Have you visited the Gallery? On the top of this page is the link. Look at the flowers grown by our members. You can always ask how they grow them, the conditions they provide and the ease of flowering. Sometimes divisions are available.

I would not suggest seedlings of Cattleyas as they can take years to bloom. Older plants are stronger and handle mistakes better than seedlings. I would look on line at nurseries who provide bloom size or 'near' bloom size plants.

Most importantly, join your local Orchid Society. You will get many low cost or free plants from members downsizing. They also have auctions where you can get beautiful plants of blooming size, cheap. You'll meet growers in your area and learn the conditions they grow in. I can't stress how important it is to join a local Society. Its invaluable for a beginner.

Jane

Ditto what Jane says. Don't go any smaller than blooming size or near blooming size, which still may be quite small. Really young plants can take years to bloom, and you sound like you don't want to wait that long.

It sounds like you're looking for the "big, floofy" cattleyas, or old classics, as they are often described. Jane's suggestions about the gallery and an orchid society are excellent. You might also check the AOS site for a list of upcoming orchid shows to see if there's one in your area. If you can't find the list, e-mail the AOS.

You might try the on-line catalog of Carter and Holms, who specialize in cattleyas. Read the descriptions carefully, see if they specify the size of the blooms. The pictures will speak for themselves.

sixty? WHEW!

I won't be THAT old for another few weeks! I am amused that the word "geriatric" is applied at 60. Experienced and mature are better choices.

Other amusing synonyms:

aged, along in years, ancient, broken down, debilitated, decrepit, elderly, enfeebled, exhausted, experienced, fossil, geriatric, getting on, gray, gray-haired, grizzled, hoary, impaired, inactive, infirm, mature, matured, not young, olden, oldish, over the hill, past one's prime, seasoned, senile, senior, skilled, superannuated, tired, venerable, versed, veteran, wasted

--Stitz--

Cattleya warscewiczii

Ha! Stitz, I missed that. Well, I guess I'm dead...

Jane

Read the thread 'Help me find a great Cattleya, please'. I just bounced it up from obscurity.

Nick

I just checked that eBay site and found that right now they are not offering any Catts for bidding. Only "Buy Now' stuff. Wait until you see 400 odd plants with bidding oportunities, then check them out.

Nick

Stitz and Jane...CUTE

Having just had two strokes, with multiple heart stints, and Forestiers Disease fusing my spine and hips, my pursuit of my outdoor raised bed gardening and now orchids is at once a form of therapy and also to add some quality to life ..i.e., to KEEP MOVING, Get outside, and NOT take the daily massive doses of prescribed pain meds. It's great that so many are so active at sixty, but unrelenting, severe pain 24/7 kind of puts things into a whole new perspective, so one can choose beauty and new outlets of interest. I always loved looking at orchids, so now I have decided to grow a few. That's why I'm searching for starters. Raison d'être!

I'll be 70 in a few month. 60 is definitely YOUNG, it's all relative. I remember meeting my wife's great grandfather, age 97, in his senior residence in Denmark and hearing him mention with some excitement that a new woman had moved in next door to him. She's pretty young he said, probably no more than 75.

If I can find my car at the mall, it's a good day!

Nick

Mensplace, may I make a suggestion. I too am of the 'age' where I do not wish to look at foliage for a spell till I get to see the color. I love to go over to Hausermann's site and check out their 'in bud' page. They grow quite a nice selection of showy Cattleyas and have quite a few all ready to arrive in bud. And getting them in bud means that they - with proper care - should bloom again for you at their appropriate bloom time.

http://www.orchidsbyhausermann.com/

Enjoy!

Nick...I just loved that last line! After the recent strokes, I understand perfectly. Good Scandinavian genes doesn't hurt you either. In my family if you make it to 72 that's something of a record. All seem to have brain blowouts. But for me it's not the stints, GERD, CPAP, or strokes so much as a rapidly progressing and aggressive disease wherein every ligament and tendon between and around the vertebrae turn to bone and pinch the nerves constantly from the neck though the hips. In two months I have started to walk like Quasimodo, but I'll just be darned if I am going to take 4 strong morphines a day. NOT whining, but some good reasons to seek all of the beauty I can every single day...hence, the desire to get a collection of orchids going inside while inventing ways to work a vegetable garden with plenty of heirloom tomatoes outside. With straw bale beds I can sit on the bales and use short handled tools. But, unloading a truck of manure using one of the four pronged forks with bent tines while sitting on the truck's tailgate is a hoot. That's therapy, but I pay dearly for a few days afterwards. Sitting, as in writing my books or driving is the worst, so I try to keep moving. Like many of us, I lost about 40% of my 401K thanks to the good folks in DC and Wall Street or I would be buying whatever orchids I want. Maybe buying more of the smaller plants will give them more time to acclimate and me more to piddle over and look forward to. I would just love to have my Florida Room full of the beauties some day!

Hi mensplace, welcome to the forum. I want to echo what others have said about buying mature blooming size plants, a few smaller plants would be a challenge at growing. But, do treat yourself to some blooming isze ones as well. I am on a strict 'orchid budget' and have perused the auctions of Kawamota Orchids. Recently I've won three of his plants. They are all the large floofy catts and should bloom later this spring/summer. As Nick wrote, wait for when he puts plants up for auction. He usually starts many, many plants at $5.. Of course, if you win, there is shipping to pay. His plants come very carefully packed and very quickly delivered. They are very good with customer service and will answer questions quickly. Where ever you shop, Hausermann's, Carter & Holmes, etc.; I wish for you a fun time in your new hobby. I find growing plants to be very theraputic. I too sufer with a painful disorder, though fortunate for me, not a life threatening one. Again, welcome to our forum.

Sheila :)

The LORD works in mysterious ways. This morning I went out to look at my few new acquisitions that I had repotted two days ago and was absolutely delighted to see two tiny little orchid blossoms open on one of the spikes that I was sure to be beyond repair. Maybe not the Cattleya, but still confirmation that THIS is fun...and a positive pursuit. Sheila...thank you for your very kind words! I called Carter and Holmes and they were very nice. Seems many an orchid grower is out for the return, but they were quick to let me know that they had plenty that were marked down because they need repotting. Gotta admire that.

When I first began with heirloom tomatoes and vintage fruit trees I had folks around the world offering starter stock. Granted orchids take a bit more work, but I am not into profit or prestige. When I have my plants started and reproducing, helping another get started will consist of more than a recommendation to join AOS. I'm doing this because of the love of the species.

Where do you live and how's your indoor light? All important unless you are lucky enough to be able to keep your plants outdoors. If you are able to join a Orchid Society in your area, you can get plants very cheap or free. But I can't stress enough - stay away from Cattleya seedlings. You really won't live long enough to see them bloom. Odds are they will die or just sit around for the next 100 yrs unless you have a greenhouse. Get blooming size or near blooming size.

Tell us what kind of growing conditions you have at home.

Jane

I have my new orchids on a wire rack in my "Florida Room". Two full walls are glass panels that can be opened in the summer facing south and west. The whole room is a bright white. The orchids are situated in a corner out of the direct light. I live in the Atlanta area. There is a huge Orchid interest in Atlanta with regular shows, but driving to the Botanical Gardens is a huge pain ...a 40 mile drive through horrible traffic. I will check into local groups.
By seedlings, I assume that you are referencing the six inch tall plants such as those sold by Sun Bulb Co for around 5.00? They have larger sizes of about two feet for around 15.00. At the nurseries, such sizes run around 35.00 to 45.00. based upon genes and current conditions, I would imagine that I have about ten years. What are you referencing as blooming size? Should I perhaps be considering other species, and, if so, what others have larger blossoms that are comparable? Have I waited too late? Trouble is, after the massive hit to my 401K the funding that was once a non-issue, with rising costs and our new economy, has become a monthly concern. I had a silly dream of filling that room with orchids as a place to write and enjoy my morning PG Tips! Maybe I just need to be glad in my heirloom tomatoes and celebrate that.

Your sunroom and climate sound perfect for growing Catts. What a glorious sight when your orchids bloom and fill the room with their perfume. I'm jealous because you will have an easier time growing them than I do.

If you can find a local society you will have the opportunity to buy or trade plants. You will get divisions of plants growers are giving away and will be closer to blooming size than a seedling. Generally bloom size depends on the number of bulbs the plant has. More pseudobulbs, quicker blooms. I've had Catts bloom on their third growth but some didn't bloom with six. You must realize that most Catts make one growth per season. If something went wrong during that year, that bulb won't flower. Now you have lost a year and hope the next growth will flower. Very slow, very frustrating. One difference between growing dirt plants and orchids - orchid growing requires great patience!

I don't have your conditions. With good sunlight and warm temps you can choose Cattleyas which tend to throw multiple leads, or growths. Those will bloom earlier. If you can join a society (or just visit) look at what people bring in and ask questions...how easy to flower, how often does the plant flower, etc. Most societies have auctions and you can get great plants at low prices. They invite growers from all over who display their orchids. I rarely buy plants anymore. I wait for the auctions because I can get unusual plants at great prices. Most are already blooming.

You are not looking for challenges. You want flowers. You want orchids which can manage mistakes without croaking. You have great conditions to be successful and I if you can meet with people in your area you will find Cattleyas which will do well in your home.

Jane

I agree with quicksilver: cattleya warscewiczii. Do a search until you find a picture of it. It's perfect for what you want. It would be a great start.

I also agree with Jane. If I had a choice of two plants at $15 each or one plant at $30, I would pick the one plant. Usually these plants are mature, have lots of p-bulbs, and grow much more quickly. Within a year or two they can be divided, and then I would have more mature plants. (A plant division should have the bare minimum of three bulbs in order to flower in a couple of years, but with five or more the division might bloom the following season). When you are looking to purchase, ask how many p-bulbs the plant has.

Incidentally, I'm 75. I don't have the dibilitating disease that you seem to have, but I do ache in every bone in my body, and I have five stents. I try to stay away from the pain killers too. But it would be so easy to just sit in a chair all the time so I wouldn't hurt so much. But the orchids--the orchids pull me out of my chair and make me move. For them I'll suffer the pain. In fact, when I tend them, I'm not even aware of the hurt.

And I grow my vegetables--tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers--in pots. I don't have to bend that far to tend them, and I don't have to pull any weeds or til any soil. A bit of grass mulch is all they need. The one drawback of growing in pots is that they need to be watered often. Not a problem.

When buying plants beware of 2 plants in one pot. If you havbe identical clones, both 4 years old where one has 4 pbulbs and the other has a 'whopping' 8, don't pay a lot more for the one with the 8 expecting flowers that much sooner. The 8 bulb plant probably has 2 x 4 bulb plant in one pot which won't bloom any sooner because of it.

You do get 2 plants but if you hope to get flowers sooner because of the large number of pbulbs, that won't happen. It's a trick growers use to make you think you are getting a huge plant. It also happens inadvertently as when you unpot a community pot, sometimes it is difficult to separate the little plantlets and 2 will happen in a pot.

I bought a dendrobium once which when it bloomed, had yellow on one side and pink on the other. Obviously a case of 2 plants in one pot done deliberately in order to make the plant look bigger for better sale appeal.

Just another little wrinkle to look out for.

Nick

Yesterday, I discovered PEACH STATE ORCHIDS. With a large greenhous that was filled wall to wall with a very wide range of orchids already flowering, it was a wonderful opportunity to select a large number of starter plants. The young man who was there at the time was overwhelmingly helpful and very cordial. The prices the most reasonable I have found thus far for what I would call specimen plants, i.e., loaded with blooms, plenty of bulbs, and massive root systems in good health. For a first trip, I came away with a large box filled with quite a few varieties. My favorite turned out not to be a Cattleya, but an equally large blossomed variety with row after row of gorgeous and intricate, long streaming petals resembling the tail of a bird of paradise. Even the wife was hooked AND took the opportunity to photograph many of the beautiful blossoms. Now to combine this new pursuit with our fine art photography. I think this with become a monthly visit as we build our collection. I'm still wondering whether in repotting it is even desirable to even try to get all of the root system down into the potting medium in a pot or to allow those that cover the tops and sides to continue to pursue their natural form. Would seem that being epiphytes it is more natural to leave many of them open rather than risking breakage.

Ask Peach State, they can answer your questions! And Congrats on finding them.

And we never did find out what he thinks is cheap and what is expensive.

Enjoy your new orchids and of course your fine art photography.

Brooke

Nick, thanks for the tip. Didn't know.

Here's a link to the warscewiczii. The bloom can grow to 12" across:

http://www.chadwickorchids.com/warscewiczii