damselfish | (no subject)

Forgot to mention this when it happened, but better late than never, and best when I write a post instead of work on a paper!

Anyway, about a month ago I went to the Orchid Festival at Fairchild. Honestly I go to most of Fairchild's events, but the orchid festival is one of the biggest. I've picked up a plant every year for years now, and like every year, I wanted something different. I gravitate toward small orchids, so even though I was tempted by several tiny, adorable plants, I settled on a gigantic purple cattleya. I'm talking, flowers bigger than my fist.

Like many plants for sale, it doesn't have any flowers on it. I buy one with a couple buds, and am warmed not to jostle it or I'll break them off. I make it home without jostling, set it on a table, and... it topples over.

The plant is fine, but the buds snap off like glass.

I stared at it. I just spent $30 for what is now a mass of green leaves. My grandfather assures me it'll flower next year, but I am not convinced. My luck with getting orchids to bloom is hit or miss, really. "I guess I'll go back tomorrow and buy the little purple ones."

I wasn't sure I should go back. Lord knows I have enough orchids. But Sunday morning I have nothing better to do, and trek back over to the garden. The day before there was a whole cluster of these little purple orchids that caught my eye, but Sunday I see just one. I ask if there's any others, because why was this one passed over? Something must be wrong with it, but it looks fine to my eyes.

"Oh. There aren't any more? I guess it must be the last one."

Well if it's the last one I must have it.

I don't know why it was the last one. It's one of the nicest orchids I own.

It's funny because I'm not usually drawn to purple orchids, especially not phalaenopsis, since they always strike me as being dirt common, but the coloration on these little beauties is pretty striking. Also they didn't cost me $50+, which is always a bonus.

And after owning a bunch of orchids, I'm becoming partial to the genus, because they not only last forever as opposed to softer flowers (like dendrobiums), but they're the easiest to coax back into bloom. I put this one on my kitchen counter because I'm pretty sure by the window has too much sunlight, and I don't really have any room on the window bench anymore.

Came out pretty dark but you get the idea. And, yes, that's the other phalaenopsis. It's bloomed twice, despite being on the apparent brink of death. I only bought it because I was in Home Depot and liked the pot it was in (not the pot it's in now). Of course that makes it one of my most successful plants.