Miracle Grow
Too bad someone spilled beer on my digital camera when I was collecting beads at the Baton Rouge St. Patrick’s Day Parade last month. The scene was kind of like this, but you have to imagine the noise and the flying beer. (My own picture is lost in the Bud-soaked nowhere of my broken camera.)
I’m bummed about the camera because it means I can’t show you my Phalaenopsis orchid making miracles right now.
The Phalaenopsis, let’s call her Faye, was this gorgeous orchid I bought impulsively last summer when I was shopping at King Sooper’s, our local grocery chain. Now, for amateurs, buying orchids in Denver is kind of like throwing money into a wind tunnel, because it’s so darn dry here that they tend to croak. Over the years, I haven’t had a single one that’s produced a second bloom. I do have about a three-year-old one in my kitchen window whose leaves still sprout occasionally, but it’s never bloomed and every time I water it it looks like it’s going to keel over, and leaves start dropping off the next day. This makes me feel like a failure, but I mostly chalk it up to the climate. Of course, every time I visit the orchid section of the plant nursery and find myself gazing longingly at their pretty blossoms I meet some guy who starts bragging about his victorious orchid garden, in the heart of Denver. So who knows. Maybe it’s me.
Except: Faye! I don’t mean it derisively when I say Faye is like a reliable street hooker. You buy her on the street for 20 bucks, but she holds up great and she just keeps on giving. For the impusive $19.95 I spent on her, she bloomed from July through fricking November. In fact, i think her last two flowers fell off right before Christmas, when I finally cut her stems back. Here’s a picture of her and Rico last August:
You can see how gorgeous she was. Can you imagine having that thing blooming in your house for half a year? It’s like magic.
The trick, I think, is partly some advice I got, partly dumb luck, and mostly because my household is clearly blessed by fairies. One day this delivery guy came and dropped me off some beautiful lillies Erin sent me. He commented on Faye, and told me his mother had success with orchids by leaving a bowl of water next to them and watering directly very rarely. So I took the man’s advice, picked out a beautiful ceramic bowl from my china cabinet, and did it. (See the bowl?) I figured if Faye hadn’t liked the evaporating water nearby, she would have dropped her bloomers, I mean blossoms.
But the other thing she seemed to like was the fact that everyday Rico would hop up on the buffet she’s on and sit next to her, looking out the front window. He’s quiet and sweet and warm; must have been nice company. She even lets him drink her water.
So a couple weeks ago I was filling up Faye’s water bowl and–lo and behold!–a little sprout was making its way to the light. I about flipped my lid, because I’ve wanted to see an orchid re-sprout for the 10 years I’ve been enamored with the things. Maybe two days later, I was admiring the growth of the little sprout and saw a second one right next to it. I peed my pants a little.
And now the sprouts are about 7 inches long, and seem to grow about an inch a day. They have tiny buds on them that I presume are actually going to become flowers, but I’m still taking it all on faith. I consider this blossoming a full-blown miracle, no question. Every day I want to kiss Faye, my respect and gratitude are so huge.
Is this life amazing, or what?
