Good beginner plant for indoors North Carolina?

[Laura P]

I am a beginner, but having a great time learning and enjoying about six orchids here in Florida. I want to order one online to have delivered to my sister who lives in Hickory, NC, USA. She has a green thumb and would love to try an orchid. I've been told phal might be a good starter for her. But even more importantly, can anyone recommend a reliable website for me to order the plant from?

[johnblagg]

I can indeed there is a nursery right in Hickory.I bought several catts there last summer while I was visiting my cousin who lives in Taylorsville 30 miles from Hickory.

It is ironwood estates and has quite a selection and even gives classes on care.

Here is the link Ironwood Estate Orchids

I beleive phals would be a good chioce to start with and the summer climate in the area is wonderfull for ochids on the porch in summer with nice cool fogs early in the morning.My catts sat on the cousins porch for a month and did wonderfully while I was there and after they got home also.

while they are not the cheapest place to buy I am happy with the plants I got....

[Matilda]

I haven't had the best success with phals, but, I don't particularly have a green thumb

My paphs and my Onc Twinkle Red Fantasy are probably doing the best. None of my plants have been outside, yet, as I'm a beginner too and this will be my first spring with them.

Honestly, I think NC is a good place for most Intermediate and Warm growing orchids. Don't know if I'd try a Cool loving one, though.

I say look around and get something interesting. Maybe stay away from the ones that like cooler weather.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I personally don't like recommending Phalaenopsis to beginners. They're not as forgiving as a healthy Laelia or Cattleya can be.

I recommend starting with stuff like epiphytical Laelias or Cattleyas. Even plants like Brassavolas are in my opinion easier to grow than Phalaenopsis.

If you want to know the reason...

It's because many Cattleyas and Laelias have pseudobulbs that act as water and food storage for periods of drought. The larger the pseudobulbs on the plants, the more likely they come from areas that can go for extended periods of dryness.

Phalaenopsis grows in an environment that's consistently moist. The dry season, is actually not truly dry, it's relatively drier than wet season, but there's always water around. That's why Phals don't have pseudobulbs. They don't have to store that much water and food in their tissues because for the most part it's usually available.

[Laura P]

I like the argument for cattleya instead of phal. Makes sense. And I have sent an email to Ironwood nursery in Hickory asking them what they have and how to proceed with my gift. Many thanks to all of you for your help!

[WhiteRabbit]

I gotta say an Onc. - Twinkle is a very good one. Many of the inter-generics are good too - don't require as much light to bloom as a catt or laelia, and a bit more forgiving water wise than a phal. Also they take a wider range of temps. I keep my house quite cool in winter due to cost of heating, and the phals really don't like it much!

[johnblagg]

All good points and I have little exp with anything other than phals really.I have three catts I did buy at Ironwood estates nursery in Nc last aug and I have to say they are growing much much easier than I ever expected so I say why not catts also.

I said phals because I started my orchid experiance when a friend bought one and asked me how do you grow this kind of plant.....I am the local plant guru but had no experiance to speak of at that time and the phals have just been very happy in his conditions .....no ac in the house and wood heat in winter, and just potted up in what I could find on hand which turned out for us to be agricultural waste materials.

I guess Im am assuming they are easy because the collection keeps growing with Home depo and wal mart noids and there has yet to be a loss and they simply grow well with minimum effort.

[camille1585]

What makes a 'good' beginner plant also seems to depend a lot on the person, their conditions and watering habits. Some people can't keep a phal alive no matter what, while others find them ridiculously easy to grow. Other people have problems with paphs or Oncs, or something else.
On my part I find phals to be stupidly easy to grow, but I have an incredibly tough time keeping Oncidium alliance plants alive, and if I do, they just don't thrive.

[harrywitmore]

I think one thing that hasn't been said is be sure to buy a mature plant in bloom if possible. Don't buy a seedling. Mature plants can take allot more abuse than smaller plants and while your sister is learning that will be important. I hope to visit Ironwood in the next few weeks. Good luck!

[trdyl]

A couple of very forgiving Cattleyas are Cattleya mossiae and Cattlianthe (Slc) Jewel Box 'Scheherazade' AM/AOS. The added advantage of mossiae is its wonderful scent. But if you like red Cattleyas Jewel Box is there.