[Everwondopedo]

I'm surprised I didn't see this thread before! I first saw orchids in my living room, where my mother was trying to grow a cattleya hybrid. she had lots of other houseplants but the orchids were too dark I think and rotted. I had a few from a vendor in ithaca and tioga gardens near owego, but really took off after my mother repeatedly told me about an orchid greenhouse that she had stumbled upon in homer, ny. I soon became a regular at Rice's Orchids as they had three houses with lots of orchid species from three different climate zones. Poking around revealed a treasure trove of different orchids, many of which I wish I still had today . Going to a greenhouse is the only way to go; if you can't, it pays to have friends who can poke around and let you know what they find or a vendor like Andy's Orchids who can tell you what unlisted plants they have available. ... most frustrating is the vendor who doesn't know what they all have available and doesn't list very much; when you ask them over the phone or by email what they have available, the say "well what are you looking for?" (sigh) you know what you want when you see it, not just from a name on a list! these places usually don't do much business with me