The Zoo has a plant fest on the first Saturday in March every year. I love working it because I basically spend the middle of the day roaming around, talking to all the plant societies and getting my mom to buy more plants.
Last year (2007), I wandered over to the Orchid Society. From my experience orchid people are a little crazy. For plants that supposedly bloom when neglected, those people baby them. So, I wasn't really excited about buying one, even though my mom is a big orchid freak. (Well, she loves them, but I get my lazy plant person genes from her).
But of course, there was a really cool one that bloomed green with a small purple/red center. They looked like space ships to me. I asked what it would need and they said "It's just like an African violet". Well hell, since I did so well with my African violet, I broke down and bought it. The tag says Epi. Green Hornet, lancifolium x cochleatum. Whatever.
It bloomed for a few weeks after brought it home and nestled it next to my violet. Then it sort of turned boring. Just keeped watering it and letting it live with the violet. I have to fill a bucket to water my porch plants, so it gets soaked from the bottom up once a week or so, with some extra water splashed on it's little finger-like air roots.
Then one day in March a little spike appeared and I knew it wasn't a new leaf. Just looked different. About a month later the first little bloom popped out! It was awesome. I was feeling super, uber green-thumby!
July has come and it's still blooming. There have been about 10 blooms that have come and gone, with about 4 left to open from what I can tell. I am going to glue it to the violet. Those crazy orchid people pinned me for what I was, a little helpless, and gave me some great advice.
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