Vanda Vera Experiment

So, I fell in love with the Vanda Vera for the very first time at the World Trade’s last Orchid Show (just one month before 9/11).  It is gorgeous (velvety flowers in gorgeous blue/purple).  I saw them once again in Costa Rica.  But this orchid really likes it warm and humid.  And, I don’t think I would be able to reproduce that environment up here in the north.  Besides, I have never — not once — seen the Vanda being sold up here in New York.  Here is a photo of a typical-looking Vanda Vera as I saw at the orchid show:  http://fotos.infojardin.com/subir-imagenes/images/bfi1224429386h.JPG

So, when I went into Home Depot to buy my friends a plant for their house warming, I passed all the orchids in their lovely array of colors.  They had even dyed some of them blue.  But, of course, all of them were the usual Phalaenopsis orchids that we have up here in New York.  http://www.justaddiceorchids.com/

And while I was perusing the Phals, there in a vinyl vase was this sort of pathetic looking Vanda with some spent flowers (all crinkled and dry).  Not the lovely blue/purple flowers I had seen in the past, but more of a magenta color.  The plant was $70.  Now, if it had been less $$ I would have purchased it (despite how it looked).  But, for a plant that might not make it up here in the north, and certainly had not fared well in Home Depot, I was not about to plunk down $70 (really. . . .throw it away I thought).

But on Sunday, I was OCD’ing over the Vanda and wanting it so badly.  I talked myself out of it several times, but the thought kept creeping back into my mind.  finally around 5pm, I got dressed.  I decided that if the Vanda was still there, it deserved to be with me.

I got to Home Depot, went to the spot, and there it was!!!  I picked it up — it was already mine.  I brought it over to the sales lady.  Before I even had a chance to say anything to her, she said, “oh, this plant has had it.”  Good, she was on the same vein as I was.  So, I said, “so, what kind of a discount will you give me?”  She said that the manufacturer still owned it and would take it back and give them credit for it.  I asked her to speak to someone and see if she could offer me a discount.  She went away, spoke to someone, then came back.  “I can only give you 50% off.”  Hmmm???  “ok.”  And that’s the story.

I got it home in my grubby little hands, took it out of the vase only to realize that the flowers weren’t even attached to the plant any longer.  So, there you go. 

Now it’s a matter of running an experiment and seeing if I can make the orchid flourish.  If I am successful in bringing it along, it should look like this:  http://flowercompany.ca/buy/pink-vanda-orchid/

Well, thus far I have only let the orchid's roots sit in warm water for 30 minutes twice a week, and have been spraying the roots numerous times during the week.  I have yet to add orchid food root spraying and will then add some before and after photos of my orchid.

Wish me luck.  Signing off on 11/16/14.