Ever experienced house magazine envy when scanning the glossy pages and you see a beautiful container filled with Phalaenopsis orchids and thought to yourself “Hey, I wouldn’t mind one of them” but then you go to a florist or to the big hardware store with green paint and red writing and freak out at the price while at the same time being careful not to make the same noise Dawn French did in the Vicar of Dibley when she was demonstrating Emma Thompsons reaction to Hugh Grants proposal in Sense and Sensibility?!
Here’s the solution-hop into your car drive to the Swedish store with the blue paint and yellow writing and select a nice glass container (I used one called POMP Lantern $19.95) and one or more of their potted orchids which are ALWAYS $14.95 each
- Bring glass container and plant/s home
- Fill bottom of glass container with some wood chips (I took mine from our mulched garden bed) or tiny bag orchid potting mix
- Remove the plants carefully from their containers and gently tease out the roots from the Sphagnum peat moss surrounding them (put this to one side you will need it later) and place the plant into the container spreading the roots over the wood chips.
- Use the moss you put to one side to pack around the plants under the leaves to secure it in place and VOILA a better than store bought one and you did it yourself in under 15 minutes!
Easy Peasy Indoor ProjectThese are low light orchids so will do very well in your bathroom too. They require an occasional drink but not too much and occasional low dose orchid fertiliser.
Cheaper than replacing bunches of flowers if you have a home open for inspection, no smelly vases from bunches of flowers that you have wished would last longer but didn’t or you work in an office and desperately wish the boss would spring for real flowers on the Reception desk and…. even better once the flowers are spent just cut the flower stem down to a node about half way down and like magic new buds and flowers will soon emerge…why not give it a try…
