RHYS BOWEN: I’ve never been good with orchids. People give me lovely plants. Eventually the flowers die and I can never make them flower again. I have read all the suggestions. I’ve done all the right things. Water with three ice cubes every week. No direct sunlight. Feed as directed. Every type of tender care and… nothing.
So I had this one orchid that stood on a sideboard and was carefully tended for months but no more flowers. At last I tired of coaxing it. I put it on the deck, left it there and forgot about it. Full sun. Scorching hot. And I didn’t water it. Its leaves got burned and I was about to throw it out in a deck cleanup when I noticed a tiny shoot coming straight up. I brought it inside, gave it some water, cut away the dead leaves, and the shoot turned into a flower stem. Within two weeks this had happened.
Amazing, right?
This was the roots a few days ago
and now this is the roots.
So I’m looking at it as a metaphor. A symbol of rebirth? Of hope coming from despair? When all seems lost a tiny shoot can emerge and blossom?
Or
If you want to coax something or someone to do their best you ignore and punish them to the extent that they want to impress you? I don’t like that one. But maybe it is true concerning the writing of our characters. When we create a character in our books we make them suffer, we imagine what would be the worst thing that could happen to them and we make them experience it. When I was writing Constable Evans I found out he was claustrophobic and then in the next book I sent him seven stories down a slate mine! We are quite sadistic. But then they come to life, show us their true grit, and they bloom, like my orchid.
Here it is now:
And the flowers are twice the size they were previously.
So what do you think is the right message that this is giving? At the moment I want it to be one of hope.
I like all of your suggestions. But I found out from an orchid experience of my own (last bloom died, no new blooms forever it seemed, and then I gave it to a friend with a green thumb, who repotted it) : some orchids can go dormant for two or more years. Sure enough, this one came back - just about two years after it seemed to die in my care.
ReplyDeleteOh Rhys, maybe it's a message about letting something go so the Universe can take care of it, lovingly? this reminds me that I don't think I've read Constable Evans. I will go back and take care of that! xox
ReplyDeleteLUCY: You are in for a treat. I loved the series and kept all of the books. The Constable Evans mysteries were my first mysteries by Rhys Bowen and I had just returned from a study abroad program in England. Our class visited Wales for a day and it was so beautiful there.
DeleteSo wise, Lucy. I hope you enjoy Evan and his small community
DeleteThat is lovely! I did the same thing with a gangly plant called Queen of the night. Ostensibly only rooms at night and it gets out of control. I put it out at the back of my driveway and forgot about it. I came back from being away for a day and found it in full bloom! It was lovely and fragrant.
ReplyDeleteBlooms, not rooms...
DeleteI’ve never heard of this plant, Edith. But no use my getting one. We’re not in one place all year
DeleteSounds like your orchid needed a break, and came back to bloom in its own time.
ReplyDeleteRhys, I am not sure there is a life lesson in there. But as an author, you could give it one. You can put that orchid in a story and make it mean anything you would like it to. That is the beauty of what you do.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of beauty, I finished THE ROSE ARBOR last weekend and it was full of metaphors. I loved it. Loved it! I promise to post a review soon!
Thank you, Judy. I’m
DeleteGlad you enjoyed it.
Well, this certainly gives me hope, for my orchid at least. It has reflowered a couple of times but now has seemed to be in a period of decline for quite some time. Losing leaves, and no new flower stems. I’ve done nothing different. Recently it started getting a new leaf which also gives me hope.
ReplyDeletePretend you don’t notice then it might flower to get your attention!
DeleteOrchids are so fickle! I'm glad if mine keeps four glossy leaves. When a new leaf appears, one of them withers, it's fascinating. It's been awhile since it bloomed, but it looks so pretty where it is, in a handpainted orchid pot (the kind with holes all around), with all those wild roots curling around it.
ReplyDeleteThree ice cubes might be too many. I give mine a couple tablespoons of water a week, the equivalent of one cube.
Could the moral of the story be that some things can't be forced? That looking directly at a problem is less effective sometimes than letting it percolate, and then seeing it sideways?
Some things can’t be forced. Good thought
DeleteOh, these ideas are also absolutely lovely, and so reassuring. I think it means… Worrying will not help, but things take their course in their own due time, and in the end, they are gorgeous and healthy and better than ever. Xxxxx
ReplyDeleteAmen!
DeleteI had a ficus tree in our house for a couple of years in a very large pot. Over time it got some sort of stickiness from an insect and it die and was just a trunk and a bunch of bare branches. I also set it outside to perish and then on a whim I planted it right next to our back door. Anybody who knows anything about ficus trees (I apparently didn't !) knows they can reach huge heights and have massive and strong roots. After about 10+ years it started to uproot the foundation of the porch!
ReplyDeleteRhys,. Orchids are tropical plants and once outdoors it was happy. I love your thoughts on the symbolism. Gets one to thinking. I remember that about Constable Evans! my favorite character!
Thank you When we bought our winter home in Arizona there was a huge ficus blocking the gorgeous view from my writing room. I had it taken out!
DeleteSounds like your Orchid was not ready to bloom until it was ready to, Rhys. That is a gorgeous photo of your orchid plant.
ReplyDeleteYour mention of characters reminded me of a saying that my drama teacher at the NTD said many years ago. He said that a good plot needs conflict in order to keep the story going. Food for thought.
Perhaps the message is worrying does not help. I like the idea of Hope.
I like that message, Diana.
DeleteMaybe not hope so much as patience. I have 3 orchids and they ALL bloom and rebloom... every 1-3 years. They're worth nurturing along because the flowering is so spectacular, and because it's always a reminder of the perso who gave it to me. (I *have* read Constable Evans ... time to reread?)
ReplyDeleteHallie, are your orchids inside your house or outside in the garden?
DeleteDo you nurture them or ignore them? Snd you have a green thumb!
Deletemy orchids are inside, in southeast facing windows. And I just water them lightly when I water the rest of my plants which is about every 4 days. I never thought I had a green thumb but maybe I do!
DeleteHALLIE: That is amazing. Your comment reminded me of the books by Karen Hawkins about the Dove Sisters. There are Seven Sisters. One sister has special skills with plants. It sounds like you have a green thumb.
DeleteSince I've never gotten a house plant to re-bloom - Christmas cactus, orchid, African violet - I'm not sure I'm the best person to offer a lesson. Maybe don't lose hope?
ReplyDeleteI’m okay with a Christmas cactus!
DeleteI have no advice. I’ve killed two snake plants, and I was told that they’re impossible to kill.
ReplyDeleteMy cousin lives in a tiny senior housing apartment, and he grows the most beautiful orchids! Occasionally he posts pictures of them on Facebook. They’re spectacular! When I see those pictures I want to run out and buy some, but then I remember my poor track record with plants.
I’ve read all the Constable Evans books, and I loved them! They were my first introduction to you many years ago, Rhys. I miss him!
DebRo
Deb Ro, a kindred spirit here. Miss Constable Evans so much. I only hope he went on to a long and loving life. Also a slayer of snake plants…killed off plants that had thrived in my grandmother’s home, forever and ever! Elisabeth
DeleteYour orchid is lovely, Rhys . . .
ReplyDeleteI'm going with a sign of hope . . . No matter how daunting a thing may be, there are always possibilities and things happen in their own good time . . . .
This message is so important for me at this moment, Joan. Thank you
DeleteHope is always there, even when it's just a faint glimmer . . . it always finds a way . . . .
DeleteHope, absolutely, Rhys. I just found one of my geraniums, which had been barely clinging to life when I relocated it to a window ledge, had gotten knocked over by one of the cats. I figured, "What the heck," and dug the soil around a little and stuck it back in with a generous drink of water. Let's see if I can experience the orchid revival miracle as well!
ReplyDeleteAt least with geraniums you can break off a bit, stick it in a pot and it grows
DeleteI think that sometimes a little benign neglect is all that is needed.
ReplyDeleteNo words of wisdom, but the orchid is gorgeous. Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteYour orchid flowers are beautiful, Rhys. The lesson that appeals to me is that nature is a whole lot smarter than we are. I'm not on such good terms with hope anymore.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful flower! I learned a lesson a few years back when we went on a 15-day vacation and no one cared for my plants. Both my orchids and my African violets were in full bloom when I arrived home. Of course, some plants shrivel up and die when not watered. Who knows for sure! Yet, the good news is that it made you happy, and you shared it with others and made more people happy. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteNot sure of the message. But orchids growing in the parking lot islands here in FL amaze and awe me every time. Almost Friday, hooray! Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous orchid! I've never had much luck with them, as temperamental as they are, but congratulations on the revival of yours! I enjoyed your metaphors, too. I definitely prefer the first, but the second is such an interesting way of looking at it.
ReplyDelete