$75 for the phal? Why is it that expensive? I was just looking at that one a few days ago on internet and was thinking of ordering it. A dutch grower has blooming sized ones for 25€...

Sc. Tropical Pointer 'Cheetah' BM/JOGA HCC/AOS Blooms 3 to 4 times per year,flower has a fuity fragarance. Picture month of December in Orchid Board Calander

If my whole collection were to suddenly dissapear the first two plants I would run out and replace are:

Phal Baldan's Kaleidoscope "Golden Treasure"

and

Phal Everspring King "Lee"

definitely Psychopsis Mendenhall, amazing!

They don't get much prettier than that.

yeah jrhenneck, thats a really beautiful flower!

The macrobulbons are crucial. Bulbo phalaenopsis and fletcherianum are so obtuse and manly.

Angraecum didieri is should not be left out.

Leptotes telipogonaflora and calodictyon have to be the best miniatures in the pleurothallid realm.

Sophronitis coccinea (all forms!) Soph. cernua, Laelia pumila, briegeri, sincorana, and so many other rupiculous. Cattleya aclandiae, schillernia, and walkeriana.

Dendrobium cuthbertsonii flowers last for well one of mine has been in flower since Sept another Oct with little signs of deterioration. There isnt a Dendrobium that beats it in my opinion.

I'll add some more, all (of course) from Cypripedioideae:

Paph delenatii... for species nuts and Parvi nuts, this is one of the easiest Paph species to grow and bloom. It's got beautiful flowers, beautiful foliage, and it's widely available and at reasonable prices. Many clones are also fragrant, a rare trait in Paphs.

Phrag Don Wimber... This hybrid (besseae x Eric Young) has besseae influence in shape and color but inherits the vigour and easy-growing nature of Phrag longifolium. It's a bit less "touchy" than Phrag besseae can be.

Cyp parviflorum (all varieties)... For hardy garden orchids, look no further than this species. It's the easiest species to grow, and can be grown in any reasonable, well-drained garden soil in partial shade. Many clones are fragrant.

Cyp reginae... This is probably at or near the top of most peoples' favorite hardy orchid lists. No more difficult to grow than Cyp parviflorum, this showy plant prefers a nutrient-rich, well-drained, moist soil in partial shade. Slower-growing, but worth the wait, as large clumps are tough to match for beauty and splendour.

Paph Pinocchio... If you like the sequential blooming Cochlopetalums, this hybrid is probably the most readily available of that group. Like most Cochlos it is vigorous and easy to grow, and like all Cochlos, it flowers for very long periods of time.

Phrag Hanne Popow... This is a great, easy growing hybrid that combines the soft pink color of Phrag schlimii with the unique shape of Phrag besseae, though it is a variable cross. If you like the pink color of schlimii, this hybrid is an easier alternative.

I'll add some more later!

I just viewed your phal collection. They are all marvelous. Do you only grow phals? In a greenhouse? I seem to have good luck with them Outside in summer in the house in winter.

Here are my top five (note that these pictures are for reference. They are not pics of my plants - mine are more beautiful): :evil:

Bollea violacea (maxillaria/zygopetalum alliance)

http://users.silcon.com/~orwell/Bol_violacea.jpg

Easy, easy, easy. It takes a while to get established, but once it does, it grows like a weed. I grow it under phal conditions and it does just fine. The only major things to worry about with this plant are light intensity and water frequency. Though it can take some morning sun, the leaves scorch in light that is too bright. Also, the plant doesn't have pseudobulbs, so you have to be vigilant about watering. However, it's pretty tolerant of a wide temperature range and, as I said before, it is pretty hardy once acclimatized. This one's usually a summer or fall bloomer

Vanda brunnea (vanda alliance)

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/or...da_brunnea.jpg

I've found most vandas to be prissy, unforgiving plants that fail to bloom and grow if you make even the smallest mistake. Not this one. This is an ironclad of a plant that, as long as you water it well, will thrive with gusto. Anyway, it's standard vanda culture for this one - bright light and heavy watering. I've heard that it's a spring bloomer, but mine blooms later.

Pescatorea klabochorum (maxillaria/zygopetalum alliance)

http://www.scientific-web.com/en/Bio...abochorum1.jpg

Probably the easiest pescatorea to grow - "Ironclad" is a very fitting description of this plant. What's neat about it is that the foliage looks great even when it is out of bloom. The foliage consists of a bunch of leafy fans that clump together, making the plant resemble a robust daylily. And the flowers? Well, just look at the picture, and you'll see why it's one of my favorite plants.

These guys can also be grown in phal conditions (I.E. Warm, shady, and moist). They're less touchy about new conditions than are some other pescatoreas, and are much quicker to acclimatize. They seem to grow faster when they're exposed to some air circulation. However, like other pescatoreas and like the bolleas, they need to stay moist because they don't have pseudobulbs to hold moisture. This one usually blooms in the fall for me.

Pescatorea cerina (maxillaria/zygopetalum alliance)

http://img11.shop-pro.jp/PA01057/097...ct/9841798.jpg

Another tough-as-nails pescatorea - tolerant of less than perfect conditions and fairly fast growing (given good watering). Mine came to me in poor condition and bounced into life in only a matter of time. I grow it as I do my other pescatoreas and bolleas (see above), and it grows like a weed. Anyway, this is another fan-shaped plant, with fairly short and sout leaves. This particular pescatorea has yellow and white flowers (though I've seen some plants that have pure butter-yellow flowers). I think the flowers are cute (they remind me peeps marshmallows, the ones that are shaped like chicks). I've yet to flower this one, but it's doing so well that it'll probably bloom in no time.

Dendrobium Burana Stripe (dendrobium alliance)

http://www.fendersflora.com/images/buranastripe.jpg

Good ol' reliable. My very first orchid was one of these guys, and it continues to bloom for me year after year, no matter what I do to it. Every fall, I anxiously wait for the spikes to emerge and, surely enough, they do. The show only gets better as the plant gets older. The first time I got it to bloom, it put out one spike with five flowers. Last year, it put out four spikes, the longest with twelve flowers and the shortest with four. I'd really recommend this one to newbies because it's very forgiving about less-than-perfect culture.

I grow it in catt conditions and it absolutely thrives. The only pet peeve I have about this plant is the fact that it grows very slowly. It only puts out one new cane each summer and doesn't finish maturing it until late in the fall.