Peter, I've been thinking about your post regarding Phrags being "dreadful house plants."
Please don't tell my Phrags -- they think they are happy in my home. I don't have a greenhouse, and their quarters have low humidity and average light -- they grow in my basement under flourescent bulbs and in my sunroom. Michigan doesn't have much sun in the winter. I've about 60 Phrags, 20 of which are in bloom or spike right now. Two have been in nearly continual bloom for 3 years. Most of the others are still seedlings. Phrags typically bloom for months. Fly-infested pots??? Sodden peaty compost??? Not mine, nor anyone else I know that grows them. Staking? Yes, because their spikes get so tall. But most people stake most orchids for shows, anyway. Status? Yea, right! Anyone that knows me knows how much I'm into status! I'm not a scientist like you and many others on this forum. I am an artist -- you know, painting, sculpture, photography, computer graphics. My interest in orchids, especially slippers, is their beauty: shape, color, form, variety in unity -- all that artsy stuff. Species Phrags colors boring? Try noting subtle color, markings, shape differences. Different does not equal bizarre. Yea, CITES is a big mistake. Probably doing much more harm than good. But eradication of wild populations attractive??? Even sarcastically, that doesn't make sense. Oh, I'd love to have a kovachii, but I'm not wealthy. Maybe someday... So I'd like to know what orchids make good house plants? Certainly not Phals -- they like to climb out of their pots, as do most Oncidiums. Not Cattleya with their huge stiff leaves that like to sprawl everywhere. Not Dendrobiums with their sometimes leafless and gangly canes that get too tall for most homes, or like to hang down which is a problems for those without a greenhouse. Not vandaceous with their love of humidity and bright light. Most terrestrials don't do well in a home environment. Lycastes and other deciduous orchids? -- probably too hard for most home hobbyists. Bulbophyllums? They love to sprawl, and many of them don't smell too good. Pleurothallids? Not with the average home's lack of humidity. I've not named all the genera, but I'll bet someone could find a reason why any of them don't make "good house plants." Humbly submitted... Dot _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
