Beginner orchids

[catweazle1962]

hi i would like to know which orchids are best for a Beginner
in the uk , we do have a couple of plants Promenaea and a Beallara but asking if anything easy to start from thanks

[The Mutant]

I would say it all depends on your conditions and watering habits etc, but the most common beginner orchid is Phalaenopsis. If you want to try a species Phal, I would recommend Phal. equestris since these guys are almost easier than the hybrids they sell at every store.

[silken]

Welcome!
Yes, it really does depend on growing conditions. The best thing might be to borrow or buy an orchid book that covers a lot of them and do some reading. Some books will say which are good for beginners and you can see the pictures.

Otherwise, I would go with a Phal or something inexpensive so that if it fails, you won't be out so much money. Your Beallara is likely a good one as I find mine to be fairly accepting of varying conditions. As Philip mentioned in your other post, the Promenea may be a bit fussy. I've had one for about a year but it hasn't bloomed. Also many people likely can't provide the cool temps they like.

Phals are easy to find for a good price and many colours to choose from. I would re-pot it very soon after purchasing as they usually come packed in moss which keeps the roots too wet and they die of root rot. They often bloom for many months and don't seem to mind being re-potted while in bloom.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Try looking up the following:

Anacheilium cochleatum
Anacheilium radiatum

Arpophyllum alpina
Arpophyllum gigantea
Arpophyllum spicata

Bletilla ochracea (terrestrial orchid)
Bletilla striata (terrestrial orchid)

Any Cyrtochilum spp.

Dendrochilum tenellum

Encyclia alata
Encyclia cordigera
Encyclia fowliei
Encyclia tampensis

Epidendrum radicans (terrestrial orchid)

Eulophia andamanensis (terrestrial orchid)
Eulophia graminea (terrestrial orchid)

Any Isochilus spp.

Laelia anceps
Laelia crispa
Laelia dayana
Laelia purpurata
Laelia superbiens
Laelia tenebrosa

Maxillaria picta
Maxillaria schunkeana

Phalaenopsis equestris
Phalaenopsis philippinensis
Phalaenopsis schilleriana
Phalaenospis stuartiana

Spathoglottis plicata (terrestrial orchid)


I picked these based on how straight forward they are to grow, how hardy/resilient they are, and how easy they are to bloom (we grow orchids to see them bloom after all!).

[catweazle1962]

thankyou for your replys well at the moment we have got Promenaea Limelight x Promenaea xanthina and a Beallara , both plants are in the kitchen and have water at least 1 week and fed every 3 weeks , with the long list of plant names we can only find Phalaenopsis in the uk we have looked around www but unable to find any other in the uk thanks

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Anacheilium cochleatum (aka Encyclia cochleata)
Anacheilium radiatum (aka Encyclia radiata)

You may also look for:

Encyclia gracilis

[Rowangreen]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Anacheilium cochleatum (aka Encyclia cochleata)
Anacheilium radiatum (aka Encyclia radiata)

I have both of these, bought from a UK orchid seller, but under the name Prosthecea

UK natives are available (there's at least one seller specializes in them) but I think they are generally considered difficult. I think a lot of them need special soil types and/or are difficult to establish. Also, just in case you don't know, all orchids are protected so you can't take them from the wild.

My advice would be to get used to the orchids you have, and maybe buy a cheap Phaleanopsis from Sainsburies or wherever and learn to take care of that.

I'm not sure that there's really that much difference between how hard one orchid is compared to another, they are just different. It's probably a lot easier to learn to look after one really 'hard' orchid, than lots of different easy ones. Take that from someone who's recently gone mad buying lots of different 'easy' ones!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I don't know how easy it would be to grow these in your garden, but the UK does have native orchids.

One of them being orchids in the genus Dactylorhiza (aka "Marsh Orchids").

You may want to inquire about these to see if they will grow in your garden beds like ordinary bulbous plants where you live.

[catweazle1962]

thankyou for your replys i did have a Phaleanopsis but it died for some reason a long time a go before i found this forum . i was advised that the plants we have now that was easy to look after

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by catweazle1962

i was advised that the plants we have now that was easy to look after

Be aware that some of the members here who have had actual experience with growing a Promenaea, including me, will most likely advise you that a Promenaea is not the easiest orchid to look after. And as I've either implicitly or explicitly mentioned, there are far easier orchids to grow. You may find that some people who have or had a Promenaea in their collection at one point or another will tend to disagree with the advice given to you by this anonymous person to some degree. While Promenaea is definitely not the most difficult to understand or grow amongst the group of orchids closely related to orchids in the genus Zygopetalum, in general, they are not the easiest orchids to grasp an understanding of how to grow them properly.

Also, be informed that while Beallara is the easiest of the 2 orchids you have, some may or may not consider this orchid the best orchid to start with if you've had no prior successful attempts at orchid growing.

While I do generally tend to agree that overall Phalaenopsis is not exactly the easiest genera of orchids to deal with - again, imo, there are far more easier orchids to grow than Phals. There are some species or hybrids that are generally considered far easier to grow than others. Of those species of Phals that are the easiest, I have already listed them. Should you give the ones I mentioned a try, I have a strong belief that you would be much more satisfied with the results of your choice than previous.