I am speaking for Maura and myself when I say we have sacrificed our living room, all our free time, dropping other hobbies we were very interested in like playing pool - we used to be decent enough pool players. Now we have to stay home and water the orchids, repot them or something.But most of all, I have sacrificed my wallet. I don't even want to know what we have spent on these flowers, and when you get right down to it, they are just flowers (heresy I know), but they have cost enough over the past year to finance a trip, and a nice one, trip to the Caribbean, Europe or just about anywhere a person might like to go. It has left us counting our pennies for a two week trip down to Southwest FL. We went to see if a local nursery had some particular plant, which it didn't, however it had $120.00 worth of things that were "can't do without". (AOS judging is next Saturday).

So yeah, among several other things, it has cost me my wallet. Orchid people are nuts.(And I include myself in this category having about 40 of my own.) It's as if this compulsion to have have more and more operates in our brain. I want more species and mini's, Maura wants the flavor of the day, usually something with WOW factor. I believe orchid people are missing some basic chemical in our brains. It's a compulsion that reaches out and grabs you, it's grabbed Maura, it's grabbed me for heavens sake.

All I can say is watch out for these flowers. They will change the way you live and operate in this world.

Phillip C (former pool player)