Greetings 👋 (and lots of questions, seeking your thoughts) from Los Angeles

[Jmbaum]

Hi Everyone,

Signed up on here to get your expert thoughts and satisfy my constant curiosity across an array of orchid subjects.

A little about myself, I started growing orchids at 11yo in San Diego and it was all consuming. For that time I was the youngest member of the SDCOS and even managed to show my first plant. I really enjoyed the scientific aspects, taxonomy, and even had the privilege learning from John Walters at Rex Foster’s how to flask my first orchids for the science fair, comparing the original Knudsen formula to more contemporary formulas. I have so much admiration for all the long timers that encouraged me at that age. Sadly disaster struck a few years later and my small greenhouse was destroyed and my plant collection suffered greatly. I donated what survived to the San Diego Zoo’s collection. I was so disheartened at the moment in my life I stopped growing all together. It wasn’t until I was in Bangkok a few years back that I started collecting again abandoning myself to that joy filling my balcony with all manner or species (very easy to do there).

As for the past year or so I’be been growing on my south facing balcony in Los Angeles, in my apartment along the eastern windows, and in a twenty gallon approximation of an intermediate cloudforest of miniature oddities. Also I’ve come full circle and in school for botanical genetics/ ecology.

I’m often fixated on any number of ideas that I’ve come seeking information on.
Looking for year round growers for my balcony which I’m growing a vegetative barrier of hibiscus, magnolia, bougainvillea, California natives, anything that provides protection from the punishing exposure. While I do enjoy nurturing, I’m in interested in high performing resilient species and primary hybrids. A mounted Laelia anceps was the christening species, followed with a classic NOID reedstem epidendrum, and 3 different Oerstedella species and Epidendrum parkinsonianum hiding in the shade. I want to be sensible about what I add to the curation, resilience, unusual/sculptural growth habit, and and fragrance preferable. Happy to hear every suggestion you have for Southern California outdoors that fits the prompt.

So Indoors I have more flexibility but the plants really needs to be remarkable out of bloom. Expecting a particularly strongly banded variety of Phal. Schilleriana (or so I hope after doing weeks or research.) I have an array of Oeceoclades, Psycopsis mendenhall, Oncidium amplatum ( all about leaves and pseudo bulb interest) and Epidendrum pseudoepidendrum joined by both Rene Marquez ‘Tyler’ and ‘Flamethrower’ (I really had a fixation with the plastic quality of the bloom) and a few more random things scattered about. I won’t go into the terrarium species list. Any great leaves and patterns, strange pseudobulbs, tidy growth that are happy indoors with eastern light?

This intro is longer than I thought... but also I’m interested in any breeding programs or people that have done great things with

1. Breeding for foliage interest, all the things mentioned above ect.
2. Unconventional intergeneric and primary hybrids mottled, waxy, freckled, strangely and or clashing hued flowers.
3. Epi. parkinsonianum ,pseudoepidendrum, Rupicolous Laelias, Rattail and globular bulbed oncidiums.

Just generally oddball novelty breeding that considers the whole of the plant as a canvas for interest....

Also if you know anyone who that would like some help around theirs greenhouse or shade house or reflasking in LA from time to time as it becomes safe, send them my way. I don’t have so much extra time as a student, but I miss so much working around big collections.

Great so hopefully someone sees this and has some thoughts. Apologies if you feel asleep halfway through.

Happy to be here,
Jeffrey