Great flower -- what does the rest of the plant look like?

[SillyKeiki]

I agree with you on the sellers only showing the flower issue. One needs to know how the rest of the plant looks like, because most of the time we will be looking at an "expensive lettuce" in hopes that it blooms once a year.

Also some orchids can get really big. Those should have a warning too.

And also... those that smell like rotting corpses...

[DeaC]

Originally Posted by SillyKeiki

I agree with you on the sellers only showing the flower issue. One needs to know how the rest of the plant looks like, because most of the time we will be looking at an "expensive lettuce" in hopes that it blooms once a year.

Also some orchids can get really big. Those should have a warning too.

And also... those that smell like rotting corpses...

Are you aware that certain orchids only get pollinated if they smell of rotting material??? Many Bulbophyllums fit the category and I grow quite a few.

[Leafmite]

Cattleyas were very popular, years ago, for corsages, and that was the main reason people knew them, fell in love with them, then grew them. So, yes, traditionally, much of the hybridizing concerned the larger orchids. Lately, though, this is beginning to change as less people are growing orchids in greenhouses and more are using windowsills and lights.

With other plants, the eventual size is almost always listed (fruit trees, vegetable plants, berries, outdoor flowers, tropical plants). With orchids, unless I have seen them somewhere, it is usually a guess.
'Miniature' can be anywhere from a twenty-four inch Cymbidium to a Lepanthopsis astrophora. Large can be a thirty-foot Vanilla vine. Not very descriptive.

So, why is this? Is it that difficult to take a ruler to measure that Cattleya? Or, are vendors still imagining that everyone has unlimited greenhouse space instead of windows or shelves of lights?

The majority of my orchid collection are made up of 'miniature' and 'small' orchids and fit together in a twenty-gallon aquarium. The rest are 'smaller' orchids and fit on a four-foot shelf together (along with the table-top greenhouse that has my Dracula and Haraella). The size of a potential orchid is definitely important to me. With all the other plants I collect, I only have so much room for orchids!

---------- Post added 08-10-2018 at 12:10 AM ---------- Previous post was 08-09-2018 at 11:54 PM ----------

Originally Posted by DeaC

Are you aware that certain orchids only get pollinated if they smell of rotting material??? Many Bulbophyllums fit the category and I grow quite a few.

I prefer the better smelling orchids, too. I selected Bulbos that either smell nice (over-ripe fruit is nice, right?) or ones that require the nose to be in the flower to get a whiff. The exception, a gift from another member, might be the seedling Bulbo carunculatum. The vendor selfed it from his own which 'perfumes' his entire greenhouse. It might not remain a permanent part of my collection. Maybe I will contact you when the time comes....