I was torn this morning...did I want to bring in the first blooming stem of cymbidium orchid, even though there were still many unopened buds, or leave it a few days longer possibly to be chewed upon by snails? Hmmmm... Protecting it from varmints won out. (And maybe just a tad bit of impatience played into the decision, too.)
The cymbidium plants were a "gift" from the previous owner, though what was left seemed not so hospitable! Stuck in a corner of my, then, tiny patio was a six sided wooden pot, filled with none too healthy looking green long-leaved plants. I paid them little mind until our condo community was tented and the plants had to be removed from the patio lest they be "gassed". As I tried to lift to pot from the ground so that I could move it a safe distance from the house, the wood disintegrated. Disgusted, and wondering why I was bothering, I dragged it into a ground cover bed far away enough from the house to be safe.
When we were given the all clear to move our food, plants and selves back into our units, I mentioned to my next door neighbor that I had not a clue what to do with this busted collection of orchid plants. She just happened to have instructions for the proper planting of cymbidium, and before long I had divided the bulbs, active and dormant, into multiple pots, keeping two of them for myself and sharing the rest.
The following year I was rewarded beyond my wildest expectations. Two pots of orchid plants provided me with sixteen stems of blooms that I cut and put into vases in the house! (Sadly, I've never had nearly that many stems, since.) But, no matter what the annual yield, I'm always thrilled to see the first blooms open. This year I can share that first open bloom with you, too!
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