Your Must Own orchid?

[carol_okc]

You didn't mention watering.... cause that's a LONG subject!

Water quality! RO, collected rain water, distilled... NOT softened (those residual salts are death on orchids), if municipal, then after sitting and letting the chlorine dissipate.... yadda yadda... Some orchids are far more sensitive to water quality than others. Some can tolerate moderate hardness whilst others wither and die in retaliation.

[Tmai]

Interesting question and interesting reply! Let the orchid choose you! (based on the conditions you can provide). Makes us (my husband is as hooked as I am) feel good by accident - our first orchids were from a nursery about three blocks from our home that specializes in the two we bought, and the conditions we could provide are very close to his growing contions.
California sounds like the orchid capital. Florida isn't too bad - gotta watch the sunburn!
Tmai

[JUDIUK]

I really really really NEED Phal Sweet Sunrise, but can't track it down in the UK.Judi

[smartie2000]

I looked at my favourite vendor's catalogue and it all changed up, with plants I want, but I have no space....There too many slippers I want

[sake of silence]

Jumellea densifoliata

Spyrarhynchus schliebeni

[IdahoOrchid]

Calypso Bulbosa - The Fairy Slipper

[Elena]

I only have 5 at the moment so LOTS! I'd love to own a Masdevallia davisii 'Elena' (sad, I know ) and some Coelogynes but I don't think I can provide them with suitable conditions just now.

And then there are Hoa Tony Nguyen's Catts, they get me seriously drooling everytime I look at them

[Kerry]

I am really impressed by the responses I have read, you are all so sensible, I just wish that I could be that sensible too when it comes to impulse purchasing. Only having a few orchids myself, it has come as a great relief to see one of my first starting to grow a new leaf - it is reassuring me that it is happy and that I made the right decision on buying them in the first place, as I presume that many orchid lovers started out a bit like me with an impulse buy that suddenly turned into addicition.

You sound really lucky if you have a good number of orchid growers locally to help you.

Best wishes for finding your new perfect orcid partner
k