LOL, elf. Brilliant.

But actually, I don't grow dends myself. heh heh

Dends are our friends! Phals are phoul!

Dends rule, esp the species/decidous/pendulous dends- that is unparalled beauty. The blooms last a couple of weeks and not on my face for six months. As much as I hate run of the mill hybrid dends(except a couple of old hybrids) they are the toughest things on earth. The ones flown off during hurricane Wilma, was found later in the yard with spikes on them. Have a phal do that for me, phew no way....
Is there even a doubt that dends rule?
ps
Still grow a few phals, a pain in the rear, off I go to get a venosa....

I started with Phals and still have tons, but Dendrobiums have stolen my heart.

It is so bad that people just mention that they have a Dendrobium for sale and I say yes please without even thinking of the price....and I can not afford it.

My husband refuses to give up the bed and sleep outside or standing up, so that I can set up more lights and there is nowhere else to put them.

I need help....is there a Dendrobiums support group somewhere...that will help me to stop buying them.

Addicted and I know it ....but I love them all.

--Dends appeal to the truly enlightened orchid enthusiast--
Ah, true! I cannot claim to grow any Phalaenopsis (a Doritis on a wood mount only). I regard the bulk of Phals as being like the Miss Universe contestants; sure, they are different colors, but other than that, all pretty much the same size and shape - beautiful but soulless.
With Dendrobiums (particularly the species), *now* you are getting into real character; creeping, crawling, upright, tall, short, hairy, furry or bald, crinkles and frills, bristles, evergreen, deciduous and everything in between. Miniatures and giants in every color imaginable. Stick to the species and they're almost universally fragrant. They grow in everything from desert to mud, full blazing sun to deep shade, on roots, rocks and bark.
So much more *interesting* than a plant you can grow on a windowsill ~yawn~.
Regards - Nancy

I saw the "Dendrobium winnebago" at OHG last time I was there. It was outside and 50 people from St Paul swooped out of it like starving fungus gnats. I nearly launched a rocket grenade at them fearing they might nibble the leaves.
Gotta watch the friendly fire...

Clara

Dends? meh...

They're ok. Actually, with the jillions of species, it's true that anyone could find one to like. The problem I have with them is that most of the ones I really like are cloud forest/cool growers, or grow to an enormous size. Even some that aren't so huge tend to send out growths sideways, which takes up way too much room.

I prefer the more Vandaceous types. Monopodial so they don't take up a lot of room. While pfahlz are in that group...I don't really like them, nor do i grow them...other than five or six. However another group that is rarely mentioned and is poorly understood, but is MUCH MUCH better than dends or any other, is Angs. Angraecoids. Angs are the best, better than all the rest.
-MB

They rank #4 on my fav list for ease of growing and blooming. Mine are all outdoors on benches below my vandas, and bloom year round. I do run into a slight problem with bloom spikes entangling with vanda roots, and some have to be moved and tied to support poles when the canes reach five feet or more.

I love my Dend. amethystoglossum-it is blooming again after 2 months! Most Dends I've had didn't like being so warm. Bought it in Florida, where I should buy more Dends, as I can bloom only the warm growers.

Carol

Me, of course. Not the grocery story dend-phals either. I like the latouria, nigrohirsute and the "funky" types.

Nobiles for me! I tried a normal type once, didn't do well with it, but did wonderfully with my yamamoto type Sea Mary 'Snow King' and i loved it everytime it bloomed.

Wonderful responses! Keep 'em coming.

Linda - This is NOT an addiction. Having tons of Dends is a necessity of life. Could you ever have too much air to breath? No way. Same with Dends.

Nancy - I think you nailed it on the head. Words of true wisdom from a true master. Thank you.

Clara - Yes, those people from St Paul are an odd bunch. Not to be trusted.

K

Well, I love the "I love" threads. All the naked partisanship and jingoism -- just makes me feel right at home. I do think we need a few more, tho.

Yup, I do too and I also agree more should be started. Who wants to take the plunge?

K

Me, me, count me in. I got all kinds of dends, phal type, nobil type, nigrohirsutae type, verticle, pendulant, and I if I have space, I would buy more.

Well!
Since I have 14 of them, I must like them somewhat! ;~)
The larger part are Den. moniliforme.
I think I have about six of those.

The others are mixed!
Dendrobium aggregatum-
aggregatum var Majus-
chrysotoxum-
dichaeoides-
falconeri-(Not sure if it's actually still alive)
palpebrae-
parishii-
thyrsiflorum-

I don't have phals anymore.
Never really had many in the first place.
They hate me!

Scott

Only have two, Kevin, but love them both: Emma White, a cast-iron dend-phal, and D. unicum, a delightful miniature with bright orange, and dare I say phallic, flowers.

I think Jane has mentioned this before, but dend phal hybrids are great for northern growers: outside all spring, summer, fall, then indoors to bloom and largely ignore until after winter.

Me! Me! Me! Count me in. Dends are a big part of the orchids that I grow. Or rather, which grow for me without any trouble whatsoever !
See what I mean ?
{{gwi:184356}}
{{gwi:184357}}

Oops, the kingianum is insulted I didn't mention him. Or them: I potted up two keikis this spring, one of which is doing great in Turface, the other in a bark mix is stalled.

OMG Sunita, those plants are fantastic! You probably have the perfect climate for growing many of these. I bet they're all beautiful in a garden setting.

tee - We CAN'T insult the kingianum! Good Lord, that little bugger causes too much grief the way it is. I've never found bark to be a good choice for these under my conditions. You might want to plop that little thing in some lava rock. Mine loves it.

K

I've been lurking forever and truly enjoying this forum. I'm a newbie, I've collected about 20 orchids of different species. I choose them by growing conditions and by flowering frequency (I try to stick with long bloomers or frequent bloomers and LOVE fragrant). I'm just beginning to get reblooms on some of my orchids, since I've only been growing orchids about a year now. I'm definitely addicted! My latest temptation is a dendrobium anosmum, which I found for sale. It is beautiful and I almost can't sleep with wanting to get it. I can't find much info on this plant though and got so excited to see so many dendrobium enthusiasts answer this post. What would I have to be able to provide to this plant in zone 5 (conditions wise) to have it thrive and bloom? I do move my plants outside in summer, but since I'm new to this, I'm not sure of how much sun, or the spot I've chosen until I see results this winter with my existing plants. My sharry baby and phal spiked almost immediately when they moved outside. Any comments about the plant would also be helpful. The plant will run me about $65 which is a lot, so I want to be sure before I go ahead. Thanks.

Let's hear some more Dend recommendations! I got D. unicum because it was reputed to be miniature, fragrant, didn't need mounting, didn't need cloud forest conditions, and wasn't really tough to grow. So far, largely borne out, although I'm not flowering it anywhere near its potential, based on some photos I've seen.

Any other species or hybrids that fit this bill, I'd love to hear about it...

Susan - First, welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of Dends. Despite the other "I love..." threads, Dends really are the best! Hands down, they are wonderful plants and you just can't go wrong collecting them.

I don't want to put a damper on your spirit, but you may want to reconsider the anosmum. I don't grow this one, but based on the info I've found this can be a REALLY huge plant. Are you sure you would have the space and enough light during the winter? Outside in the summer is great for almost all Dends and I'm sure this one would love it, but what about the rest of the year? Unless you have a GH, I would recommend doing some exploring of what else is available. $65 is also a lot of money to spend on one plant. I like good deals and spend time looking for them.

Here's what I would do: Check out the plants available from the following places to start.

Oak Hill Gardens - they have a great selection of species at good prices. Shipping is also very reasonable.

H&R Nurseries in Hawaii. Don't be put off by the fact they are so far away. Shipping is still cheap and the plants just can't be beat. Pay particular attention to the ones under $10. I've gotten some very nice plants in the $7 range that were almost bursting their pots.

Exotic Orchids of Maui - again in Hawaii, but what I said about H&R applies to them too. One of these days they will also have a FREE SHIPPING sale on orders of $50 or more. Almost everyone out here buys plants from them at some point.

Once you find plants you like, try looking them up on Jay's site. He only lists species (no hybrids), but you'll get a good idea if they plant you're interested in are good for your conditions. Also remember: if you stick with the smaller growing plants you can have more of them. Would you really want to devote the majority of your growing area to one or two plants?

Good luck.

tee - There are really so many, but one came to mind immediately - Dend. formosum var. gigantea. I bloomed this one for the first time last winter and was just blown away by the flowers. They are just huge and really beautiful. I also don't think a lot of folks have this one. I got mine from Oak Hill.

Kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: Jay's

They're my most reliable bloomer. :)

Gosh, thanks Kevin (blush, blush).
Those were just a few I had kept in the eastern corner of my verandah. In the first photo you can see more of them in the background. I clicked it early in the morning, thats why its so dark.
And on top of the shade-net you can see why I need a net in the first place (the shade part of it was a mistake made years ago)--- coconut leaves are incredibly heavy, especially the woody part of it. When they fall from a height of 20 - 30 feet, they can even knock out a man !

hehe...ah the dends... yeah, like most I started with phals and the like...BUT NO MORE! Love my dends! Lautorias are my favorites (especially since I stopped killing them!) But yes, you just can't beat dendroiums for all around wonder. Now if I can just get my tobaense to bloom, I'll be set! (or atleast untill I find another fix, hehe) -Ryan

You people are seriously damaged goods. Why would anyone want the pain, frustration and unhappiness of these beasts? They tempt you with a few flowers now and again -- not big floofy blooms like a catt...not neat lovely flowers like a phal...just miserable blooms that don't last long, get eaten by bugs and then die. By the way, then the plant tries to die too. I'm looking at one right now with a spike of miserable little blooms and dessicated leaves -- the plant is only half the size it was a year ago. They go backwards. And don't forget, I'm the poster who every year complains that another dend grows lovely foliage, starts big fat spikes, then blasts them. I've had this one for 7 years and have never had a bloom. That one is residing in its summer home and right now is teasing me with its spikes again. I'm just waiting for them to turn brown. One thing I am though is stubborn. Next year, I'll be posting -- 8 years and no blooms. I think I'm a dend loser...

I like the nobiles, and some of the really interesting and unique ones
victoriae-reginae is one of my faves, though I cant grow them here
too warm
but most love the warth here
and grow like weeds
my mikayii has 5 blooming tems on it and each of them has 6 new growths
bvellatulum is the same way
but with more new growwths per stem

I love dends. I have lots of them and what was surprising to me is that two of my nobiles bloomed after I put them outside in late March. Lovely long spikes. I love dends and cattleyas. They're my very favorites.

Susanblooms- get the anosmum, they do have pendulous cane, but they are not as large as pulchellum, gatton sunray or fimbriatum oculatum( all are gorgeous by the way).
Dend peirardi(aphyllum) is smaller and slender, Will take a few good years before they specimen out. My latest love are crystallianum and lutiflorum, little finicky creatures- both seem smaller and slender. All mine are outside so I have not paid much attention to size. I am still looking for my miniature Scaphyglottis gramminea, lol
SUNITA- Good to see you around after a long time. Love your monster Dends.
Dends do rule!!

Yeah! Especially in tropical India : )
For some inexplicable reason I've had it drilled in my head that Phals are cold-growing plants (!) so I've been tip-toeing around them. Which as any seasoned orchid grower can tell you is THE most absolutely worst mistake one can make. Need a major mental realignment, I know.
But my dends...love rough treatment. Maybe they watched a lot of caveman stuff in their formative years? ; )

sunita - Do you grow any cool species we don't normally see over here?

dotty - Yes, we are a sick group of folks. Sick, but happy. Maybe BC just isn't good Dend territory? I know there are lots of things I wouldn't even attempt to grow because of where I am.

Kevin

There are a couple that I dont know how to classify. I got one from an enormous cluster growing on a tree by the roadside on a highway. This was back in the days before I knew better not to take cuttings from wild orchids. I've got it mounted on a coconut tree now. I'll take a photo when it blooms and post it sometime.
But as for the rest, we're severely crippled in the orchid sales department. I managed to get all of mine from commercial cut-flower growers.Thats about all that is available, unfortunately. Unless you decide to be selfish and go orchid-hunting in the forests.
There is not much information available about how easy it is to grow tropical orchids here. Most people think you need a greenhouse and a lot of other complicated stuff to grow one because that is what they read in magazines and see in pics about someone growing them in, say, Canada or the UK.

Sunita, If envy is a sin,I'm in big trouble! Those are beautiful. I love dends. I want to get one that grows really large and does well in my area. Haven't decided on one yet. Any sugestions?I grow on my glassed in porch. West,South and East exposure.Humidity high and good air circulation.Love my Phals too, but not much of a floof type person. Gladys

I love Phals AND Dens, which can fit my criteria - small, fragrant, long-lasting flowers or bloom more than once a year, grow in my conditions.

These are all new, so who knows if I can grow them:

Dendrobium aberrans
Dendrobium atroviolaceum ('Pygmy' x sib.)
Dendrobium draconis - smells like oranges
Dendrobium eximium
Dendrobium Himezakura 'Sanokku'
Dendrobium loddigesii
Dendrobium macrophylum (not small!)
Dendrobium moniliforme Banri kou
Dendrobium moniliforme Benisuzume
Dendrobium moniliforme 'Hakuhou' ('White Bird')
Dendrobium moniliforme Hime no mai
Dendrobium moniliforme Kuomaru botan
Dendrobium moniliforme 'Shin Haya Tama'
Dendrobium moniliforme, unknown currently
Dendrobium moniliforme, unknown currently
Dendrobium unicum

The moniliformes are ideal - fairly long-lasting flowers, fragrant, small plants that grow straight up, rather than sprawling. Amazing foliage. Can bloom more than once a year.

Kevin, where did you get that Den. formosum???? The flowers are so amazing, I don't even care it's not fragrant.

Also, today there's a beautiful one featured on Andy's site, Den. ceraula (gonzalesii). Be still, my heart. And, it's not mounted - hate the daily misting routine. 12 mounties is 12 too many.

Sunita, this Minnesotan stares in wonder at your pictures.

Count me in for Dens - unless I can't make them happy.

Whitecat8

Here is a link that might be useful: Den. ceraula (gonzalesii)

WC

My goodness, you certainly went wild with the moniliforme! Congrats!

If you're interested in the gonzalesii, check out Lowe's website. They had a couple of these cheap.

The formosum came from Oak Hill, but I don't see it on their website now. Maybe he still has a few. Here's a pic from last winter. 4 inch flower on a 10 inch plant. It's currently loving it outside.

{{gwi:184358}}

K

Thanks, Kev, for the sources. I'll e-mail Greg @ Oak Hill about the formosum and check out Lowe's. WC8