[personal] Outside Interests: Blooming.

Only the middle of January and already I’ve accomplished something I questioned I ever would. I got an orchid to bloom a second time.

I hadn’t grown orchids since the late 1970′s, and that didn’t go so well (An ex hated them). Last fall, I bought myself five…which turned into six when one Phalaenopsis, ended up being two crammed into a pot. All were in bloom at the time. That was important to me.

Two have rebloomed since with a third red variety, an Oncidium, currently sending up a very tall spike. This one, a Dendrobium, is a favorite because I like the lime green color. Is it sad I don’t have names for them? Perhaps it’s better that way. I’m a plant aficionado, not a plant talker.

I don’t have much room for these; they reside in a northeast-facing window on a wide fireplace mantle and other than the extra tall flower spike of the one, all seem to do well with that light. During the holidays, I moved them to my bedroom where they got a bit more light through the skylights but I could tell they weren’t terribly happy there.

Anyhoo, someday I wouldn’t mind owning one of the fragrant vanilla or coconut-scented foxtail orchids, if for no other reason to prove to myself that I can grow and get that to rebloom too.