3/24/2013

The Saga of The Russian Nesting Orchid

MargaretMargaret
Filed under: @ 11:33 pm

So we’d planned to spend a lot of today wandering around Kaimuki with Caitlin, Lucy, and Libby. But the weather was not conducive to wandering this morning.
This morning it was wet.
Wet, wet, wet, wet, wet.
Spring mornings in Kailua aren’t known for monsoon type rains. The rain this morning would more accurately be classified as a persecuting drizzle. But, as I’ve said before, it may be wet but at least it’s warm so fuckit, I’ve got some gardening to do. Andrew is still occupied trying to resurrect a laptop for Libby’s school so he was immured in the computer room and I decided to tackle The Orchid.
The Orchid stands as high as my waist and was so pot bound that bits of it were growing over the edge of the pot. When we were out and about the other day I got a BIGASS planter for it, when we were at the orchid show yesterday I purchased some orchid growing medium for it. So now it’s time.
Just for the sake of it I tried to pull The Orchid out of the pot, but, of course, it wasn’t going to come out.
So I took a variety of sharp instruments to the plastic pot and peeled it away.
Underneath the plastic pot I found……

A blue ceramic pot. It was a very attractive pot so for the sake of trying to preserve the pot for future use I, of course, tried to pull The Orchid out of the blue ceramic pot with, of course, predictable results.
Bugger.

So I went to find the hammer and gave the blue ceramic pot a couple of good whacks. Peeled away the bits of the blue ceramic pot and underneath the blue ceramic pot I found…..
A cement pot!

Many *fragrant* words regarding pots and potbound orchids.

So I took the hammer and gave the cement pot six or eight good whacks and peeled away the bits of the cement pot to find…..
Oh frabdjous day! The orchid! All naked and on it’s own-i-o!

So I put it in the BIGASS planter and dumped the orchid growing medium in, only to find that eight quarts of orchid growing medium wasn’t enough and there’s a gap that still needs to be filled, but the orchid is, without a doubt, a lot happier.

And since I was finished, it was only 1030, and I was already dripping, I decided to attack the plumbago that’s trying to creep into the pool.
I’ll post photos of before, in the middle, and after once we’ve got enough daylight to take additional pictures, but take it for granted that there was a lot of the plumbago that ended up moving. I didn’t really have to prune much of it away. I did have to convince rather a lot of it to grow in a different direction.
Libby says that the pool man will be forever grateful since he’ll now be able to access all sides of the pool without being eaten by the shrubbery.
Andrew still doesn’t understand why I’m having fun.

Came in for lunch, absolutely, literally, dripping wet. Shower, lunch, Angry Birds. I’m playing a lot of Angry Birds.

Then we really did saddle up with Caitlin and Libby to go to Kaimuki. Our goal was Collector Maniacs and Gecko Comics while Libby was aimed straight at the Goodwill.
A wonderful geeky time was had by all on our end and I’m going to have to pack a separate box to contain all the Asterix books I found.

Tomorrow we’re going to be on a search for concrete blocks with which to build a retaining wall to hold the plumbago back. And if we don’t end up finding any, at least we’ll be in Kaneohe and we’ll be able to stop for plate lunch. MMMmmmmm! Island delicacies!

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