I saw one in Townsville, Australia years ago that was four years old and half that size by then. Feed it well, keep it hot and stand back maybe?

Brett

Well worth trying again, Gin! They need to be potted in a media which is extremly fast draining (mine are in course bark, large charcoal chunks and course grade perlite) and I only water once a week.
As for buying specific hybrids, a place called Buried Treasures has a large range for a US supplier and is supposed to be quite good from what I've read. I got my seeds from Taiwan, they have a great breeder there called Adenium Ko (easiest to check ebay for his range).

Thanks so much for this info!! I just finished their web site and Gin, if you haven't seen it yet I can only caution you!! Gee, can I really afford another passion? Absolutely stunning!!

I love to take the risk! I started out with "safe" orchids, and they were my confidence builders. Now I attempt many of the more difficult plants, and if they thrive, great! If not, it was quite the learning experience. I know people who claim to be Phal killers, and if I listened to them, I'd have never tried growing them. And the ones that others consider "easy" somehow never seem to do much for me. So, I assess what I have to offer and then see what I can do to tailor the needs to the currrent love-of-my-life orchid! I am always pleasantly surprised, or terribly disappointed.

emerging from the "closet"
 

I like to "look" like I know what I am doing, so I buy them with confidence (and too much abandoned according to my spousal unit). I practice image management as often as I can. Living in Waco, Texas, I really have no business having masdevallias, draculas, scaphosepalum and sigmatostalix....but, I do :biggrin:. I learned most of what I know by being really bad at it. I think I am now at mediocre. Here's the thought, if I fill the greenhouse faster than they die, I will always keep up the image! :evil: Actually, I do buy too many, but when I fall in love, I have tried to research the plant and it's needs so I can be "prepared". Then, I give myself permission with a seedling (cheapo). If it survives, then I am golden:cloud9:. If not, then I try to do a little more research and decide whether it's worth another try. I just got a Leptotes calodictyon that I will try in my terrarium...this one is the one that has scared me the most :shock:. I'll be reading the threads on this one voraciously! Great poll and I loved reading through the posts!:bowing OB is fabulous.

At a society meeting I saw this great plant, Nanodes medusae! It is completely different from what I grow or have grown (catts, phals, paphs, phrags, den, etc), but had to get one. It will be a while before it flowers, but it's growing!

Dave,
That is a wicked cool plant. Pardon my ignorance, but is that an orchid?!?! I might have to get one, too!:biggrin:

well, i'm quite shallow when it come to buying orchids :blushing: i buy based on the looks...

i started with dendrobiums, then vandas. now i have some catts, phals, a paph, a gongora, an angraecum, a couple of catasetums, oncidiums, miltoniopsis. try to get some variety in my collection. it would be boring just to see one or type of flower or leaves.

but i never (haven't yet might be more appropriate!) buy cymbidiums. i think i am more adventurous and willing to risk it..

I take risks. I used to buy plants without any insight to their needs, but nowadays, I try to gather a little info before I jump in. Sometimes my risks pay off, other times they don't.

My worst risk was a "Hawaiiain sunset" Miltonidium that dried up days after I bought it. It wasn't too expensive, but it still died. On the other hand, one success story was a yellow cymbidium, which is actually thriving right now.

My latest risk is a Pescatorea lehmannii. We'll see how it turns out. :biggrin:

Its so boring, but I never really take TOO big of a risk because money is tight these days!! I will only take a risk w/ a plant (that would not ordinarily bloom well in my environment) if I make a promise to myself that I will pay special attention to it...then again, sometimes this backfires too, because we all know that orchids thrive on neglect!!