They are demanding.
Carey, congrats! Can you take pics for all of us to see your loot?

Kathy - since they were mercy shelfers, no bloomings. The 'Tal Young' looks to be a dwarf variety but very very pretty so I couldn't resist.

Here is the oncidium I bought at HD a few days ago.

The Phal that started it

My two new Cattleyas prior to repot (that's tomorrow's plan)

and a size comparison how small the cattleyas are to the Phal.

Thanks for the link to the Orchid Congress Ken! Thats dissapointing to hear about the mail order There is a number of orchids I want to try but I think I'll just order 2 my first time to see how they are ect. Are the plants healthy when they arrive via mail or are they just lacking in size?


I really want to try a Zygopetalum....no idea which one but I love the green and purple. Is there any orchids in particular that would do good on a light stand?

Poor sad catts. But I think I see a new growth on one. They sure did a number on them. It may take years till bloom, so put on your patience cap.

Both of them have very tiny little offshoots off the main pseudobulb. I figure it will be awhile, but I'm okay with that. I'll just pick up a few Phals to make up for the lack of color.

Do you have orchid shows near by? You might fall in love with something new and healthy!!

lol Kathy! YES. I unfortunately have to miss the spring show of our local AOS chapter as I'll be in the Woodlands that weekend. BOO! I do have a number of fantastic nurseries nearby though. Their prices are high but their plants are top notch. At least if these Catts don't make it I won't be too depressed as they were really cheap!

Yah, I cave in at big box stores too but then I kick myself cause they are so hard to save. I do so much better spending real money on real plants. Most people kill orchids routinely but it's not their fault, they're badly grown before they even buy them. I try to find fussy sellers who buy from great distributors/wholesalers. Saves me a lot of sadness. Life is short!

Well, we'll see what happens. I have some good bark and moss and I'll give them a good soaking in food before I stick them in.

Wish me luck!

Luck!!!

Susan, you and Kathy were talking about Disas and I didn't want to hitch-hike this thread, so I started a new thread with habitat pictures around Cape town/SA.
http://cubits.org/orchids/thre...

Steven, I don't want to scare you off from ordering as the plants will be fine and healthy and they suffer no ill affects from there time in transport. I have received hundreds by mail.

I guess my point is like this, if you emailed an order for a variety of fruit from your local supermarket, you would not receive the same quality fruit as if you were there to personally pick it out yourself.

When a group of plants is grown there are always going to be some plants that are 'more robust', 'some average' and some that are 'not as robust', and they all have to be sold. If you are NOT there to pick out the plant for yourself, then there is a good chance you will receive a plant that is 'not so robust'.

Zygopetalum is a nice choice, they can be quite fragrant. Paphs make good plant to grow on light stands unless you are using T5 lights and then you can grow plants that require much more light.

Great info Ken! A lot of our members prefer to go to shows to pick out their own plants. I do both. Some online sellers send fabulous plants (Andy's and SBOE in the US) but you have to get to know them. I was happy with the plants I got from Paramount and at least one has bloomed since I bought them late last summer.

Since my Leptotes bicolor is a consistent bloomer, I just bought a Leptotes Pohli-Tinoco.

Steven, when I worked at Brent and Becky's Bulbs..part of what I did was pick and
pack mail order plants and bulbs...I ALWAYS picked the plant that I would want to receive.
But they didn't travel to shows, as many of the orchid suppliers do..so Ken's point is a valid one!

Thats a great point Ken! Where do you usually order from? I am defintely going to place an order.....I;ve gotten it sown to 2 which was really difficuly to do but I don't want to rush into this too fast My collection is slowly growing so I want to be sure the ones I have are being grown correctly before I get too many more.

I've got to check and see if there is any orchid shows in my area soon!

Steven, the majority of my online orders have come from Paramount Orchids and Cloud's Orchids. Clouds are located in Jordan Station.

Iwanagara Appleblossom ‘Golden Elf’x Laelia rosea (mature seedling) http://store.marblebranchfarms...
and C. Dream Catcher x C. Tiny Titan from Marble Branch. http://store.marblebranchfarms...

Ah, you got the Dream Catcher x. That one is adorable!
Btw I grow mine bare root in a bonsai dish. After a couple of years the roots are starting to fill out the pot and they attach to the sides anyway.

I would expect the Iwanagaara x to get to be a substantial plant. Nice.

Looks like! Hope it doesn't get too big!! How did I slide into Schoms???? At the moment I'm into Soph. coccinea xs since I kill the species!

noid Den. I couldn't resist the color combo