In retirement, my Dad, who lives in Roanoke, Virginia, has become an orchid fanatic. He has about 150 orchids, up from 100 just a few years ago.
And those are the ones he admits to.
Years ago he and my Mom had a sun room built because they wanted a sunny 'extra room'. Mom and I know it was just so he would have a place to put his orchids in the winter. As we speak, he is working on creating a computer-controlled mister that will allow him (!) to go on trips without worrying about the orchids.
He has been trying to convert me for years, giving me his extras after repotting, taking me to orchid shows, asking me how my orchids are doing.
I always told him to only give me ones he could stand to let go, as I have a black thumb. I probably have about 20 now.
My husband wishes he had the thousands of dollars back I have spent on plants that haven't made it. He even told me once to please just write a check to the garden center and not come home with any plants, as it would save him the effort of planting and then digging up a dead plant.
Well of course the free plants are doing just fine.
Well of course the free plants are doing just fine.
Over Thanksgiving my Dad and I were trying to determine if there were orchids that could withstand the temperatures at our Tree Farm in Northern Florida.
This morning, I came upon a link to Native Florida Orchids. Apparently there are quite a few.
The flowers pictured, as near as I can determin, are from a Dendrobium lithicola (Eastern Auxtralia).
ReplyDeleteThe plant was given to my wife about 10 or 12 years ago by a neighbor lady (probably a grocery store no-name) and promptly became my resposibility, naturally, because I do the yard work. The challenge of keeping it alive, and the elation that it didn't die, is the origin of my orchid habit. It has been hanging outdoors in St Pete for nearly that long (the neighbor gave me a second one, that I kept, when she got tired of it) so in retrospect it is a survivor and probably lived in spite of my 'care'.
I'm deflated and may give up orchids any day.
Dad
Aw Dad, you know you aren't going to give up orchids.
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