oh, and which are the multi-floral types of paphs that I could grow?

btw... thanks for the link! I would enjoy these large multiflorals.... and 5-6 years till blooming size? Wow... if I got that, it would really show that I believed in tomorrow wouldn't it? :)

That depends on if you want the sequential bloomers (Cochlopetalums) or simultaneous ones (Pardalopetalum and Coryopedilum). Cochlopetalums like Pinocchio and victoria-regina have mostly pink or white flowers with bucket-shaped pouches. They can bloom for very long periods of time and are mostly easy to grow - great plants for a beginning grower.

The Pardalopetalums like lowii I don't have a lot of experience with personally. They have flowers in shades of pink, brown, and yellow, with moderately long, often spoon-shaped, horizontal petals. Good ones can be striking. they're not the easiest, but not too difficult either.

The Coryopedilums are the most striking group of Paphs, with HUGE flowers having either horizontal or long, drooping, spiralling petals. The flowers of Paph rothschildianum, the king of Paphs, can be a foot across, while Paph sanderianum has the longest petals of any flower in the world, at over 3 feet on outstanding clones. These types are generally extremely slow-growing and often need to be multigrowth to bloom. They become enormous plants and even babies flowering for the first time usually have around a 2 foot leafspan. With these it's not so much that they're difficult, they're just so slow, and they can be difficult to bloom once they mature. If you're going to buy one, try to get a blooming sized division of a hybrid like Lady Isabel. You can often get them for around $75.

Well the most I have paid is £35, but I would be willing to spend up to arround £100 if it was a good quality plant of something I really wanted. I don't think I would go higher... but you never know, there is time yet :coverlaugh:

I think the knoweldge that it is something you can look after correctly can really infulence an expensive purchase... allough my most expensive one was a first time with cyms, I got a massive plant for my £35 which is why I was willing to give it a go.

I'm not yet sure about spending big bucks on specific rare or awarded orchids... although I love the rothschildianum that jeffg mentioned above and I'm not sure... but maybe one day I would be tempted to spend the money on one... and if I had seen one at $75 or even £75 I would have jummped at the chance!