So, do people have favorite species? Hybrids? How about hearing people's top three and why? Paphs and/or Phrags?

I have to think a bit more. Hard when I haven't seen everything in person. So far, my favorites have been the one's I've seen in bloom in person. Phrag. besseae is certainly up high at the top of my list.

Too hard of a question....I like everything it seems, especially long petaled and multiflorals.....but I don't think I can pin it down to 3

Yes, tough question because I have lots of favorites but if I had to choose the top3, here it goes:
Top 3 favorite Paph species
sanderianum
philippinense
haynaldianum

Top 3 favorite Paph hybrids
PEOY
Julius
Berenice

Top 3 favorite Phrag species
caudatum sanderae
kovachii :lol:
besseae

Top 3 favorite Phrag hybrids
Ruby Slippers
Grande, the golden variety
Cardinale

Paph species:
wardii
sukhakulii
rothschildianum (not that I have gotten any to blooming size, and I've had them a long long time...)

Phrag species:
besseae
There are other phrag species???
The semi-mythical kovachii might be interesting...


Paph hybrids:
Maudiae (green form)
Lady Isabel
Most of the rest of them... *grin*

Phrag hybrids:
Hanne Popow (they are just so cute and easy to grow...)
Don Wimber

Okay, I've been doing some thinnking on this.

Paph. Species
sanderianum
rothschildianum (don't laugh Pete!)
haynaldianum

Paph. Hybrids
~Prince Edward of York
~Julius
~Kolosand or Sanders Pride, maybe? At the moment I am torn for a third choice.

Phrag. Species
besseae
wallisii (don't laugh at this one either!)
kovachii (I'll go out on a limb here....)

Phrag Hybrids (this is really tough as I haven't seen too many in person.)
~Hanne Popow
~Jason Fischer
~Grande (maybe...I reserve the right to wait until I see mine bloom in person.)

Whew, this was tough.

Paph species:

sukhakulii
appletonianum (var. hainanense of course)
malipoense

Paph hybrids:

Armeni White
Makuli
Hmm...can't think of a third 8)

Phrag species:

Not a Phrag fan so I'll do Cyps instead! (Yeah! He's a rebel!!) :twisted:

candidum
reginae
macranthos

Paph species:
all except the barbata and most cochlopetalum

Paph hybrids:
Paul Parks
Gemstone's Randschild

I'm also partial to long petaled species, and would put sanderianum at the top of that list. I also like things that look like mutant bugs, so sukhakulii is another of my favorites.

I'm also partial to darker colors, so warscewickzianum (love the plant hate the name) is my favorite phrag.

But I guess I'm not too picky since I have about 40 species overall.

As I am not very experienced in growing paphs and phrags, only a couple of them yet :roll: , hope to improve soon :wink:, but in future I'm dreaming about getting a few of these:

Paphiopedilum:
hainanense
hirsutissimum (esp. alba - looks very lovely at least for me :-dance: )
parishii
also
appletonianum
philippinense

If talking not only about paphs & phrags, but orchids overall - the first 3 places nodoubtly belong to:

Bulbophyllum medusae
Clowesia rosea
Cycnoches chlorochilon

:lol:

I'm still forming opinions so I really don't have a "firm" top three list. I've been researching a tremendous amount though and have some leading the "packs" so to speak.

Paph Species:

Sanderianum
Haynaldianum
Rothschildianum

Paph Hybrids:

Paph. Prince of York (sanderianum 'Red Spider' x roth 'Borneo')
Paph. sanderianum x sib ('Dragon Dance' x 'Dark Spider')
Paph. Julius

Phrags:

Umm, [i]Phrag Kovachii Christiensen? :twisted: (I want it)
Phrag After-Glo
Phrag bessae

In the "others" like the pleurothallids, if it looks like a bug and it's blooming, it's my favorite.

I've also got a serious weakness when it comes to coerulea Cats that aren't lavender (yah, I know that's a tough one to find) or serious reds like SLC Jewel Box 'Sheherazade' and the Schlomburgkhias (gotta either really love that name or hate it).

Paph Hybrids:

Paph. sanderianum x sib ('Dragon Dance' x 'Dark Spider')


Hey! That's cheating! You already picked that as a species....You, lucky guy, get to choose another hybrid! :poke:

Boy, that's a tough request! I limitted myself to ones I've bloomed.

Three favorite species:
concolor
henryanum
armeniacum

Three favorite primary hybrids:
Norito Hasegawa
Magic Lantern
S. Gratrix

Three favorite complex hybrids:
Hellas 'Sunset'
Via Luna Este 'China Doll'
Halo 'Littlest Angel'

My favorites are usually what's currently in bloom!

Do I really need to answer this question? :poke:

Do I really need to answer this question? :poke:

No, Fairrifreak - *you* are exempt.
:poke:

LOL!!

SPECIE:
fairrieanum
fairrieanum
fairrieanum

:poke:
bellatulum
niveum (I really like leucochilum also, but I don't have one)

PAPH HYBRID:
Bailey Kalina (fairrieanum x tigrinum)
Angela (fairrieanum x niveum)
Jade Dragon (fairrieanum x malipoense)
Fairy Realm (fairrieanum x hookerae)

PHRAG:
Sclimlii?

PHRAG HYBRID:
Hanne Popow

Paph Hybrids:

Paph. sanderianum x sib ('Dragon Dance' x 'Dark Spider')


Hey! That's cheating! You already picked that as a species....You, lucky guy, get to choose another hybrid! :poke:

Okay, sigh...but I've seen it done in some states and it qualified as hybrid :poke:

Then I would have to say I'm torn between the Paph Angel Hair (Saint Swithin x sanderianum) and the Paph. (Magic Wand X Magic Flame).

I have to admit though, Tadd's fairrieanum affair is understandable and they seriously amaze me. The one I have has 3 leaves with the longest at 3.5 inches and it's bloomed already. Now the teeny thing is sprouting two leaf spikes at once that have grown a half inch in two weeks. :o

Angel Hair's nice - I have a small one.

Tadd's affair - lol...what is it with the slippers...they are just so sexy...:love:

:) I figured you would be sharp enough to pick up on that, you didn't let me down. :clap2:

Angel Hair is a beautiful hybrid and Booth's Sand Lady is another excellent sand hybrid. Unfortunately, I don't have either one. :(