eager novice / Brooklyn NY

[stefpix]

failed as a kid - killed a paph.
but then was before the internet.

now I am eager to have a collection - I like Dendrobiums and ground species. More into Species than hybrids - but bought quite a few Den and Phals at Lowes ' plant morgue ooops I meant the closeout shelf for a dollar or 2 each.

Many of these are growing new canes/leaves. Got 2 shop lights and 2/ 4 CFL to play with - and a ffire escape S exposure - sun filtered by tree in the summer.

anyway I am a freelance photogr on a budget - stefpix dot com
here seems a younger + more adventurous crowd than gardenweb - which yet gave me a lot of good info!
best
stefano

[John D.]

Welcome from Virginia. Most of us have killed one or two as we learn and if you are reviving those from the discount rack you are heading in the right direction culture wise. They are good to practice on and gain experience as well as looking good. What "ground species" are you looking for?

[stefpix]

well 2 phals one from Ikea maybe Dtps died - great flowers but the roots were soaed and rotting - tried sphag n bag - but leaves turned yellow anyway -
hard cane dendrobiums seem way hardier / stronger now they are shooting up canes quickly.

anyway I am looking for Bletilla, Arundina, Epidendrums and whatever I do not know -
I saw an orchid that has variegated leaves and grows upstate NY. was overpriced and was wondering if I find it during a hilke and get a division if that would be illegal if it is a protected species...
well if anyone has cutting for trade -
Vanilla, Ludisia, Epidendrums, Bletilla etc...
something I can grow on a window sill in the winter - maybe outside on fire escape in the summer!

[soundtweakers]

lol, IKEA too!! that store has created lots of Orchid newbies like me.

[stefpix]

I saw some nice Den and Paph - but overwatered and in shade. 15 $. They also sell pineapple plants - but I like their wooden pot container made in Vietnam. they look amazing and cost half of whatever i saw around.

But saw some of nice hard cane dendrobiums in bloom at Trader Joe's for 8.99. Cheaper than anywhere else and in very good condition.

I am happy I got the Salaya Candy at Lowes - green flower/pink lip...

But I am not really in this hybrid craze... would love a Den Loddigesi, and love my fast growing cutting of Vanilla planifolia variegata.

[RosieC]

Welcome to Orchid Board

[orchidbingo]

Welcome to OB Stefano. I checked out your website and I really enjoyed it. The photo of the Satmar Orthodox Jew is terrific. It took me a while to figure out the blue tag with the magnification. Thanks for sharing your talent. Can't wait for your orchids to bloom so you can post orchid photos!

bingo

[orkie]

Here's a link to a NYC orchid blogger who has some good places to check out plants http://deanstreetorchids.blogspot.co...d-growers.html (the shop in Chinatown often has interesting stuff and their discount rack is amazing, but for species, you will probably need to use an online vendor or take a trip to an actual nearby greenhouse like Home Page).

As far as I know, all orchids in the US are protected and the digging up of any is illegal-additionally, I've heard that the native ones are extremely hard to adapt when taken from the wild, so it's a lose-lose situation all around.

Also, Longwood Gardens is a good place to go for an amazing show and sale in March (it's about 1.5 hrs from NYC) and also in NJ the Deepcut Society has a very nice sale as well in maybe Feb. Plus there are great orchids at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and the NYBG in the Bronx. You can check the show schedules on the AOS website.

[stefpix]

Orkie - thanks!
I bought 3 orchids on sale at the Chinatown store - Oncidium types can go down to 5 dollars when they are done blooming... I find myself more attracted to Dendrobiums by the way...
re wild / ground orchids also was thinking about Bletillas -
and yeah - I love the wilderness - would not want to deplete - just wanted to make sure...
I was wondering because I saw one local NY state wild orchid for sale at a Red Hook nursery for 10 dollars - was a small plant with variegated silver/green and white foliage - like a very distant relative of a Ludisia. I cant remember the name. It made me wonder.

Will go to the Botanic gardens. I assume the one in the Bx is way larger and better than the one in Bkln. I checked their websites regarding the free admission day of the week - but was not sure if you can get where the Orchids are at the NYBG.

[cb977]

I don't even want to tell you how many I've killed!

The gardens in the Bronx is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen
My best friend's daughter had her wedding there a few years ago and it was gorgeous!