I have no specific plant but wish we had taken all of the catts from an elderly gentleman who was closing down his G/H last fall. We took quite a few and had to add additional lights and stands for those to get them through the winter. It was also going to mean redoing our summer outside area to handle them. Now, I could house them - darn it.

Brooke

Calvin, I sympathize. But I think a wise man said that it's better to desire than acquire (or words to that affect).

John :>)

Calvin, why not try to find out if it's still available? Maybe the prez will know who brought it. Or if it's not still available, they may have another.

Alternatively, ask at the next meeting whose it was and inquire if it's still there. Or someone else might have one.

Don't pine, find a way to get it.

BTW, I feel that way every time I see Google selling at $700+ a share when I thought it was too expensive at $300.

The only cure is to either buy it some way or find some other beguiling thing and buy *it* and let it dazzle you instead.

Mehitabel - you're absolutely right and so I've taken the initiative to do something about this predicament! :D I've contacted someone who may be able to get me an order in from oakhill next spring. The bad news - they don't have the one orchid I want. The good news (or is it more bad news??)- they have 3 similar ones which I now want.

Mmk so I have located this plant and it's 35 bucks, BS! Darn - from the 18 dollars, this is quite the hefty purchase. I'm going to have to think about this one - I think 35 is the most I'll have ever paid for an orchid if I decide to get it!

LOL Calvin, if you want it so bad that you would come here to start a thread about it, I think you should probably do it. Its not like you're paying $200. its just $35 :)

Actually, it's not a non-purchase but a give-it to a friend regret. Fifteen years ago, when I was single and had a house to myself, a friend at work took me to Kensington Orchids to show me the greenhouses full of blooming orchids. We both started buying orchids and I filled a table in the smallest bedroom in the house, which faced south. Then I got married and stopped buying orchids, but would tend to the ones I had, about 12 or so. I'd take the brassavola nodosa and other mounted orchids with us when I'd go up to my grandparent's house, and my Grandfather would ask how my "weeds" were doing. Soon kids came and the bedroom was needed, so I gave my orchids to my friend to add to his collection. My grandfather told my new wife I gave up my "weeds" for her, and he seemed to miss seeing them hanging over the radiator in his kitchen too. My friends plants got a virus or fungus some years later that wiped everything out. Now that I am back into growing orchids, bigger house and kids old enough to stay clear of "Dad's stuff" I wish I had that brassavola again. It would have been a good reminder of when I started out, having memories of my Grandfather laugh about it, and a momento of a grower that is no longer with us. Tom

Terpguy - I know eh...I can't tell whether you're being rational in the conventional sense of rational, or the 'orchidaholic - allow me to enable you' type of rational but regardless, it's working.

Tom - what a lovely story. Do you grow b. nodosa now, despite it not being *that* plant? Our first plants are special eh

No, I need to pick one up. I was in Kansas City to see the orchid show there yesterday, and they had some on mounts and some in pots, but I found a butterfly orchid first and figured it would be harder to find dealers for that plant. I'll get one at the St. Louis orchid show in February.

Biggest mistake of my orchid-life:

I passed up the chance to be a Vanda Sanderiana "alba" about 14 months ago because the weather was a bit cold outside and I thought I'd wait until spring to order it. Since then it has been gone EVERY place I've looked. I can't find him anywhere and, to be totally honest, I occasionally dream about him at night. It would be so magnificent to study those lovely green/white petals and absorb every little detail about them.

Someday I will find him. I know I will.

Joseph

Hmm!
I have the opposite problem.
Unfortunately, I buy what I want...ahh, when I want it...or see it! ;~)
(That's coming to an end...soon!)
Although not in the price category that I've seen a few members here do regularly, but way too close anyway.

I learned an early lesson, if you can absorb the initial offered price of anything and it's worth it...GET IT!
I'm still upset over something (non-plant) that I didn't buy in '78! :~(
I'll never, ever be able to get one like it again and I balked for some stupid reason.

It doesn't (or at least, shouldn't) mean that I buy everything that I see, but I really think about how I'll feel later if I don't!

With the exception of a car that was really beyond my means to support, most of my purchases of everything has either apreciated or will eventually.
Or...was worth it regardless!

"Our first plants are special eh"

One of my first orchids I bought, when I really got into them hard, was a common wild type Neofinatia! :~)
That must explain why I have so many (now) and just bought a whole bunch more!
I'm up to 19, now!
Although, one isn't doing very well.
And it would have to be my only green one! :~(

Scott

I passed on large multigrowth Sarcochilus hartmanni ($25)at the Orchid Show in Edmonton last year and it still bothers me. I decided I didn't have room for it but I've since bought several mutifloral Paphs which require more light and space :(

Shaun

the first orchid meeting I went to - about 4 years ago, a vendor was selling a specimen plant - lycaste skinneri - in a 10" basket. it had flowers all the way around the basket. every flower was about the same height. it was absolutely gorgeous. i was totally awe stricken and overwhelmed. he was asking less than $100.00 for it. up until that time I have only seen phalenopsis, the odd catt. and 1 vanda. I was actually too scared to buy it!! nothing i have seen since even comes close to how beautiful that was.
sue

A few years back some non-orchid-growing friends bought a house with a very large greenhouse in the back. The old man selling the place couldn't care for his collection any more & essentially walked away from what must have been 800-1000 plants. Almost all were catts & catt hybrids but the centerpiece speciment plant in the greenhouse was a Brassia that must have been three feet in diameter with an unbelievable number of spikes. This thing must have been 50 years old - the kind of specimen plant you can't buy at any price. Anyway ... I had the run of the place & could have taken anything or everything, but I'm not a cattt guy & didn't have room for the Brassia. Several years later now I realize I should have remodeled the house to acommodate it!