I have an orchid wish list that is almost as long as the list of orchids I own. Don't we all? I won't include the entirety of either list here--I'll just highlight the handful of orchids I've been dreaming about recently.
#1 Brassolaeliocattleya (Blc.) Daffodil 'Beeswax'. I first saw this orchid at a Missouri Botanical Garden orchid show, where it was labeled Rhyncanthe. In trying to hunt it down, I find that Blc. Daffodil has an assortment of cultivar names, with some other similar-looking orchids being 'Cat Frutiger' and 'Equilab'. Daffodils are my favorite spring bulb, so you can imagine why I'd love to have this bit of glowing, sunny happiness in my collection.
UPDATE!! June 2019: I found one! After years of searching, it came to me! I attended my first Minnesota Orchid Society Meeting and a member had a gorgeously healthy division for sale. It's Ryncanthe Daffodil 'Equilab,' and looks even more appealing than the original I lusted after. The seller also promised that it was fragrant! Whoopeeee!
#2 Phragmipedium Jason Fischer. I don't own any full-size phrags, I love Orchids Limited (where Jason Fischer was created), and OHMIGOD it's just so RED. It's also a highly-awarded orchid which has gone on to be a parent of many other cultivars. Owning this one will come down to a matter of space and expense; phragmipediums, in general, are not inexpensive.
#3 Paphiopedilum venustum var. album. This one will make your friends raise an eyebrow for sure--the pouch is just so suggestive. Its leaves are small, thick, mottled and blue--ideal for year-round indoor beauty. Paphs tend to be pricey too, but I'll be saving up for this one.
#4 This no-ID Vanda. It was at the Chicago Botanical Garden orchid show a few years ago and didn't have a tag. In addition to not knowing the name, there are other impediments to owning this orchid, the most important being that I can in no way meet the light and heat requirements for this giant vanda! This one will just have to stay on the long-term wish list, you know, for when I win the lottery or inherit a magnificent estate or something.
#5 Whatever I can find and afford in the way of small and fragrant brassavola, catasetum, coelogyne, maxillaria/maxillariella, lycaste, and zygopetalum orchids. (If I'm going to dream, why not really go for it?) I love the few brassavola and maxillaria orchids I have, but the rest of the genera in the list above would be new to me. Here's to dreaming big in orchidland!
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