Ted Howard

From floor to tip of the flower spike is about 5 feet. This plant was 4 inches tall when I received it in the mail over 5 years ago. Last year, the flower spike grew straight up like this then softened to become pendulous. I place the pot on a shelf about 5 feet up but the spike hung nearly to the ground. If this thing starts drooping, I’ll have to let it dangle down the staircase. Friends have joked on occasion that I devote to much space in my home to plants. I prefer to go with Hundertwasser’s concept of “tree tenants”. (I can’t find a decent link for that concept.) I like plants.

These are some relatively normal orchids that I have. If you look at the close up photo, you can see drops of sugary sap coming off of the flower spike. The large flower spike above is also covered in such nectar. I’m not certain if scale causes that or is just attracted to it. Despite being in a constant battle with scale, the plant is almost always in bloom. Right now I have another 22 seedlings and maybe 10 mature orchids.

I have other plants, like these dragonfruit seedlings that friends gave me to raise. They were shocked that I was able to get them to this size. They are many months old but those lower leaves are just cotyledon. Slow but steady progress.

I grow less exotic things like a happy spider plant that keeps throwing out little flowers. Purple shamrock, or false shamrock, that stays very happy in my care.