Know What She Needs

  Over the past few weeks I’ve been drawn to plants and flowers more than usual. I’ve purchased mint, oregano, and basil plants and have been using them to cook. It’s been quite fascinating actually. I’ve never been much of a domestic type. I would do good to cook dinner twice a week. But lately I’ve been in a nurturing mood, in a mood to connect with nature and it’s beauty and healing benefits more so in the process I also bought a beautiful lavender orchid plant with huge green rubbery leaves.

I preface this with I’ve never really been particularly successful in the past with live plants. I’m usually too busy and too preoccupied or traveling too much to consistantly remember to care for them like they needed. But something feels different this time.

I’ve already learned some lessons from the orchid. When I first got her (her-because she is lavender) I read the shallow card it came with about how much light and how often to water her. A few bullet points that I quickly skimmed and felt ready to mother it. Then I read at the bottom of the card for “advanced care and growing instructions” go to this particular website. I kept that in the back of my mind but nonetheless began to enjoy it’s beauty daily and nurture it with my existing knowledge gained from experience and the shallow card that occupanied her. I spoke to it, prayed for it, watered it, sat it in the light, wiped it’s leaves down for all of about 4 days. Then I noticed the top few buds beginning to droop a bit. I said to myself I’m attending to this thing this time. What’s the deal? I’m being deligent and consistant and extra.  So why the drooping?

I go back to the shallow card, reread it to make sure I didn’t miss anything obvious then I see for “advanced care and growing instructions” go here. I whip out my iPhone and go to the provided site. And there I found additional information. Here I learned that overwatering is the most common cause of death among lavender orchids and that in the winter, and it’s winter, you need to water even less. Oops!!

The constant watering -3 times a week was apparently too much for the winter. I abused the plant, unintentionally of course, but it left her three little top buds droopy. Those three top buds were not as full and vibrant as the bottom ones were. 

 In other seasons watering three times a week would have been fine; however,  in this season, her needs were different.

It took more than knowing what she needed. It took knowing what she needed.. In this season. It took research of her “advanced care and growing instructions”. Not just instructions to maintain her, but instructions for growing her. 

As I looked at the lavender orchid I began to see that although some buds had been abused by overwatering the buds furthest away from the overwatered soil were still vibrant and full of life! Thriving and beautiful. And in that moment a verse dropped into my spirit and encouraging words came to heart. 

I say this to someone reading this……your past has had some ups and downs.. You don’t have the life that ties up into a neat little bow. There may have been abuse or disappointments, some losses and seeming failures but just like the lavender orchid, you are getting ready to shed the old and droopy and your latter shall be greater! Your best is yet to come! Hang in there your nurturer is reading up on you. Acquiring advanced knowledge of what you need -in this season…and things are changing for you. Bank on it!

“The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.” Haggai 2:9