What was "it" ?

[MorandiWine]

What was it that made you realize that slipper orchids were one of your favorite types of orchids? We all have various reasons but I thought it be nice to hear what, how and why.

The moment I realized I love slipper orchids was when I was working for a retailer and we went to The Orchid Zone and I saw sanderianum "Jacobs Ladder" in bloom and saw a bench of Magic Lantern in full bloom. Besides the fact that Terry Root personally showed me around all the new exciting hybrids and species he had had in bloom at the time. From that moment on, I was hooked!

Tyler

 

[mrhappyrotter]

When I was a teen, I had a small collection of bromeliads and my great aunt thought it would be a good idea to buy me a dendrobium. That got me hooked on orchids, and very quickly the limited selection of dends and phals at the local hardware chains wasn't enough.

I ended up buying some books and came across a photo of paph. philippinense -- after seeing the yellow lip and long pendant petals it was all over from there. Oddly enough, I still don't own a philippinense yet, it's on my list, maybe it's time. LOL Soon after seeing that photo, I found Breckinridge Orchids and got to see a lot of Mark's paphs and phrags in person and that's the official "hook" since it's where I got my first paphs.

 

[Rick]

My wife got me a hybrid Phalaenopsis and a small growing guide for Valentines day in 2001. I had talked about having in interest in orchids as a teenager, and had done a lot of reading, but never had the money or space to really make a go of it.

Either the cover and/or a chapter in that small guide had a picture of Paph sukhakulii. I believe Lance Birk wrote that section of the book or supplied the photo. Paph sukhakulii has that wild jungle look that got me hooked on slippers.

 

[SlipperFan]

I'm glad you said "one of" my favorite orchids!

My first orchid was a slipper, but as I became interested in orchids, it was mostly Phals that got my attention. I think my interest in slippers grew exponentially because of being exposed to so many on Slippertalk.

 

[Shiva]

I grew orchids for a very long time before I got my first paphs and phrags. Basically, I considered paphs kind of ugly. I grew some, lost most of them until I settled on phrags and multifloral paphs. Now, that's very nearly all I have.

 

[NYEric]

I was working at a GNYOS show and a vendor had a besseae that was such a beautiful orange color that it pains me to think about it, I was hooked!

 

[Carkin]

Anytime that I have seriously fallen in love with something it has been more of a gradual process as opposed to being an "Aha!" moment. The day I bought my first Paph. was the same day that I bought my first Cattleya, Dendrobium and Gongora. While I am hooked on orchids in general, it was the Slippers that I started dreaming about getting more and more of. Now I am hopelessly addicted and Slippers are the only orchids that I feel I actually NEED as opposed to just want.

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

I had gotten my first orchid- a Tolumnia- for $3.50. So to learn more about it, I bought the Sunset Book of orchids....saw pictures of Paphs, and that was it.......

 

[abax]

I suspect that my Paph. addiction started with a lovely blooming patch of
Cypripedium acaule long ago and far away. I've taken many side roads
over the years, but have come back to Paphs. and Phals. forever.

 

[The Orchid Boy]

I was visiting a botanical garden and saw a very strange, complex yellow paph. I bought my first phal that evening. Paph. delenatii was my 4th orchid. I saw a picture of a sanderianum online and was absolutely shocked! I had to have one! My 3rd paph was a sanderianum and I've been hooked ever since.

 

[eOrchids]

I have seen pictures of a typical maudiae paphiopedilum and i was hooked ever since then.

 

[chrismende]

I had my first deep association with Paphs in the 1960's - staring repeatedly into the mesmerizing green and burgundy veining of a barbatum group dorsal. The impression stuck with me in my subconscious for many, many years, until I found that Paph's grow quite happily in my kitchen climate! That first kitchen plant got drowned, replaced after a while, then gathered many, many others around it. Finally my kitchen became my own tiny jungle. From that point on until I rented a greenhouse about 2.5 years ago, I grew under lights and in every available window! I can still remember very well my many visits to the greenhouse where "my" first Paphs lived, though!

 

[limuhead]

I had grown orchids for years at sea level here in Hawaii. I grew lots of bifoliate Cattleya species to well, almost perfection. The first time I went to the Big Island I was taken to a place called Quintal Farms(780 ft. elevation). I was in shock to see hundreds of Paphs, and litterally 1000+ Phrags in bloom. After I took some home and sent them to a slow, painful, and expensive death at sea level I gave up on them. In August we bought a house in Wahiawa Heights, on Oahu; the highest residential area on the island(1200 ft.). All of my recently acquired Paphs and Phrags are growing like weeds. Not hard to be addicted to slippers when they thrive with very little care...