Orchids

I'm not much good with houseplants.  There never seems to be a room environment suited to their individual needs - not enough light, too much light, too cool, too warm etc; until I was given an orchid as a gift back in April.  I left it in the humid steamy kitchen and watched it thrive.  I've since bought another orchid and invested in proper orchid food.  Apparently orchids can thrive for years in the correct conditions and even get by with a bit of neglect.

I can see collecting orchids as a new obsession only my kitchen is too small to house them all!  I was also under the illusion that orchids were very expensive plants.  They can be expensive on line but they are very reasonable in the supermarkets in the UK right now.  The one above was £5.00 and covered in blooms.

Forget bunches of dead blooms!  Treat yourself to a living potted orchid.  They give so much for very little in return.  I am in love with them!

Kawaii Cacti and a Prayer Plant

I was watching a YouTube drawing prompt to draw kawaii cacti.  By the time I finished drawing I thought it would be a good idea to get some cacti plants for my kitchen window sill.  I did grow and care for cacti plants when I was a teenager and remembered that they need very little maintenance.  At last I could have a houseplant that would live longer than 5 minutes!

Anyway, once looking at the range of cacti offered at the store I wasn't very inspired or impressed.  I then saw a beautiful orchid but the flowers looked as though they were on their way out and I noticed a strange looking pest on the leaves.  My attention then turned to an interesting patterned leaf on what was called a prayer plant.  At £3.00 it was cheaper than a bunch of flowers so I swooped it off the shelf and returned home pleased with my purchase.

After a little research I found that the plant is a perennial called maranta leucaneura or is it calathea?  More research needed I think! It is called a prayer plant because in the evening and on cloudy days the plants hold their leaves together like hands in prayer.  I am looking forward to seeing this!