why do you grow orchids....?

[Zindaginha]

I'm not even a week into orchid ownership! But I'll answer, anyway.

Like a few others, I am also in grad school and growing things is part of my self-care/distraction routine--whatever. I've gardened for years, but didn't much bother with houseplants till recently.

I grow lots of things indoors now, but my shaky success with carnivores only recently led me to orchids. Now I have eight plants (6 species). I grow the plants I grow primarily for two reasons:

1. I am fascinated by their biology and enjoy the interaction that comes with caring for them and observing them. In particular, I enjoy plants that look outside organic soil for their nutritional needs or have adapted to other kinds of survival challenges, so I love carnivores and aroids and epiphytes. I also grow mosses and am attempting to keep windfallen lichen (not a plant, I know) alive indoors, just to see if I can.

2. I like the aesthetics, not just of individual plants, but how a particular plant looks in my home. This is why I have two D. lindleyi and two D. cucumenium. I am lucky to live in a climate that is humid enough for carnivores and (some) orchids, but dry enough for (most) lithops. I am also lucky enough to live in a large house that has some nice windows. These advantages and figuring out how find less ugly supplemental lighting solutions have allowed me to turn certain parts of the house into pocket jungles.

So, I like the intellectual challenge of growing plants, but I also really love spending time in a plant-filled space.