Yes, photos are allowed at the shows. The problem generally is the crowds. I usually buy a number of orchids so bring a large shopping bag with handles. Yes, a paph. would be a good choice for you. I grow lots of paphs and love them. There will probable be lots of maudie crosses to chose from. Just pick one you like and buy it. My strongest advice is, if you like a plant grab it and hold it in your hand until you decide if you want to buy it or not. Seems like the second you lay it down, someone else wants it because you thought it was a good plant. Try to be there when they open the doors and you'll have more fun.

"try to be there when you open the doors and you'll have more fun." Well yes, but everyone thinks that and turns up early because they think that all the bargains will be snapped up. If you are a newbie and it is a vendor show you will be hard pressed to get any culture advice because the vendors will be flat out selling in the early stages of a show.
There are all sorts of shows. Little Society Shows To enormous orchid extravagansas. Our little orchid society show opens next Thursday morning in a shopping centre and the first four hours of the show will be a rat factory.

Hi Flower Pot Tipper,

It's exciting to hear you're going to your first orchid show!

If you've got a bucket in your brain for growing houseplants, another for succulents, and a third for orchids, you're off to a good start because care requirements can be way different from each other.

Slipper orchids are also known as Paphiopedilums, or Paphs (rhymes with "laughs"). If you come across another kind of slipper orchid, the Phragmipedium, or Phrag (like "rag" that begins with an "F"), you might want to pass on it because Phrags can be challenging for beginners.

If you post a photo of your unidentified orchid, perhaps forum members can help ID it and provide cultural requirements - light, temperature ranges, watering, and potting medium for your growing environment & agricultural zone, for example.

In my opinion, yes, you're wise to get an orchid (or two... six?) at an orchid show from a commercial grower, rather than from a big box store.

Another resource for orchid potting is repotme.com, in case you miss the class at the show - looking at real-life orchids can get mighty distracting. :)

That said, I learned the hard way at my first orchid show - the annual AOS (American Orchid Society) show held in my hometown of Minneapolis. In the U.S., this is A Huge Show.

I'm big on documentation and made a list for future large-ish orchid shows. Hopefully, some of the info will be helpful.

First: Consider going to the show by yourself.

Advantages: You can go at your own pace, get just as obsessed as you want - or not, have all your energy available for orchids, rather than needing to accommodate or negotiate over another person's level of interest or knowledge about orchids or them wanting to leave before or after you do.

If you go with someone else, take separate cars.

Also, know the crowd may be shoulder to shoulder the entire time you’re there.

A. Before you leave home

1. Bringing your new orchids home: Toss newspaper and cardboard boxes or some such in your car. Copy paper boxes are a good size. The sides are high enough to hold your plants upright, and the newspaper will separate orchid pots from each other & protect any mounted orchids.

A vendor may put your purchase in a small box that won’t hold it up on the way home.

2. Plan to go straight home when you leave the show, if the weather’s too hot or cold to leave orchids in the car while you make one or more stops.

3. Know your cultural conditions: Some orchid tags at the show will note a temperature requirement of W, I, or C for Warm, Intermediate, or Cool. Most houses provide Intermediate temps.

Lighting requirements: H or B, M, L for High or Bright, Medium, or Low.

On the web, definitions may differ somewhat from one site to another.

If a tag at the show lacks this info and you don’t know the orchid’s requirements, you can ask the vendor. Just know they may be mobbed & you may have to wait awhile.

4. A fanny pack worn in front or slightly to one side can hold snacks plus ID, credit card, cash (including change for the plant check) paper, pen, etc. Pickpockets cruise these events, so a billfold in your pocket or a backpack is risky.

Also, for women who usually carry a purse, a fanny pack will free both hands and let you bend over to look at or pick up plants, make notes, etc. Also, the fanny pack eliminates having to deal with your purse falling forward or you elbowing someone as you hold it back from the plants.

5. Take paper and pen to list the plants that interest you or you buy & the vendor. Tags can fall out of pots, and you may want to contact the vendor later or check out other orchids on their website.

6. Take healthy snacks. Orchid shows eat up energy!

7. Plan to drink enough water during the day. You may be panting over all those orchids and get dehydrated.

8. Plan to eat lunch at the show. Your first show can be like an expedition to a foreign country. Steady blood sugar levels are your friend.

B. Your first day - ideally, the first day of vendor sales

1. Get there as early as possible.

2. If the crowd isn’t too thick, whip through the entire vendor section quickly to get an idea of who's got which orchids.

3. Then start back through the vendors. When you find a plant of interest, check the tag for CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS - mainly, light and temperatures. If none is listed, and the vendor isn’t swamped, s/he can tell you. Check those against your environment for light and temperature ranges when deciding whether to buy it.

Many new orchid enthusiasts buy an irresistible orchid, only to watch it decline and die weeks or months after they get it home because they’ve got intermediate temps and medium light, and the orchid needs cool temps and low light.

Cuts right down on enjoyment and confidence.

4. ASK HOW LARGE THE ORCHID WILL LIKELY GET IN THE NEXT 3 YEARS, or whatever time period. If it will be 3.5’ tall and 2’ wide, you won't be surprised.

5. Ask HOW EASY IS THIS ORCHID FOR A BEGINNER, if you're new to orchids. Yes, this can vary by beginner, but at least you have the vendor’s opinion.

6. At larger shows, there will be a plant check. If you have more than a couple of orchids at a time �" or one large plant, they may get damaged, if the place is packed w/ other people carrying orchids. Flowers or even entire spikes can get broken off when you're trying to navigate with multiple plants.

7. Eat snacks.

8. Drink water.

10. Eat lunch.

C. When you’re ready to leave the show
Assuming you're by yourself when you leave and you have more than a couple of new orchids.

1. Make sure your hand is stamped or you have another way to be readmitted, just in case.

2. Find the outside entrance closest to the plant check.

3. MAKE SURE THE ENTRANCE CAN BE OPENED FROM THE OUTSIDE, or that you have a way to get back inside, hopefully without walking 2 blocks to get back to the main entrance.

It’ll probably be fine because others will be using this entrance, too.

4. Go out and warm up or cool off your car, if relevant.

5. Move your car as close to the outside entrance as possible without risking a ticket or tow. Usually, parking restrictions are lax during these shows.

6. Bring in one box and enough newspaper for several plants.

7. From the plant check, get enough plants to fill the box. If you get too many, you can always recheck them or ask the staff person to hold them for a minute while you take the box to the car.

8. Pack your orchids in the box, using newspaper to protect them from each other.

9. Repeat for the rest of your new, amazing-beyond-belief orchids, if applicable.

10. Once home, congratulate yourself and break out a beverage. You made it through your first day of your first orchid show!!

Best, WhiteCat8

Here is a link that might be useful: Repot Me.com

Wow, thank you bob, arthurm, and whitecat8,

I didn't get to go today cause my daughter got sick,but I will go tomorrow, no matter what, I found a sitter. I really hope there's still some good plants left tomorrow, if not, atleast I'll get to see some beautiful plants.

whitecat8-

Thank you for all the advise, the thing about the purse knocking things over, has happened to me before at an expensive store when I went to pick something up to look at it, I knocked over a teacup and plate, which I bought cause I felt bad and was embarassed. I don't have a fanny pack, but I'll figure something out.

And the thing about going alone is a good idea, my friend wants to go with me, but she can hardly walk and I can't get her scooter in my van...she can barely stand or walk for a few minutes before wanting to leave (and she doesn't drive anymore so we can't take seperate cars)...but I'm terribly shy and I get severe anxiety around strangers...but I don't know anyone else that loves plants. I wish I knew someone who can let me borrow a wheelchair so I can just push her (and that way I can just run people over if they get in my way LOL, just joking). I'll talk to her tonight and see if she really wants to go, I think going be myself is a better idea...

Thank you all again very much!!!
-FlowerPotTipper

SUPER tips, whitecat8! Had not thought of ALL of that even after going to several shows!

You're welcome for the tips. Jank, my brain breaks things into ridiculous details.

FPT, the website for the facility may say if they have wheelchairs available.

Also, depending on the size of this show, it may not be super crowded. And it *will* be the 2nd day - fewer people usually.

If you don't have a book for beginners yet, a good one is Ortho's All About Orchids. It's in paperback for less than $10.

I hope you have a good day. WC8

Hello,

So I went and had a fun time. It was small show, not too many people, maybe 30-40 people. I walked out with seven new orchids, including my slipper, and one cactus orchid. I'm really excited. the people there was great, got ALOT of good information on everything, including repotting.

Now I have a new plant type to love and collect, I didn't know there was so many types of orchids, I always just see the moth orchids and sometimes a very few others, I didn't know there was so much more then that. I love it. And to think I've been missing out all this time, LOL.

I even took 75 pictures, so many I want...

Thank you again,
-FlowerPotTipper

FlowerPotTipper, hooray for the small show. It's great to hear it worked out well for you. Seven new orchids! You gotta tell what you have now, including which slipper.

If you don't mine me asking which show it was, it'd be fun to see the list of vendors. Here in Minnesota, we have one tiny show each year... in January... in conjunction with the St. Paul Winter Carnival. In normal January weather, on sidewalks downtown, people stroll through elaborate ice sculptures. Meanwhile, orchids that live in 70-degree weather get hauled in vans from out of state, often in subzero wind chill temps. Poor little things.

Isn't it amazing - I used to say, "Okay, I've seen this moth orchid before. *That* is an orchid, too? Wow, and also that plant on the back row? And do you mean to tell me that this weird-looking thing right in my hand is *also* an orchid? Really????"

If you went to a show, planning to get a slipper, and came home with five other orchids, you may be an Orchid Addict in Training. :)

Enjoy! WC8

Unless your 'Catus Orchid' is an Eulophia pertersonii which I doubt, it probably is an Epiphyllum which has nothing to do with orchids but makes spectacular, short lived flowers.

Good luck with your new plants, sounds like you controlled your self pretty well. I have a couple of suggestions;

Start a catalog of your plants, not now but eventually when you have a few hundred plants, you will tend to repurchase the same plants as you are attracted to certain types. Having a list of plants helps to avoid that.

If you have a smart phone and can go on the internet, bring up potential purchases as some plants change names. Encyclias have been fragmented and go under several new names, the same thing will likely happen to Masdevallias. I have on several occasions bought a 'new' plant only to find out it was a synonymn of something I already have.

The best times to go is the earliest and the latest possible times. Go immediately when the show opens as you get the best selection but also go 1/2 hour before closing as most vendors will drastically slash prices to get rid of stock. Don't be embarrassed to make a low offer on a plant, you will be surprised how often it is accepted at 4:30PM Sunday.

Look for damaged plants. If you like a certain BLC for example and there are several available, one with damaged flowers, make a low offer on that plant, it will bloom again. Don't buy for the flowers on the plant right now but for the ones in the future. Flowers are of course important as it's your best guide to what you are getting but I have no problem with fading or slightly crushed flowers as long as the price is right.

Buy the largest plant you can afford, it's very frustrating to buy a small plant because you like the 'Sample Plant' and then have to wait 2 to 3 years for your first bloom.

Probably not now but once you are fully addicted, go to the show with a certain amount of cash and leave the check book and the plastic at home. Just like Los Vegas, a good orchid show will suck you dry so be prepared.

In the end it's all good fun and there are centers for rehab if you ever want to escape the addiction. There also 9 or 12 step programs for recovered orchid addicts you can join in the future. Or you can fully immerse yourself and end up doing handstands for rare and unusual plants which you will never find at orchid shows but are obtained by scouring the far corners of the world.

Nick

Nick said: "Probably not now but once you are fully addicted, go to the show with a certain amount of cash and leave the check book and the plastic at home. Just like Los Vegas, a good orchid show will suck you dry so be prepared. "

Amen brother...

Bob

Hey Nick,

Super suggestions. More items for the list.

WC8

There is a lot of wisdom in many of these suggestions. Thank you to those who have thought about this so much, and to FPT for the original post.
Such a pity I am missing out on a major show this month because of family commitments. It would have been a great chance to apply some of this new-found knowledge.
Thanks, br

Packed the orchids, off to the show to help set up the display. NO! i haven't got a a list with 1000 items on it. Just fingers crossed that the members will bring enough plants so that our display team will have something to work with and the shopping centre management will be happy and invite the Society back.
Hmmmm... hope i haven't forgotten anything, maybe i need a list.
PS i'm the Show Marshal, what are they called over there?

Arthurm, you've probably got more orchid show procedures in your head than would fit on 5 lists. :) Here's hoping you have a "gracious plenty" of orchids. WC8

Hello Everyone again,

sorry I didn't post sooner...my daughter had to get a tooth pulled yesterday..and that was quite an adventure as she's VERY scared of the dentist (she's only ten years old), they gave her a medication to relax her plus laughing gas, and she still screamed....the fun adventures of parenting LOL...

anyways... I got: (whats written on their tags)
-paph. (makuli-curt sii)-maudiaex
paph. maudiae 'napa velley' hcc/aos x sib
-Onc. Sharry baby 'Velvet maroon' (the smell is what sold me)
-Den. Little Sweet Scent (the smell was addicting, couldn't pass it up)
-Phal. gigantea
-Guarianthe skinneri 'Guaria Morada'
-Epidendrum red reed stem
-Guarianthe aurantiaca 'Marisa'

The last four are not in bloom, but hopefully one day they will be.

I'm also already a plant addict, and I have no plans on recovery anytime soon LOL. Altogether I have 170 plants in my home (mostly succulents and hoyas, but a litle bit of everything).

I went to the South Central Washington show. My friend and I where thinking of signing up to join the society so we can learn more about caring for our orchids, do you think that's a good idea??

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I didn't spend more then ten dollars on each orchid, even the flowering ones, most where about $5 each. So if I kill them, it wont be too much of a loss...but I really hope that doesnt happen..

Thank you again
-FPT

FPT,

Lots of different light requirements there...

Yes, a society would be great help, but there are also books and the interent you can use to do some research on your own.

Basically, the paphs and phals less light, the others more... Water/fert once a week heavily with good water. Flush with no fert 1x month.

Good luck,

Bob

I'm so glad you liked your first show. Our shows here can be pretty small- our last one is Memorial Day weekend in Traverse City- I am hoping our society can pull together a better display than we sent last year (a whopping 7 plants). I think joining the local society is a great idea. You can find people who grow in similar conditions to yours and compare ideas. Also, the monthly speakers often bring plants- so you see different orchids over the course of the year in bloom. Beware though; we are a big bunch of enablers and 5 orchids turn into 50 orchids really fast.

Thanks for the pix and the list. Quite the haul, and great prices.

The Google Machine says the Guarianthe skinneri 'Guaria Morada' is the National Flower of Costa Rica. The national flower of a whole nation sitting right there on your table!

Another vote here for joining your local orchid society. Lisa, as you say, knowing local growers is a huge plus.

Off-topic: Look for an email from me about hoyas. I want "just one" that'll grow with my orchids. :)

Thanks for sharing the excitement of your first show.

Whitecat8

Here is a link that might be useful: Guarianthe skinneri 'Guaria Morada'