What was your first orchid? - Page 2 - Orchid Board

justatypn · #11 07-14-2006, 08:25 AM

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...

Tikva · #12 07-14-2006, 10:16 AM

*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!!!!

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!

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.....

Mahon · #13 07-14-2006, 04:20 PM

...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

Tony · #14 10-09-2006, 12:16 AM

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

(Not my picture)

Tindomul · #15 10-09-2006, 07:49 PM

Nice one, what happened to it, and how do you take care of that one. It looks like something I might be interested in

Tony · #16 10-09-2006, 07:58 PM

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

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

Tindomul · #17 10-09-2006, 08:16 PM

Well if you had grown it mounted then you could have watered it everyday without any problems.

Tony · #18 10-09-2006, 08:27 PM

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.

Tony · #19 10-10-2006, 06:09 PM

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.

Phantasm · #20 10-10-2006, 08:53 PM

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.