not too big on paphs myself.

but, to each his/her own! :)

I started with a phal a few years ago but to this day can't seem to rebloom them. I have become real good at reblooming Dens, Paphs and Oncs. though! I find them more interesting than phals. I have several Den Sakuras blooming and or spikeing now and a mini Oncidium spikeing! YAY!!!!!

Tom

I started on dends. The only paphs I have are three hours away in my mother's care. Glory!

Getting more Phals and Ctsm and fewer Paphs. Hopefully, there will be 6-7 fewer plants - mostly Paphs - after the local orchid society meeting this Sat.

Hanging onto the Phrags, though, and some smaller Paphs that haven't bloomed yet, plus the faithful spicerianum, one of the original Alien Babyfaces.

And thanks be to the Paphs & Phals that lured so many of us into the trap of our orchid addictions. Where would we be without them? (Perhaps best not to contemplate that.)

Evil Twin K., tell Kevin that it's admirable of both of you to be equal-opportunity 'chid bashers. Perhaps you've appeased the Phal Angels... for now. Heh heh

Whitecat8

Everyone goes through stages...I had a few forgettable stages. One was oncids (what was I thinking?)

I was Paph free until last December when a couple of hundred seedlings were donated to our Orchid Society. They are growing but are still a couple of years away from blooming, mostly, although one that was a little more mature is in bloom. I hope to be Paph free again sometime in the future.

Paphiopedilum Onyx 'Noya' x greyii
{{gwi:200430}}

No, but I'm getting there...annoying, I can rebloom dens, catts, phals....neos...and the danged paphs don't stick their ugly little tongues out at me. Dang Orrin! Blast his peaked little head for getting me to think I could do these.

Cease this heresy at once, no Paphs in your orchid collections indeed :)
I still have my first Phal (actually a keiki from my first Phal) and my first Paph but I still see my collection evolving away from my old favorites (I'm much more interested in other orchids like Pleuros at the moment).

Shaun

I love my phals, but I only have one paph--a vincolor. I keep it because I like how the leaves looks (moreso than the flowers). The mottled leaf paphs are probably the prettiest orchids out of bloom (in my opinion).

I just can't give them up. They are such reliable bloomers and the flowers last such an incredibly long time...they are an integral part of my collection. Oncids I gave up on. Just can't grow them or bloom them well...must be those little tiny roots.

BN

Anyone can send me their unloved and unwanted paphs. I love them, and they love me right back. They bloom reliably, and the blooms last and last, for easily several months. I'm now moving towards phrags, too.

But phals are another thing all together...phals, ugh! Phal Free and Proud of it!

Carolyn

Tsk, tsk, tsk. I stop by here for the first time in weeks and you guys are letting Kevin spout heresay??? You know... this thread is just a ploy to spread his own agenda. Now that he is Phal and Paph free, he is probably going to talk you all into growing masdevallias. Yeah... I know how it works around here. Paph lovers unite!!! hehehe!!
-Mimi

Yeah, I find it interesting how our tastes differ.

I wouldn't look twice at a masdie, a bulbo, paphs, phrags or pleuros.

I do love my dends, oncids and catts.

I would love to grow the monkey-faced draculas...but don't have the microclimate for them.

Like I said, I don't find these ugly or anything. In fact, most have fascinating flowers and the colors can be amazing. Maybe it's the way they grow or something. I really do like things that creep in all directions I guess.

Kevin - the good twin

I was never phal free, only relatively phal free. Now that I'm relatively catt-free until I can get an outdoor space, phals are filling the void. Don't know whether it's a fatal attraction or not, but breeding has gotten pretty interesting these days. All shapes sizes and colors throughout the year.

I'm over my paph fascination too (just for the time being, I hope) since I failed on the parvis, which are favs of mine. My first orchid was a complex hybrid and I remember how cool I thought it was. When I can get cooler night temps I'll try them again. But til then I'm enjoying the ease of phals.

J

Well, I tried paphs but ended up giving them away. They just don't do it for me - sorry. My new motto - must love catts. ^..^

Marci

I dunno, I find Paphs unappealing, despite the fact they once fascinated me with their shiny, plastic-like appearance. I suspect I would kill one if I bought it, so I'm keeping well away.

And Phals, after loosing my entire collection to false mite, I just can't find them interesting anymore, even the wilder coloured ones. The magic's just gone! *POOF!*

But mini-catts, some oncids & alliance, and cycs make my heart go pitpatpitpat.

Snowpea

for the longest time I was a devout phal'er, but I'm now free! Unfortunately (and blissfully) I've developed a raging case of Dend fever...oh well. Its the greastest illness I've ever had! -Ryan

Ok, if we're also talking fevers...

(almost) Never met a Ctsm, Cyc, or relative that I didn't LOVE!!! That goes for stans too.

carolyn

Ryan

Dend fever is properly known as "True Enlightenment". Once you have attained this level there is no going back to the lesser species. You have reached the highest level of awareness possible in this dimension. Yes, I have it too. We are now something other than mere mortal beings. AinÂt it great??

Kevin

Oh No, not me! I'm totally devoted to my slippers - paphs & phrags, the actual reason why I started growing orchids in the first place.I couldn't imagine not having them.
I jumped on dends this time last year - LOVE THEM!
Mini catts are my new passion, can't wait to get more.

But paph free? NO WAY!

Regards
Paph lover 4ever

I like my paphs,phrags, and phals. But I am perged of most oncs( ahh that feels good).Except for Tolumnia and like "Twinkle"s and like the Gold Dust I'm trying to kill. O.k. let's be honest. I'm trying to kill all my plants all the time,not on purpose but that's the way it always works out.gb

In southern Australia, the title of this thread would be something to do with Cymbidiums because they are beginner orchids here.
I have had my Paph. Winston Churchill 'Indomitable' for over tweny years and i still love it.
Ginnibug, why are you TRYING to kill your Tolumnia. My understanding is they die without much effort at all. I'm taking a couple of surplus ones to sell at the last day of the Rockdale Plaza Show, but i always try to sell them to a customer who might (just might) succeed in growing them.

I became phal. and paph. free a few months ago when my (future ex) husband ran over the wire bakers' rack, and then the plants, with the mower. I saved one Phal., a peloric hybrid. Only other phals are a few species on slices of wood (Doritis pulcherrima, Phal. equestris). All those in pots, defunct.
Only had the one Paph, and it is compost now.
Vandaceous orchids are much more heat-friendly, anyway.
I believe that men (or at least mine) should only have tools that they have to wind up. No power tools! None!
Cheers - Nancy

Nancy

But power tools are such a rush!! Every time I fire up the chain saw I have this dreadful feeling something terrible is going to happen TO ME. It hasn't, but the thought that it could just makes the whole thing so irresistible.

K

There are a few [albeit very few] paphs I like. However I can't grow them only kill them. Do have 2 phrags someone gave me that are barely on this side of life. Can't grow them either it seems.

Is this a twelve step posting?

Nancy - Is that why your husband is to be your future ex? Makes sense to me. A judge would take one look at the description of the the orchid murder, award you EVerything, and issue a restraining order that prohibits your ex from getting closer than 100' to all power tools. LOL Whitecat8

Well, whitecat, I guess if I was going to eviscerate him, I'd have done it long ago...this summer, he also 'pruned' my pineapple guava - it had bloomed for years, and never set fruit; so this year, I borrowed some flowering branches and hand-pollenated all the flowers I could reach. There were several dozen fruits on the bush, now they are also compost.
Grrrr!
I think men live in their own world. If I were wearing a baseball costume, he would have remembered that the guavas were all doted upon.
Like children - surprising we humans don't eat our young.
Cheers - guavaless Nancy

I am so going to have nightmares about my fiance mowing down my cyms! He isn't a plant lover, but he doen't complain about my little pots of starting lily bulbs (for the outside) OR especially my orchid invasion that accompanied me when I moved in. One time he said "Are you going to buy many more plants honey?" and THAT was enough to warrant my meanest look of death (I have to be stern or he may progress to the "mower" stage! lol!). And yes, I'm buying more.
Oh - I lost all my 8 Phals in a freak hail storm (That happens in Calgary). I have one Phal I bought last year. It looks great, but won't grow leaves and won't flower, so I'm getting sick of it. It better be growing roots at least. I'll switch to phosphorous, repot and cool it this fall and see what happens. I just bought my first paph, so I'm axious to see If I can get THAT to give me a bud. I am really obsessing over it, which I sure the paph can detect, and that's why it's hiding it's babies from me :(

I started my current obsession whan I surprised myself by reblooming a white gift Phal that had arrived almost frozen 2 years before. I intended to be a Laelia or Catt grower because I love the fragrance. But, they don't love me - the only orchids I seem to be able to keep alive and blooming are Phals. So, now my task is to find (and, I hope, succeed with) Phals with fragrance. Well, that's a nice challenge! It should keep me going for quite a while! :-D

blah blah blah blah blah blah.....enough!!! This is all nonsense!

All these posts...speaking of pafz and faaalz and ahnks and dendz....cims n' katz...none are MY friends...

Not a word about Angs??? Come ON people!! It is an entire family or subtribe or whatever...and yet people ignore it. Oooooh it makes me mad. OFF WITH YOUR HEADS!

(i have a few paphs...i don't publicize it)
-MB

My Lord this was an old thread. How on earth did it get resurrected?

Paphs still don't move me. Angs are OK I guess, but they're usually soooooo white. Not that white is bad or anything.

K

Can't stand Paphs and Phrags. Never had one, never will.

I have six old Phals that I don't have the heart to part with. Gave all the rest away a few years ago. As much as I complain about how boring they are, they give me year round flowers. They look like they went through a war, but they always flower. They've become friends.

But Phaphs, yuck!

I like the Evil Twin Kevin. He's sooo much fun! Well now that the post is ressurected, and I have been down with influenza...grrrr...

When I was a young child, I remember taking an afternoon picnic up a river by boat. I had wandered away from the picnic into the woods. It was unlike any forest I had visited previously. I remember passing by these surreal coloured mushrooms, bright lime greens, reds and oranges. Eventually, I came into a clearing that was carpeted with pink paphs. I will never forget it. There were hundreds! I thought I had stumbled into the secret meeting place of ballerina fairies. For a child, it was a breathtaking site... I kept their secret meeting place to myself, fearing somone would chase them away.

So yes, I have "ballerinas" and always will. I also have some "boy ballerinas" with long moustaches so the girls will have dance partners :-)

Clara

Clara

I think you may have hit on something. There are certain plants I just don't appreciate potted. Maybe paphs are one of these. I can see how one or a whole bunch of them would be fantastic in a natural setting however. I think that's also one of the reasons I've never had any interest in adding the native slippers to my garden.

K

If I was Paph. free I wouldn't be enjoying the bloom on Paph. rothschildianum with a second bloom coming on.

I'm not Phal free either nor do I ever want to be. I have some NOID phals that bloom their hearts out but I am also now into species phals and some of the intense blue and red ones being hybridized. Nope, they will always have a place too.

Brooke

I love the new phals with saturated, intense, waxy blooms that last forever. I may get tired of them, but not for a long while.

I like flowers, period. The more there are, and the longer they last the better, as far as I'm concerned.