To give a bit more information, from a quick scan of pictures at one website, my plant appears to be a Cymbidium, relatively close, but not identical to Cymbidium Fort Knox as shown at this site:
http://www.pbase.com/charlesb/image/76024430

The shape is similar, but my pedals don't have points at the ends (more rounded), and the very inside of the flower has a sort of spotted leopard appearance with red spots on yellow. The pedals are white, with pinkish purple as you get toward the middle of the flower. Out of the five surrounding pedals, the lower two pedals are white with lots of red dots as you get toward the middle.

Can anyone take an educated guess at the species, and point me toward a photograph of your guess, so I can verify it?

I took a digital picture, but I'm not sure how to post it.

Thanks.

Jon

This is extremely close to my plant. Can anyone tell me the species/variety of this plant, and can you give some advice on watering and lighting?

http://www.hcc-nd.edu/pages/news/images/orchid.jpg

Thanks very much.

Jon

Jon, the American Orchid Society website has culture pages that you can look at, download and print. At the top of each is a drawing of what the orchid basically looks like. That will give you the basics of the care your particular orchid needs. Light and water depend on the kind, so that has to be the first thing.

Once you find that out, we can help with particular questions.

About identifying the particular variety, that's very difficult because there are literally thousands of orchid hybrids, many of them very similar. Sometimes the name tag (if any) will tell you. Sometimes orchids at mass vendors are just sold as "orchids", no ID.

About watering: You *can* water by setting in a tray of water. If you do, don't forget to come back and take it out in a half hour. I often forget when I use this method. Watering copiously from above flushes out any salts that have accumulated in the medium. Do that at least once a month.

Some orchids need to be kept moist, but others need to be watered well, then allowed to dry.

Many orchidists say that if you can drink it, you can water orchids with it. Everyone's tap water is different, of course, but I use tap water.

Finally, you can create a clickable url by putting it at the bottom of the message section where it says "optional link URL"

Hi Banjoman,
I don't have much experience myself, but I can tell you that you have definately come to the right place! I think it's very sweet of you to buy your wife an orchid, but beware - if she loves flowers (like most of us do!) then set yourself up for a bigger project than expected!
You really need to tell us which type of orchid you bought. only then can the vast amount of knowledge provided from this forum will you and your wifes orchid thrive (and survive!).
From what I know, first orchids can be deceiving, and they take a very long time to die (or before they appear to start dieing). So you may think you're doing the right thing for the new plant, and may not even know that you're not for 6 months or so!
The major challenge people have with orchids is to get them to bloom again!
You can join up with flickr (see link below) and post some pics. hopefully then this vast field of orchids will narrow for you!
I really think you'll only get the right help with knowing the right plant!
Good luck!!
Linda :)

Here is a link that might be useful: flickr

You would be more helpful if you described the plant itself, how long or wide the leaves are, if the plant has a stem or if the plant has bulbs with leaves coming off the top, etc.

The photo you posted is a Phalaenopsis. Completely different animal than a Cymbidium. Phals are the easiest orchids to grow and flower (some will disagree), but you should follow Mehitabels suggestion to visit the AOS website and look at the culture sheets and pictures. Once you are sure what plant you have, you can find tons of info on the web. You can also buy a book, Ortho's All About Orchids, a good, easy read with lots of basic culture info on most varieties. The book is sold at most big-box stores HD, etc.
The odds of finding out the exact plant are slim, there are millions of hybrid Phals. Just learn the basics and you will do fine.

Jane

The FAQ section of this board is also a super place
Clara

Here is a link that might be useful: Orchid FAQ

Thanks Jane. I had also come to the conclusion that the plant is a Phal from the web search I did.

In response to Orchid126, the plant has 7 large green leaves coming off the root system. Every other leaf grows in the direction opposite the last. A typical leaf is about 8 1/2 inches long, and 3 inches wide.

Assuming that the plant is a Phalaenopsis, I am keeping it a few feet from a Northern exposure window, so it only gets indirect sunlight. I am watering it with tap water from the top after the sphagnum moss feels dry to my finger.

Does this sound reasonable, or does anything I am doing sound way off?

Thanks.

Jon

If it is a northern exposure window, then it should never get direct sunlight at any time of the year. Move it up close.

If you measure the light, you would find that in terms of light intensity your room is almost dark and the situation gets worse very quickly as you move away from a window.

During the display time, I often ignore this and put the plant anywhere I want to, but Phals bloom a long time and keeping them at growing light level is more of an issue than for most of mine.

Plant sounds healthy. Give it more light. Either find another window or do as Richard advises. If you want flowers, you will need more than north light.

Jane

Just a side note and I in no way mean to contradict the stress that ya'll put on "more" light. I agree that most need more light, and I push mine as well. But a good friend of mine here in Boulder puts all of his phals in a north window and they are constantly in bloom. I even gave him, years ago, a dendrobium that i was killing and it too constantly blooms in a north facing window. It has been awhile since I lived back east, and I do remember that the sun is less intense there. So maybe it is because our sun is so fierce. I think I am about 6,000 ft. above sea level. I have one phal in a north window now as my own experiment. At first I had a boston fern in that spot and it was too much light for him.
I would say listen to Jane as she is also in NY. Good luck and enjoy, kudos on getting your wife an orchid. You are a good man.

I would say that in zone 7NY, that a north window will not be enough light even if the phal were right up against the glass. An east window up close, a south window a couple of feet back from the glass or a west window about a foot back would all be much better.

Thanks for the advice everyone. Based on your input and my available windows, I moved it to a spot 1 1/2 feet away from a Southeast-facing picture window. It can get some direct sunlight (filtered through trees) in the morning.

I think I'm hooked now. What are some easy-to-grow orchid varieties that are pretty different from a Phal and would do well in a Southeast window. And is there a best website to order them, or do people do well buying them locally from Supermarkets or Home Depot?

Jon

It can't hurt to gain experience with the inexpensive HD or Trader Joe orchids, but find out when the delivery is (usually the same day and time once a week)and pick from the new plants. They are not taken care of and can be very weak if not fresh. Even then maybe not so good.

I would wait a bit before getting more expensive plants.

I agree, grocery store orchids can be really good ones. Just get them, as Richard said, right when they come in. The people there don't usually know how to take care of them and they water them too much and in their crown. Also a really good idea to repot them right away into new mix, especially HD. I only ever bought one there, but I am pretty sure it was in soil, or the bark was like 10 years old. And, I don't know if you have a Whole Foods near you but mine gets really healthy phals in and they sell for $15. They hook you, for sure. Soon you'll be finding them everywhere you look, or maybe it's that they find you.
Have fun, Shani