Jay, Arleneg and I are starting a 'trade project' featuring a very unique orchid. It is from the Catasetinae alliance and 50% of the bulbs available today will be solid black, the other 50% dark spotted reds. There will not be a guaranteed black bloom for another 16-18 months and my suspicion is the price will go way up at that time. Here is the link to show you some possibilities of what our bulbs may produce:
Sunset Valley Orchids - Grower and hybridizer of quality orchids, Vista CA
We saw this orchid in bloom at the Santa Barbara Show; it was a stunning black color and smelled like eucalyptus. At $100 a bulb we didn't want to make any rash decisions, but none of us could stop thinking about it after we got home.
....and we were just ten feet from being out the door.....
Jay came up with the idea (or rather, it's his fault) that if three (or more) of us were to buy a bulb, the chances of at least one of us getting a solid black were very good. These plants grow pretty fast and best with two to three bulbs per plant. We are going to trade divisions with each other, eventually having one of each for a total of three.
I will be going to the San Diego show to pick up three bulbs for Jay, Arlene and myself. If you would like to LURK
and just keep an eye on how our bulbs and trading progress, it should be interesting. If you wish to purchase a bulb and be part of the project, now is the time to jump in and I can provide you with details. Since there will be so few of us involved we will simply keep this one thread open, charting our progress and posting pictures. It will be a lot of fun to see what we end up with!!!