Interested in these plants. Let me check what I have to trade.

I need to defend SBOE. Most of the Catt crosses are either young seedlings who should bloom in 3 years or 2 bbulbs of a mature plant which also should bloom in 3 years. If you get there first thing in the morning, any day, as they restock at night, and carefully look at each plant in a given group, you will usually find a couple that are 1 year ahead of the pack, 2 bbulbs plus a new growth. That plant will bloom in 2 years. I usually try to get there at 8 AM Friday morning, this year I could not get there until Saturday AM but found nice plants never the less. Some of the Pleuros and the plants in that group often are already in bloom and will give a full head of flowers in a year. Depends on your desire for quick results. I prefer 20 of these to 6 or 7 larger plants. Since I have been doing this for a number of years, as I mount or pot this year's purchases, flowers are popping up on plants I got there 3 years ago and had forgotten about until they surprise you with a bloom. Do that twice a year for a number of years and the surprises keep on popping up. For 'REAL' orchid shopping I would not go there during a show. On any weekday during the year, the personal attention at SBOE and Cal Orchids right across the street is superb. No mass $7.50 table but expert advice and a great selection of obviously more expensive plants. I usually shop for a group, tell James at Cal Orchids "Let's look at Pescatore today" or Wayne at SBOE "Good day for Lycaste" and you get a selection of their best. Large enough purchases will get you the usual discount. The $7.50 table is like an exiting swap meet, no comparison to 'real orchid shopping' but I would not miss it. Nick

I like these postings, gives me a chance to see what should be blooming in my collection or what I can add to it for blooms now. I have the smallest number of plants blooming in Aug., many nobile den. in my collection. I'm suprised that Brasavola nudosa is booming now, I have a huge plant, 40"+ across plant that blooms profusely in once a year Dec/Jan. Is this a second bloom for yours or just a different cycle? All of my Brassias except Edvah Loo have bloomed this summer , when should it bloom? I have a large plant that has never bloomed. It is now outside in a flower or fry sun spot. In bloom: DEN. BRACTEOSUM (white) two flower clusters, 11, 13 flowers MTSSA KALEAPAA 5 spikes,1flower open, 4.8" tall (big!) BL. RICHARD MEULLER 2 spikes, 5 flowers, 1st bloom for me COL.WILDCAT'CARMELA'1spike 40"tall, 43 flowers, 2.3" each BRS. SUNRISE GOLD "ALOHA GOLD"2 spikes, 13 flowers, 14" each DEN.ALEXANDER XANDREA MILLER has been in bloom all of 07, 35 flowers now PHAL. PICOTEE bought in bloom 1/07, still blooming. In spike: ONC. TSIKU MARGURITE (twinkle type) 8 spikes ODCDM. TIGER NIGHT 'GOLDEN GATE' 1 yard tall spike, 19+ buds ONC. ROSE TWINKLE 2 spikes. Just finished last bloom1mo.ago PHAL.NOID

Sorta comes down to how long of a "beginning" one is considering, for me. My very first 2 orchids are long gone. One was a NOID den that eventually died, and the other was a NOID phal that I sold or gave away at some point. I do still have 2 divisions of a NOID miniden (which is planted in wet peat in a bog terr) I bought at Lowes yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaars back when the BBS carried them frequently. That purchase was a year or two after that of the phal and den mentioned previously. All predated the first time I attended an OS meeting or even knew of events like orchid shows. :) W/ the exception of the aforementioned miniden, my oldest plants [if I stretch "beginning" to include my first orchid show] would be a Pot Hoku Gem 'Superspots' and Blc Blazing Treat. Both of which I've had for probably ten or more years now.