a Rose collector, I would probably branch out into the Prunus family too. I'm just a nut that way.

[philoserenus]

ya i prefer to know wat i am growing so i like names--specific ones too. i like to grow species, so names are a must.

however i love my noids too. i dun buy anymore noids, but the ones that made it into my collection, i love them too ^^ give them a name =) my noid phal is lovely, she is always in bloom and never disappoints me =)

[Bird Song Farm]

I love my NOID's. I buy for the color/shape and because it's different from something I already have.
Since I have no interest in hybridizing or showing; it makes no difference to me. Now, with that said, I also like my species.....but for the same reason, the color/shape, can I grow it in my conditions, etc.
I've stopped calling them NOIDS anyway, they are Hybrids for me.

Buy what you like John, if someone turns their nose up you can bet they are going to trip on something and you'll have the last laugh.
Al

[josterha]

Thanks to everyone's reassuring replies. I don't think I love them any less. Actually, (and I know this sounds silly) I buy them because I feel sorry for them. I was at IKEA a few weeks ago and there was one battered, half-dead phal in the plant dept. I almost bought it just to save it, but it was not marked down and was way too expensive for the shape it was in. I kind of regret it now, though. Maybe someone gave it a good home.

- John

[cb977]

if someone turns their nose up you can bet they are going to trip on something and you'll have the last laugh.

That's priceless, Al!

[cb977]

Originally Posted by josterha

Thanks to everyone's reassuring replies. I don't think I love them any less. Actually, (and I know this sounds silly) I buy them because I feel sorry for them. I was at IKEA a few weeks ago and there was one battered, half-dead phal in the plant dept. I almost bought it just to save it, but it was not marked down and was way too expensive for the shape it was in. I kind of regret it now, though. Maybe someone gave it a good home.

- John

hi again

I wouldn't go as far as buying a half-dead NOID. If I get a NOID, it's because it's in bloom and healthy...and beautiful

[quiltergal]

Like everyone else here I have a few NOIDs and they have and continue to provide me with pleasure when they bloom. Now that I've been doing orchids for a few years I find that I'm less inclined to spend my hard earned dollars on a NOID unless it's absolutely spectacular. I prefer to spend my money helping support the little orchid greenhouses that work so hard to provide us with top quality plants, and new hybrids. I'm not that excited about buying a plant that was probably the 10billionth clone made in Taiwan by a giant conglomerate. I guess now I'm looking for something different in my orchids. Unique, unusual, something that 10 billion other people don't have. I don't think it's snobbery. I look at it as more of a challenge.

[lily99]

I think there is nothing wrong with growing a NOID if you like the plant. I got a NOID phal for my birthday 2 years ago and it now has 2 spikes on it. Between moving and letting my son play in the orchid room I have lost half my name tags anyway, so now I have several NOIDs.

[orchidhunter]

My plants will never enter a breeding program, so I have no qualms about purchasing a NoID whispering, "Buy me! Take me home! Just do it!" from the supermarket shelf. Many of my NoIDs ended up being some of the most rewarding ones to grow (possibly because supermarkets and grocers only stock the tried-and-trusted easy-to-grow varieties).

However, the names are part of the fun for me. Lc. Love Knot, Phrag. Jimi Hendrix, Phal. Fajen's Fireworks - these are just sooo much fun to say, and help tie your plant to history: its specific ancestry, but also the entire history of orchid breeding, from Victorian times into the 21st century. A name gives your plant provenance.

Name tags are also a determining factor in whether I purchase a plant or not. When faced with two nearly-identical dark-coloured Spatulata Dendrobiums, I opted for Den. Black Dragon instead of Den. Mickey Mouse, because the name was so much cooler!