Orchid Show!

Ok, so I have a green thumb. I inherited it from my grandmother who could make rocks grow! Example to the right...
But I digress. The orchid show started today at the National Arboretum (just inside Washington D.C.) If you've never been to a flower show, they are absolutely stunning! I was amazed at the displays and the fragrance of the flowers.

It didn't help that while I was in Florida last June, I went to an orchid grower's greenhouse and was bowled over by the plants then, but didn't want to get more orchids that I would have to baby all the way home. So I didn't get any then. I have been surfing the web, shopping, learning and generally looking at hundreds of pictures of orchids, trying to narrow down ones that I would like to have of my own. I knew that the National Capital Orchid Society was having their show in October, so I had to wait until then. Well today was the day. I managed to only take home 4 orchids. Two of them are miniatures, growing on cork-bark, and the other two are Dendrobiums growing in their own little pots. The big orchids have yellowish blooms with a dark maroon lip. Stunning.

Anyway, that was my highlight of the day.

The take home lesson for me is that I waited for over 4 months to get my orchids, and spent only $80. Not especially frugal, but lots of delayed gratification on that front.