My Mother-in-Laws secret to ever-blooming Phals

[gehentogo]

I found out the secret this weekend...

A couple of years ago, when my wife started buying phals at the local big-box stores, she bought her mother a pink one and a white one. My wife read a book about orchids, and learned some basics. She had limited success with her phals, but her other orchids would never bloom.

Anyway, every time we visited her mother, those two phals had many HUGE blooms on them. No matter what time of year, those things were always blooming. Not knowing anything about orchids, I suggested my wife get some tips from her mother, who said that she really didn't do anything to get them like that. She would even forget to water them for long periods.

I teased my wife about this on occasion, and it drove her nuts, that she worked so hard for just a couple puny blooms while her mom just had awesome blooms all of the time.

I found out her secret this weekend.

My clever mother-in-law, who really doesn't know the first thing about orchids, would wait until the blooms fell off, and then throw the plant out and buy another for 2.99 at the local big box store.

Sad as it is for those plants, I had to laugh at my wife's mom for hoodwinking us for five years.

[Lavendula]

I'm giggled and horrified at the same time lol... it's an odd mix of emotions. Clever bird, that mother tho lol...

[kavanaru]

LOL that's a great story!!! I would love to have seen the face of your wife, when she realized that!

[Gin]

Is she still talking to her ? Gin

[cb977]

That's just TOO funny!!!

[BikerDoc5968]

Here's the really sad message with all of this: If you look at what most garden centers or Big Box stores purchse for retail sales, they are usually white or pink or some other very mass produced phal. They are hoping that the average person buying an orchid at their store is making that purchase for someone else, i.e., a gift or if it is for themselves that they know nothing about it and will be back in 2 or 3 months to purchase another one after the flowers die and they haven't a clue what to do ith the plant! Because the flowers last sooooo long it is cheaper in the long run to buy one orchid and pitch it rather than 10 cut flower arrangements which get pitched anyway! And it is funny how long you can be strung along....been there done that!

[bonsai1504]

if i were you i'd ask her if i could keep the plants after they finish blooming

[Lagoon]

Where are the orchid cops when you need them

[pale blue]

As somewhat tragic as this story is, it did make me laugh!

[SueK]

That is a funny story. I wish I could buy a phalie for 2.99 in Australia. If I could, I would have every windowsill in the house crammed full with phalies or whatever I could get for that kind of a price. To tell you the truth, I cn't see how any grower could supply any orchid for 2.99. That is an amazing price. What is going on in Australia with orchid prices?

Sue