CURRENTLY, in my home live six orchids.

In different varieties and different colours.

Yes folks, I am rather obsessed with them. I love orchids, they’re elegant, long lasting and just incredibly pretty without being too showy.

They live happily anywhere in my home – I have them in my living room, hallway and kitchen currently – and are incredibly easy to look after. (Which is another reason why I probably am such a huge fan, I’m not exactly Mrs Green Fingers!)

So imagine my delight the other week when I was sent the most incredible orchid from the International florist FloraQueen.

I chose the orchid instead of a bunch of flowers because we were just about to go away on holiday and didn’t want a lovely bouquet lanquishing sadly in a vase thinking nobody loved it.

And what a choice I made people. What a choice I made!

I expected it to be pretty. I expected it to be in good condition. But I didn’t expect it to be so magnificent.

My husband took delivery of the orchid when it arrived as I was busy beavering away on my laptop. I heard him say, “bloody hell, what until you see this!” and thought he was being sarcastic. That it would be some piddly plant or that it would look a bit, well pathetic.

But I was totally wrong, because THIS is what arrived. The largest orchid I have ever seen, beautifully wrapped and looking oh so fabulous!

The plant is stunning, totally stunning and now lives in our hallway, ready to greet our visitors with pride, as they enter our home.

If you want to charm the pants off anyone or spoil someone with a floral delivery, I strongly suggest you consider sending them one of these.

Impressive and beautiful, and at just over 20 quid, it’ll last a hell of a lot longer than a bunch of roses too.

My top tips to keep your orchids blooming

If you too are an orchid lover but don’t know what to do with them once the flowers have gone (or worse throw them away like I used to do *looks thoroughly ashamed*) here are some tips for you, to help them bloom again!

• Give them some light but don’t give them too much by putting them in direct sunlight.
• Don’t water them too much but don’t let them dry out completely.
• Consider giving them a little orchid food now and then.
• Repot them after three or four years if the roots are looking too crowded in the pot.
•  Let the flowers fade naturally and drop off.
• When all the flowers have gone, if the stem is green, prune it back to the first flowering node (little bit that sticks out). If the stem is brown, prune it back to near soil level. Keep watering every so often, send it some good vibes and with any luck your orchid will bloom again in a few months. (I’ve just had my first one come back to bloom and it’s looking brilliant!)

Trust me, if I can look after an orchid and make it flower again, so can you.

With love,

Kate

Many thanks to FloraQueen for my beautiful Orchid.