What determines your purchase?

[Paul Mc]

As a relative newbie to the orchid-holic life, I've gained a small collection (about 24 orchids) which fill all my windowsills. But I'm always on the lookout for more, lol... Space is an issue, but somehow I always manage to find room for one more. I'm motivated by the beauty of the flower generally, sometimes by the season it blooms, and by what the size of the mature plant will be in comparison to what it is now.

So, I'm curious what motivates you guys to purchase your next orchid.

[Eyebabe]

Hi Paul!
I must say, my motivation has changed drastically over the years.
Initially, it was just an "O, How pretty" knee jerk response which is an honest and sincere emotion but not necessarily the most wise.
Certainly though, this is the deep seated root of the love that grows to support one's ongoing "interest" in orchids; so by no means am I intending to diminish it.
At some point however, two things occur:
1. We run out of space
2. We kill things...(but not so quickly that we outpace the acquisition of more plants)
This inevitably leads to the pursuit of knowledge. I have purchased many volumes of books and looked for information on line. Cultivation, disease control, lighting requirements.
...and OMG different genre of orchids require different growing conditions??? ETC.
Now I have enough time and information under my belt to know what I think is the "prettiest" for my limited space and time:
I enjoy BIG BIG flowers! However, I am willing to have small flowers if they are unique.
I am willing to wait for flowers if they are spectacular...thus I don't mind plants that bloom only once per year for a few weeks.
I love learning about orchid history and vintage plants.
I am best at intermediate to warm growing conditions.
Conclusion: I currently prefer large flowering cattleya species and hybrids.
I try to collect unique and historic plants.
When I go orchid shopping now, my purchases are directed to buying less plants with each plant costing more than I used to spend.
I have not eliminated other species of orchids entirely and have a few dozen favorites like Dendrobium cuthbertsonii that has more of a cool cultivation requirement but I seem to keep very well.
If there are any recommendations I could make for anyone starting with orchids, it would be to try new things, keep an open mind, get educated, and have fun!

[florafan]

Since I am a total neophyte in orchid growing, I am still at the knee jerk stage - but oh is it fun! But space limitations will curtail that pretty fast.

[snappyguy]

I am very new to orchids myself and only have 2, but I have collected african violets for a year or so and I have brought some of the lessons learned from them to orchids. I have several NOID violets and have learned I do not want to do this with orchids. Bloom is most important, but to me size is a factor too. I'm learning that I prefer miniature orchids, but standard violets. Rarity is not important to me. One thing I didn't have to contend with in violets is blooming season because they bloom year round. With orchids I'm trying to balance it so there is always something about to bloom.

Mark

[Tindomul]

In my head I keep hearing the words "Collect them all" from the toy commercials of the 80's and 90's. Don't know if they still say it. So I have a few favourite genera and even subgenera and I have an overwhelming urge to collect them all. Oh but I won't pay over $30 for any orchid. Unless its really rare.

[kiki-do]

Hi Paul!
What an excellent question! Obsession is the name of the game for me. First with a love of phals. Then I "noticed" Dends. Then Catts. Then mini's. Then mounted. Then I just started buying whatever else appealed to me or because it was an orchid I didn't have yet.
Over time, I became frustrated because I started losing my chids. The reason? Climate and temp requirements they needed that I didn't have. Duh! I had this idea that I could make it work no matter what. Unless you have the requirements that a particular orchid needs, don't buy it. Stick to what will grow well for you in your environment. I think that is key to successful growing.
Many places won't tell you that, they just want to sell you an orchid and if it dies, they know you'll buy another. So that's something to think about before purchasing. When you get orchids that thrive and bloom for you, it's such an amazing pleasure!
Happy Growing!!!!!!!

[Daethen]

Space is really never a factor as we all seem to find room for that "just one more". I went from 1 to 85 in a year. I am still in that I love that one! stage. I try to find bargains that are pretty. I will spend too much if I really like it.

[tucker85]

My orchid buying habits have certainly changed over the years. I did just what you said initially. I bought anything that looked pretty. Now I am more disiplined.

1. If I'm going to a show or someplace where I might buy an orchid, I look at what I have in bloom. If I have a lavender and a white in bloom I'll look for a red or a yellow to balance things out that time of year. I used to have four big lavenders that bloomed every November. That doesn't make any sense.
2. Huge Cattleyas are spectacular but I no longer have enough space for those. I tend towards more compact plants but I do like large flowers.
3. I buy plants that suit the environment that I have on my patio. That means mostly warm growing orchids (Florida). I don't want to struggle to keep something alive when it doesn't fit in to this environment.
4. Twice now I've gone to growers and seen maybe twenty plants of the same variety and picked the one with significantly more flowers or buds. Both times the plants turned out to be diseased. Orchids in poor health put out lots of flowers to try and reproduce before dying. I look at the overall health of the plant rather than just the flower now.
5. I have no problem giving away orchids that don't really contribute to the quality of life around here. If a plant is in bloom and I'm not all that crazy about it I usually give it away to make room for more.

[camille1585]

I too got past the 'ooooom that's pretty, I'm buying it!' stage. The main criteria is any new orchids has to be an intermediate grower, and does not have excessive humidity or light requirements. That being said, I have an obsession with minis, especially the ones that have blooms that are colorful or with nice inflorescenses. I no longer care if my new purchase is in bloom or not, I first look at the overall state of the plant and the quality of the roots.

Phal equestris is my 'gotta collect them all' obession, there are so many different types!

[Izzie]

I came up with a few criteria early on in my collecting in order to save my wallet and my space.
1. Must be compact or miniature
2. Must be a species, or a named hybrid
3. Should be fragrant, but if a plant really calls to me, the fragrance isn't as important.
4. Must be able to thrive in my environment without too much extraordinary care
5. No more rescues. Did enough of that early on.

And most important of all...
6. It must speak to me. If it meets all the criteria above, and I like it, but it doesn't realllyyy speak to me, I move on and hope it finds a good home.

And, I suppose...it has to fit in my budget.