What’s in Bloom? Orchids!

For years, I avoided orchids for all the typical reasons: too hard to grow/rebloom/keep alive. Then, in spring of 2010, I saw my mother’s half dead phalaenopsis and avoidance turned to eagerness. “Sure, we can get this back among the living,” I told her!  By then I had 6 months of tropical gardening reading (and doing) under my belt and felt I understood epiphyte cycles. I took it home to repot, figuring new spikes would appear in 9 months to a year.

A year came and went–nothing…18 months rolled by…despite all the right feeding and pampering–still nothing!  In October 2011, I gave up and stuck it under the backyard tree, along with another half dead phal purchased from a clearance cart in Home Depot, during my earlier exuberance..

Well!! Hark the herald angels really DO sing!  Shortly after Christmas, spikes appeared on both plants!   On Valentine’s Day, my mother’s orchid finally began to rebloom!

Look at me!!

Do you like my head shot?

Today, I was thrilled to see the second bud fully opened:

February Flower of the Month

I guess little Home Depot phal doesn’t like being left behind…this afternoon, it too started opening!

Wait for me!!!!

Although it’s hard to see in these photos,  each plant has at least 8 buds already; the purple one has 2 side branchlets growing off the main spike with more flowers forming on both. The next few weeks should be full of fragrant flowers!

Last night I uploaded photos of everything that bloomed during the last two months. To see the Ranchero January/February flower gallery click here.  🙂 🙂

Until next time…..

• epiphytes
• Gardening
• Orchidaceae
• Orchids
• Phalaenopsis
• Tropical Gardening