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Wednesday 19 March 2008

The Orchid Bite




Ok .. I have finally been seduced by Costco's orchid display .. and further pulled in by a very nice women who assured me that these particular types are hard to kill ? .. that above all is a winning card for me. The name is "Phalaenopsis" .. or Moth Orchid, as I strolled through the net for more information ..
This took me more time, to decide on one ,out of the many varieties of colours, than my own hair colour .. believe me .. a LONG time .. especially for a willy nilly Libra who has to weigh all of the consequences ofeach, and every action, every day !

It made good sense not to get one fully blown out with those gorgeous blooms .. to have some unopened buds and not too long an arm ? .. just general observations I make with most plants .. but having said that .. I am a virgin to orchids .. so if anyone has any vital information that might save this orchid, and my sanity .. please feel free to interject that point and any other to save what is left of my mind .. Thank You !

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Phalaenopsis are very easy to grow as long as you keep them away from strong sunlight and take care with watering. Their roots will rot if kept wet.

Allow excess water to drain away from the bottom of the pot. Orchid compost is essential as it is very free draining.

They are beautiful plants and the flowers last for months. I avoided them for years till I read how undemanding they were.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi easygardener .. I avoided them too because I thought they may be too much to handle .. finally got kissed by their beautiful colours and shapes .. fell head over heels .. so there it is .. hope I can do what it needs of me : )

Melanie Chopay said...

Hi Joy, I grow two orchids, one is this kind, only in white. This is what I've learned from lectures and from three years of growing my plant.

1st, easygardener is right on the money. Too much water is the number one killer. I water mine about every 10 days. Put it in the kitchen sink, spray the sprayer over the leaves (not the blooms) until the water is running out of the bottom of the pot. I leave it in the sink, tip it every now and then to make sure it really drained well.

The second tip is when it's done blooming don't cut off that green stalk. Many times it will take a rest and then push out blooms on that same stalk. Don't cut it until it turns brown and obviously dead.

Mine hasn't been as happy in the last year. We had triple paned windows with UV protection installed and light that penetrates is very poor for plants.

Unknown said...

Did you say Costco? I miss living close to one, I never get to shop there anymore. The closest one is 5 hours away, so you can imagine that I don't get there too often. I suppose I should just drop the membership.

Beautiful orchid! I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to try something like that yet....

Aunt Debbi/kurts mom said...

Joy, I dont grow them myself. Since the birth of the monkeys house plants don't have very good luck around here. Anyway, there are a lot of good website on orchids. Apparently, it is a special kind of gardening crazy. Your choice is lovely. Sophie looks relaxed.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Debbie .. I waffled on getting one for some time .. but at $13 .. I figured it was at least worth the learning experience ? haha
Nothing bothers Sophie for long ! : )

Cinj .. We don't have an IKEA in Kingston .. I feel that way too .. I love IKEA but not enough to travel that far.
Thanks ! .. I htink it looks pretty good too ! : )

Melanie .. thanks for s the info ! .. this is going to be interesting .. I'm going to do my best not to kill this pretty one ?
I'll probably place it in the living room .. no plants in there so she can be the star ? LOL

Mia Celeste said...

Wow! What a beautiful orchid!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Brenda ! .. Thanks for stopping by : ) .. and the price was right too ! LOL

Anonymous said...

So, another Libra eh? (that's the Canadian in me coming out) :)

I too adore orchids and only wish I could keep them alive. They're so expensive to buy up here ($45-50 each) so I always hesitate at buying more. These are beauts.

Diane

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Diane ! .. you are a Libra too EH ? LOL .. I am very lucky to have Costco here .. these were just over $13 .. so YES !! a bargain lulled me into trying them !

Anonymous said...

How spectacular! What a beautiful note card this would make. Makes me long for a bigger house or fewer cats (kidding, guys!) to feast on anything green and growing... Deb

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hey Deb .. I'm lucky that almost all my plants do not interest Sophie .. plus being out of her reach is a major plus too ! She is rubbing her nose on my lap top right now .. she doesn't want me on here .. I'm supposed to be worshipping her at the moment ? LOL

Linda said...

What lovely orchids, hope they grow well for you. Sophie is adorable. Our cat, Shadow, follows the sun around the house and curls up for her cat naps and warms up at the same time.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Linda .. I'm a bit nervous about it .. but I'm willing to give it a try .. if it is ? LOL
It says something about people who love cats .. independent .. a little "wild" inside ? .. so many things so many personalities ? LOL