I don’t often talk about houseplants here, and on the rare occasion that I do, it’s done reluctantly. I’m just not all that comfortable with them, and I certainly don’t have the passion for them that I have for all the great things that grow outdoors.
I have a few houseplants that get special treatment and seem to be enjoying the attention this year, but most of them just suffer through winter until it is warm enough for them to go outside where they are much, much happier.
I’m about to show you something I don’t know I’ve ever been a part of before, but before I do, I want to assure you, what’s happening here probably has nothing to do with me, so you might be able to do it too.
Check out my orchids.
They are both phalenopsis, which is probably the most grower-friendly orchid you can find (and why they are not difficult to find). The small, slightly lime colored one I believe is a miniature variety, picked up last fall for a whopping $3 at the grocery store. The other, however, was a really lovely gift I received in December 2018. Since I received it, I believe it has always had at least one flower blooming. But never has it bloomed like this.
They are sitting on the kitchen table where they get bright but very indirect light (probably good), and the occasional blast of cold from the nearby door (undoubtedly bad).
Both are in their original pots growing in sphagnum moss, although the orange one will need repotting soon. Every weekend I stick my finger in there and feel the moss to see if there’s still moisture in there. If they feel dry (about every week for the little guy and every other for the big guy), they get a blurp of warm water and sit in the sink until it’s done running out the bottom. I’m a firm believer that the worst thing that happened to orchids was a marketing ploy telling people to stick ice cubes in them. They are tropical plants and if you give them ice they will enact their revenge on you by dramatically dying when you have company coming over.
In a month or so I might start giving them a bit of orchid fertilizer on every other watering (or when I remember).
Like I said, I don’t take credit for what’s happening on my kitchen table right now. But here, in these grayest days of winter, you can bet I’m taking pleasure in it.
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