Hi! I'm another new member

Slippertalk Orchid Forum

Help Support Slippertalk Orchid Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
N

nikv

Guest
Hi!

I've recently joined this forum and thought I'd start a thread to introduce myself. My name is Nik. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area although I was born and raised in Minnesota. Been living in California now for twenty-five years.

I've been growing orchids now for around twenty years now. I got started when a co-worker of mine would bring in to work a different orchid in flower each week. This sparked many delightful conversations about orchids. I started going to orchid shows and then I discovered the sales area. Look out! I managed to fill up all of my available windowsill space in my tiny apartment. Now, I have a home in suburbia with an attached greenhouse.

I'm particularly fond of paphiopedilums and have managed to grow a few to specimen size. My favorites are the multi-florals and the cochliopedilums. Not sure if I spelled that right, but you know what I mean. I have a Paph. Prime Child that I bought fifteen years ago as a compot at a show. I gave away most of them but kept the largest one for myself. It now fills up a ten-inch pot and has at least twenty growths. Blooms for me each Summer. I also have a Paph. St. Low that I've grown to be quite large. It's bloomed for me several times. I have a photo of it somewhere. I'll have to look for it.

Probably my favorite genuses are Laelia, Stanhopea, Schomburgkia, and Encyclia. I have a couple of L. purpuratas, my favorite being variety striata. I also have a Werkhauserii and also an anelata. I refuse to call them Sophronitis, by the way. I have 12-15 different species of Stanhopea including: tigrina, nigroviolacea, panamensis, napoensis, insignis, etc. I also adore Schomburkias. I probably have at least ten different species. My largest one is moyobambae which blooms reliably each Summer. I also have a huge tibicinus and also brysiana, thompsoniana, crispa, rosea, leuddemannii, galeottiana, and a lyonsii which I take outside each Summer.

That's enough about my orchids for now. Heather asked me for photos of my new kitty. He's the guy who knocked over a bunch of my paphiopedilums and I ended up mixing up the tags. Anyway, here is a photo:

IMG_4042.jpg


IMG_4050.jpg


His name is Gryffindor. Yeah, I'm a Harry Potter fan, too. He's nine months old now. He's a Traditional Burmese in the normal Sable coloration. He's a bundle of energy!

Best Regards,
Nik
 
Welcome! And I like your cat! I am a cat person too (Have 2 Persians). And I did the opposite, when I was 25 years old I moved to Minnesota, and have lived here ever since...

Robert
 
We LOVE to see pics of every or anything! You've got quite an assortment there! What size is your GH?
 
My greenhouse is approximately 16 by 10. It's attached to the house. A previous owner of the home converted an old patio into a greenhouse. Someday, I'd like to rebuild it or at least put a new roof onto it. Right now, I have single-layer plexiglass. I'd like to put double or tripe-wall fiberglass panels onto it. Anything to make it more energy efficient. I'd also like to run lighting into it.

Oh, I had better give equal time to my other kitty, Shadow. She's a foundling. My friend Shelley rescued her but couldn't keep her. She already has two dogs and six cats. So I gave her a home. That was eight years ago. She's very camera shy, but I managed to get this photo of her:

IMG_2667.jpg


Now, back to orchids. Here are a few photos that I found uploaded to my photobucket account:

Laelia_purpurata_werkhauseri_01.jpg

Laela purpurata variety werkhauserii

Cattley_gaskelliana_alba_01.jpg

Cattleya gaskelliana variety alba

Sophronitis_brevidepunulata_01.jpg

This was supposed to be Sophronitis brevidepunculata, but it grew too big and bloomed out to be something else

IMG_2552.jpg

Cattleya mossiae (I'm very proud of this first-time bloom)

IMG_2650.jpg

Laelia anceps variety vietchiana (I bought this one from Santa Barbara Orchid Estate last year. It's very nice)

IMG_2640-1.jpg

This is a Cycnodes hybrid. Bought it on Ebay last year. Don't recall the hybrid name.

Best Regards,
Nik
 
welcome-
I am new here too, just started posting a couple of days ago. People are very friendly around here. It must be all the orchids working there magic on us. I swear they have extraordinary telepathic powers or something. Anyway, cool cats and way cool orchids. Love the purpurata and the Cychnoces especially. Beautiful! If I wasn't so smitten with paphs, I think I would grow purpuratas and tenebrosa by the dozens. I LOVE THEM! Anyway, Welcome to our little group.
Kyle
 
Hello and welcome!

I also have a Brown Burmese so I'm clearly biased but I adore Gryffindor :D
 
The kitties look like chocolate and smoke -- quite a combination.

I like your catts, also, especially the blue ones. Very lovely.

Did you know that many Schomburkias have been moved into Laelias? It's a mess!
 
welcome from Luxembourg! very interesting species selection; I am with you for Laelias, Stanhopeas, catts and Schomburgkias! nice werkhauserii
!!! Jean
 
Hello and a hearty welcome from Germany, rudolf.
Hi GuRu!

My ancestors come from Germany and I've visited my German relations many times. My great-grandfather came from a village in Westphalia named Oesdorf. It is about 700 people today. It's very close to Marsberg. Very pretty.

Best Regards,
Nik
 
Back
Top