It definitely is in the eyes of the seer, and I identify with the emotional connection... and I think that stems from that the orchids take me out of myself and into them... they are a place of peace away from my mind that goes 8 million miles an hour and never shuts up. They take me to a place of solitude, more than anything else.

I'm glad you found them as a sanctuary too after your asthma attack... that sounds frightening.

I don't know if I have any favorites yet... mainly because I think the one in bloom, whichever that is, is my favorite.... and the ones not in bloom, whether they are resting or growing leaves, are somehow a promise of tomorrow... like green bananas. They may not be exactly ripe yet, but I always buy them, because they will be perfect and just right tomorrow or the next day when my weary mind and body will want one.

The ones that I have yet to see bloom, they are a promise or a gift that I feel like I'll get to unwrap soon, when they allow me. I have several that I recently bought that I have never seen bloom, only photos of what they will look like, and so now, I just look at them and wonder, and give thanks for their being a promise, or a hope that I can look at to give me something to look forward to in tomorrow or tomorrows tomorrow. please.gif

This is a really fun thread!

I find it so interesting how so many people first get into Phals and then subsequently into more demanding species.

I bought my first orchids (three actually...Phals of course) at the Philadelphia flower show about 5 years ago from Parkside Orchids. They were named species but very common...I still have my Baldan's Kaleadoscope but alas "over loved" the other two to death. I stuck mostly with the Phals but could not resist the occasional oncidium and a few other types with limited success. Even picked up a Lycaste aromatica which is in bloom now with about 3 dozen flowers. I have always shy-ed away from NOIDS as I am a fanatic/bookworm and need to look up things like "how to grow" etc. If I have an issue, I go on an information search and NOIDS limit my ability to find answers. My best NOID is pic #1

All this changed when I went to the AOS auction at the Hotel DuPont in Delaware. My hubby saw this blooming Catt up for auction and said "you should grow those" and proceeded to bid and win it out. I was mortified!
I had tried a catt once and killed it...$35 down the drain but this one was over $100!

After the blooms faded, I researched and it also helped to ask the nursery who donated the plant what it needed and 6 months later: viola! pic #2


After that, I bought mostly catts....and then recently disaster struck. I bought Orchidwiz and began logging my plants (about 80 with half catts) and noticed something very wrong in pictures on a large specimen in bloom when I bought it which never flowered again. pic#3
This is ORSV...did not recognize it at the time two years earlier when I bought it
Because I decided to build a greenhouse, I began researching what I wanted to grow: Catt primarily heirloom and hard to find species. Obviously, I cannot have this virus in my collection.
So I $$ virus tested $$ every single plant.
I lost 15...most were the remainder of the NOIDS except two and the only one I was really bummed about was the George King 'Serendipity'; but Dave Off of Waldor helped me out there <3 and I have a lovely large replacement specimen in spike :biggrin:

Bottom line, my orchid obsession, like most everyone else's, is an evolving thing. I find it so refreshing to learn new things and try more challenges. Flasks intrigue me but I prefer to buy large specimens and flower them...I want to try to do the mega flower thing.

What was the virus disaster and what is Orchidwiz? How do you test for the virus?

And tell me about the mega flower thing! Give more info! :bowing

Unfortunately, one of the last things you begin to learn about AFTER you have a few dozen or so orchids, is the variety of things that can kill them.
There are many posts on many forums I have read about "virus hysteria".
Agdia makes an ELISA test that you can use at home to test your plant for a virus or you can still send it away (I'm blanking on the place..Critter Farm or something..if you google "orchid virus" it comes up)
ORSV or also known as Tobacco Mosaic Virus is highly contagious and causes color break in the blooms, ruining them and eventually the virus will cause a "failure to thrive" and kill your plant. Because it is so contagious, most people get rid of the plants immediately.
The more common and less contagious CymMV or Cymbidium Mosaic Virus is mostly spread by bad hygiene with you collection. I have three with this virus which I "quarenteened" and one is the 30+blooming Lycaste I mentioned.
Some theories I have read even state most plants are virused but test negative unless stressed.
Very controversial however, if ORSV+ the usual thing is get rid of it.
My family is yelling at me now so i gtg but ill post later about the "mega's"..my term for large flowering catts.

If this is the tack you want to take, you may want to contact Indian River Orchids in Florida. Their Heirloom Catt catalog is to DIE FOR.

I started collectin few years ago and this year I try to focus on some botanical stuff...

For me I cant resist some NOIDS, but I force myself not to buy them... In that moment my boyfriend comes to rescure my feelings and buys them... so...

I love Masdevallias and Encyclias/Prosthechearas so I would like to focus on them in the future. I buy the ones I like, not because of the value. Without a particular reason...

The orchids in my collection are the one I love, but I can not denie that once I would like to enter the business of selling them. I am a management student so I realy can not resist the desire to build up a middle European Shop. But in contrast to that I have no urge to enter any competition...

Orchids can be your best friends even your hardest foes... I talk to hem, argue with them, love them, hate them but we share a long lasting loving common upstanding beneficial realtionship :)

Wonderful!
Another one for my list :evil:
Large flowering catts are the mega-flowers I'm looking for and I would like to try techniques to get as many blooming spikes per flowering cycle as possible.
That is what I mean by a "mega-flower thing" :biggrin:
I have some interesting plants on order already...
But certainly not enough to FILL the greenhouse that isn't even built yet :rofl:

Just out of curiosity.

Why do you want to know about people's orchid collecting habits?

I have the feeling that someone frowned upon you owning NOID's (maybe not).

This kind of stuff is really subjective. There are going to be many different collecting styles and reasons that go with it.

No one collection is the same for a reason (that'd be creepy if it was).

I just hope it did not hapened. Everybody has one or two or 50 (me). :blushing: or even many more...

I started out buying mostly at Home Depot and Lowe's , and so ended up with a lot of plants that I couldn't grow and some plants that I hated, some that I loved, some with tags and some without...
Since then I have refined my purchasing and I don't prefer to add noids to my collection...It just drives me crazy to not know what the darn things name is!
I now buy mainly species plants and only add hybrids when I know that they are an improvement on the parents, though I do make exceptions every now and then and add an unseen hybrid to the collection, just for the fun of seeing what the flowers will look like.
Having said that...I have a certain species plant that is mislabeled and it's driving me insane...I might just have to spend the money to send it to AOS and have them test it for me so that it will have a proper name!
Everyone has their own take on what they like and I am just thrilled that there are so many orchids to choose from!
So if you like it and you don't care if it has tag, I think that's great too! As long as you get enjoyment out of it, it's worth it.
On the other hand, I've had named plants that I can't stand, and those quickly find themselves living elsewhere (Usually at Sue's house :) )