Another orchid finds its way to star on Day 11. This one is Pleione formosana. I received the original bulb eight or so years ago from an eBay seller. It has grown well and reproduced consistently so now I have dozens of Pleione plants. Here is what my main pot looks like now:

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The old bulbs get two offsets every year after flowering, so that is a nice return. On top of that, though, little wispy leafy stems appear in the fall and at their base are bulblets. Dozens of these little starters appear in the pot every year. I pot them all up and grow them on. It takes two or three years for them to get to blooming size.

I take these plants for granted because they are so easy, but when you see the huge, glorious flowers they produce every spring–that’s when I remember to appreciate them. Below are the many ways I’ve appreciated them with the camera over the last few years.

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The leaves are also impressive.

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The plan with these plants in 2020 is to keep them growing and keep propagating them so I can sell some of the offspring at plant sales and try to grow some outside in the garden.