When I buy a catleya orchid in bloom, I do it because the blooms touch me with their color, form and scent. When the blooms are done, I keep watering and feeding the green sturdy plant, seeking an optimum environment, hoping someday to see more blooms. I was rewarded by my persistence. After a few years (I can’t remember exactly how many) the plant decided to make 21 new blooms. It’s name is “Paradise.” How appropriate. I have moved the plant from place to place posing it: inside in the evening; in the lanai under bright sun; and in the studio with indirect light with a backdrop of my painting, “Fog Rising.” The color changes in front of my eyes dependent upon the light and the reflections.
