Nick, cut yourself some slack, if you can - this addiction is insidious.

Supposedly, I'm reducing the number of orchids. Today I sold 2 and bought 3.

The only help for me is not going to the growers or the shows. With Orchids Limited about 20 minutes away, my resolve melts.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Yeah, sign me up. Surprises me every time. Must be insane.

Waaaaa - Whitecat8

Nick, Lol. Only an Australian Orchid nursery could come up with DUNO. (Down Under Native Orchids).

Good luck in your quest for willpower.

The thing that amazed me is that I went there determined only to spend the considerable amount due to DUNO and how ridiculously easy it was to backslide. The only thing that would have effectively prevented that is to simply get back in the car and high tail it out of there.

Nick

I know what you mean, not only have I stopped the denial process, but my fiance and parents forbid me to go to any orchid shows (even so far as to throw away the adverts from the days' mail - bad move since I take the trash out). This hobby is trully addicting, but it is funny how my parents, friends, and family still owww and aahhh everytime a new orchid blooms. In fact, we are looking for our first house now and my fiance has taken a key interest in the number and location of windows, and houses with sunrooms are on the A-list. lol

The last orchid show my mom of all people bought 2 orchids "for the collection" and I was thinking where am I gona put them? I think I have reached critical orchid numbers. I think they have the mentality, if you can't beat him, join him.

Brad,

Sounds like you have the BEST situation going for you. Now that you have been strictly FORBIDDEN to buy such beauties you have your parents' guilt and now they'll become great gifting items to receive...free from YOUR bank account! Good luck with the house and, yes, be sure it has a sunroom!

Not sure hort lover, I still am addicted to ANYTHING green: roses, clematis, cacti, Jap. maples, hydrangeas, perennials, etc. During the growing season I am easily distracted and usually end up taking home something I don't need only to plant in the corner of our old vegetable garden (too much shade for tomatoes since the neighbor's trees grew tall). Needless to say, that corner of teh yard is "my hope chest" of plants to come with me when I finally move out. I think I need 3 acres!!

Sadly, the economy has taken its toll, so instead of buying plants at regular price, the last year or so I have been buying healthy plants out of bloom, end of the year clearances, and seeds. Actually, for those like me who like the odd, obscure, and hard to find plants, that is the way to go without breaking the bank.

My old man and I built our sunroom, so from that regard I am spoiled, now every house better have one. It is amazing what more light can do for even a pothos or draceana.

I've gone so far as to leave my checkbook and credit cards at home. Another option is to take only enough cash for plants, gas, snacks, lunch, etc.

At least your family is coming around. The best is your fiancee signing up for the window priority.

WC8

Sorry folks, I just don't get into all this impulse buying. When it comes to orchids, buying less just works better for me. I think I placed one order in 2008 for 10 plants and it probably took me a good 6 months of researching, and comparing prices and trying to figure out what I really wanted before I actually placed that order. When those babies arrived, I thought it was Christmas! I was so excited! Now if I were doing this every week, the excitement would disappear. It would become ordinary. Nope. Don't want growing orchids to become ordinary.

Kevin

Aren't I a mood killer??

Buzz kill.

How long did it take you to "mature" into this perspective?

WC8

"The only winning move is not to play the game." I like that title.

Here's a suggestion; something that worked pretty well for me. Decide what kind of orchids you like the very best, locate a few ridiculously expensive examples, and spend money on them like you've never imagined spending it before.

Afterwards, you will have little interest in lesser orchids. You will pass them up easily and may even be motivated to reduce your collection, keeping only the superior plants that drove you deepest into debt, such as the $500 Cattleyas.

It will seem foolishly extravegant at first, but in the long run, you can save time, space, and money. And if your high-dollar orchids can be asexually propagated, an easy return on the investment will be possible later. You can sell an occasional division on ebay, for example.

I know the addiction! I too bleed chlorophyl. I have been hooked since childhood and just spent a small fortune on some nice succulents, Calathea majestica, Ficus elastica and a new Phal. Then, my husband bought me another succulent as a "Thank you" for all I do for our family. Why not? He's always bringing home Hot Wheels for the boys.... I saw a Phal. this past weekend and she's always on my mind, those giant, white blooms staring at me. I might have sprung the $30.00 if her leaves were not turning yellow. I have even told my husband I'm thinking about striking a deal with Lowes to discount her. Then, there's that Angel Wing Begonia that didn't survive my grandmother's care while I was in college; Lowes has it in stock too. I have yet to see what HD has. I can't wait to get out there, but I know I'll just have to walk away with at least a car load. Then what? More potting soil and custom-mix supplies, I'm sure to be out of stock of at least three or four pots of the right sizes in my personal inventory. Then there's that inevitible "breakage" because the boys are excited, running around and knock one over. I'll probably need another plant stand and some hangers. I do have four extra humidity trays for orchids right now.

SEE!!! It's the itch that just cannot be scratched! I just have to take a deep breath and love them from a distance, but when the hunger gets really deep all I do is dream about the plants and then I don't get restful sleep either.

Well, at least my husband understands. He loves his car parts and tools just the same.

Part of the game is the orchid Catalogue. What a waste of time, they are like reading phone books. Actually not true, some of us are addicted to reading them.

Consider this little effort and then go over to the Gallery and have a look at the picture of Bayard's orchid.

Compots containing about 20 plants
"C.amethystoglossa (4n) x sib (4n) ($70ea- 3 only) Superb quality tetraploid strain. Clusters of very full round shape pink covered in bold maroon spots. Very waxy substance, excellent texture and shorter blooming. When this strain began blooming in Hawaii, in 100mm pots, H & R Nurseries sold out priced at US$100 per plant."

No i didn't buy a compot of them because this is a 2006 Catalogue and i do not have room to raise 20 Large Cattleyas ( and the orchid pictured over on the gallery was just a hope in Bayard's collection).

Sorry about the metric but you will get the gist. Sometimes the blurb is spot on.

So what did you get Nick?

From DUNO I got the following:

D. BARRY SIMPSON 3 + 1 CANE DIVISION 120mm POT $US 30.00

D. BRINAWA CHARM X KARSUN ÂKYLIEÂ DIVISION. 100mm $US 25.00

D. KING OF HEARTS X YONDI TINA ÂGOLIATHÂ FCC/AOC-ANOS DIVISION 120mm $US 35.00

D. johannis (SPECIES) X SUNGLOW DIVISION 140mm $US 30.00

D. TOLGA X ELEGANT HEART DIVISION 120mm $US 30.00

D. COLONIAL MAID ÂVERITYÂ DIVISION OF ORIGINAL 180mm $US 95.00

D. GOLDEN MOON 8/6 + 2 NEW GROWTH $US 80.00

D. GRACIOUS CASCADES DIVISION 5/2 + 1 NEW GROWTH $US 50.00

D. MIARA ÂTEDÂS BEST YELLOWÂ DIVISION 12/ 7 + 2 NEW GROWTHS $US 120.00

At Cal Orchids he had 2 trays of seedlings that Hipkins (spelling?) recommended. One was Hilda Poxon x Hilda Poxon (different crosses) the other some beautiful Southern Star crosses. Since they are seedlings, I bought a few each. He was not really hiding them from the public, just waiting for them to get bigger before putting up for sale. Fred Clark from Sunset Orchids was there the day before and bought 8 each of them. When he lists them 2 years from now, you'll know where they came from.

At Santa Barbara Orchid Estates they had a tray of mericlone Avril's Gold, an awarded (in Australia)cross in the back also not keeping them from the public but waiting for them to reach a larger selling size. That one was $100, they still have more. Their $7.50 table is hard to beat, I like their LC tenebrosa and LC Sea Urchin, they crossed these with a few others so I got about a dozend of them. Sea Urchin is nice but has an incredible growing habit, literally outgrows the weeds in my back yard.

That's the extent of the damage.

Nick

That's a lot of damage!

I was going to say something like "Holy %$#^" or a simple "Gasp", but I'll just keep the mouth shut.

K

Now you know why I went to Mexico to get my tooth crown.

The DUNO outlay was panned and anticipated, I'm OK with that, my choice, but to blow additional really made me angry with myself. Its an old story and we have had numerous threads over the years but the problem is real. I even purposely only took enough cash to pay the bill with DUNO but also brought my plastic, big mistake.

Nick

I'd like to say, "At least you've learned your lesson," but that is not the case. When I go out saying to myself that I am not going to buy any plants - just going to look it's just not possible. I too have been angry at myself for splurging on new plants, but at least you'll be busy for a while and won't have time to buy more.... :-) Do you ever swap with others so you can have new orchids to entertain your addiction with without the pain in the pocket and in your ear (the "chew-out" session..."You spent WHAT?") Assuming that might happen, of course. My husband never chews me out. I feel so badly, but he keeps telling me that it's okay. He's an ENABLER!

Nick, a bit of info. Hipkins is probably Kevin Hipkins,,... Orchid grower, Orchid Nursery Owner, Orchid Hybridiser, AOC Orchid Judge.

Thank you Arthurm, I knew most of that, just was not sure of the spelling of his name when I typed that blurb. He was selling flasks at Cal Orchids in Santa Barbara, I talked to him, funny guy, reminds me of David Banks whom he does not seem to like very much for some reason. He steered me to the seedlings mentioned and respecting his opinion I bought some.

Nick

Well Nick,
There's this thing called JUSTIFICATION. lol
I look at it this way... If I buy an orchid, when it grows I can divide it and sell the division to get my money back. The good thing is that usually during repot, the plants have grown so big, that I can get 3 - 4 divisions out of it. Well if I'm selling the divisions for what I paid for them, then I made a profit and maybe buy another....
Hope you're well..
John

The only thing that would have effectively prevented that is to simply get back in the car and high tail it out of there.

Where's the fun in that? LOL

I was going to say something like "Holy %$#^" or a simple "Gasp"

That was my reaction too....