Obsessed with Orchids

Strange with a beautiful creature-shaped blossom, the orchid calls to me. With 28,000 species, possibly more, this celebrated plant amazes.

When it came to bringing one home to share space with my beloved plants, the fear of failure made me keep my distance from the primitive Orchidaceae - except for the rare corsage - I had little contact with these unique beauties.

At the beginning of the pandemic, I, like millions of others, found myself somewhat perplexed and dismayed by the events unfolding. While shopping for necessities, I came upon a stand of mini orchids. The pots that held them were only two and a half inches wide at the top. 

After briefly vacillating, I knew I wanted - no, I needed - to try to keep one of them alive. This is when my love affair with one of nature's (at least to me) most exotic mysteries began. 

Although I have never done it, my desire to have more orchids, preferably a house filled with them, remains as urgent as the craving that periodically hits me to eat an entire chocolate cake with sinful abandon!

I have procured many orchid plants over these past three years and continue to do so. I have yet to immerse my face into becoming one with a chocolate cake. That remains on my “to-do” list.

Because the container that held the first orchid I bought was so small, I knew it needed to be transplanted immediately. Knowing next to nothing about them, I started my research. I found a ridiculous amount of conflicting information, so knowing what would work for me took time. I spoke to a local nursery where I knew a woman raised them. That was my best decision up to that point. Still, I learned more over time by growing them myself.

The orchid plant is patient; it takes its sweet time to bloom. A bud can stay the same size for an interminable period or grow so fast you may think it is preparing to explode!

This bud took a few weeks to develop and stayed the same size for several more days. I must hand it to this particular Orchideade; it kept my attention better than most conversations.

Once the buds of an orchid begin to emerge, it can take weeks before all the buds open, and once they do, the blossoms can last, from my personal experience, for as long as three months!

Several buds at a time festooned this orchid’s stem; each opened when it was ready and not a moment before.

When it decides to open, each pedal gradually unfolds - or - the bud will surprise and open a few pedals at a surprising pace. I wanted to keep vigil but found myself having to blink now and then and, a few times, leave the room. Even so, I observed in amazement one bud unfolding several pedals into a spectacular flower within just over an hour.

As layers of this bud unfolded, the middle part looked like a puppy’s face with floppy ears hanging from both sides of its little head. Maybe you, too, can see it. Maybe not. I can never be sure that others will see the same things I do in the same places. Often I see faces or objects in places a person would not expect to see such things, like on the ceiling, carpet, or tile floor design. I even see designs in toast! And, let me not overlook those visual creations I see so often in clouds.

Can you see the puppy’s face and ears?

No matter how short or long the time is before the buds of an orchid start to open, the result is the same. I cannot think of a flower that I don’t like (even the Dandelion has a charming blossom). However, the blooms of the orchid are more than enchanting to me. They are captivating.

You, like me, may have seen plant pots with holes all around them and wondered why such a pot existed. When I found out that this intriguing plant grows in the nooks of tree branches and its roots are not buried in the soil, it made sense to plant them in orchard bark, meant for that purpose. The bark and pots with holes work hand in hand to replicate what takes place in nature. Allowing a good portion of their roots to be exposed to air keeps them from sitting in wet soil where the roots can rot.

This plastic container shows the healthy green roots of an orchid right after watering, which I do once a week by placing the pot in a bowl and pouring about a cup of distilled water carefully around the base of the plant, avoiding getting water in the nooks of the leaves. Then I let the plant get a good drink through the holes in the bottoms and sides of the plastic pot.

As I did, you will find many suggestions for watering your orchid. I am doing what has worked well for me. Once the plant has soaked for 15 to 30 minutes, I lift it from the bowl and gently roll it around to remove all the excess water. Fortunately, I have successfully grown my orchids and continue learning more about them. For instance, I just learned how to cut the leaves from an orchid plant that does not bloom and steam the end of the leaf, and once that is done, the link below will show you how to place it in a container with water to get it to start a root to replant, creating a new orchid!

Before you give up on any orchid that appears to have stopped growing or blooming, check the roots. If they are brown but still not slimy, repot in new clean bark and a see-through plastic container with holes all around and on the bottom. That way, you can watch it to see how the roots do. If there are slimy roots, cut those off. I discovered that the flower stem could sometimes look dead but leave it on the plant. I had one that I was just about to cut when I saw the tiniest sign of bud life. I waited a few months, thinking it would never bloom again. This picture shows it was good to leave it alone, as these buds are now getting ready to bloom after months of slow growth. I will return to this post when it does bloom and add a picture!

This is what I looked at for months - it resembles a skinny snail, peering out of its shell hoping to find some delicate plant, one in my garden no doubt, to devour! Then, just about a week ago…

This happened! I know these buds will be opening in a very short - well maybe - a short time. It all depends on the orchid plant - I am only an obsessed bystander :)

As you will see in the following pictures, they are natural beauties.

This started as a single flower

Then it became one of a set of twins

Flora gone mad! But wait - there’s more…

There’s a party in my house

And everyone is invited!

Especially Mini, the little orchid that started it all!