What a fun thread, and I love already all 6 selections!!
Nr1
My all time favorite was this one which started it all! It was always a noid, it looked a lot like Lc Irene Finney, but it started blooming like clockwork every year around Oct 20.
The story was - the wife of our CEO at the time received this Orchid while in the hospital. When it was done blooming they gave it to our gardener, who divided it and grew it on and divided it some more. ( Our company had a wonderful Greenhouse and a very capable Gardener and so we had beautifully planted flower borders around the campus in those years. ) My Orchid- smitten boss at the time ( he got me easily hooked on Orchids
) and I bought some of them for 10 bucks a piece. This was about 1989. We gave them out as presents and we both kept one for ourself. I loved that plant with its gorgeous large and fragrant blooms and took it over to my husband's building ( he was in production, same company) where he started a sort of greenhouse in his small lab ( that had huge windows ) adjoining his office. This started our collection!! Whatever bloomed, was taken downstairs in that building to share with his crew. Picture some of these hard- hats enjoying gorgeous Orchids.
Visitors always enjoyed the tour.
I divided the plant a few times through the years. These last picture shows a large plant which I had divided again and this time I lost my cleaned up piece over that Summer. A pair of Wrens tunneled into that basket and distroyed that plant before I noticed what happened. I couldn't believe my eyes when I realized that the birdsnest full of screaming babies had replaced all roots in that basket.
At work -
Nr 2
Vanda David Gardner was a gift around the early nineties and it grew well for me and added a lot of growth through the years. This one was the main reason which made me realize that I really wanted, needed a greenhouse!
I am afraid this one gave up its soul one Summer a few years ago.
Nr3 Cattleya Chocolate Drop 'Kodama'
I suppose, there were several gorgeous V. Sansai Blues in between and a few more awesome species and other beauties, it is hard to say which one rises above the others, because they all were loved, but this Cattleya always charms me in the Fall with its glossy blooms and its beautiful spicy floral scent. I still have this plant and it is starting to open right now. Here is an older picture.
ok you asked.....
