FOTD – Feb. 5, 2020 – Baby Orchid
I got this set of orchids for my anniversary. They were a brilliant violet. Almost purple. I was surprised to see buds on the stalks so soon after getting them, especially because I haven’t been very diligent about caring for them. Too much going on with house, dogs, moving out the dolls, off-loading old furniture. The problem with all of this effort is that the house looks worse, not better.
All the old furniture had stuff in it. Even though we’ve dumped multiple bags of trash, there are items left over and no place to put them. We are very short of closets in this house, even though we added an extra set when we moved in.
Purple in September
Everything is full and I grant you if we cleaned out the closets, there might be some room, but then again, maybe not. A lot of it is winter clothing and it takes up a lot of room.
The previously purple orchid
So between worrying about the health of the Scotties and feeding birds and fixing broken pieces of the house, my plants have not gotten the attention they deserve. Nonetheless, the Christmas Cactus began blooming again and my purple orchid opened this morning. There are more buds too.
It was hard to get a complete picture because it was facing down and I had to get underneath it to get a picture
But it isn’t purple this time. It is dark magenta in the middle with white petals. So I have to ask: does that mean the purple was artificially injected into the soil or do orchids change color?
Categories: cee's photo challenge, Flower of the day, Marilyn Armstrong, orchids, Photography
Beautiful … eh!
We sell a lot of ’em at the store.
LikeLike
They are beautiful. And the dye makes them amazing to look at. Of course, when they bloom again, they return to white — but still beautiful.
LikeLike
Not long now Marilyn. When I was a kid I loved the winter – played hockey and such. Those days are gone.
LikeLike
Garry still has friends — around his age — who STILL play hockey. But I think it’s a very watered-down version of what they used to do. My own friends are finding it harder and harder to just get out of the house. We don’t live terribly far away — like an hour and a half — but these days, that’s a lot of driving.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Magnificent!
LikeLike
I was right. They do dye them, so almost all of the brightly colored orchids come back with white leaves. Still beautiful. I always expect them to have a scent to match their beauty, but they (for me) are nearly scent-free. I read a post last night on caring for them and they recommend not watering them at all, but putting in three ice-cubes once a week and be sure they aren’t getting too much sun. I’m going to try it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve never seen an orchid that had a scent…
LikeLike
I don’t think any of them do, at least not cultivated ones. Maybe wild ones?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Look at that baby orchid. Wonderful photos Marilyn 😀
LikeLike
Thank you. I hadn’t used my macro lens in a while, so I’d forgotten how touchy it is about focusing. I have to use it more. Of course, it helps if flowers are blooming 🙂
LikeLike
Hi Marilyn My mother has a lot of orchids. She says you have to use the special fertilizer for orchids or they lose their colours and don’t do well.
LikeLike
And as little as I water them, they recommend bi-weekly fertilizer 2-1 and don’t use water, just ice cubes. I haven’t been giving them a lot of attention. There has been so much other stuff going on.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Orchids are high maintenance flowers so I think you are doing really well with yours.
LikeLike
But they are very picky about light and water. If you have the right light, you are halfway there and they don’t respond well to neglect. I’m surprised these bloomed. I really haven’t given them any attention. I don’t have any fertilizer and I water them when I realize I can’t remember when I last watered them. Probably that’s how they survive — by not being watered!
LikeLike
I love the previously purple orchid! At first glance, before I enlarged it, I thought it was a nose.
LikeLike
Apparently they are dyed, but it’s not something you can do yourself. It’s done in nurseries with exactly the right light and temperature and has to be at a specific point in the growth cycle. So all these bright and dark orchids will grow back on their own with white petals. There are some naturally yellow, orange, and light blue ones, but the really dark and bright ones are dyed. Still beautiful, without the dye 🙂
It looks more like a flower today. The petals are still opening.
LikeLiked by 1 person