Just one, so far, but more are coming! I was surprised when we had to bring in all the plants - well in advance of any cold weather, the complex was being painted - and I realized my orchid had put out a bloom spike. Watched it for over a month and then one day! Boom... flower.
I've lost the tag from when I bought this two years ago - in fact, I had forgotten what color flowers it had - and was convinced it would have yellow blooms. You may begin to see why I started journaling early in life and have kept this blog for nearly sixteen years now. If I don't write it down, I wind up with pink surprises.
It's a Miltonia. Beyond that, I can't even guess. There are thousands of orchid hybrids and mad breeders (like mad scientists, but far more floral) are creating new ones every day.
I'm still in awe of this thing thriving the way it did all summer in Texas out on the balcony, being watered less than it should (certainly not daily), and that was after it suffered frostbite during the move from Ohio. I didn't anticipate a hard freeze in Missouri, in mid-April, so I didn't bring the plants into the hotel (along with the cat and the dog... what. They are so pets!) and wound up losing two orchids and damaging the other three I had at the time. One of those later succumbed to a fungus.
The center pot and leaves ascendant belong to this flower. I love that the blooms are carried up and aloft like this, almost like they are floating in midair, colorful bursts of eye-catching petals. The blooms may last for months, as they individually last about a month and will each open slowly, perhaps a week or more apart.
Is it any wonder orchids are legendary flowers? I have a few plants, mostly the common but still lovely Phaelenopsis (Moth Orchid), and really want more. Maybe when we have more space. The First Reader keeps mock-growling something about living in a jungle. A pretty, pretty jungle, love!