My Babies

My orchids are a source of joy and beauty for me. I first caught the orchid-growing bug about six or eight years ago, I'd guess, when my sister started growing them. Not to be outdone, I had to try growing them, too.

The first few years were not that successful. The orchids, in bloom when I bought them, would seldom bloom again. If they did bloom, the blossoms came from the original flower spikes and not from new spikes.

Then I began putting the plants outside for the summer.

Eureka!

Turns out, my orchids love the front porch. They get only a tad of sunshine in the very early morning. The rest of the day they're in the shade. On the porch they enjoy warm days and cool nights: just what the orchid doctor ordered, apparently.

When I bring the plants back into the house each fall, many are sporting new leaves and new flower spikes. I put these on a table in the front entrance, where the spikes grow and develop buds and, eventually, blossom. The blossoms last for several weeks, which is what I love the most about orchids.

The orchids that have no evidence of new spikes I put upstairs in my "orchid nursery," the guest room. There they sit in front of a window, protected from direct sun by a curtain. During the fall, winter, and spring I often find new spikes coming from these plants, so they get promoted to the downstairs entryway.

The photo here is one that I took yesterday. Three orchids are now in bloom, bless their hearts.