Wow, thank you for sharing all of this! I've never been to your side of the world but it looks intriguing. Having spent my whole life around water in one form or another - a large pond maybe 100 yards behind the house fed by a natural stream that then cascaded down a man-made waterfall into the stream that coursed across the street through the yards of our few neighbors and back onto our land then life on a lake that led out to Lake Michigan - I was still new to with the idea of water as a central theme as was the case when I visited Venice. I can just imagine what "Venice of the East" must be like, thank you for making that an easier task.
Much time is spent , by me, envying all the people in the warmer states of the US, in particular states in the Southeast & even Northwest, more tropical regions. It seems a blessing to be able to grow orchids outdoors year round! That said southwest Michigan allows for some envy in the spring & summer that I am proud to harbor. Our summers are quite marvelous if I'm being honest.
Temperatures average in the upper 70s to mid 80s (~21-30 C) with not so infrequent - enough to appreciate - days or week(s) in the 90s (~32 C). This summer we had a lot of rain, quite the opposite of our friends out in California with relatively high humidity, safe to say almost always 70%+. Some days mind as well be tropical as far as I'm concerned. The land around me is green and lush and while we don't have 'exotic' plants we have plenty of beautiful colors that might as well be exotic to new and old eyes. The spring, when so many trees are in flower, is magical in both sight and scent, never mind the enlivening sounds of the year-round native birds rejoicing in the dawn of warmer days and the visiting songs of so many migrating birds that make their way through the neighborhood like tourists. Tropical or not there's always something new in flower as each new week and month takes the stage after the last. Every bug-bothered plant and trove of hidden seeds in my pots is trivial compared to the wonder I can share with my orchids outside and them with me. It's undeniable that they enjoy the constant indirect yet bright sunlight, even if they have to suffer here and there because I'm not on top of shifting things before the summer sun does. Summer gives me the chance to take a step into the life of wild orchids, I feel blessed that I can feel and breathe and see their love for life.
No matter how much of a pain it is to haul them to and fro in the beginning and end, rearranging the spaces indoors & out, or the serious guilt (embarrassment sometimes) I feel admitting maybe I bought a 'few extra' over the summer [read: because there's more space on the deck] it's all worth it in the end. Just think one minute watering takes hours, the next the rain's got my back for weeks or I just need to bust out the hose!
But now the leaves are changing colors and this too is splendid, green is now bright yellow, vibrant red, and glowing oranges. My daily view is one of rainbows. They fall and fall with the delicacy of butterfly wings, soon all the trees will be bare. Temperatures are sticking around the 50s (~10 C) with nice days in the 60s (15 C) here and there and the evenings dip toes into the upper 30s (~0 C). I know soon the rain will be white and it will dominate my life, my bills, the way I drive, walk my dog, exercise, everything. Temperatures will often drop below freezing and stay there. But if I'm honest, it all deepens my intense gratitude for warmth and love and all things magical.
Until about two years ago I relied on spring garden work, summer blooms, and fall colors to quench my attachment to the living green world. Now thanks to my orchid collection that all stays very close to me no matter what's happening outside.
Here's a riddle for ya
Hybrid Mode
