New Orchid

I received a lovely new orchid as a gift. I really like the splotches just like watercolour paint dropped on to paper.

It's nice to have another orchid. I threw out my last two orchids a while ago as they had an infestation of mealy mugs.  I tried to get rid of the bugs but finally got tired of the ongoing battle. This one has two blooming stems and, right now, has lots of blossoms. The great thing about orchids is they keep their flowers for such a long time.

I've started some basil.  "Why start seeds in December?" you ask.  Well, because they are such a symbol of hope. The seedlings bright green perky leaves are cheerful and promise of good things( or tasty leaves in this case) in the future. I like to be reminded of the miracle of little black bits turning into big green plants. How does that happen? For all our science, we still really don't know. So I plant seeds even in the dead of winter. I've also planted some Greek oregano. They are tiny little plants and I am not convinced that I will be able to get them to full size but then the challenge is interesting. Damping off is the main threat right now so I am trying to be very careful with the watering. Can't let them dry out though as they would shrivel in no time.