Advice for orchid gift for a friend in Michigan

[Linnie]

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I decided to give a friend of mine an orchid for Christmas. She lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Do any of your northern folks have a recommendation for what grows well up there.

She has never had an orchid which I think needs to be corrected. I would like to get her one that is fragrant.

Thanks for any advice.

[Tony]

Paphs! Look for malipoense or delenatii, they are fragrant.

[Linnie]

Thanks Tony, I 'll check them out. For me, Paphs don't do anything for me, but I am willing to check the ones you mentioned out. I know they have a lot of fans and if they are fragrant too...

I can't help but thinking of "Day of the Triffids" when I see them. Don't ask me why, because I haven't seen that flick in years but the name "triffids" just keeps running through my mind..... LOL

[littlefrog]

Does your friend want to take a trip to see a lot of orchids? I'm about an hour and a half from K'zoo. I really think that the best way to get what she wants is to pick out something she likes for herself.

There are two shows coming up soon that are close. One in Grand Rapids (Meijer Botanic Gardens) the last weekend of January, and one in Lansing (MSU) the last weekend in february. I bet she'd have a ball at one of those shows...

Pretty much all of the orchids that do well in houses anywhere do well up here. Vandas are a bit tricky. Phals of course do well (but you will be hard pressed to find a fragrant one). Cattleyas are fragrant, most of them, but they don't really bloom for that long, I don't know that I recommend them as a first orchid for that reason alone. A lot of oncidiums (can't go wrong with Sharry Baby) are good choices. I like paphs for length of bloom, but fragrance isn't their strong point.

[Phantasm]

A Phal bellina or violacea will have a great fragrance, and some of their hybrids will also carry fragrance.

[Linnie]

GGood Ideas both from our AOS judges!! I had thought about a cattylea because I love them so much but you are right, two weeks or so and they are gone is not the best introduction to orchids. The Sharry Baby might be a nice option since she loves chocolate . Or the Phal violacea..

But a trip to an orchid nursery or an orchid show just might be the best way to pass on my addiction.

Rob, you don't happened to be located in between Kalamazoo and Chicago?? She is headed there in a week or so...

Thanks for all your help.

[Wendy]

I'd recommend a nice hybrid Cattleya. Most of them smell nice and they are pretty easy for somebody who has no experience growing orchids.

[littlefrog]

Unfortunately there is nothing between K'Zoo and Chicago except freeway and a few nice fruit orchards along the lake... Said as somebody who used to live there, there ain't nothing worth stopping for. Actually I'm in exactly the opposite direction.

Minicatts might be nice, although I don't usually notice much fragrance from them. At least mine. Most of them would bloom a few times a year, at least. Phal. violacea is a good idea though...

[Ross]

Also don't forget we are much cooler up here (even K'zoo) than down Florida way and many spp that you might not consider will do fine here. If her window light is very bright, then any of the Oncidium class are great options - many are fragrant, too, and last a long time in bloom.

[cb977]

Phal bellina would be a lovely first 'chid! Such a pretty bloom and my oh my...the fragrance!