Two Minutes Du Jour

Two orchids, side by side in the same sunny window.

One has deep green leaves, glossy and strong — but no buds, no blooms.
The other? It’s a little wild — a few yellowing leaves with brown tips, a crooked lean like the Leaning Tower of Pisa — yet it’s bursting with three new blooms and at least four more buds ready to open.

Same care. Same light. Same water. Two completely different stories unfolding. (Learn more from a post back in June 2025.)

This spring, a few of my favorite podcasts have focused on flowers and houseplants — classic seasonal topics. One episode shared flower-arranging hacks (like adding a splash of vodka to keep tulips upright or a capful of bleach in vase water to help flowers last longer — tips I haven’t tested, but filed away for future curiosity). Another episode talked about expectations with houseplants — how we often assume they should always look lush and vibrant, when in reality, plants go through cycles of growth, decline, and rest.

It struck me how much this mirrors life.

A yellowing leaf doesn’t mean failure — not for the orchid, and not for me as its caretaker. It’s simply a sign that the plant is channeling energy elsewhere. Maybe into new roots. Maybe into blooms. Maybe into resting before its next surge of growth. Recognizing that lets me loosen my grip on rigid expectations — for my plants, and for myself.

Growth isn’t always immediately visible. It isn’t always neat or symmetrical. Sometimes it looks like green leaves without flowers. Sometimes it looks like blooms emerging through a tangle of imperfect stems.

Looking back, I realized this was an extension of what I wrote months ago — how an orchid taught me to trust that growth is happening even when I can’t see it.

Today’s orchids reminded me: two things can grow under the same conditions, and still look very different.

And both can be just fine.

Spring brings a lot of pressure to bloom — to be vibrant, productive, visibly flourishing. But sometimes the deeper work is quieter. Sometimes it’s hidden. And sometimes, the best thing we can do is trust the process, honor the cycle, and give ourselves — and others — the space to grow in their own season.

Two Links Du Jour:

Stop Killing Your House Plants – Darryl Cheng – House Plant Journal via NYT’s The Wirecutter Episode 36

The Flower Whisperer – Caanan Marshall recently interviewd about creating stunning floral bouquets on How to Decorate with Ballard Designs