I can remember my mother-in-law loved orchids. After she passed I put together a cookbook in her honor and found a Blc. Newman's Bay 'Low' that was an exact of what she loved to grow and pictured on the cover of the cookbook. Kept me looking for one, still looking :) and one day after moving back to Orlando, I walked into a local Market, an orchid table and darn if that table was not calling me over "looky Cheryl ORCHIDS, buy me buy me please" ... Whewww whoooo, after that how could I resist. I bought 2 Den, the one pictured (borrowed photo) computer crash taking old chid pics with it, Den. Mini-Hybrid and Den. Mini Salaya Blue. Both in need of repotting, which now I am sure they could have waited another year but they are still hangin' in there and one day they will flourish me with blooms ... that's my story and I am sticking to it...:banana: :banana:

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ybrid_Pink.jpg

*putting off cleaning the house from top to bottom in the horrible event that MIL comes here!*

I have a funny story about how I came to love orchids. One year my husband was away for business for our anniversary, the 4th of July and my birthday - which all fall in a 10 day span.... so he sent me crazy expensive flowers. One of them smelled SO strong and I was in LOVE. I thought it was an orchid and always thought I would like to run across that orchid and grow it. I knew nothing about orchids. Every once in a while I would sort of look for it - but I don't even remember what it looked lie - online. I came across an orchid that smelled like chocolate / vanilla and thought nothing could be better than that!!!! :drool:
Noticed there would be an orchid show in my area and planned to go. Had a trip to Miami with the husband's work and we drove out the Keys. I begged him to stop at every flower nursery in search of what I knew was Sharry Baby. FINALLY got him to stop and wouldn't you know - they had one! In bloom! :cheer:
I carried that home the whole long flight. Got so many compliments on this orchid and couldn't stop sniffing it!
I now realize that the flowers from my husband probably weren't even orchids LOL but I quickly became obsessed! Would still love to know what the flowers were.....
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...id-KeyWest.jpg

...first orchid was Dendrobium Burana Jade...

I hate hybrids (as most of ya know!), but this is the only man-made hybrid orchid I still have... I love this plant, the petals and sepals are light green, and the labellum is purple with white striations... easy going plant... it won't make a specimen though, and its been 8 years...

-PM

My first was Brassia Datacosa 'Coos Bay' AM/AOS. It is long dead now, but I will acquire a new one soon.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...a_Coos_Bay.jpg
(Not my picture)

I watered it every day, you know, because it rains all the time in the rain forests... :scratchhead:

Brassias are very easy to care for, just treat them like an Oncidium.

I lived in Oregon at the time, way too dry in the winter for mounted plants. I may try a few now that I'm in Florida though.

I picked up a new Datacosa 'Coos Bay' today, along with a Brs. Edvah Loo 'Nishida' HCC/AOS from Odom's Orchids. The Edvah Loo is huge, I count 14 pseudobulbs and at least 4 new growths in a 6" pot. It has one spike right now, I expect the buds to start opening over the weekend. I found a spike on the Datacosa when I got it home, so I'll have another one blooming fairly soon.

My first orchid was a white phalaenopsis that I purchased in Hawaii during a visit in 1973. It didn't have a name but I thought it was a very lovely thing. I brought it home, then of course it had to have a friend so I visited the Beall Company which was then located on Vashon Island- a ferry ride from Seattle.
They had every type of orchid imaginable and were pioneers in oncidium intergenerics especially, but also produced memorable hybrids in many genera. I purchased a pink phal from them after spending the better part of a day checking out their greenhouses.

This led to windowsills full of plants, mostly warm growers that did well indoors. Most of the old orchid companies are gone now, but I was able to see many of the west coast biggies like Rod McClellans, Stewarts, Arthur Freeds, as well as Gordon Hoyt (miltoniopsis!), Baker & Chantry, Bealls, etc.
It's kind of sad that these great old companies are not here or diminished.