Just for fun, what is the focus of your orchid collection?

[professor plant]

My focus used to be paphs, which I still am partial to. Since I have moved to a much less humid environment, I have started terrarium growing. I am VERY happy with the results. I have shifted my focus to Ecuadorian miniatures; most are from Ecuagenera.

I have a Masd. ivanii in spike, a Lepanthes telipogiflora in bloom and many others. I'm almost at capacity in two tanks with about 63 orchids. I have a mixed variety, mostly miniatures, with two beloved paphs.

The paph. philippinense alba is in bloom on two of three buds and the sangii is just plugging along, doing its thing, slowly and surely.

For any who are nervous about the terrarium growing, just go for it. Keep it simple. Don't try and make it too natural. Humidity, air movement and T5 bulbs do great for me. I mist twice a day and fertilize outside of the tank, once a week with organic hydroponic fertilizer.

Every one has a different style, each with their own perks and downfalls, but I have created a little environment that just pushes up flowers, so I recommend it.

[PeaceLoveOrchids]

Unfortunatly, I can only get a hold of phals so i guess thats my focus. Though I would love to have oncidiums or cymbidiums. Here in Kentucky it's hard to find any orchids at all, and anything but a phal is almost imposssible to find. And most of the orchids I see that aren't phals are at stores like Kroger where some of them aren't in the best conditions or I'm not in a position to buy a new plant.

[magicatt]

James, those are awesome rescues! It does my heart good to see those lovely blooms that have been saved. Well Done!!!

[scubydoo]

Since I have been getting back into growing orchids after a long hiatus, I have just been establishing if I can still grow them. Now that I've been successful, I'm starting to focus on my first love, miniature species. (Handy since I grow in terrariums and windowsills) I would like to start focusing on Thrixspermum, particularly. LOVE those orchids! But I am discovering they're hard to find. I also find that unlike in my past life of orchid growing, I am liking Masdevallias a lot now, and there seem to be plenty of small sizes of these orchids!
Laure

[pedidiva]

Originally Posted by PeaceLoveOrchids

Unfortunatly, I can only get a hold of phals so i guess thats my focus. Though I would love to have oncidiums or cymbidiums. Here in Kentucky it's hard to find any orchids at all, and anything but a phal is almost imposssible to find. And most of the orchids I see that aren't phals are at stores like Kroger where some of them aren't in the best conditions or I'm not in a position to buy a new plant.

Peace, I started the same way. I started with Phals & a few dens. from the Home depot. I visited Colorado Springs & found an orchid vendor who had plants that had finished blooming for $4 each. I bought several kinds, a book, & away I went. It was fun to see what happened when they rebloomed under my care.

Then, I discovered EBay & online vendors. I travelled to an orchid show 4 hours away (that's where the closest orchid society is) & joined them. I'm a Cybermember I bought a few plants there.

I would say that my collection is very varied. I get what I like--what I think is pretty & if it's fragrant, then that's a plus. I have lots of different colors. I also get what's cheap--I will ask for deals on plants that have already bloomed. I got a HUGE onc for $15. It's in a 9" pot! I have no shame. I will be the one in the nurseries scouting out the bargain bins. That's me under the tables on my stomach routing around like an armadillo.

Then with Ebay, I branched out & have oncs, catts, vandaceous, paphs, milts, dens. Some are big, some are the miniatures. When I go to larger cities, I'll Google to see if there is an orchid vendor--found a great one in Albuquerque & in Austin. Of course, Island Orchids in Colorado Springs will always have a special lace in my heart.

[Brenda Aarts]

Not sure if it is normal, but just when I think I have a focus, I change my focus.....Started with phals and the odd paph and now have a very wide spectrum of plants. In the next few weeks I will be receiving a few phal species and approx 15 or so CATASETUMS!!!????? Anybody else like me and collect something different from year to year?

[pipsxlch]

I guess I have two main focuses (foci?)- the catts and encyclias, and the antelope dendrobiums. I'll continue to keep vandas, but they're not a focal point for me now. I like the encyclias in their 'au naturel' form, but the catts to have some 'wow' factor- be it color, exceptional fragrance (catt allinace must have a smell) or size, a digbyana lip... The dendrobiums, the curlier the better.
Everything I have must be able to tolerate intermediate to warm conditions with a winter hardening period.

[james mickelso]

Yes. Go to the species group booth early and you can find some real treasures. They were selling some very nice paphs for $3 and by the end of the show they were giving them free with purchase of cyms.

Originally Posted by Brenda Aarts

Not sure if it is normal, but just when I think I have a focus, I change my focus.....Started with phals and the odd paph and now have a very wide spectrum of plants. In the next few weeks I will be receiving a few phal species and approx 15 or so CATASETUMS!!!????? Anybody else like me and collect something different from year to year?

That sounds familiar .
Went from phals, to vandas, then paphs, cattleyas, now exploring masdies and dracs, but still buying the other four genera too. Tried dendrobiums and oncidiums but they didn't agree with me for some reason. Basically I go from one type to the next one and wahtever does good for me - stays and rapidly expands.

[FairyInTheFlowers]

Originally Posted by orchideya

That sounds familiar .
Went from phals, to vandas, then paphs, cattleyas, now exploring masdies and dracs, but still buying the other four genera too. Tried dendrobiums and oncidiums but they didn't agree with me for some reason. Basically I go from one type to the next one and wahtever does good for me - stays and rapidly expands.

Haha, I kinda had the same thing when I first got into orchids! For a while, my interests changed so quickly that I didn't even have time to buy any plants of the current interest. Nowadays, phals have kidnapped and firmly tied me down, and, whenever I begin to wander away, they just re-kidnap me!!!