November: What's Blooming In the Office?

The weather forecast calls for the first real snowfall of the season, and I’m spending every spare minute raking leaves, trimming lavender, ripping out the garden and hauling outdoor plants into the greenhouse.

Winter is coming – and apparently, this paphiopedilum didn’t get the memo. The bloom, almost four inches in height, opened up two days ago. Isn’t it a stunner?

Even more significant, this particular plant spent weeks in quarantine earlier this year. It was bug-infested and spindly, and I thought more than once about throwing it out.

Instead, I nestled its roots into some moss – they like to stay moist but not soaked – and kept feeding, watering and watching it. There’s a life lesson in here somewhere.

A “paph” (pronounced “paff”) is commonly known as a lady slipper. They aren’t considered hard to grow, but according to the website orchidcarezone.com, some require warmer temperatures than others.

This plant gets filtered sunlight from a south-facing window, and a little extra help from grow lights when I remember to turn ‘em on, but nothing special.

This impressive bloom will stick around for about a month, and I’ll enjoy every minute of it.