Anyway, this orchid has a survival tale. After hurricane Charlie, an orchid grower in the north Cape (just before Pine Island) put an ad in the paper that he was getting rid of the few orchids that had survived the storm. His green houses were gone, his house was gone, and as my friends and I discovered while trying to find him, the road to his business was mostly gone. He was correct in saying that almost everything was gone and, in addition, most of the surviving plants that he managed to round up were damaged by wind and salt.
I found this orchid on a dilapidated bench under what was left of one greenhouse. It couldn’t have had more than three leaves and was smaller than half my hand, but what attracted me was the picture of what it could be. The picture showed a robust orchid with bright red flowers. I did not own a red orchid. I had never even seen one. So, on faith alone, I bought it from the man and took it home. Sure enough, within the next year the little orchid produced two bright red flowers. I was thrilled but did not think to get a picture.
It outgrew its pot, got repotted, and did not bloom for a year or so. Then this year it went crazy with blooms, but they were not red. I don’t know where the red went, and I don’t know if it will ever come back.
So, the thought for the weekend: Have faith in a rare potential, but don’t take for granted that it will always be there.
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