Cattleya...First love.

[LadySlipper]

They are all lovely and colors are great still. Thanks for sharing.

 

[SouthPark]

A most wonderful orchid show! Thanks very much for loading those photos! If anybody's flame has gone out for some reason - then seeing these pics will put it back on. Wonderful to see.

 

[JLOG]

Thanks for sharing!! They are wonderfull!! And love the little history of all of yours. Each one has a charming starting, and remember its beginning with happiness

 

[GuRu]

The show must go on!

.....and it's a great show !

 

[LO69]

A most wonderful orchid show! Thanks very much for loading those photos! If anybody's flame has gone out for some reason - then seeing these pics will put it back on. Wonderful to see.

I think in our life we all experience bad periods but I'm sure it's a never ending flame where Is true love and passion!!
Orchids are a soul medicine!

 

[LO69]

I grew phals effortlessly on windowsills in 3 different homes over 15-20 years and had about 10. This was way back when the first two or three were $75 each!! Then I saw Lc. Dinard ‘Blue Heaven’ as a showcased plant in an orchid nursery nearby. It had 15 magnificent flowers and I was shell shocked and had to have it!! Brought it home and almost killed it before it finished blooming… I took it back to the grower who divided it into 3 plants (it was huge)! I kept buying catts in bloom over the next 4 years, yet nothing would rebloom for me. Down to 1 of the 3 ‘Blue Heaven’ divisions left and with nothing cattleya reblooming, I decided to give all the catts back to the grower. He suggsted I look into LED lights. The rest is history…. Within 2 weeks of growing under lights my catts were all in spike! All they needed was light!! I don’t think I’ve ever been that excited!! I was hooked. Four or so years later I’m at just under 100 plants (it’s a very slippery slope)—catts mostly, paphs, phrags and a couple of the original phals. I’ve learned most the hard way except for great mentoring from members of this group. That one surviving ‘Blue Heaven’ division is now in an 8” pot and will soon be divided, as that’s the largest pot size my room can handle. It’s still my emotional favorite. Thankful for all of you, but mostly terryros who taught me almost everything I know about growing under lights. Oh and i forgot to mention, I got my first HCC for Paph. delenatii ‘Deborah’s Delight’ (3N) HCC/AOS (‘Pink Lady’ x ‘Deerwood’ AM/AOS (4N)) at the D.C. Paph Forum a couple of years ago (last one before COVID) and was totally surprised and thankful!!

I long to admire your oldish Cattleya Dinard 'Blue Heaven' so please share a shot when flowering time comes!

 

[BrucherT]

Great collection LO69.

It was my grandmother's multigrowth Phalaenopsis amabilis with 15 spikes, hanging and growing over the river edge in our wooden house on stilts, in Borneo! It was so majestic it took my breath away at the age of 7. An addiction was born that day lol.

This comment took my breath away. You hail from Paradise???? Amazing. I hope there’s a photo of her amabilis!

 

[SouthPark]

actually, two of them from IKEA, that I somehow succeeded in not killing off.

Good quality!!!!! The assembly instructions/procedure could be improved though!

 

[DrLeslieEe]

This comment took my breath away. You hail from Paradise???? Amazing. I hope there’s a photo of her amabilis!

Yes I’m from the home of sanderianums!! And roths!

We lost many old photographs of it. Maybe I’ll find them when I visit next.

 

[BrucherT]

I am agog. In awe. I own all the Osa Johnson books, since childhood; I know they’re colonizer trash but they also describe the land so vividly as to make me feel an affinity for the place. My most cherished plant is that wild-collected roth. So interesting that that’s your homeland! I hope you find the photos!!

 

[TropiCool]

For me, it was seeing a picture of Phrag pearcei in the 1970s. A few days after, I had a vivid dream where a giant pearcei blossom was hovering over my shoulder and following me around, while a deep voice kept intoning the Latin name. I kid you not. I became obsessed, tracked it down to J and L Orchids in Connecticut. Of course I bought one.

I was 19 years old at the time, and within a couple of years I had set up my first business, growing, breeding and selling orchids.

 

[JLOG]

For me, it was seeing a picture of Phrag pearcei in the 1970s. A few days after, I had a vivid dream where a giant pearcei blossom was hovering over my shoulder and following me around, while a deep voice kept intoning the Latin name. I kid you not. I became obsessed, tracked it down to J and L Orchids in Connecticut. Of course I bought one.

I was 19 years old at the time, and within a couple of years I had set up my first business, growing, breeding and selling orchids.

I like your history!! It’s like your dream show you the way

 

[Guldal]

It’s like your dream show you the way

Dream? It was, darn, the sacred Spirit of Pearcei itself!

 

[My Green Pets]

My local Kroger (grocery store) in Kentucky started carrying white, pink, and colored lip Phals in their floral department in the 1990s. The flowers were absolutely magical to me. They were like some enchanted plant from middle earth. My mom bought me a pink one, which i killed in a matter of months. I killed a couple more after that and decided they were too hard to grow. Didn't touch another orchid for 20 years until a significant other bought me one to my horror! But luckily by that time the internet and orchid forums were a thing! So i learned quickly and now am completely devoted to my green pets!

 

[JLOG]

Dream? It was, darn, the sacred Spirit of Pearcei itself!

Hahahahaha, some scary movies start with that plot

 

[TropiCool]

Dream? It was, darn, the sacred Spirit of Pearcei itself!

Well.....to be clear....absolutely so!!!

 

[TropiCool]

I like your history!! It’s like your dream show you the way

Certainly felt that way at the time, and looking back from now, no regrets in following that path!

 

[shariea]

For me, it was completely accidental. In about 1992, a friend of a friend of my Mom had passed away, and the family was trying to "unload" his greenhouse full of neglected orchids. I ended up with a mixed bag of Cattleyas, a couple of which actually lived, and a couple of which actually lived and bloomed! A harrisoniana and a giant magenta Cattleya with a tag full of ( ) and X's, most of which are still not registered! Sadly, after my Mom had a brain aneurysm and was disabled, I lost them all (no time for plants at all during that period of my life). My next "1st orchid" was an Oncidium 'Jungle Monarch' that was a birthday present from my sister just before Mom died in 2013. I've never looked back!

 

[Guldal]

Hello orchid lovers, I wondered what was for you the spark which pushed you to starting an orchid collection?

I really enjoy this thread! It's both interesting, entertaining and sometimes touching (as the one above) to hear the stories about the first spark that ignited the interest, yeah, sometimes set a frigging fire ablaze! Interesting also to get acquainted with new aspects of people, one in these page has shared the passion with and corresponded with, often for years!

Splendid idea, splendid initiative, LO69!

Kind regards,
Jens, Copenhagen

 

[LO69]

I really enjoy this thread! It's both interesting, entertaining and sometimes touching (as the one above) to hear the stories about the first spark that ignited the interest, yeah, sometimes set a frigging fire ablaze! Interesting also to get acquainted with new aspects of people, one in these page has shared the passion with and corresponded with, often for years!

Splendid idea, splendid initiative, LO69!

Kind regards,
Jens, Copenhagen

Jens, thanks a lot for your warm words!!!
It's a great pleasure for me as I guess for all the members who partecipated in this thread to know something more deep and personal about us.