White Catt Attack

Orchids inevitably create a good mood, but that doesn't mean that the orchid world isn't without its sadnesses and difficult times. A recent death in our Orchid Society was a lousy way to start the new year. Ron Daly generously bequethed to the society his entire collection of 300 orchids. We decided to hold a sale and silent auction, and Bird's Botanicals graciously offered the space. It's a bittersweet affair to sell someone's orchid collection, and the final prices never reflect the true value of plant.

I thought about all of this during my bargain hunting. Cats and Catts readers know that I sometime show a lack of restraint at plant sales and auctions. I think I held it together on Sunday. Maybe. The twenty-one plants I brought home were about eleven more than Trixie anticipated and about twenty-one more than I have room for. The plants for sale were mostly Phals and standard-sized Catts, so I focused on the Phals due to space issues. This prompted a new member of our Society to remark "You must be a Phal guy," and then I told her about my high kill ratio. But, if I want to grow orchids successfully as a general goal, I need to know how to grow a Phaleonopsis. The orchid sale was a perfect chance to pick up some Phals in different stages of growth to find out what makes them happy. Following my original plan, I assiduously avoided the large-flowered Cattleyas.

C. Bob Betts (C. Bow Bells x C. mossiae var. wagneri)

And then I saw the C. Bob Betts, one of the most famous white Cattleyas, and I threw my plan out the window. You can read all about C. Bob Betts in a post I wrote about a year ago and you can get a sense of why I was so thrilled to get it. C. Artic Star 'Snow Queen' came home with me as well. Bob needed a friend, right? Now I just have to find a place for them. Wish me luck.       

Orchid Sale and Auction!

Live in the Kansas City area?  If so, don't miss the sale of the year at Bird's Botanicals.  This Sunday, we'll be selling and auctioning from an impressive list of Cattleyas and Phals.  A collection of over 200 orchids was bequeathed to the Orchid Society of Greater Kansas City from a long-time member who sadly passed away last month.  The plants are listed here, and you can read about my last orchid auction adventure here.  I hope to show a little more restraint this Sunday, but I'm not making any promises.

Back to School

A couple of weeks ago I took a three-hour orchid class at Birds Bontanicals.  Dave Bird led a wonderful learning experience oriented toward the window sill hobbyist.  The class was especially helpful because he addressed conditions specific to the seasons shifts in north-east Kansas.  He discussed the general growing and blooming requirements of five popular genera and showed off some of the finer ones in bloom, including Blc. Orange Nugget (above). I couldn't stop staring at it.  When he found out about my catt addiction, gave me specific tips about my catt culture (catts like clay pots, catts are heavier feeders than I thought, I should keep my small fan on for longer periods of time to improved air circulation in my growing space, and -- my consistent worry -- let there be more light!).

At the end, we learned how to pot a phalaenopsis.  We took our plants home, but Dave observed that we will truly pass the class only when we can get them to bloom.  The class was conducted with a lot of good humor, and I think the best advice concerned WalMart phalaenopsis packaged with the infamous recommendation to water the plant with three ice cubes per week.  With a flash of fierce dry humor, Dave said that we might as well use thirty ice cubes, since that will kill it quicker. 


The next class is January 14th.