Call me Orchid Killer.

Several years ago, a friend gave me a beautiful white phalaenopsis, sometimes known as a "moth orchid".  It thrived in my dining room and even rebloomed the second year.  Then a combination of circumstances killed it off.  It wasn't entirely my fault--a home construction project disrupted the normal cycle of life in my household and the plant got a little too cold for a little too long.  Still, I felt guilty about it and I took my time about replacing my departed phalaenopsis with a new one.

Today I finally plucked up my courage and bought a beautiful moth orchid with deep purple flowers.  It even has several plump buds to insure a long bloom period.  This time I am going to do things right.  My orchid will get bright light and plenty of humidity because it will be sitting atop a tray of pebbles and water in west-facing window.  Once a week I will soak it in a pan of water for a few minutes, then let it drain thoroughly.  I will feed it monthly with a diluted fertilizer solution because its growing medium contains almost no nutrients.  As the flowers die, I will pluck them off one by one and when the last one is gone, I will cut the stalk back to the nearest node, so that a new stalk can form.  When late spring arrives, my orchid will get a choice position in light shade in the outdoor garden.  Whatever happens, I will bring it inside before the weather gets cold; then I'll prepare myself for another glorious flush of bloom.  

 My confidence has returned because I realized that I have only killed one orchid, not twenty.  Horticultural defeat has made me more vigilant.  Besides, I can't afford to do any more home improvement for quite awhile, so the orchid is perfectly safe.