Which orchid is the most rewarding?
 

Hi everyone!!
I am a novice orchid grower, with only 6 orchids , acquired over the past two months when I got into orchids.
I know there is no proper answer for this, and each orchid is beautiful and unique in its own way, but the sheer varieties of orchids do confound the beginner.

I know every one will have a specific characteristic making an orchid special for them, let be it fragrance, the number of flowerings in a year, the flowers, the longevity of flowers and so on. but I would love to know your opinion on this matter , and get new orchids.

thanks!!

Here are the ones in my collection that give me the flowering bang for the buck.

My Prosthechea cochleata has been in bloom for 2.5 years straight.

Phal Bellina usually has at least one delighfully fragrant flower on it.

Iwanagara Apple Blossom blooms 3 times a year for me with a great fragrance and beautiful flower.

one thing I have learnt and this might be subjective to me but it seems that fragrant orchids are more fussy.

Species are more fussy than hybrids.

And the best orchids are the ones that flower reliably.

I'm sure in time I will change my mind once I get more fragrant ones to flower. So far it has been mostly fragrant phalaenopsis that have reliably bloomed, I wish it was more. I would recommend Phalaenopsis and Cattleya hybrids for that reason. They are fragrant and aren't too fussy.

But in time I am sure I will change my mind once I get a few of my Vanda hydrids to bloom. They have the potential to flower several times per year.

You will discover some Cattleya and a lot of species will only flower for 2 weeks.

There are others that will flower twice a year and a month at a time.

I am trying to find out more info myself about all the different varieties and it is hard to find the info.

If a name gets mentioned a lot like the Iwanarara Apple Blossom mentioned by Claw, then it is probably a strong hybrid worth having.

So just look for orchids that you like, do a bit of research on them, go for hybrids over species and most importantly pick orchids that will grow in the climate you have.

There is no point getting an orchid you really like if you can't provide the conditions it needs. So don't take any compromises there, it's not worth losing an orchid one really wants. In time you will find something that will grow well in your conditions. That will be the most rewarding for you.

I will always cherish a phal I have that is nothing special at all, it isn't fragrant but it blooms for months at a time. That is quite a rare thing even if one builds up a big collection. They all bloom at different times of the year for 3 weeks or so but to get a phal to bloom so much longer is what makes phals a reliable choice every time.

The phalaenopsis liodoro is probably the most famous fragrant phal hybrid so look out for that one.

If size is an issue that needs to be considered too. Although Vanda's probably have the biggest potential of all orchids they get very big too. If you have the space that is fine but otherwise they take up a lot. For us UK growers this unfortunately is the biggest limiting factor as they need lots of light and the bigger they get the more light proportionally they need.

Phalaenopsis will always stay fairly compact.

Other famous Cattleya hybrids would incude C. Mini Purple, C. Burana Beauty, C Toshie Aokie, Blc alma kee tipmalee (probably influenced by what I have in my collection) there are hundreds of good ones.

Thanks for your beautiful and valuable suggestions clawhammer and shadeflower!!

Paph Pinocchio
Psychopsis Butterfly
Den Hibiki "Sandras Delight"

The first two are serial bloomers, my Pinocchio flowered continuous for nearly three years. Psychopsis is similar it blooms over and over for a long period of time, potentially many years. The "Sandras Delight" variant of Den Hibiki is prodigious grower and boomer, definitely one of the most rewarding of the plants I have owned.

Lastly if you just like pretty flowers then grocery store phals wont do you wrong. Lots to choose from, they are tough as old boots compared to most species phals, and cheap, and often very pretty. The only difference is you don't get to say pompous things like "My Phal cornu-cervi var chattaladae bloomed this week". (No, it didn't, still waiting on that one... :-)

To me, the most rewarding are those that challenge me (don't grow, don't bloom, etc). Much better than having blooms without any effort.

I agree with rbarata - the challenging ones. Also the ones I've wanted to grow for a very long time.

Totally agree! As in ------ regarding the actual question involving 'rewarding' --- there may need to be some sort of clarification about what is meant by 'which orchid is most rewarding?'. Maybe it is one with particular kinds of flowers that catch your eye, and that really attracts - gets your attention a lot. And then you are able to acquire it, and then grow it, and then see the flowers of it.

Otherwise - there may be a need to define what is meant by 'most rewarding'. This might involve mentioning aim, purpose, intent etc.

Totally Agreed; the challenger's

I agree with the others who say the challenging ones are the most rewarding. In my case I have a lot of trouble with Paphs and Phrags (they grow well but rarely bloom) so when I do get some flowers it's super rewarding for me, especially since I know it'll be a long wait before I manage to bloom them again!

Others that I find rewarding to grow are those that :

• Stay in bloom for a long time (Psychopsis, many Phals, sequential Paphs and Phrags when they do want to spike for me)
• Get noticeably bigger and better every year (Leptotes bicolor)
• Make a lot of blooms at once (Leptotes bicolor again, Maxillaria tenuifolia, Phal pallens with its mass of keikis, Onc Twinkle types)