But after months of wandering through swamps and orchid shows, she says she understands the flower's powerful draw. Getting orchids to bloom can be tricky. Still others take pride in getting the plants, which can take years to grow from seed, to bloom. Now, getting a rose to bloom is not inconsequential, but people don't celebrate it the way they do when an orchid blooms. You just have a different relationship with an orchid than with a rose.
Orchids are plants that people can have in their homes, year round, regardless of climate.
So raising orchids is not about gardening, it's more like animal husbandry. Several of the plants now adorn her apartment. They are blooming, so I feel like a genius. And they look great in my apartment. Nor is she devastated by her failure to find a blooming Ghost Orchid, a rare Florida species that was the object of Laroche's desire and eventually her own.