If you are reading this guide, you probably have purchased several Dendrobiums, Cymbidiums, Paphiopedilums or some other orchids on eBay or through your local orchid nursery. Like any Orchidnut, we just can't resist all the "good" deals we see and end up buying a mishmash of orchids that we don't have any knowledge, expertise, or worse, proper growing conditions to keep them alive.

Building an orchid collection requires careful thought and discipline. It could be the difference between a rewarding hobby and a bottomless money pit. With thousands of orchid species and hybrids that are available to you, the choices can sometimes be overwhelming. So, before you buy another orchid, ask yourself, "Do I have the proper environment to grow this orchid?".  If the answer is yes, then ask yourself, "Will this orchid make my collection uniquely different than the other orchid growers?".  If the answer is yes, then by all means add the plant to your collection.

Many Orchidnuts have used the following criteria to build their special orchid collection.

Genus
The easiest and most common way to build an orchid collection is based on orchid genera. You can choose to only grow and collect Cattleyas , Paphiopedilums, Cymbidiums or some other genus. The most compelling reason for starting your collection this way is because you know you can provide the best environment to grow and bloom a specific group of plants.

Species or Hybrids
As your collection grows larger, you can move on to species or hybrids within a genus. Some gravitate towards species because they love the challenge while others collect hybrids because they are cheaper to acquire and easier to grow. A common practice by many is collecting orchid species only of a particular genus.
Paphiopedilum species - armeniacum, charlesworthii, fairrieanum


Some Orchidnuts have even taken this approach to the extreme by collecting only one species and all of its various color forms or varieties. Below are examples of Cattleya walkeriana varieties such tipo, alba, and coerulea.


Groups
As you gain more experience, you may want to specialize in a group of species or plants. For example, a Paph species collector may end up growing the multifloral group while another collector may prefer Paph hybrids from the colorful parvisepalum group.

Flower or Plant Size
Orchid flowers come in all sizes and shapes. A collector with limited growing space may end up collecting mini-Cattleyas or some other miniature species while another grower with a lot of space may choose to grow large plants like Grammatophyllums.

Flower or Color Pattern
Collecting based on flower color is a common practice as exemplified by Cattleya collectors who only grow coerulea (blue) colored flowers. Collecting based on flower patterns is only limited by your imagination. A collection of splash-petaled hybrid Cattleyas, harlequin-type Phalaenopsis, or album (white/green) forms of Paph species are examples of what collectors can have.
Examples of splash-petaled or flared Cattleyas:


Flower Shape or Inflorescence Type
Some collectors love the bizarre looking flowers of Stanhopeas or Catasetums while others love collecting the cascade-type Cymbidiums for its penduloous spikes. Some orchids may only have one flower while others, like Dendrobium speciosum (photo below), can have 100 flowers per spike. The more bizarre, the more unique your collection will be.


Fragrance or Odor
Many orchids have fragrant (i.e. Cattleyas, Zygopetalums) or odoriferous (i.e. some Bulbophyllums) flowers. Some smell like vanilla, chocolate, lemon, coconut oil while others smell like decaying flesh or dog poop.

Combination
You can also combine the different criteria presented above to form your own unique collection.  For example, you may choose to only collect splash-petaled, Cattleya species that are from Brazil or awarded divisions of complex-type, white Paphiopedilums.

In conclusion, strive to become the expert by learning as much as you can about orchids you like and their cultural requirements by reading books, asking friends and orchid society members. In the end, your orchid collection will only be limited by your imagination and budget.

When you are ready to buy an orchid on eBay, take a moment to read our Orchid Buying Guide for some practical tips.

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