Paphiopedilum Norito Hasegawa 'Emerald City'

History of My Collection

My interest in orchids began in 1980 when I travelled to California from the UK and saw Cymbidiums for the first time. We stayed with a family who grew them outside on their balcony. When I returned to the UK I bought a couple and these were planted in soil and moss salvaged from wherever I could find it, usually this meant straight out of the lawn and needless to say they didn't grow very well. But they did grow and I was hooked.

Later in 1988 I purchased my first named orchids in real orchid compost, these were Bc. Languedoc 'Singapore Welcome' AM/AOS and a large white Phalaenopsis. I still have these plants today. I built up a small collection in the UK until 1997 when I had to sell half due to relocation to the US. The other half of the collection was cared for by my family back in the UK.

After relocating to the US in 1997 I started another orchid collection, mainly buying the best blooming size plants I could find. I didn't want to waste my very limited space with poor quality plants and seedlings that might not be too good, so I bought almost exclusively mericlones and named divisions, or plants that I had seen bloom. When I returned to the UK in 2001, I brought most of my orchids back with me. Considering the CITES issues and paperwork hoops that I went through, this was a relatively easy experience, aided substantially by Mark Srull and Laurence Hobbs and their kind offers for boarding the plants whilst I moved and helping out with Phyto inspections.

The collection has levelled out at around 70 plants, this is all that my windowsills can accommodate. I have found that Slc.'s in particular don't do well for me. Although I can flower them indoors, I believe these plants are much better suited to greenhouse culture where they can receive high humidity of around 70% and cool nights. I know others grow these successfully under lights and I suspect their humidity is better than mine.

I have grown orchids in two principal cultural conditions, in the US in a Class 1 HVAC sealed office building on windowsills (no opening windows), and also in houses in the UK on windowsills. Broadly speaking the results I have achieved have been much the same despite the differences in locations and climate. I have been relatively successful in flowering many orchids, proving if nothing else that where there is a will there is a way.

I hope you find this inspiring enough to give a few plants a try - just remember to purchase well grown adult plants initially, it's much easier since orchids generally accelerate their growth when they get larger.