Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Symphony of Cymbidiums

One of the best things about this time of year is the annual gift given to me by my beautiful cymbidium orchids.
We had four orchid plants just short of two years ago. Two were given to us as gifts by my Mum and Dad before they emigrated in 1996 and I'd bought two others since. They grew in the garden outdoors and flowered quite well, although somewhat sporadically, through the years. Often, the snails would get to them before the flowers had properly opened. This was disheartening, but try as I did, I never remembered to put down snailbait in time.

When I got my greenhouse in October 2009, we spilt and repotted them, happily ending up with quite a few plants, all of which survived and have been growing very contentedly in their new pots in the greenhouse ever since.  Unexpectedly, they flowered well last year. I'd read that after splitting and replanting, they can take two or three years to settle down before flowering again. Naturally, we were delighted and this year, they have been determined to outdo their efforts of last year...we have fed them and looked after them with much greater care and attentiveness since moving them to the greenhouse and this has obviously been beneficial.


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The first to flower are now in full and glorious bloom! I really ought to count how many flowers there are, per individual stem, but it seems to be such an onerous task as there are so many and I don't find the time to do so with the puppies rushing about underfoot.


It's miraculous to me how those oft untidy, strappy leafed clumps that rest quietly all through the long hot summer months, imperceptibly send forth fat, pointed nodes that slowly, but determinedly, reach upwards towards the light...

...until, seemingly overnight, the next season's plump little buds eagerly break free of their protective sheaf and slowly, slowly unfurl to reveal the most exquisitely and delicately sculpted individual blooms of utter perfection.

 Totally captivating.

 Utterly absorbing, they require no enticement to be admired.

They know their beauty is rare and sought after.

 All they need to do is wait until I fall under their spell, hopelessly unable to break my lingering gaze of utter delight!

Their silent symphony is the most humbling sound I've heard.


 

23 comments:

  1. Wowwwwwwwwwwww...amazing plant darling....love Ria....xxx...

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  2. Terribly noisy these plants. Had to turn the sound off.
    Thank you Des, Lovely flowers, well done!

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  3. Lovely, Desiree! It's like a miracle each year. I hope you have these nearby to where you sit in your favorite spot.

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  4. They are absolutley gorgeous! What a show of blooms you have! I love the delicate speckling of the colours!

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  5. You certainly seem to have discovered the trick to making them happy. Even if you counted them now, there are still more buds unfolding... these are going to to be a beautiful display for quite a while.

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  6. Beautiful!
    We are trying to get an orchid to re-bloom at our house, but I think we'll soon give up!

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  7. I love orchids! And as usual, your pictures are amazing! I have 7 and 8 foot tall sunflowers in front of my house now, but since my son dropped my camera, you are going to have to take my word for it. Haha!

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  8. Hi Des, they are indeed so beautiful - it's so nice to scroll through and enjoy them; all the more enhanced by your flowing words. It was a wonderful interlude :D)

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  9. So beautiful! They like the way you care for them.

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  10. Are those orchids?
    Have you ever seen the movie Adaptation? It has Meryl Streep and it's a wonderful movie about rare orchids. Thanks for the awesome photos. They almost glow!

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  11. Absolutely STUNNING! How fantastic to have a green house of one's own! You have so many talents..one of course is your writing. I've missed my visits...

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  12. Wondrfull orchid, i love much this flowers, beautifull foto in your blog, Greeting from Belgium,

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  13. What incredible photos. They are the most beautiful colours. You have captured the beauty perfectly. B

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  14. Your beautiful orchids seem to have the most perfect growing conditions provided for them. They bloom to thank you, Desiree!

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  15. I simply love the pictures, my favourite flowers indeed!

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  16. They are so wonderfully exotic. I had an orchid in my bathroom for a while but when the flowers finally died, the plant died too.

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  17. Absolutely gorgeous! And such poetry in your words---is it weird that I could smell the flowers? It is, isn't it?

    I have one lonely orchid that never flowers but the leaves are still doing well and producing more all the time. I just have no idea what to do with it.

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  18. I have never seen those kinds of orchids! They are beautiful!

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  19. such beautiful orchids!! awesome pictures...and words...
    they're such unusual flowers...sometimes they're just so unique looking that it's almost as if they're not real. so perfect!

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  20. They really are the most amazing orchids, Desiree, and I love your words under the photos. The photos are, as always, absolutely stunning. You must be so thrilled that they are doing so well for you this year!

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  21. Desiree, I used to work in a greenhouse and garden center here in the US, but I have never ever seen such fantastic orchids. And the way you write about them is delicious poetry. Thank you for the sweet kindness you shared on my post today. xo Jenny

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  22. They are beautiful! And so many flowers on one stem, I see they have been eager to thank you for taking such good care of them.

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