the story of the immortal orchid.

In 2015, James bought me an orchid for Valentine’s Day.

Lucky for me, my orchid is thoroughly documented on Instagram.

James and I were on our way home from a weekend in Minneapolis. It was Presidents’ Day weekend, so Valentine’s Day was just a few days past. We stopped at the Walmart in New Ulm for whatever reason (I have since quit Walmart altogether – it’s been about three years since I was last in one), and I spotted a display of teeny orchids in little Valentine pots. They were marked down to five dollars apiece in an effort to clear them out post-holiday. James saw me looking at them and purchased a happy pink blooming plant.

Fast forward a year and a half. I am a terrible plant owner (I know this), but I love to have them anyway. Few things make me happier than blooming flowers. Anyway, in that year and a half, I had more or less forgotten to water my orchid. The blooms had long withered and dropped, but the leaves of the orchid were still green. So there had to be some life in there, right?

RIGHT.

Out of absolutely nowhere, my orchid burst into bloom. It had arisen from the dead with absolutely no help from me. I was overjoyed – having been under the impression that orchids were difficult plants to nurture and raise, imagine my surprise when, after a year of neglect, my orchid bloomed just the same.

 I would like to say that experience turned me into a top-notch and attentive plant owner – that I faithfully fed and watered my orchid and gave it the care it deserved all along.

Yes, I did remember to water it more… but I was still pretty bad at it.

I don’t deserve this orchid.

But yet, it keeps blooming.

 My little orchid blooms once a year for about a month at a time, and I have no idea why. Each time, I am shocked. Each time, I take photos of it, convinced I will still somehow kill this unkillable orchid and will never see its gorgeous pink blossoms again.

My orchid is blooming right now. It’s got four happy little flowers on it now, with several more buds to go. They last a surprisingly long time, bringing me joy in the deep winter when I need it most.

 James is under strict instruction not to purchase expensive cut flowers for me for Valentine’s Day, my birthday, our anniversary, or any such flower-giving occasion. For one, he’s allergic to most pollens, so why should he suffer? Also, flowers are expensive AF. I’d rather spend the $50 on dinner and drinks. I love flowers, but I can’t stomach the cost. If James does get me flowers, I ask for a favorite (calla lilies, tulips, ranunculus, sunflowers), but don’t you dare spend more than $20. James says he’s been shamed by florists for this price limit a time or two, but I like what I like. I am perfectly happy with a bundle of flowers from HyVee, or, season permitting, wildflowers gathered from a ditch. That’s my style: free ditch flowers.

This year, James did not purchase an expensive bouquet. He did, however, bring me a TALL orchid from Target. 

It is gorgeous and full of happy pink blooms, like my little four-year-old diehard orchid. I am super scared of this big orchid – the little one is shockingly resilient, but will the big one survive my hands-off brand of plant parenting? James apparently has faith in me, as he bore witness to how well I did with the little orchid. I hope the big orchid is as forgiving as my little one.

Happy anniversary, little orchid. We’ve been together four years now, and even though I have failed you time after time, you have never given up on me. Thank you for being you. Here’s to another many years of me forgetting to water you and you blooming anyway. You are the best.

(Now that you’ve got an orchid sibling, I will try to do better. I really will.)