I posted last week that my cattleya is blooming, and it's my third
orchid to bloom this year, and that these are my first orchids to bloom
since I was given my first over 3 yrs ago. The cattleya is now in full
bloom, and WOW! I can't believe what it does for my kitchen! (I had to
go look at it again as I was writing this!)
Things change fast! But it's becoming a problem! Today, I was out
running errands, not even thinking about orchids. But I ran across a
discount book store, with a very nice orchid book in the window. I
bought a beautiful Reader's Digest book called, "Orchids for Every
Home" intended for beginners, which I clearly am. Couldn't pass it up,
even though I already have 2 good orchid books I bought back when I
started raising them. But it was a $30 book for $8, and beautifully
illustrated with hundreds of pics of orchids.
Later, I was headed for the grocery store, was passing a large nursery
I've passed many times before. I got this strange feeling that if I
went in, I'd get a good buy on an orchid. I'm not kidding! I tried to
talk myself out of it, but hung a ewie and went in. They had a lot of
beautiful blooming orchids, starting at $35 and up from there.
Definitely out of my price range right now. And I can get them at a
discount from my son's fiance who works in a nursery. But I poked
around a bit, and found something unusual, at least to me. It was a
non-blooming Phal (didn't have a phal yet) in a glass vase. Or is it
still a vase if the plant is growing in it? Or are vases just for cut
flowers? Anyway, it was a green transparent vase, about a foot tall,
6" across the top, narrows down to about 2" at the center, then swells
back out to 5" or so at the bottom (sort of a Mae West shaped vase!).
There is moss in the wide, top part, with the Sea Jewell Phal in it.
Water in the bottom. Never saw an orchid done that way before, and I
really liked it. I went up and asked, and it was only $20. I couldn't
just leave it there! So now I have a phal. In a vase, if that's what
it's called.
I'm sure it's not unique, so if anyone has any tips as to how to take
care of it, I'm all ears. I was watering my others in the tub today, so
when I got home, I just put it in the tub and "showered" it with the
others, then fed it. It's now on the kitchen window, facing east. Looks
great!
But that's the problem. I didn't intend to spend a dime on orchids
today, and spent almost $30. This is getting to be an expensive
addiction!