Since arriving in this country, my green thumb has turned black. And moldy. It’s not that things don’t grow in constant rain. There’s moss on the sidewalks, which is really just not all that helpful. There’s green everywhere; trees growing out of rooftops and cracks in sandstone. It’s someone’s full-time job to keep up with the greenery growing between the cracks in our sidewalks, and the cobblestones in the street. Yes. Things grow. It’s that they get black spots and then turn into a non-growing slush pretty much soon after. ALL of my kitchen garden has died — more than once. I hadn’t been able to figure out even how to have house plants — because I was watering them on a California mental schedule — once a week. You don’t do that in such a humid, constantly rain-filled place.
When my sister sent me an orchid for my birthday last March, I’ll admit I shed some quiet tears. I *knew* I was going to kill it, and it was so gorgeous. I’ve never been able to make an orchid live at home in California, and this UK thing made an orchid seem like Mission Impossible, as far as I was concerned.
Awhile back, fellow writer and blogger Yat Yee had a post on gardening and the parallels between it and writing.Everybody had such great things to say in the comments that I’ve been trying in vain to find some link between the imminent death of my orchid and the novels I craft. When all the flowers fell off of my orchid, and it was just naked green sticks and leaves, I quit trying. I put it up on a high shelf in the kitchen, watered it occasionally, and basically ignored it.
Which is probably why it suddenly grew a new spike, produced buds, and started to flower.
Oh, yeah. Orchids like it warm, heat rises, and ignoring pretty things usually makes them pout and try to make you like them. I’ve been worrying about this cussed plant and it suddenly decided to gift me with little dragon-faced blossoms. It’s been playing me, but I think I’ve got it figured out now.
Meanwhile, my novel continues to be like pulling teeth. It’s winking at me from across the room. I should just ignore it, stop doggedly working on it, and go on to other things. Maybe when I step away from it, the whole of it will be blossoming and glorious.
Maybe.
I wish my plants would pout so magnificently. Novels: do yours do well when ignored? I've only written one, and when I've gotten so sick of it and left it alone, it starts to wiggle itself back into my heart. May your novel bloom as beautifully.ps thanks for thinking of my gardening post.
Oh, that final photo is just beautiful! Love the background and the almost silhouette of the blooms! I'm a Dr. Death to plants. They see me coming and slump as if to say, "don't pick me."
I KNOW! What beautiful photographs….
Look at those flowers! It would never occur to me to try to raise an orchid, and I do tend to do best with plants that I can mostly ignore.
That last shot is amazing. Courage with the writing, says the one who has her thesis tucked inside a drawer…
Love this post and your beautiful orchids! My mom raises orchids in Hawaii, and does a pretty good job. I didn't inherit her talents, though. It is quite amazing to see your plant blossom, as I've never associated Scotland with orchids. I'm sure your WIP will also find the right time and place to bloom. 🙂