Hard for me to find a niche when they all present different challenges and rewards. I'm growing paphs, catts, blcs, dens, brassias, oncidiums, angraecums, aerangis, a few onc. intergenerics, phals, neostylis and neofinetia, sobralia, rodriguezia, and a few other odd ones -- all told about 50 and no G/H. Almost all of them spent the entire summer last year outside and I think this made a huge difference for most.

I have the most success with the orchids that don't need high humidity 24/7. I have phals, paphs, oncs, Z's, Dens, a Neo, a Max, epi's, blcs, lc, catts, vondas, etc. I have somewhere between 60 and 70. No G/H either.
I just purchased my first stan and it's doing fine. I was a bit hesitant because I've killed two masdevallias and 4 Militonia's but so far stan is happy. I'll feel better once it starts putting off new growth. You can't be sure that they're happy until the are growing and blooming.
I've also killed two pots. Which is odd because they are a part of the catt family but I haven't been able to figure out their wants yet. Two of my two three catts are do OK but they aren't flourishing. One bloomed but during the bloom cycle I over watered it and it got a bit of root rot. It still has a few roots but it will be awhile before it's happy again. And the other two are still limping along. They are both in phal bark which may be too dry for my growing conditions. I think I'll try mixing in something that will retain a little moisture without holding too much. They seem to get root rot pretty easily.

I would *like* to focus on Mexico, Central America and South America but still have lots of plants from other places. I am actively acquiring Bulbophylum species right now and trying to let go of the larger Laelia plants.

I often wonder how Onc. Sharry Baby became Onc. Sherry Baby. Must be thousands of plants with an incorrect label.

Every new grower starts of with one of this and one of that and eventually begins to focus on a particular group or Genera. Like that word Focus, it doesn't give me a spell check error. Specialise does.

I have about 25 Catts, three onc. I work for fragrance. I have a small, many windowed sun porch and Houston humidity and heat sets me up for central America and southern Brazil Catts. Still a newbie, most all are in PA or charcoal. Just got a box of Turface to try. I really enjoy this Forum and posters.

I spent several years trying to find the right sun/shade balance in summer and high light in winter for catts, encyclias and oncids. Didn't work-- the winters were too long, despite 400W HID, and the summers too blazing hot and no way on my lot to rig good shade for them.

I got blooms, but not enough for the effort involved. eg a gorgeous Appleblossom bought with ten spikes might rebloom the following year with three. Might have been thrilling if I hadn't known how it was supposed to look like.

Then I found out my phals looooved the 400W HID in winter. They thought they were in phal heaven. Ones I bought with 5 flowers might rebloom the following year with two spikes and more than a dozen flowers on each spike. Some bloomed non-stop for an entire year.

So last year I started to get rid of every high light orchid whose blooming under my conditions couldn't beat a phal blooming at the same time. Red to red, yellow to yellow, etc. By October there were only a few catts and a couple of fragrant oncids left.

So I gave the last few away to "focus" on phals now. Easy for me to provide the conditions for lavish growth and bloom for them. With the newer hybrids, there's an enormous variety of blooms-- waxy, shiny, big, little, star shaped, spotted, barred, white center, pink glow, tall branching spikes, scented, etc, etc, etc. No one has to settle for the pink or white standard phals that "everyone has" any more.

I absolutely don't miss the struggle to provide for the others.

Julysun, I loved the fragrance of the encyclias, especially the one with the tall yellow spikes. (Forget the name this second) Beautiful fragrance, and beautifulwith dozens of spikes!

Just to add to mehitabel's comment above. I have Encyclia phoenicea in bloom. The fragrance is stunning. I stop for a sniff every time i walk past the plant.

It is a "X sib" from H & R orchids so should be readily available in the USA. Not for the light challenged though.

Encyclia alata.

Mostly phals and Cattleyas plus some others the tags have long since faded away on.

Mostly species, few hybrids:
Neobenthamia, bunch of Sobralias, Catts, Phrags, Paphs, Catasetums, Cycnoches, Arundinas, Dens, Onc, Coryanthes, Enc, Epi, Phauis, Eulophia, Vanillas, Ansellias, Schoms, Ellianthus, Phals, Cymbedellia, Cymbidiums, Agrustophyllum, Flickingeria, Brassavolas, Brassia, Cyrts, Grammatophyllums, and thats all i can think of off the top of my head...

I grow plenty of orchids - dendrobiums, cattleyas, phalaenopses, oncidiums, paphiopedilums and vandas. I still have dendrobiums but have lost interest in them--- too much work in replacing rotting media and in regularly dividing them. Besides, they look ugly when not in bloom especially when you have plenty of back bulbs.

Cattleyas are beautiful but alas, they only bloom once a year for me... sometimes even none in two years!

Phalaenopsis flowers can be gorgeous but oh they rot so easily during our daily monsoon rains in July. I'm tired of spraying fungicide on them and giving them special treatment.

Oncidiums are as maintenance free as vandas in my climate but the flowers are just too small and unexciting.

Paphiopedilums can be exotic with their slipper shaped blooms but like cattleyas, I'm lucky if I can make them bloom regularly even just once a year.

By now, you will have guessed my favorite... vandas! :)
I can toss away all the rest and give them all to my neighbors and friends, but not my vandas. Vandas are so easy to grow and are practically maintenance-free and spray-free in our climate. Just tie them to dead tree trunks, place in full tropical sun and viola! Large, beautiful, blooms the whole year. You don't even need to remember to water them because mother nature can take care of their watering needs. You can also afford to cut the blooms and place them in your flower vases. You know they'll bloom again anyway in a very short span of time. They come in all colors of the rainbow and may be with or without fragrance. Just take your pick! :)

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tropical

Hi
Would agree with you on the Vandas though I'll bet mine don't grow as well as yours.lol Beautiful flower but wow what an ugly plant. Just no way to fit them into a landscape lol.
What are the flowers in the foreground of the last pic?? They look like roses?? gary

Hi Gary,

I kind of actually like the hanging vanda roots. I enjoy a tropical 'jungle' look in my garden complete with birds and monkeys... LOL! :) However, a friend of mine actually despises the vanda look with its numerous unruly roots dangling around, hanging on air like witches' hair. Beauty is indeed in the eyes of the beholder... LOL!

Regarding the other plants, yes, they are assorted potted hybrid tea roses. I never thought my semi-terete vandas would like the same treatment as my roses - full tropical sun from 8AM to 5PM. It was only when I placed them in a very sunny place adjacent my roses that they began blooming non-stop. I guess the vandas don't want to be outdone by the roses in the flower-power competition... LOL! :)

Even my dwarf coconut doesn't want to be outdone either and so it is also currently in flower... same with my citrus (lower left), red mussaenda (between the plumeria and coconut) and michelia/magnolia alba (light green foliage).

Even my coleus is in flower. Only the plumeria (previously flowered), cestrum (by the yellow wall) and the young malus (potted) are not currently in flower.

tropical

I mostly grow Australian Aeridinae and terrestrials (about 80% of my collection). The rest are Dendrobium, Cymbidiums, Masdevallia and Disa with a few other cool growing odds and ends mixed in.

Andrew

I grow mainly small species with a few hybrids here and there...angraecoids, nigrohirsute dendrobiums and coelogynes are my favorite genera, but I also grow some little cattleya type things and misc.

Like that word Focus, it doesn't give me a spell check error. Specialise does.

arthurm,

Change your pc language program setting to English (Australia). It appears that you have it set on English (U.S.)

Write about the theatre colour programme from last night without interruption from your spell check! :)

fair dinkum, mate?

--Stitz--

Must ask one of the ex-resident boffins to fix my spell check.

Back to the topic...

Focus
300 Tolumnia Hybrids
Lots Laeliinae species and hybrids
Lots Sarcochilus species and hybrids
Lots various types of Dendrobiums.
Lots of various including;
about 40 Phals
1 Neofinetia falcata (love it)
1 Restrepia

I have mostly phals, some minicatts and phaius, and one dendrobium. I also grow under a 400W HID light and am leaning more towards the phals for the same reason as mehitabel.