My Slightly Green Thumb

I know 'tis the season for outdoor pictures, but I was going through my photos and remembered that I meant to share these. (And what an exercise this post has turned out to be--between switching recently from PC to Mac...and figuring out a few new things in "Edit HTML" mode.)

In early April, we visited an orchid growing operation as a little field trip (thank you, Barbara, for taking us--told you someday I'd get some pictures up!). Of course I forgot my camera, but I did bring home this souvenir, which was only $15--cheap, for orchids--because it is "imperfect."





It's been surprisingly easy to care for this orchid (not one of the super-high maintenance ones)--since they actually LIKE to dry out between waterings (a great advantage if you're a plant in my home).

Here it is in early May, in full bloom--and it has looked the same for over a month! It just began to drop a few blooms last week.




Look carefully and you can see the "imperfection"--it's that slight dimple or backwards curve in the rear petal. (Click to enlarge any of these photos.) These orchid growers are a picky lot, aren't they?



Here is the souvenir the Bantams 7 & 11 brought home--a Venus Fly Trap! They've had great fun catching and feeding flies to it.
























And finally, it was noteworthy when both of my violets bloomed simultaneously. That's a record number of blooms on Violet, the purple one. Daphne, the pink one, usually outperforms her.

(I don't usually name my plants, but I named Daphne when I was nursing her back to health after an accident involving a child's ball. She just about didn't make it, but I will admit that I prayed for her by name sometimes, and she has made a remarkable comeback. Violet was feeling left out after that, so I had to name her too. Shhhh--don't tell her I didn't put much thought into it!)

I do love my houseplants when they're in bloom. They are my calm little "islands of beauty," especially in winter--or when surrounded by mess!