Last year my husband and I attended a wedding that resulted in two more plants being added to our humble collection. Both were Phalaenopsis orchids - one small and one large. We have other plants so we were up for the challenge. While orchids are beautiful, they require a lot of care to keep them alive. In their native habitat, orchids grow in the rain forest attached to trunks of trees. Their roots are mostly exposed and the daily rain doesn't seem to bother them. New leaf growth is very important because the junction of the leaves is where new stems like to form. The mid-Atlantic has a slightly different climate than the rain forest. Somehow we made it through the winter and in March we were blessed with four huge flowers on the large orchid.
My sister Becky's plants put our orchids to shame. She has plants everywhere in her Illinois home and she is very knowledgeable about all of them. She can tell you which one will get re-potted in the spring and which one will get divided. She has stories about which one is a rescue and which one is a gift. She knows which plant gets watered once a week, twice a week or once a month. She remembers which plant she didn't have a clue what to do with at first, but made some good guesses along the way. Some of her friends call her "Crazy Plant Lady" or CPL for short. She doesn't mind that nickname, and when I look at my Wandering Jew, I can't help but think about that nickname. It came from her own Wandering Jew that she took a cutting of, rooted and then shipped to me in a padded mailer.
Similar to my last post, cultivation is a lot like preparation. While preparation is usually for something with a date or goal attached, cultivation is much more open ended. My sister is patient when it comes to cultivating her plants and the result is astounding.
Cultivation is a major part of relationships. Whether it is with your spouse, sibling, co-worker or friend, the relationship is a result of the cultivation efforts of both sides. Some are a little harder than others, and some seem so effortless.
Musicians are continually cultivating their relationships both with their instrument, and with their fellow musicians. When I am the cantor at church there is comfort in knowing the organ will be there at the right time for the Responsorial Psalm. I'm sure that our two talented organists adjust accordingly to each cantor they accompany. When Paul Carroll conducts an orchestra during the concert series he has the opportunity to continue cultivating several musical relationships simultaneously. It must be very rewarding to tap into something that you know will work and to be pleasantly surprised when something new and rewarding happens.
Yesterday morning, as I was watering our plants, I spied a tiny new leaf forming on our smallest orchid.
