This lovely lady stands at over 31 inches tall (including pot)!
A trip to my local Lowe’s had me contemplating a smaller plant, but of course, I came home with several. The garden center staff informed me they would give several to me for dollars if I would take them.
Suspicious to say the least, I asked why. Birds, they said.
While there seems to always be a bird or two that makes its way into home improvement stores, the birds in this Lowe’s were taking to swooping into the blooming orchids and taking bites out of the petals. While I snagged several large and small orchids, this was one that had no blooms on it and I assumed it was done. The spikes and leaves looked good, so I added it into my cart.
Lo and behold, just days after bringing it home, buds appeared at the very top of the spikes. Hold on pruning shears – We have more activity happening here!
The petals have the most beautiful green-yellow color and the lighting can make a magical difference to its presentation.
I’m looking forward to letting her rest soon and see what she can really do next cycle, but what a delight to see these vibrant green hues with yellow make a surprise appearance!
Being a lover of orchids it is not unusual at all for me to bring home a beautiful specimen from a nursery or garden center. On occasion I will come home with four or five of them at a time. More often, I will go for months without buying any. Wyoming climate is hard on any humidity-loving plant and thus the survival rate in our drafty home is not 100%.
A few months ago, I ran across a gorgeous Beallara Hawaiian Nights orchid that was nearing full bloom, I was powerless to pass it up. I have not been successful in keeping any oncidium type orchid alive to-date, but I’ve also learned a lot with prior purchases that I did not know before – so I was motivated to try again.
Truly, I was captivated by the dazzling blooms and their lovely fragrance. She was impossible to pass up. I was utterly powerless as she hopped into my garden cart.
Dazzling blooms with a heavenly fragrance
Fast forwarding here in this story through its blooming stages and to the point where I will remove an orchids post-bloom spike to help it re-direct energy and growth back into the leaves and roots.
It is at this point that I typically re-pot plants when they are in a better stage of growth for it. As I neared this point, I decided one day to take tweezers and remove some clover and moss that was starting to grow around the bulbs to see if I could get the moss to grow in another container dish. With the small bit of moss I pulled up came the tiniest gray snail I had ever seen. It was so small, it was a wonder I even noticed it.
Can you spot the snail munching on a carrot?
Never having ever had a snail before, I placed it in a critter terrarium I have and quickly searched online for how to keep a snail. Images of similar containers with soils, rocks, and mosses appeared so I went about using what I had at my disposal that day to care for it.
Snails like carrot slivers (or at least this one does) – who knew?
After a fashion, I realized by further reading, it appeared that I had a quick gloss snail (zonitoides arboreus). I had never heard of such a thing. I noticed right away why it was named as such.
These little creatures have beautifully shiny shells and boy they can motor! If you look away from just a few seconds and then look back, they can be well on their way to gone. Well, for a snail.
Scooter the Snail
With this new knowledge in mind, I came up with a name for this little critter: Scooter.
Since this day a few months ago, Scooter has provided curious fun and knowledge. I bought a few different types of moss and added some rocks to the little set up I had going, ensuring I was misting at least two or three times a day to keep things moist.
I admit, I am on the outer fringes of what to do for snails here, but we will see where this mini adventure ends up!
Small phalaenopsis with terminal spike – October ’25
This poor little orchid gal is not going to make it. I bought her at Lowe’s a few weeks ago, knowing that being a terminal spike orchid, she wouldn’t last long unfortunately. She had the most beautiful blooms; I could not help myself.
As I watched her leaves yellow and her roots crinkle, I knew no amount of orchid fertilizer treatment or care would change this course. It was her time.
Terminal spike orchids may only have 2-3 years in them, from what I have read. I also never quite know what other bugs or rots have formed in their lives from nurseries to sellers in arid environments that shorten their lives, either. It could have been one of a many reasons why just after coming home with me, she gave out. All of her blooms spent, it was all she had.
And so, I reached for the keiki paste for the first time. I’ve had a few terminal orchids before and never had any keiki paste to try to encourage keiki growths with. This one motivated me to buy some and give it a go. (And yes, it’s true that even with a growth hormone like the paste, it’s still not a given a new baby plant will materialize).
Once it arrived, she had lost her last big leaf and her roots showed she was out of life.
But I still fertilized.
And I still made a tiny gouge in the last node left and applied the paste.
Just in case life decided to give it a go.
Yet, I was perfect accepting if it didn’t.
As I held this tiny orchid in my hands with sympathy and care, it hit deeply that I felt a little bit like this gal. I’ve had more days than I care to count where I had no more energy to thrive in my roots or leaves.
I considered how I might hold space for myself more often when I was on empty too. And how to do so without judgement as to whether I delivered or not. This thought brought me some acceptance that there was indeed extra room in coming days for me to give myself the same grace, if I remember to do it. And similarly, I could do so without judgement.
And so, I gently set her in the indirect light and left her to take her time with whatever came next, giving gratitude for sharing her beauty while she could. It was more than enough.
Frilly Doris barely holding her blooms in at late September 2025
Blooms started opening and things happened faster than expected! At the tail end of September, Frilly Doris’ buds started to crack open further, giving a tantalizing hint of the flowers to come.
This lovely plant is such a trooper with that slender spike holding such heavy blooms. I have been watching it bend further and further each day, wondering how it manages to not split at the base.
Frilly Doris on full display – early October 2025
And then, voila! Just like that, on the first of October she burst open, her dazzling blooms on fully display. When this girl blooms, she goes all out!
Frilly Doris on full display – early October 2025
And as icing on the cake, she has the most light and elegant citrus scent; absolutely divine.
I am so happy with this orchid. It is going to be my mission to keep her going after she finishes with flowering. Interestingly different, uniquely herself, and when she blooms she lights up the room. She is my heart.
Meet a recent orchid acquisition that I found at a local nursery named Catsetum Frilly Doris. Yes, that is the actual plant name: Frilly Doris.
Frilly Doris early September 2025
Occasionally I find plants that strike my fancy yet have no knowledge about them at all. I have learned my lesson that sometimes the cute specimen in a decorative container turns into a tree after a few short years, or is toxic to pets, or produces unexpected shapes that can draw blood – so I research now prior to purchasing.
Finding this interesting shape and such a wild name resulted in a quick online search on my mobile while I shopped. I stopped in my tracks, pulling my cart back to said orchid.
Frilly Doris in late September 2025
Color me curious, Frilly Doris apparently has a fascinating bloom color and shape. I’ve never had an orchid like it before. And like many orchids before it, this one exhibited the undocumented event of jumping invisibly into the shopping cart. (If you love plants, you’re likely aware of this botanic phenomenon).
Frilly Doris in late September 2025
Orchids remain hard to sustain out here in the arid conditions where I live, but I am keeping my fingers crossed on this one with weekly bucket soaks and misting via spray bottle.
I am looking forward to seeing her bloom soon and hopefully being able to keep her around for the long run.
