Saturday, February 25, 2012

Blooming orchid

While I await the spring planting season I am enjoying our orchid that just began to blossom beautifully. For nearly two years, the orchid has been bereft of flowers. New leaves, yes, but no blooms. We'd almost given up on it and then, a move from the bedroom to the living room, where the sun is more direct, and voila, giant white and purple flowers burst forth. Orchids are not easy to grow. You need special soil, pots must be sterilized, and watering is tricky. It's best to give them four or five ice cubes a week to avoid over-watering. The payoff is the long life of their flowers. We will enjoy these new blooms for at least two or three months. Then, of course, the wait begins all over again.

1 comment:

meemsnyc said...

I love that ice cube trick! I killed two orchids last year from overwatering. I'll have to try your method if I ever get a new one! How wonderful that you got it to rebloom!