This pretty orchid greeted me in the sunroom this morning. My old childhood friend and neighbor from back in the day literally plucked this from the trash at the retirement community where his mom lived. He and his mom had a little ritual they followed every day. In the late afternoon, he would wheel her around to all the utility closets looking for soda cans to donate to their church's can drive, stopping along the way to say hi to other residents, check the mail, and just get out and about a … [Read more...] about A Little Spring Pep Talk – Part 1
orchids
I Blame Marketing…
Yes, even I braved the traffic, crowds, and fast talking salesmen (thankfully, there wern't that many fast talking salesmen) to go to a few stores this weekend. I needed something from the hardware store and more food. Rest assured that I chose stores that were as far from the madding crowd as I could get. And I shopped for food when the Colts football game was on TV, further guaranteeing that there wouldn’t be many other people shopping at the same time.At the hardware store, I took the long … [Read more...] about I Blame Marketing…
Chicken Foot Orchid
Who’s in charge of common names for plants? No one? Good, then we can do as we please with common names. I thereby and hereby give this orchid the common name of Chicken Foot Orchid because its bloom looks like what I think a chicken’s foot looks like.However, I’m not quite sure, because I don’t have any chickens and my close encounters with chickens have mostly been at the state fair. At the fair, when I go in to the poultry and rabbit barn, it is so noisy between all the chickens cackling … [Read more...] about Chicken Foot Orchid
Orchid Bud, Bloom Day Update
Why is it that I can never remember the common name of this orchid?I can remember Ludisia discolor, its botanical name, but I can’t remember its common name of jewel orchid. I always want to call it a velvet orchid, because its leaves look like velvet to me.I remember for awhile that this is a jewel orchid by repeating it over and over and over.Jewel orchid.Jewel orchid.Jewel orchid.Then I read about them and invariably, someone mentions their ‘velvety leaves’ and I’m right back to thinking of … [Read more...] about Orchid Bud, Bloom Day Update
Planting the Unexpected
Why has it taken me so long to plant an orchid in my garden?This spring, I found Bletilla striata, a hardy orchid, at one of the local garden centers. Tucked away in a corner in black one-gallon plastic containers, these orchids just looked like some lily leaves with a small flower stalk.But they drew my attention and I couldn't put one in my cart fast enough, even though I didn't know much about them, other than what was on the tag."Hardy orchid with shiny green foliage and hot pink flowers in … [Read more...] about Planting the Unexpected
A Garden of Miscellany
Tonight I’m posting a “garden of miscellany”, some gardening related thoughts that aren’t quite enough for a full blog post and are too much for a twitter.~~~~Does anyone else think this orchid bloom looks like a chicken’s foot? I posted about this for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, but didn’t include a picture, just a link, so I think a lot of people didn’t see what I was talking about. Often flowers and plants look like something else from a distance, or even up close. I can’t think of any good … [Read more...] about A Garden of Miscellany
