A Penchant for Plants

Virtually every time I am at one of our local elementary schools, I am asked, “Mrs. L., Do we have Garden Club today?” or “When is the next garden club?” They are valid questions and I am continually inspired by the student excitement. I have led a garden club for students at Evergreen Elementary School for the last 12 years! We’ve covered many topics,  some only once or twice, such as fungi, and others like butterflies get covered yearly. I am always on the hunt for a new, engaging, awe inspiring topic. Usually, I don’t have to look far to find one.

A couple of years ago, I came across a group of plants called epiphytes. These plants, which grow on top of other living entities such as trees, are native to the subtropical areas of North America and the tropical rainforests of the world.  Not exactly a local plant. But, the way these plants have adapted to their surroundings make them fascinating to me, as well as the students. We have probably studied epiphytes five or six times in the last twelve years. What plants does this group include, you might ask? It includes plants such as the Spanish Moss you’ll see hanging from the trees in the South at Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina. Or, the group includes the orchids you’ll see if you visit The Animal Kingdom at Disney World in Florida. WDW also uses sphagnum moss in their topiaries. These are places I have actually visited, but did not realize the role they would later play in my life as I try to enrich our youth with opportunities like Evergreen Garden Club.

Back to the Orchids. So, despite being a person with a penchant for plants, I stayed away from orchids until just over a  year ago. I guess I bought into the premise that they were too expensive and too complicated to successfully grow. At least that was what I was always told. Almost if on cue, our local Home Depot store had orchids for sale in December of 2015. They were beautiful and only $10.00 each. I bought two. One to give to a friend and one to keep for myself. I was going to try this orchid growing activity. And, whether I was successful or not,  I could share the plant with the garden club students as another example of an epiphyte. After all, the real thing was better than a photograph, right?

Flash forward to March 2017 – The orchid that was blooming when I bought it 15 months ago is now ready to bloom again! After the first bloom, I read about how to incite the development of more flowers. I carefully followed the instructions from the Orchid Society and waited patiently – for many months. All of a sudden a shoot appeared and began to grow really fast. I was very excited! You can be sure I was taking extra special care of “my orchid!” As it has grown, the orchid has exhibited another really cool characteristic of plant growth, phototropism (or leaning towards the light). Just another thing I can’t wait to show my students! I am hooked!

12 thoughts

  1. This is such a great opportunity for students! We also have a garden club at our school and the kids always learn so much. There’s so much that I enjoy about your posts and I learned a lot today! I also enjoyed the pictures!

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  4. I guess you are far more patient than we are. Whenever the blooms finish on the orchids we’ve bought, my husband throws it away. He assumes its finished its life (apparently wrongly). What fun to share this with students!

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  5. We don’t have garden club, but the Spanish moss in South Carolina brings back very fond childhood memories. I am sure your students will have cherished memories of this club and an appreciation for plants!

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  6. Fun to see the pictures. I was given an orchid last fall. I was ready to give up on it when I discover yesterday that is is getting ready to bloom again. I am so excited. I have not done anything special – do you have advise?

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    1. Hi Joanne,

      Check out the link in my post for the Orchid Society. You might find some helpful advice there. I really haven’t done anything to mine except cut it at a “node” when I wanted it to rebloom. I try not to over water and make sure it drains well. I am definitely not an orchind expert and it sounds like you’ve done fine if it is going to bloom again on its own. I need to find out about fertilizing and/or repotting, myself. Good Luck!

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  8. I also ran a garden club, but over the years we became more of a Team Green focusing more on recycling than on our garden itself. I am inspired by the topics you have chosen! I appreciate the way you include your thought process in this piece.

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  9. Pingback: Orchids, Amaryllis, and Lemons. Oh, my! – The Apples in My Orchard

  10. Hey theapplesinmyorchard.wordpress.com,

    Gary here from PlantCareToday.com

    I’m emailing you today because we just updated our article on caring for Moth Orchids.

    While researching the article, I noticed you linked to:

    http://www.theorchidcolumn.com/2012/07/where-do-i-cut-my-phalaenopsis-after-it.html

    in your post here:

    https://theapplesinmyorchard.wordpress.com/2017/03/05/a-penchant-for-plants/

    Moth Orchids (Phalaenopsis) are often the first experience an aspiring orchid grower may have with orchid care. This native of southeast Asia is one of the most beautiful, and long-blooming orchids available for homeowners.

    Review the article at:

    https://plantcaretoday.com/phalaenopsis-orchid-care.html

    Might make a great addition and resource to your page?

    All The Best,

    Gary
    PlantCareToday.com

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    1. Thanks! I will check it out. I need to do another article on orchids because I have acquired a few more and and repotted some, and am still able to get them to re-bloom. More resources are great! I really appreciate it! Have a great St. Patrick’s Day!

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