I don't apologise if you think these are rather small and boring. At my age it gives me an incentive to carry on collecting and believe me, they will be more exciting when (if) they flower but I only started on orchids in January 2011. To me it is no fun to wander down to Tesco and buy a Phalaenopsis noid in full flower. (Actually I've got 4 Phal. noids but 3 of them are gifts from neighbours because they couldn't be bothered with them when the flowers dropped off. Suits me. 2 of them I don't even know the colour.)

Bulbophyllum carunculatum. The first ever 'serious' orchid I bought. A bit of leaf browning but it has stopped so fingers crossed. (1) Cattleya guttata flower. Not mine but I love it and have 15 babies of this. The picture was in the public domain so I borrowed it until I get a flower myself. (2) Cattleya guttata seedlings deflasked but still in propagator. Note the 4 dishes with sphagnum are romping compared to the one with coconut husk. (3) My first Chiloschista, a guangdongensis. Got 5 roots of this and 5 or 6 others but at this age they all look the same. (4) Encyclia tampensis. A smallish Florida orchid. (5) Symphyglossum sanguineum. I saw a picture of it, liked it and found it in a sale at Easyorchids.com (6) Nearly ready for de-flasking. Dendrobium hybrid green bird. (7) My only bought supermarket noid. I just loved the yellow flowers with rust-red spots. (8) My first ever Cattleya - Chian tsi lass - a BLC hybrid. They're easier to grow for a beginner) and it's growing like the clappers. Where is Ginger Rogers? (9) Coelogyne unchained melody. Bought it off a very experienced grower on a forum and was not disappointed. Huge and healthy division which I think will flower this autumn/winter(10) A grobia amherstiae. It's easy and it's nice (11) And an epidendrum ibaguense ballerina which I bought for 2 reasons - I like it and it was very cheap. (12) I love the Cattleyas. This one is C. intermedia amherstiae. It will be interesting to see if the Chian tsi lass above in the basket does better than this one. (13) Two of my Chiloschistas, a C.ramifera and a C.sweelimii, are putting out little spikes. (14 & 15) I am pleased because I only mounted them about a month ago. A Dendrobium wonder nishii (16) The only 'species' Phalaeonopsis that I have. A P. corningia var. red The last picture is of a Dendrobium lamellatum that arrived after a month in the post. Good old Royal mail. It may get better.