Leo Schordje
wilted blossom
I have an eclectic collection of over 1000 plants that is partially dominated by Paphs and Phrags. My collection has some members that date back to when I started growing orchids, some 37 years ago. I have an Encyclia & a Calanthe that I have been watering for 37 years. My advice on collections would be;
1.) look at the condition of your plants, if right now you have trouble making enough time to take the care you know they need, you have too many plants. If you are all caught up on your repotting & fertilizing, then you could tolerate adding a few more. So estimate the maxmum number of plants you would have the time for to grow well. Write that number down somewhere (like in your check book or on the back of your credit card) and do NOT let yourself buy more plants if they would take you over that number. I used to limit myself to just 75 plants when I had to water each plant individually in the sink. I did not have time for more when I lived in an apartment.
2.) Look at what is thriving for you and what is not doing so well. If you are going to specialize in a type, pick a type that grows well for you. The tombstone collection can really open your eyes to what does not do well for you. It may not be a type, you might just have trouble with seedlings, or mounts rather than a whole species or genus.
3. ) Pick a group that you like and get more of that group - and weed out just enough of anything that is not part of that group to make room. I get bored with too narrowly focused of a collection, so I suggest keeping around a few challenges and a few just because you like them.
4.) One of the bad way to define a collection is to say - I want one of every species of paph, - there are too many species that are from very different habitats. If you are good with the Indonesian lowland forest Paphs, such as mastersianum, or violescens, you won't be good with the higher elevation Chinese Paphs, etc. Generally most people fail when they try this. They all are from very different habitats. By recognizing the habitats you can handle, focus on the types you can grow.
5.) Consider a mixed collection of pretty things you like, with perhaps a specialization in a single species or two that does grow well for you. At a 1998 orchid show in Chicago, Tom Franczak did a display with 11 different clones of Paph philippinense. They had all come into bloom the same time. Each clone was from a different collection location (Palawan, Samar Is, Mindano, etc) or from a different seed cross, robellini, laevigatum. It was a cool display, I had never seen the different types side by side. His display is the reason I think the lumpers are right, it is one single species - philippinense, with dozens of minor geographic races, all forming a continuum, no bright line separating one geographic race from the other.
The point is, a fairly narrow specialization is do-able in a small space. Go too general and you won't be able to do it well.
6.) The older I get the more I am interested in growing a few specimens really well rather than growing more different types. My focus is slowly shifting to trying to grow for the CCM or CCE rather than the 'one of each kind' collection.
Above all, remember the hobby is a hobby - to have fun with. Grow what you like growing. But please be conscientious, try not to kill off rare species stock, especially if it is jungle collected material. Some orchid species are still jungle collected, though it is becoming rarer and rarer. The man made hybrids don't have this concern, they are objects of art, and there is no obligation to preserve them for the future.
1.) look at the condition of your plants, if right now you have trouble making enough time to take the care you know they need, you have too many plants. If you are all caught up on your repotting & fertilizing, then you could tolerate adding a few more. So estimate the maxmum number of plants you would have the time for to grow well. Write that number down somewhere (like in your check book or on the back of your credit card) and do NOT let yourself buy more plants if they would take you over that number. I used to limit myself to just 75 plants when I had to water each plant individually in the sink. I did not have time for more when I lived in an apartment.
2.) Look at what is thriving for you and what is not doing so well. If you are going to specialize in a type, pick a type that grows well for you. The tombstone collection can really open your eyes to what does not do well for you. It may not be a type, you might just have trouble with seedlings, or mounts rather than a whole species or genus.
3. ) Pick a group that you like and get more of that group - and weed out just enough of anything that is not part of that group to make room. I get bored with too narrowly focused of a collection, so I suggest keeping around a few challenges and a few just because you like them.
4.) One of the bad way to define a collection is to say - I want one of every species of paph, - there are too many species that are from very different habitats. If you are good with the Indonesian lowland forest Paphs, such as mastersianum, or violescens, you won't be good with the higher elevation Chinese Paphs, etc. Generally most people fail when they try this. They all are from very different habitats. By recognizing the habitats you can handle, focus on the types you can grow.
5.) Consider a mixed collection of pretty things you like, with perhaps a specialization in a single species or two that does grow well for you. At a 1998 orchid show in Chicago, Tom Franczak did a display with 11 different clones of Paph philippinense. They had all come into bloom the same time. Each clone was from a different collection location (Palawan, Samar Is, Mindano, etc) or from a different seed cross, robellini, laevigatum. It was a cool display, I had never seen the different types side by side. His display is the reason I think the lumpers are right, it is one single species - philippinense, with dozens of minor geographic races, all forming a continuum, no bright line separating one geographic race from the other.
The point is, a fairly narrow specialization is do-able in a small space. Go too general and you won't be able to do it well.
6.) The older I get the more I am interested in growing a few specimens really well rather than growing more different types. My focus is slowly shifting to trying to grow for the CCM or CCE rather than the 'one of each kind' collection.
Above all, remember the hobby is a hobby - to have fun with. Grow what you like growing. But please be conscientious, try not to kill off rare species stock, especially if it is jungle collected material. Some orchid species are still jungle collected, though it is becoming rarer and rarer. The man made hybrids don't have this concern, they are objects of art, and there is no obligation to preserve them for the future.
