Hello, also from the UK

[shakkai]

Hi everyone!

I can see some familiar names here - and some not familiar names. Both are great, as it means the chance to make new friends!

I was born and raised in the US (Pittsburgh), but moved to the UK in 2000. We lived in Southern India (Bangalore) for two years (2004/2005), but we're now back in the UK, and I've been working to rebuild my orchid collection again.

I started out with Pleurothallids mainly because they were so easy to grow here. Now my collection has morphed - without intent, really - to be nearly half slipper orchids of one sort or another: Paphs, Phrags, and native Cyps. It is difficult living within 10 minutes of a good Paph nursery without accumulating lots of Paphs!

My other current love is Neofinetia. (And yes, I have Habenaria radiata, but they are new this year, so I have yet to flower them....) In fact, that is how I came across this forum - loads of good Neofinetia info here!

Looking forward to 'meeting' everyone here!

 

[Heather]

Welcome Shakkai! Sounds like you're going to fit right in here!
I look forward to seeing some photos of your plants.

 

[goldenrose]

:clap:You have a good taste Shakkai! WELCOME to Slippertalk!

 

[shakkai]

Ask and you shall receive...

Most of the Paphiopedilums I have are still seedlings, so I don't have lots in flower yet... But these ones have flowered:

(Left to Right)

Paphiopedilum appletonianum var hainanense (Paph. hainanense 'Lilac Mist' x Paph. hainanense 'Dancer') first flowering.
Unknown from the garden centre...
Paphiopedilum (White Legacy x St. Ouen's Bay) first flowering.

 

[NYEric]

Welcome from NYC! [again]

 

[Candace]

Howdy.

 

[Tom499]

Welcome to the forum

Great plants, whats the nursery called?

 

[Elena]

Hello

 

[shakkai]

Thanks for the welcome, everyone! Candice - I love the graphic in your sig - wonderful!!

Tom, the nursery is Ratcliffe Orchids. Hard to resist their seedling sales! I think I've got the potential for some really nice plants... just need to patience to bring them on to flower.

Here's a partial list of the orchids I grow (note these are the names as on the tag, some may no longer be correct due to changes in taxonomy):

Cypripedioideae:
(Species
Cypripedium calceolus
Paphiopedilum barbigerum ('Tom Thumb' x 'Select')
Paphiopedilum fairrieanum ('Will Scarlet' x '#1')
Paphiopedilum hainanense ('Lilac Mist' x 'Dancer')
Paphiopedilum venustum forma album ('Tessara' x 'Jade')
Phragmipedium pearcei 'Eagle'

(Hybrids
Paphiopedilum Curtia (dayanum 'Owslebury' x curtsii 'Winchester')
Paphiopedilum Dellaina (P. delenatii x P. chamberlainianum)
Paphiopedilum Fanaticum (micranthum 'Wild Rose' x malipoense 'Tracery')
Paphiopedilum Golddollar (primulinum x armeniacum var. markii album)
Paphiopedilum Iantha Stage (sukhakulli 'Freckles' x rothschildianum 'Misselthrush')
Paphiopedilum Lynleigh Koopowitz (delenatii 'Sandy' x malipoense 'Stuart')
Paphiopedilum Moustache (St Swithin 'Goldglow' x phillippinense 'Snowy')
Paphiopedilum St Swithin (P. phillippinense 'Select' x P. rothschildianum 'Mont Millais')
Paphiopedilum Susan Booth (rothschildiamum 'Whitethroat' x gardnerii)
Phragmipedium Saint Peters 'Cornish Cream' (Eric Young x longifolium)
Phragmipedium Silver Rose (St Ouen (using besseae var. flavum) x Hanne Popow 'Isle of Jersey')

(Unnamed Paph crosses
Paphiopedilum (Armeni White 'Tinto' x S. Gratrix 'Dazzler')
Paphiopedilum (purpurescens 'Pinkedge' x charlesworthii 'Wubben')
Paphiopedilum (purpurescens x venustum var. pardinum)
Paphiopedilum (Raisin Jack 'Nice One' x argus 'Hilsea')
Paphiopedilum (S. Gratrix 'Kerry' x delenatii 'Sandy')
Paphiopedilum (White Legacy x St. Ouen's Bay)

 

[cwt]

Welcome from Pretoria, South Africa.
Paul Phillips is a good friend. Join him when he is coming to the paph symposium in July.

 

[Tom499]

OMG you live 10 minutes away from Ratcliffe Orchids :drool:

That is sooo awesome! I really need to head down there some day, they have some great plants on their plant lists.

 

[JeanLux]

Welcome from Luxembourg! Jean

 

[Elena]

Living 10 mins from Ratcliffe would bankrupt me. I'm kinda glad I'm up North :rollhappy:

 

[shakkai]

Lenka, Tom, It is just a good thing that they are not open, except by appointment! So, its only dangerous when they send out their lists. Of course, when they have open days, I can always find something interesting to come home with.

 

[rdlsreno]

Welcome Shakkai to Slippertalk!!!!


Ramon

 

[SlipperFan]

Welcome from Michigan.

I'm jealous -- 10 minutes from Ratcliffe, wow!

 

[snow]

halloo shakai i know you from the other forum site
you will be of great value and knowledge to this wonderfull slippertalk site
keep showing us all those wonderfull pictures

 

[Corbin]

Welcome from Atlanta

 

[biothanasis]

Welcome from Greece!!!!! I have just been to Bangalore once for approximatelly 1-2 hours... the city is alive and unusual to my eyes......

 

[shakkai]

Thanks for all of the additional welcomes!

Living in Bangalore was a great experience. I've been lucky to be able to travel quite a lot, but it really isn't until you live somewhere and have to arrange things like paying bills, getting a bank account, etc. - daily living stuff - in a different country (especially where you do not speak the language) that you really begin to appreciate all of the nuances of a place.