Confessions of an Orchid Addict

[cneos]

A new story entry has been added:

Confessions of an Orchid Addict

y name is Joanna and I?m an Orchid Addict. It?s been almost twenty years since I got my first orchid fix ? and less than a week since I had my last. Oops ? take that back, I?m going to a favorite orchid nursery this weekend where I know there will be something that I won?t be able to resist. One of those will be my (next to) last.

What?s the attraction about orchids? Is it their beauty? Rainbow of colors? The romance or mystery that they inspire? Their unusual forms or flower sizes that range from pin-head to dinner plate? For every Orchid Addict, there?s a different lure. For this OA, it?s all of these plus, living in New Hampshire, it?s a way to enjoy an illusion of the tropics all year long.

My first orchid ? a very robust plant in a 10? plastic pot ? came from Shaw?s Supermarket early in 1988 as an anniversary, Valentine?s Day or birthday gift. Cymbidium Peter Pan ?Greensleeves? HCC/AOS carried five inflorescences, each bearing a dozen or more delicate-looking, fragrant flowers.

I was so impressed with Peter Pan that I began reading everything I could find about caring for orchids. That summer, up went a Janco 14? x 14? free-standing greenhouse into which we moved patio tomatoes, several houseplants that had outgrown their places in the living room and Peter Pan (now bearing eight new flower spikes). Everything was perfect until December 16 (1988) when it was 16 degrees F outside. The greenhouse glass was so frosted that I couldn?t read the four-inch tall numbers on the thermometer hanging inside. Everything solid in view outside ? trees, shrubs, clothes-line ? had a fine coating of ice that glittered like diamonds in the morning sunlight. So did every plant in the greenhouse where the propane heater had failed, plummeting the temperature down to 22! Peter Pan was literally frozen in its pot!

We restored the heat and as things gradually warmed up, we watched as all of our treasured plants turned black and died ? except for Peter Pan ? it only lost its new flower spikes. If an orchid can survive a night in the tundra, it can handle anything that a fledgling OA can dish out. We still have divisions of our original Peter Pan in our collection.
How should you choose an Orchid? Many of us buy plants in bloom for ?instant gratification.? Paph. Mint Imperial was just too irresistible. Whatever your craving, any plant that you bring into your collection should ALWAYS be free from disease, have no pests, and have the genetic ability to grow strongly under average conditions.

An OA will buy plants sight-unseen if she?s patient, willing to take a risk and prepared for the unexpected. A few years ago, a show vendor had several dozen seedlings of a complex Paphiopedilum for sale. The seedlings of [(Makuli x curtisii) x Maudiae ?The Queen?] x Maudiae ?Napa Valley? were in bud, but none had open flowers. I bought two. Now, no two seedlings from the same seed pod have flowers that look exactly alike, but imagine my surprise when ?The Fluke? opened with two perfectly formed dorsal sepals! (Subsequent blooms of ?The Fluke? have been normal.

[cb977]

Thank you for sharing this...I loved every line

[cneos]

I wasn't sure the story had uploaded ... I kept getting a Validation Error

Thanks for your comments!

[Leisurely]

Great story. Do I think that because I can relate to it so well. Probably a yes.

[Tindomul]

Oh no!!!! I thought I had read them all! But I missed one! Your article is excellently written, it has a great personality, and speaks to me, and I bet every member of the board! Great article, and supererb power point presentation!!!! Did you give the presentation to someone at your orchid society or something?
Thanks for sharing your confessions with us!

[cneos]

You're welcome ...
I had fun writing it - and presenting it at the Cape and Islands Show last weekend (1/27 & 1/28).
It's great to see how many OAs there are out there!

[LauraN]

Excellent article. I really enjoyed it, being an addict myself!

[Orchaddict]

Well Done! It took a great deal of time and talent to put together the Powerpoint with this article. This is a great presentation to share with those new to the "addiction". I could relate to everything (well everything except the snow in NH - I have to deal with August in SC!).

Thanks for producing this.

[cneos]

You're welcome! I had a lot of fun putting this article together. The Orchid Lovers of Spring Hill published it in their newsletter and I've received several responses from their members as well as at the OB. Just goes to show that orchids are addicting!

[cb977]

Yay!!! Our club members from Spring Hill actually contacted you? I'm impressed!!! LauraN (above) is a member of our club too