If you marry a tropical island girl from the Philippines and then drag her off to far-north Montana, you should expect to adopt a few houseplants as part of the deal. Island girls love plants, and in all likelihood, you will end up with some that produce edible parts or fruit and some that hang around just looking pretty.
None
of this qualifies as a bad thing in my estimation. I like a friendly plant.
Desiree,
not one to shirk her island girl duties, has filled our sunroom and available
window spaces throughout the house. We have nurtured indoor tomatoes,
eggplants, lemongrass, a lime tree, a lemon tree, and hordes of what I consider
“non-game” species. You know, the merely decorative ones. Among these are
several orchids.
Orchids
range from finicky to persnickety in matters of care. They have their own
regimens to adhere to: watering with ice cubes, keeping savage light at a
distance, and providing a soft touch with fertilizer. And, for those unaware,
regular old dirt can kill an orchid.
Recently,
to please a pair of rather muscular orchids, we had to import part of the
islands here to Montana in the form of chipped coconut husks, ideal stuff for
transplanting orchids.
Fortunately,
I can leave all these island details to Desiree. My skinny old Christmas cactus
is fine with standard-issue potting soil.
—Mitchell
Hegman
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