Detested orchids

Amen. Except for you didn't include bulbos in the "If not an ang" part.

 

When did you start to have a thing for Dens, David? I might be able to do that in a year or two...just let me know when.

 

I detest bulbophyllums. Just kidding

I must say most slippers, Anguloas, complex hybrid Phalaenopsis and most orchids with brown and/or green flowers.

 

I detest anything that is a pain to repot.
Bigguns, all.

Funny thread!

 

since i grow outdoors i grow what i can and that's most Laelias, Catts, Epidendrums & Encyclias (hybrids and species of them all) I have 1 Oncidium (gowers ramsey) i do like all those of that particular yellowness - they glow in our incessant sunshine. Den Kingi's are almost weed like for me as well.

i don't really detest any orchids - i admire from afar but don't bother w/ Bulbos-Phals etc... but props to those of you who grow all the weird i can't.

 

"Detest" is a strong word. I think there is a difference between really not liking a type of orchid and just not being disposed or able to grow it. I think I could really get into so many kinds, but I have to draw the line somewhere!

I appreciate that other folks grow species I don't grow. I would hate for a group of orchids to fall so far out of fashion because no one grew them that they could never be brought back into horticulture when trends finally came back around!

 

I like 'em all.

 

Im not a fan of Phalaenopsis except the miniature species, I hate Bulbophyllums except the ones with large and bad smelling flowers. I love Zygopetalinae, Maxillariae, especially Anguloas and Pleurothallidinae.

 

[Thread resurrection]
I think Zootrophion are just ugly, Stellis too boring. I have a couple large Stellis that bloom like crazy, but they aren't my cup of tea. [/thread resurrection]

 

This is like finding an old dusty book! Entertaining opinions.

 

I haven't had enough experience to find a least favorite, I have a bunch of speices coming soon !
Anything that likes high humidity at the moment is being fickle with me. But alive ! Lol

 

YES! I love finding interesting old dusty threads.

 

Old thread, but I couldn't resist posting a reply.

I'm kinda heartbroken to see so much dislike toward Anguloas. I'm thinking that the folks posting those messages have either never grown any or simply don't know how to appreciate their beauty. Yes, they're generally large plants and yes, their flowers aren't "flat and round" (I'll address both of these issues in a future thread, for the sake of brevity). However, they're very reliable and rewarding plants, and possess a subtle and elegant beauty that other orchids lack. They bloom right when the real tulips are beginning to fade, and well-grown plants produce small bouquets of fragrant, complex flowers that often last well over a month. A few flowers are enough to scent a small room, and the fragrances vary from cliftonii's mint-chocolate patty scent to virginalis' eucalyptus-wintergreen scent. They're also dynamic, metamorphic plants, looking like spineless cacti when dormant and young palms when in growth. I don't know about you, but I'd take an Anguloa over a real tulip any day.

As for what I dislike, well, it's a complex question. The only orchids I don't like are those that are either finicky or simply have no sense of self-preservation. I don't judge orchids based on appearance, because each one has its own unique charm and the "ugly ducklings" are often my best growers/performers. Likewise, I prefer not to judge orchids I've never grown before, because it's simply not fair to make such assertions about things you've never seen in real life.

That all said, my dislikes are as follows:

- Laelia anceps. This one is often touted as an "easy" and "beginner" orchid that "every collection should have." My experience with this species has been less-than-stellar; you pretty much need to torture these things to get flowers out of them, and they sulk if they're not given ultra-high light. I've grown these alongside Catts and while the Catts thrived, these sulked. The proverbial cherry on top of all this is that they're unruly ramblers that wanna climb out of the pot and crash into their neighbors. I prefer the easier (and more reliable) L. gouldiana.

- Brassavola nodosa. Similar grievances about this one - an overgrown, overpopular species that performs poorly. Demands mount culture, refuses to bloom without scorchingly bright light, and has top-heavy pseudobulbs that are prone to bending under their own weight. I don't even find the flowers to be that interesting, to be honest - I think Angraecoids pull off the "white-flowered, night-fragrant" archetype much more elegantly.

- Cockleshells (Prosthechea spp). Rot, rot, rot. And more rot. No other orchids I've grown have been more prone to rot than cockleshells. P. radiata, in particular, has the problem of having top-heavy growths that love to tip over and bend over time. They're also annoying to repot, because they always shed their roots and sulk after being repotted, even if they're in the middle of a growth spurt. I was never able to figure out the correct light for these, either - medium light makes them sulk, but Catt light caused the leaves to burn.

- Paphiopedilums. With the exception of Paph. acomodontum, I just can't figure out how to keep these happy. Without fail, they all start declining within three months of being in my collection. It seems like pretty much everything makes them unhappy, and trying to salvage them is a long, painful endeavor that usually ends with a pile of brown leaves in a pot.