What got you hooked growing orchids?

[GreggC]

training for six years. One of the things that you had to do was to keep up on your "continuing education." I needed some hours to complete that and it just so happened that my wife had joined the orchid society here in town. I checked with the program coordinator and there was an orchid seminar which lasted all day, form about 10 a.m. until 3 or 4 p.m. I was so awe struck by the plants that were available for sale and the speakers for the seminar were convincing enough, saying that orchids were not that hard to grow, that we bought a bunch of plants and I have never looked back. I found out that orchids were indeed not hard to grow, provided you had what you needed as far as microculture was concerned. Obviously, we have all killed a few, at least.

[kiki-do]

I started college late in life and became friends with one of my prof. who was a Native American woman and she lived in a little log cabin in the woods. She was an extreme animal and plant lover who pretty much lived frugally and in seclusion other than to venture out to her teaching profession. I was invited to her place a few times and she had this beautiful English Garden made up of various native wildflowers. Inside, she had many tropical plants, very unusual plants...such as passion flowers, air plants, and orchids. She also spent a few summer months doing research on the indigenous people of the Amazon in Iquitos (sp) and while there, would also study the orchids native to that area. My love of orchids came from her love of orchids. She loved to talk about them and I was in awe at how much she knew and how easy she made it sound to grow them. She was an amazing person and just had a knack for making things thrive. I can't even describe how beautiful her orchids were. She had them in every corner of her little cabin. No rhyme or reason, they were just everywhere. She loved their roots and their leaves just as much as the actual blossoms. That was my first taste of the orchid world. kiki-do

[charmbutterfly]

My best friend has hundreds of orchids. One day i went over to his house to see his collection and that pretty much sealed the deal!!
He started me off with a vanilla scented orchid and every month he would give me another kind to try my hand at

I love him so much for getting me into orchids )

[Andrew]

I grow carnivorous plants. A major nursery in my area that sells carnivorous plants primarily sells orchids and cacti. Cacti do nothing for me so I thought I'd give a few cymbidiums a try. After a while Cymbidiums went from being big, showy orchids to character-deficient space hogs so I started looking for other genera to grow.
I got hooked on Australian terrestrials while on a trip to Western Australia. I joined a native orchid society to learn more about them and inadvertantly caught the Sarcochilus bug as well.

[DennisKennedy]

I inherited a number of cymbidiums from my father in law and found them easy enough to look after but they really did nothing for my enthusiasm. Then a couple of years ago my brother in law purchased a house from a deceased estate. The former owner an elderly woman had obviously loved her garden and it was filled with strange and exotic plants. The next thing I new my brother in law had stripped the whole garden "I didn't want it" he said. Inspecting the damage I noticed a single cane still growing in a garden bed. I dug it up and potted it, took it home and left it where it would get some morning sun. It struggled away and grew a few more canes but hadn't flowered when, some months later, I was at a market and saw a plant being sold which looked identical. Sure enough, the cane was a Den Kingianum. I've been hooked ever since. The original now has about 30 canes and flowers really well.

[bodaciousbonsai]

I also grow carnivorous plant's such as nepenthes glabrata,utric,vft, etc. I got a job at a local nursery about 9 nine years ago. I was working in the back building when there just happen to be a orchid class going on. A coworker was teaching the class on re-potting. He just happened to walk by me with a Phal. bellina in his hand. It was not the flower that got my attention, it was the beautiful sweet fragrance. I bought one plant the next day...that has been it ever since.I now have a collection of over 120 plants! 80 of them are all miniature species of orchids among a few carnivorous plants.

[GreggC]

I also like the very different orchid types that are out there. The more different they are as far as what they look like, the better.

[Lindanc]

At least most people think they are exotic and hard to grow. Guess I've always liked being a little exotic too!

My first orchid was a Phal and has long since left this world but that didn't stop me! I got another one this time a Cattleya mainly because I was amazed at how long the blooms lasted! This Cat went from a small one flower plant to a healthy robust thing with about 4 blooms after the first summer with me! I was hooked! I still have this Cattleya and it is beautiful year after year. Who needs air freshers in your house? Just get a few NICE smelling orchids sitting around! The smell is fantastic!

Everybody is amazed that I can grow orchids - guess that is what makes it fun too! I have babysitted plants and have people ask me all the time why isn't their orchid blooming? I love helping others with their "babies" !

[Jerry Delaney]

Hmmmm; let's see. That was sooooo long ago -- Oh, yea, that was about the time I lost my mind! Gee, I wonder if there is any connection???????

[philoserenus]

hmmm well for me, i've always been very in touch with nature, and have had a green thumb who knoes how long (at least for the good ol'garden plants).

mom hated having soil indoors b/c accidents happen it gets into the carpets so i've never got a plant indoors... mom's rule, haha...

well being 20 now--one day i was feeling a little depressed and i thought i'd go to walmart to waste some time... love at first sight... a pink noid phal. got it in April 2007 and its growing its 3rd round of flowers ^^ being able to rebloom it is definitely a highlite