Would appreciate suggestions on "easy to grow" Miniature orchids.

[RandomGemini]

I suspect there's some variation between different twinkle varieties. I was surprised by how big the pbulbs are on mine! I thought it would be a much smaller plant, still, it's significantly smaller than my other oncidiums are. Just not as small as my mini phals.

[Miss_Cat]

Tolumnia orchids are cute but hard to grow. They need a lot of light and the right conditions to bloom again. A little Phalaenopsis is always a great place to start for a beginner.

[Optimist]

There are a lot of mini dendrobiums, like the one with leaves that look like little pickles.

[vjo]

I guess it all depends on conditions, I think Tolumnia are super easy, I have trouble with Phal....Jean

[Fairorchids]

Instead of Neofinetia falcata, which blooms only once a year, try a NF hybrid - some of them can bloom twice a year.

With changes in nomenclature, some are now just Vanda, but most vendors still use old names. Look for:
Ascofinetia
Neostylis
Darwinara
Nakamotoara

[lexusnexus]

Originally Posted by Ordphien

How mini? A mini phal is classic. If you buy the right hybrid it can bloom multiple times a year.

This is a great suggestion for kids because looking at a green plant for months or years on end without blooms may be boring and disheartening to the point of losing interest. My recollection of my kids at a young age is that their attention spans are fairly short.

[Sharry]

I am not sure how mini you want to go. An easy-care orchid that can stay in a four inch pot is Encyclia tampensis. Mine makes multiple growths with spikes once per year. The flowers are honey-scented. And it looks nice out of bloom.

[Fairorchids]

Also consider Leptotes bicolor (or any of the other species). They stay small and can bloom several times a year.

Actually, there are mini Cattleya that are bred to bloom 2-3 times a year.

[Subrosa]

Haraella retrocalla (sometimes called H. odorata) would be my choice. It doesn't need much light, and watering is almost foolproof. My mounted specimen has been in several locations where the watering has ranged from constantly moist to constantly dripping wet and it hasn't missed a beat as far as blooming. And it smells like citronella, which to me is a good thing.

[nikkik]

I forgot to mention in my previous post that if you go to Andy's Orchids website, you can enter what your conditions are in a search via his site. He has his orchids categorized by size, price, difficultly and it list in the description how often they bloom and what time of the year they bloom. Plus, it may be fun to check out the website with your granddaughter after you narrow it down to some choices (there's a lot on his site), so she can pick a plant that interest her.