Weekly Roundup 9: Orchid Patience

 

I'm not sure how long I've had this orchid, but I think my husband gave it to me a few years ago. This is the third time it has bloomed, and it is the best bloom so far. I don't do anything in particular to the plant, just leave it in the same place and water it. And wait.

I wish I could say that I wisely apply this hands-off patience to other parts of my life, but that's challenging. I always feel like there's something I could and should be doing to get the desired result. Watching and waiting seems too passive. But sometimes when conditions are right, that's all that needs to be done. 

The tricky part is finding the balance between productivity and rest, which is something my orchid apparently doesn't stress about.

The Ides of March: Julius Caesar was assassinated on March 15, and the date was immortalized by Shakespeare's famous line: "Beware the ides of March." The Ides of March still has an unlucky vibe, but in ancient Rome, "ides" referred only to the full phase of the moon. The Romans used a lunar calendar, with the new moon occurring on the first day of the month and the full moon on the 15th. So the date isn't inherently unlucky--unless you owed someone money, as that was the day the Romans settled their debts.

If all else fails, the luck of the Irish comes to the rescue two days later, on St. Patrick's Day.

Erin go bragh! (Ireland forever!)

Mine vs. Theirs

Hello there! Spring has sprung in Northern Colorado, which means the weather swings wildly between winter and summer and every day seems to be windy. I'm starting to think about my garden, but conventional wisdom advises against planting before the second Sunday in May (Mother's Day), as we might still have freezing temperatures and/or a foot of snow.

My Chinese Lantern sprouts are holding their own...kind of. It's too cold to put them outside, and although my kitchen is pretty sunny, it's not quite the same. So they're looking a little wimpy:

In the mean time, I came across an online plant supplier that actually sells Chinese Lanterns. So I ordered one. You know, as a Plan B of sorts. And here it is:

Hmmm. It really puts my little seedlings to shame, doesn't it? If I were to plant them as is, we all know which one we'd bet on. Yep, the one formerly known as Plan B.

This has got me thinking about how comparing our efforts to someone else's can make us feel lousy. Am I a professional seed sprouter or plant propagator? I am not. Did I do the best with what I had? I did. Is there always going to be someone else who is bigger/better/more successful than I? Why, yes. Yes there is. 

We tell kids all the time, "just do your best." But adults also need to remember that it's better to make a good effort, even if the end result isn't what you'd hoped, than do nothing. At least you tried and maybe even learned something in the process. 

I'm not giving up on my sprouts, but honestly, I'm grateful for the company that grew this plant bigger and better than I could. And I'm looking forward to helping it thrive in my yard once spring arrives for real.

Germination

When I was a kid, we had a few Chinese/Japanese lantern bushes lining the path along the side of the house. I loved how the puffy green seed pods turned orange in the fall and looked like glowing lanterns. Every few years, I think about getting one of these plants for my current house, but I can never find one in a local greenhouse. 

Lacking an established plant, I've tried starting them from seed. Usually, I can get most any variety of seed to sprout. It might not do too much after that, but I've at least seen it poke out its tiny green head. But these lantern seeds are stub-born. I've tried them in the ground, in pots, in wet paper towels, and...nothing. (I'm beginning to understand why greenhouses don't carry them.)

Because 2022 is my year to grow, I'm trying again. I found new instructions that suggested refrigerating the seeds for 6 weeks. I did that, and on January 1st I planted them in a little pot. Here's what it looks like:

Not very inspiring! But it reminds me that before growth happens, germination must occur. And that part of the process can require patience and persistence. Sometimes, we have to start over and over again before we make any progress at all. And that's just the way things are, in seeds, in writing, in life.

Send my seeds some good growing vibes, and hopefully I'll have some sprout pictures to share one of these days!