Everyone gets it around here. Each year I think I’ve developed a little immunity, or at least enough tolerance to act cool when the orchids start showing up for the annual Orchid Mania exhibit. But I’m caught up in the delirium every time, oohing and aahing over the dizzying variety of shapes, patterns, and fragrances. Even the bland, rounded petals of common moth orchids (Phalaenopsis) charm me again with subtle little variations between pale pink and rose-stained, dappled, striped, water-marked with primrose yellow, and jutting curlicued fuchsia lips.

Once I’ve gotten over the sheer impact of so many  flowers, the next phase sets in: Covetousness. Although it’s quite possible to maintain a collection of orchids in windowsills and under lights (many people do it!), you have to have the chronic form of orchid fever to devote yourself to doing it well. I have a handful of durable little orchids at home, but there’s really not a lot of room for more.

The solution for me is to collect with a camera. Digital photography makes it wildly easy to capture flowers in full color and stunning detail. I don’t need to be that good a photographer to collect a greenhouse full of images.  They bloom with the click of a mouse, I don’t have to water them, and I can keep them on my desktop, where pretty much everything else has withered and died. Only the fragrance is left to memory (more about fragrance, flowers, and memory some other time.)

Posted by Ann McCulloh

Tags: cleveland botanical garden, Horticulture, Orchid Mania, orchids

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 at 9:01 am and is filed under Ann McCulloh, Orchid Mania. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.