Every Spring I buy a few Cymbidium orchids for the house at Trader Joe's or Costco. They are fairly inexpensive and the blooms last for months. Once the blooms fade and drop off I put the plants in containers around the front of my front entrance. I have huge Mexican pottery to house these plants and I just dig a little space in the bark and plop the new arrival in next to the previous years plants. I must have about 12-14 plants in about 5 containers. They bloom every Spring if the few days of frost we have each year don't get them. The blooms aren't as pretty as the first year when I bring them home from the store. This is mostly because they are no longer tended in a greenhouse. Out here they are subject to the elements. The leaves have lots of brown spots, the flowers are pocked. Overall they are still absolutely lovely... and hey, I cannot believe I get orchids of any kind to bloom season after season.
One of my plants in a small container got a little confused by the warm December weather we had and sent up a flower spike. What a treat!
What? You cut these beautiful long lasting blooms?!? Are you insane? No I do NOT cut my orchids willingly. Unfortunately this afternoon I took my front door mat out to shake off all the cat and dog hair. Just as I snapped that little mat up I realized my mistake. I watched in slow motion the delicate stem snap off and flowers scatter at my feet.
So no use crying over spilled milk. I put them in a glass bowl where I hope they last for a little bit longer.
Here's a picture of the few flowers to survive the beating and even one bloom I missed on the ground.
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