Maybe only an Orchid hobbyist will fully appreciate this – but this is what happened to me.
Several years ago I bought an orchid plant in the fall for a couple of dollars at a bargain sale. It grew nicely and developed several leaves, each with a sheath. By spring I was rather disgusted because I hadn’t seen any blooms and readily sold it for the same price to someone who simply had to have an orchid plant.
Later I heard that it bloomed nicely shortly, afterward for its new owner. Since that time I have become more interested in orchids, have acquired quite a few varieties, have become a member of an orchid society and have learned a few things about orchids.
Yes, I’ve learned that the sheath appears in the fall just as my plant did but the bud does not develop in the sheath until spring just about the time I sold my plant.
To add to the irony – none of my collection has ever shown the promise of that first one I so ignorantly discarded.
Submitted by A Healy, Michigan
