I'm 19 now, and I started when I was 10. My hobby had a slow start because I was so young; I had little money, and my mom was flabbergasted at how much the plants cost so it was difficult to convince her to help me out. I started with Cyps too, which are some of the most expensive orchids out there. I bought my first tropical orchid (a Phal) the next year (at 11 years old). By the end of that year I had about 6 Phals and a couple Cyps. From there my collection didn't grow too much; I bought a couple Dendrobiums and Oncidiums, Cymbidiums, etc.... whatever I could get at the Home Depot. At 14 I got my first job, and then, as I started making more money, it was a bit easier to buy plants. But it wasn't until I joined my local orchid society when I was 15 (almost 16) in 2006 that a real selection of plants became available to me, and that is when my collection grew. I went from about 30-35 plants before I joined to 100 in a year or so. Today I have about 175 plants, and am restructuring my growing areas to fit more! Over the years I've built a strong focus on slippers and have had to get rid of many of my non-slippers to make room for the prioritized plants. One day, I hope to have a greenhouse so I can grow a wider variety.
Last edited by slipperfreak; 12-01-2009 at 01:17 PM..
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