I don’t know about you, but Winter tries my gardening soul. Here in New England, I strum my fingers, waiting for the day I can get outside in spring, with spade and trowel, starting in March. It does no good at all to be impatient. Nature has her own timetable, and she can’t be hurried. So what does a gardening addict do? Head to the nursery, of course!
Orchids are available at any time of the year. They usually begin blooming around October, and can last until March, especially if you keep them away from bright light. Sounds counter-intuitive, that these tropicals need low, indirect light, but they do. You can put them in a sunny location, but that will hurry the blooms past, and they will drop quickly.
My favorite place to purchase orchids is Trader Joe’s. Not fancy, right? But they have great prices and a surprising variety. I never purchase orchids from a florist, because they can run into the hundreds of dollars. If you’re talented at getting them to rebloom, go for it. But I am not, so I go the inexpensive route.
My mother is an orchid whisperer, but unfortunately, she didn’t pass that talent to me. She’s incredibly patient with plants, and they rebloom out of gratitude. She actually has her grandmother’s Christmas cactus, and it’s been blooming for generations. I don’t think she will want to pass it to me, with my track record of hortitorture.
Walking into mom’s house, you’ll notice dozens of orchids, and if you time it right, they’ll all be in bloom. It’s stunning, and something of a miracle to me. She even has scented orchids that fill the house with delightful fragrance.
I really love the arrangement to the right, where she’s placed several orchids in an Asian foot bath. It’s a pale celadon, and makes a perfect container for the white blooms. Mom, you probably shouldn’t pass along your grandmother’s cactus to me, but I’d take the footbath!
One of my favorite winter trips is to the greenhouse, because it’s warm, bright, and smells of moist soil.
Plus, there’s green everywhere you turn.
These pretties were blooming in glorious colors at Nunan’s Florist and Greenhouses in Georgetown.
I can still smell the orange blossom!
Mirrors double your blossoms. And, who wouldn’t want twice as many flowers?
Sometimes a single blossom highlighted in a unique vessel is perfect.
Don’t be afraid to use pottery and common flowers with sterling or other family heirlooms.
When these cuties opened up, we were reminded that spring is just around the corner. The bees are just as happy as we are to see blossoms outside!
What kinds of flowers inspire you?
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