Archive for the Subtle Side of Gardening Column

Have a plant or area that is challenging?

This is a place to get not only the horticultural perspective but also some of the energy flow (aka feng shui) dynamics behind your gardening! Write in with your challenges or questions on design and I will give you my sense of the flow dynamics in play as well as a standard perspective through my knowledge of plants as a Master Gardener and enthusiastic hands-on gardener over many decades.

If this is a particular plant, be sure to mention how long you've had it, what symptoms it is displaying , and also please tell me what plants are neighboring this plant as I will want to look at the subtle energy flows between them .   If this is a garden bed, give me pertinent cultural facts such as sun /shade conditions , how much water it receives (good , fair or poor amount) and how close it is to any structures. Also you might also tell me some of the plants that you've tried there and/ or give me an idea of what you'd like. You can ask about a tree, shrub or plant, whether indoors or out!

What not to ask about? Any tree or shrub that is experiencing an area insect or fungal problem, such as emerald ash borer or oak wilt. Email Chris .

M. Writes... "My Orchids won't bloom.  About two years ago I was attracted to an orchid on a sale shelf in a store; it was not doing well but I brought it home with me. About a year later I purchased another orchid because I felt the first one would like some company. These are the first and only orchids I have tried to tend. Both were blooming when I bought them , continued to bloom for a while and then stopped. I don't know what kind of orchids they are, trying to identify them in books is confusing there are so many types. Both orchids are in clear plastic tubs about 12" by 6 inches with typical potting medium for orchids. They are located in the SW corner of a SW room - all the plants I have had in this room just flourished. There are stones sitting on the table with the orchids - selenite on south side, aragonite and agate spheres on north side and various other crystals and minerals as well. Both get watered once per week except for certain weeks when I feel to water them twice per week but giving them less water each time. They are also sprayed / misted off and on, nothing regular , rather more spontaneous.    Both orchids seem quite content....    Why won't they bloom and what can I do to help?"

Chris :   First I have to commend you on the wonderful energy flow you've created with the various stones and crystals near the orchids as that is showing to be extremely positive for the orchids and for all sharing that area there.   In terms of happiness, I see a forward momentum yet also some room for improvement . In tuning into the orchids overall, a quick glimpse, part of a flow snag for them feels like it is coming from the ambient room temperature. To set flower spikes, orchids need a change in temperature for about 2 weeks.  Usually this represents a cooler period and if you have a basement I would recommend putting them there to give them that temperature change. If you don't have a basement and your home is the same temperature all year round, you may think about putting them on the floor. This may be 5 degrees cooler than the table top and that could help.   In looking at the flows for this with your orchids I am seeing a shift for the better with placing them on the floor , possibly on a full time basis but you can tune into that yourself and adjust as necessary.  I have orchids that never bloomed till they were on the floor in my home and I have some that definitely like to be up at table height. If you could bring their stones and mineral companions down too, they would appreciate this I am sure.   Or you likely could feel to use different stones now that the area has changed . I do find that even a very small move in location can change everything.

Since you don't know what type of orchids you've got, I focused on the light level for each to see whether that was adequate as orchids really can range in the amount of light they will take...some, like Phalaenopsis are best in lower light situations and some, like Dendrobiums need very bright but indirect light.  One of your orchids (the lavender flowered variety) is doing alright with the light level but the orchid that had white flowers shows to be a bit stressed with the current light situation. If I do another look , this time checking them as if they were on the floor, then all looks far better with the light level.  

Your soil vitality is fine for them from what I am noting, as is the SW room and SW corner. The container size however feels a bit too large. You don't mention how large the orchids are , but orchids tend to want to be snuggly cramped in their pots. Usually a 6 inch diameter pot will hold an orchid just fine with an annual repotting to refresh tired bark mix for quite a few years. If there is too much side room around the orchid in its pot, that , too, may be a part of the problem in terms of flower spikes.  One of the most necessary things to growing orchids in my opinion is to lose our fear of handling them.  They really are very sturdy plants so don't be afraid to take them out of the container, tease out of the roots all the present potting mix and make the root ball fit into a small home if you feel your 12" pot may be too large. I find that orchids adore being touched far more than many other plants. They have a finely tuned emotional body! In the case of your two orchids, I can almost feel them singing to be handled and to have their roots ruffled through - which would only be done at the times you repot them. Feels like they are asking for this.

You have an excellent flow with both orchids and they to one another .   With a bit more fine tuning of their light and temperature levels and the same careful attunement you show them in other areas , they will no doubt be setting spikes this year.  One last item to mention is that an orchid will tend to set spikes during it's natural season for this. Many of the most popularly grown orchids tend to set spikes between August and November, flowering during the winter and early spring months so it could be many months with all the proper setting pieces in place before you notice a flower spike .  My best wishes to you all!

N. writes..."I was clearing dead prunings and branches to make a way around the old pear tree at the bottom of the garden yesterday and thought it looked less vigorous than usual. It must be about 100 years old but flowers and fruits every year. Was this just a tree feeling old in the frosty cold of a January afternoon or could it do with some extra t.l.c.?"

Chris : Your pear tree does look to be in the midst of a large life change from what I am seeing, yet it remains solidly happy . I am not seeing any ripples that indicate insect influences, and soil vitality remains the same , but I am seeing a far larger flow for maturity and rebirth than this pear had for the past 3 years running. (I only did check the past 3 years so that is not necessarily conclusive, but I offer it for whatever you may find it to be worth.)   Overall physical vitality of the pear right now is half of what I noted for it at the same time last year. I have to again tell you , however, that I don't feel the pear is unhappy , suggesting this is a more natural deepening of the maturation process. In terms of tlc, I think emotional support would be highest on my list based on what I am feeling. It is almost as though this tree is working with new hormones - and plants absolutely do produce hormones as well ! Another quite interesting discovery that I saw for your pear is that while physical vitality is lessor than it has been, empathic vitality is growing even stronger. If I were to compare this to a person I'd say this is the tree moving into the Crone stage of life. This will make your non-physical communication efforts far more critical and also better able to be received. Your pear has an excellently open flow dynamic with you as you likely already know . This can be a new chapter for you both in terms of how you relate to one another and how you positively affect one another. Best wishes to you both!   Postscript: I have since heard from this pear tree caretaker, who said her pear is now looks to be content and is working nicely into the new growing season.

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