Once the perennial gardens filled with dozens of irises, hemerocallis and every other flower are put to bed, Kathy Puckett find she starts sliding into a funk. It isn’t only the short days and long dark nights. She misses Flowers!
Three years ago she decided the only cure was winter blossoms. Thus she began collecting orchids, tiny orchids, orchids that need a morning shower every day, some with an intense fragrance that is released only at the time of day – or night – when the appropriate pollinator is about, mounted orchids, terrestials orchids that actually live in soil, vandas, cattelyas, dendrobiums, and many others. She now has about 200 plants to tend while they keep away the winter blues. Happily she is able to get many orchids and the necessary supplies locally including from David Walker on Rt 5 & 10 in Deerfield
My favorite orchid is the moth orchid, phalaenopsis, which luckily for me is is also one of the easiest orchids to grow. This is Phalaenopsis Fortune Saltzman ‘Maple Bridge’ which Kathy got from Santa Barbara Orchids. Thank you Kathy, for the photo. Obviously gardening isn’t your only talent. My moth orchid bloomed for over four months. Now we will see if I can get it to rebloom.
Some of Kathy’s favorites orchid websites are the American Orchid Society; Andy’s orchids.com; New World orchids.com and Orchids Limited.com.
A query: Speaking of orchids, a friend recently coomented to me “Time spent in the garden is like time spent in the library – it is never wasted!” What on earth could she have meant?