I started collecting orchids in 1971, when I was given a cattleya by the orchid grower at the Public Greenhouses in Piedmont Park (now ABG). When I got my college degrees and started working, I traveled around the US on business a great deal. I always took the AOS Almanac so I could find orchid places wherever aI happened to be, and often came home with plants. Later, my territory expanded to include North-, Central-, and South America, Japan and China, with occasional trips to Australia and various places in Europe - mostly Netherlands and France, with occasional forays into German, Spain and the Czech Republic. Armed with my APHIS import permit, and much of that happening pre-CITES, my collection grew to include more species than hybrids.
20+ year collection turned to mush.
20+ year collection turned to mush.