Just for fun, what is the focus of your orchid collection?

[SydneyH]

I'm new to orchids so right now I seem to be trying to get one of every Alliance. I have several noid Phals, but otherwise it's whatever I'm drawn to. Once I find out what grows best for me, I'll probably focus on something.

Sydney

[james mickelso]

Buy? Buy? What's that? Just kidding. I currently have a little over 300 orchids none of which were bought as nice plants. What I buy are the 2-3 year old catts and the like from Santa Barbara Orchid Estates semi annual sales. Cheap, cheap, cheap. But I buy mostly at the area club show species tables for $1-$5. I also get a lot my specimens from trash cans, gutters, and anywhere I can talk someone out of throwing away an orchid, diseases and all. I keep anything that has even a hint of green. And I am usually rewarded after a year or three with some gorgeous blooms. I have a catt right now that has bloomed after disease blackened each new pbulb for the past 4 years. I finally got two nice clean pbulbs the last of which bloomed with beautiful pinkish red petals and sepals and has a long tubular lip of deep crimson/marroon. And it smells to high heaven. Like a club meeting of older ladies wearing those flowery hats. And I still have three potfuls C. intermedias blooming. The lavender color with the white lip. One has 20 flowers, one has 16, and one has 8. I also have some noid phals that are blooming. Spots, stripes, and a nice one with deep maroon petals and yellow lip. I have pictures. Just figuring out how to get them from camera to laptop to here. Anyway, my collection is made mostly of noids. I love em all. I get depressed when I can't save one. The last gasp is either spag and bag or stick. They call me Dr. Believa.

[Floridian]

The next phase... well since I've just about run out of room on my lanai, I've started naturalizing orchids on my palms and oak trees. Luckily I still have some room left there :-)

[james mickelso]

Ok, second try at posting some pics. This is what my collection consists of...

[Bud]

James, you forgot to attach the pictures.

[james mickelso]

Ok, now I'm stumped. I did it just like I did the first time and no pictures. I'll try again. Is it there? Ok, it's here. I'll try some more. The first ones are what I start with and as I get them going, I end up with these. Hope this works.

[james mickelso]

Here's some of the catts I have left to repot. I have to be careful because of the condition of the plants. There is not much left of the root system and if I repot too soon, I sometimes lose them because there is not enough energy left in the old pbulbs to sustain the new buds.

[james mickelso]

Ok, that didn't work again. Sorry for the miscues. I'll get the hang of this yet. Thanks for the patience. Ok I think I've got it this time. (fingers crossed)......

[NatalieS]

James, you certainly have a green thumb!

[Orchidaceae]

There's something very rewarding about rescuing orchids - that's a partial focus of my (growing) collection too!

James - there are $1-5 orchids at local shows? Hm I'll look out for them in June!