July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Frag-meh-what? I asked while placing my order (06/25/07)
As I See It
By By DIANA DOLECKI-
I don't usually like buying a pig in a poke but I made an exception for my daughter's birthday last week when I ordered an orchid plant for her. I much prefer to hold something in my hands and examine it thoroughly before handing over my hard-earned cash. Yes, I am one of the dinosaurs who still uses paper money.
I first looked up a guy I hadn't seen in 10 or 15 years. At the time I knew him, he was a wastewater treatment operator outside of Muncie, Indiana. I knew he had an avid interest in orchids and thought he might be able to refer me to a good mail-order source. My first stop was the internet. Every time I looked up orchids and either Indiana or Hoosier his name came up as a guest speaker. That told me he was still actively involved with orchids and also that he was well-thought of in his field.
I checked that great internet phone book and obtained his phone number. After calling his home, I was informed that I should call his business. I didn't even know he had a business.
He called me back later that evening. Apparently it was a bad time for him to call because his young daughter was demanding his attention at the same time he was trying to make a sale. I told him I wanted a Lady's Slipper orchid shipped to Texas for my daughter's birthday. After lapsing into techno-babble, with me frantically writing things down phonetically, we settled on a pink Phragmipedium. Or at least that is what I think I ordered! I'll have to have my daughter send me a picture of it when it finally arrives. I hope he includes a label and care instructions.
We are a plant-loving family. My grandmother grew violets as does my mom. I grow anything except violets as I tend to murder them. My daughter grows orchids. They cover an entire windowsill in her bathroom and threaten to take over the bathtub. I wanted to get her something a little more exotic than what she already has.
It used to be that orchids were considered high-class flowers. They have a reputation for being extremely fussy and very expensive. Nowadays I can find them at Wal-Mart for a very reasonable price. I figure if they can survive Wal-Mart they can survive my house. Sometimes I'm right and sometimes not.
Orchids have their own family - Orchidaceae. Lady Slipper orchids belong to the subfamily Cypripedioideae. There are five genera in this subfamily (think aunts, uncles and cousins) - Cyripedium, Mexipedium, Paphiopedilum, Phragmipedium and Selenipedium.
A different orchid expert recommended Paphiopedilum for my daughter since she had great success growing Phalaenopsis, also known as Moth Orchids (the kind found at the big box stores). My own personal expert happened to have a Phragmipedium getting ready to bloom. He described it and then didn't want to let it go because he was looking forward to seeing it bloom. He finally relented and sold it to me with a promise to ship it out on Monday. It felt like I was purchasing one of his children.
Lady Slipper orchids are characterized by a slipper-shaped pouch that forms the bottom of the flower. This is designed to entice insects into the interior of the flower to gather the pollen and deposit in the correct place. Getting pollen in the proper place is of prime importance to a flower as this is one way it makes baby flowers.
Various types of Lady Slippers grow throughout North America, Europe, the tropical forests of Asia and even southern China. Once when we were in Kentucky my husband and I spotted a pink one beside the trail. It was magnificent! Several other hikers commented on it as they passed us. It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be.
The Showy Lady's Slipper is the state flower of Minnesota. I don't know if the one I bought is showy or not. I assume it is as most orchids are.
Orchids have many forms and can appear elegant or downright weird. Some have long stringy petals and some have softly rounded ones. Some are scented and some are not. Did you know that vanilla comes from orchids?
The one thing they all have in common is that they are worth purchasing sight unseen as long as you have faith in the seller. Besides, it will make my daughter happy.[[In-content Ad]]
I first looked up a guy I hadn't seen in 10 or 15 years. At the time I knew him, he was a wastewater treatment operator outside of Muncie, Indiana. I knew he had an avid interest in orchids and thought he might be able to refer me to a good mail-order source. My first stop was the internet. Every time I looked up orchids and either Indiana or Hoosier his name came up as a guest speaker. That told me he was still actively involved with orchids and also that he was well-thought of in his field.
I checked that great internet phone book and obtained his phone number. After calling his home, I was informed that I should call his business. I didn't even know he had a business.
He called me back later that evening. Apparently it was a bad time for him to call because his young daughter was demanding his attention at the same time he was trying to make a sale. I told him I wanted a Lady's Slipper orchid shipped to Texas for my daughter's birthday. After lapsing into techno-babble, with me frantically writing things down phonetically, we settled on a pink Phragmipedium. Or at least that is what I think I ordered! I'll have to have my daughter send me a picture of it when it finally arrives. I hope he includes a label and care instructions.
We are a plant-loving family. My grandmother grew violets as does my mom. I grow anything except violets as I tend to murder them. My daughter grows orchids. They cover an entire windowsill in her bathroom and threaten to take over the bathtub. I wanted to get her something a little more exotic than what she already has.
It used to be that orchids were considered high-class flowers. They have a reputation for being extremely fussy and very expensive. Nowadays I can find them at Wal-Mart for a very reasonable price. I figure if they can survive Wal-Mart they can survive my house. Sometimes I'm right and sometimes not.
Orchids have their own family - Orchidaceae. Lady Slipper orchids belong to the subfamily Cypripedioideae. There are five genera in this subfamily (think aunts, uncles and cousins) - Cyripedium, Mexipedium, Paphiopedilum, Phragmipedium and Selenipedium.
A different orchid expert recommended Paphiopedilum for my daughter since she had great success growing Phalaenopsis, also known as Moth Orchids (the kind found at the big box stores). My own personal expert happened to have a Phragmipedium getting ready to bloom. He described it and then didn't want to let it go because he was looking forward to seeing it bloom. He finally relented and sold it to me with a promise to ship it out on Monday. It felt like I was purchasing one of his children.
Lady Slipper orchids are characterized by a slipper-shaped pouch that forms the bottom of the flower. This is designed to entice insects into the interior of the flower to gather the pollen and deposit in the correct place. Getting pollen in the proper place is of prime importance to a flower as this is one way it makes baby flowers.
Various types of Lady Slippers grow throughout North America, Europe, the tropical forests of Asia and even southern China. Once when we were in Kentucky my husband and I spotted a pink one beside the trail. It was magnificent! Several other hikers commented on it as they passed us. It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be.
The Showy Lady's Slipper is the state flower of Minnesota. I don't know if the one I bought is showy or not. I assume it is as most orchids are.
Orchids have many forms and can appear elegant or downright weird. Some have long stringy petals and some have softly rounded ones. Some are scented and some are not. Did you know that vanilla comes from orchids?
The one thing they all have in common is that they are worth purchasing sight unseen as long as you have faith in the seller. Besides, it will make my daughter happy.[[In-content Ad]]
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