Some cheap Orchids to brighten up the garden and cheer me up.

After seeing and admiring my neighbours’ gardens and orchids several times, I felt the urge to acquire some affordable orchids which would bloom more often. Then, my garden would be decorated with small clusters of orchids to add more colours to the green background. So, I spent a few days trying to find cheap and easy to look after orchids. I was quite surprised by some very expensive wild orchids offered by online stores.

I thought it would be too risky ordering expensive orchids online as you could never be certain what orchids would turned up in those boxes. So, it’s better to experiment with very cheap and small size orchids to test the honesty and integrity of the orchid vendors. The transportation cost could be more costly than the orchids so I ordered orchids from vendors who gave some discount. The two boxes of tiny orchids cost about four dollars. So, I expected that some orchids would be in bad shape or those rejected from shops.

To my surprise, all the small shoots of orchids looked very healthy and fresh after five days in pickups. I ordered from two vendors who offered very nice orchids at cheap prices. These were actually cheaper than those in plant nurseries! These vendors sold directly from their gardens that’s why they could sell orchids at such affordable prices.

There were more expensive orchids which were quite rare wild orchids with trails of blossoms with strong fragrance. But these were big orchids with buds of orchid blossoms. I bought two tiny shoots at less than a dollar, but I would have to wait a few years for orchid blossoms to appear. By that time I would have forgotten all about them. These tiny orchids would give me nice surprises one day. They would certainly teach me to be patient and constant in my faith.

Most of the orchids in my garden were given to me by an old friend who was a very keen gardener. She ran out of space to hang her twelve orchids so she bundled these in newspapers for me. My gardener and I just went around the garden to attach orchids on tree trunks. They surprised me with their long stems of sweet fragrant orchids. I just discover that these were quite expensive orchids.

As I would like to see some colourful orchids in my garden every year and sll year round, I had to go for cheap varieties with typical orchids which could be found in flower markets. I could be patiently waiting for the two wild orchids to grow and mature. Indeed, orchids had changed my attitude towards gardening and life. Sometimes we just have to be constant in nurturing the things we loved and watch them grow naturally.

I couldn’t force them to grow speedily or give more blossoms. When some orchids were looking dull and stop to blossom, I had to ask them what had happened to me or whether they needed any help. Sometimes I found big white worms under their yellow leaves. I shouldn’t have placed the old orchids too high on tree trunks. This made it quite difficult to check their leaves and roots. I should remember this caution for a long time.

On a sunny day with the arrival of baskets and hanging wires, I did manage to settle these new orchids into hanging baskets and some into earthen pots. It was fun playing around with orchids again after years of being off orchids. The last time i had to repot orchids was during my sixth grade when my mother asked me to look after all her plants and hanging orchids. I could remember vaguely how I had to water them and transfer them into bigger pots. My new interest in orchids brought back my childhood memory about my mother and her orchids. I was the only kid capable of looking after them on my own.

Years of living overseas turned me into a different person with strange introvert attitudes. Slowly, nature has helped in replenishing the empty void in my psyche and I began to communicate with nature. Gardening has been a great therapy for sore spots and old scares lodged deeply in the hidden neurons. I have learned to be receptive to the sounds and frequencies of nature and Mother Earth. This communication capability did save me some troubles around the garden as they would give warnings about potential problems or give a hint of whereabouts or causes of problems.

I have lost some of my favourite orchids over the years through pests and extreme drought. Those were expensive lessons, I should never procrastinate at the first sign of abnormality. Also, I should have listened to my second thought or inner voice (or intuition) that certain spot woukd be too hot for orchids. Just like my life, sometimes I became my worst enemy! Why was it so difficult to respect and trust oneself totally?! Self-esteem was my weak spot as we grew up in a big family with fierce competitions among siblings.

These orchids seemed to always give me a second chance. Though I had treated them incorrectly, they would always try to cheer me up with surprises. Though their flowers became much smaller from poor health, they still worked so hard to give me a few orchids. This winter I promised myself to give them special supplements to nourish them as a act of my gratitude for their kindness. My old friend would be very surprised to know that I had bought my own orchids. I am very grateful to my old friend for her generosity and to these amazing orchids that have been keeping me company while walking in the garden.

Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.

Stay strong and cheerful.