(I apologize for the title link, it's terrible I know, but it makes me think of the movie Little Miss Sunshine, and that makes me happy!)
Nothing like a good intelligent magazine article to get the mind buzzing I say. The Atlantic recently published an article, "The Science of Success" that really got me thinking. The basis of the article is about what makes certain people successful in their environment by stating how there are people who are like dandelions (able to adapt anywhere despite their environment and abuse) while others are more like orchids (who bloom and perform exceptionally when given greenhouse-like conditions).
This plant analogy is not the only reason why I enjoyed this article (and I figure it is relative to this blog), but also because I have been mulling about Jean's comment from JeansGarden about needing bread /wheat and roses, rather than my usual all edible plant-ness. I was thinking tangentially of her comment when I read this article because of the parallels of wheat being a grass and able to tough it out and spread everywhere unlike roses, which only look good when paid LOTS of attention too (but can be admittedly tough in their own right).
I also found this article to be important to me as well because I am somewhat neurotic and get depressive at times, and thought it was elucidating, if not instructive (which is good for me because I really hate instructions. If I'm doing complicated baking or I am fixing my car, yes instructions are helpful. Other than that, I tend to stay away from baking and mechanical work).
While this entry/article doesn't pertain specifically to plants, I believe life and plants/gardening are a constant analogies for each other and provide us with mini bits of enlightenment (satori?) that are difficult notice in our normally frenetic lives.
So go read. Feel the little bolts of electrical learning jolting in your noggin and mull about what makes us tick.
(Caution: the article is long and bit heavy at times, but plug through it and ignore the small super science-y parts if it bores you)
Showing posts with label orchids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label orchids. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
I'm having babies! *
Every so often my orchids actually do something that get my attention. Recently this was sprouting a few leaves in a couple of unexpected places, their upper stems. “That’s interesting,” I thought when it first happened.
Then the leaves got bigger,
and my other orchid decided to join in on the action and sprouted a set of leaves on one stem
and then on it’s OTHER stem!
Not being a total idjit, I looked around for a father and then came to the conclusion that I’m having babies! *Well, the orchids are at least… not me for a long while yet!
The babies are called keikis technically and I am giving them the original names of Keiki #1, Keiki #2 and Keiki #3. Or maybe I’ll be cute and call ‘em Ke, i, and Ki. We’ll see.
They still have a while yet before they have enough roots (2 or 3 at about an inch and a half long) before they can leave their roosts off their respective mama orchids. I have to wait until then before I can be plant midwife-like and yank them off their mothers and replant them in their own pots. It’s a cold world little orchids, just you wait and see! (Man, I feel slightly evil. I blame the awful rainy weather.)
The cool thing about keikis is that they are clones of their mothers and because they have been growing piggyback on mommy for a while, they are hearty and strong and will bloom within a year or two rather than the usual 3-5 years seedling orchids take.
I have never had any problems growing an orchid interestingly enough and am slightly mystified by how other people seem to think of them as terribly difficult to keep. All the orchids I have kept too are the generic “grocery-store-didn’t-know-how-to-take-care-of-me-and-now-I’m-dying-and-on-sale” kinds. Maybe they only stay alive out of gratitude to me? My only tricks are professional orchid potting material, little water and whatever light my dining room table gives it.
If anything, I wish more people would grow orchids and not feel so intimidated by them. Adopt a discounted one from your grocery store so it doesn’t feel like such an expensive investment! Just do a little research to get them spruced up again (a good bit of fertilizer, a sheltered spot, and some neem spray for good measure) and you’ll have yourself a nice orchid to cherish for years!
What do orchids, other than being interesting lovely plants, have to do with my blog? Ta da, they’re edible! The most common edible orchid is the vanilla orchid (which I desire greatly to have), but in general ALL orchids are edible. The flowers can be used in many dishes and salads, too. The roots also are purported to be edible (though I wouldn’t recommend it if you like your plant living).
Flavors can vary from sweet to bitter to chive-like, so be wary if you decide to nosh.
Interesting links:
http://www.herbcompanion.com/garden-gnome/how-to-care-for-edible-orchids.aspx
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/orchids/msg042033317817.html
http://www.thinktheearth.net/thinkdaily/news/news-detail-356.shtml
Then the leaves got bigger,
and my other orchid decided to join in on the action and sprouted a set of leaves on one stem
and then on it’s OTHER stem!
Not being a total idjit, I looked around for a father and then came to the conclusion that I’m having babies! *Well, the orchids are at least… not me for a long while yet!
The babies are called keikis technically and I am giving them the original names of Keiki #1, Keiki #2 and Keiki #3. Or maybe I’ll be cute and call ‘em Ke, i, and Ki. We’ll see.
They still have a while yet before they have enough roots (2 or 3 at about an inch and a half long) before they can leave their roosts off their respective mama orchids. I have to wait until then before I can be plant midwife-like and yank them off their mothers and replant them in their own pots. It’s a cold world little orchids, just you wait and see! (Man, I feel slightly evil. I blame the awful rainy weather.)
The cool thing about keikis is that they are clones of their mothers and because they have been growing piggyback on mommy for a while, they are hearty and strong and will bloom within a year or two rather than the usual 3-5 years seedling orchids take.
I have never had any problems growing an orchid interestingly enough and am slightly mystified by how other people seem to think of them as terribly difficult to keep. All the orchids I have kept too are the generic “grocery-store-didn’t-know-how-to-take-care-of-me-and-now-I’m-dying-and-on-sale” kinds. Maybe they only stay alive out of gratitude to me? My only tricks are professional orchid potting material, little water and whatever light my dining room table gives it.
If anything, I wish more people would grow orchids and not feel so intimidated by them. Adopt a discounted one from your grocery store so it doesn’t feel like such an expensive investment! Just do a little research to get them spruced up again (a good bit of fertilizer, a sheltered spot, and some neem spray for good measure) and you’ll have yourself a nice orchid to cherish for years!
What do orchids, other than being interesting lovely plants, have to do with my blog? Ta da, they’re edible! The most common edible orchid is the vanilla orchid (which I desire greatly to have), but in general ALL orchids are edible. The flowers can be used in many dishes and salads, too. The roots also are purported to be edible (though I wouldn’t recommend it if you like your plant living).
Flavors can vary from sweet to bitter to chive-like, so be wary if you decide to nosh.
Interesting links:
http://www.herbcompanion.com/garden-gnome/how-to-care-for-edible-orchids.aspx
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/orchids/msg042033317817.html
http://www.thinktheearth.net/thinkdaily/news/news-detail-356.shtml
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
