So I rent out my 2 spare bedrooms and I have a new renter. She’s 84 years old and has stage 1 lung cancer. She’s retired and doesn’t have a car and she doesn’t do anything all day besides sit in the living room and do word searches and FaceTime with her kids. So she asked me last week if there was anything around the house she could help me with. I said “ no thanks, I’m fine”. She kept insisting, wanting to help out, and so I told her that she could water my 2 banana trees that I had brought in from outside for the winter. I told her they needed to be watered every day and I forget sometimes. She was very happy to have a job around the house. Now I also have an orchid that my late husband gave me before he died. I’ve had it for at least 8 years now and I water it a little bit once a week. It grows back every year and is sitting in the only spot that gets enough sun. Right now it’s in bloom and looks gorgeous. My husband named it Freckles and it’s one of the few things I still have that he gave me and I want to keep it alive as long as possible. So yesterday I went in there and my orchid looked horrible! It had two stems of blooms and one stem of petals was all wilted and dark colored, but the other stem of petals looked fine. I was devastated and asked her if she knew what happened to it! She said “ oh, I found some plant food and put it on there and I have been watering it every day for you!!” I said “ noooo- I don’t want you to touch this orchid- my husband gave it to me and it means everything to me! Please don’t touch it! These orchids are only supposed to be watered once a week!” She apologized and said she wouldn’t touch it again. I asked around and was told that I need to get a special orchid mix and repot it. So I ordered some online. Well today I got up and went to look at it and she had chopped off all the wilting petals and almost all of the good ones that were left that still had weeks to bloom!!!! I can’t go off on her- she’s elderly, she has lung cancer and possibly dementia! My orchid means a LOT to me and there’s nowhere else in the house that I can place it where it will get sun. What should I do?
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It was kind of you to give her something to do. Outside of a place to live. But a plant that has sentimental value, just like anything that does, probably shouldn't be the responsibility of someone else. Particularly someone who might have dementia. You didn't tell her to not use food. She was doing what she thought was best. Probably to repay you for the responsibility you gave her. She wanted it to be beautiful. So I"m sorry but this is on you. So you either need to be crystal clear with how she needs to take care of it or, better yet, find a spot in your home that it will survive. Good luck. Orchids are studs. And they like shade. I'm sure it'll rebound.
@Ynotisay I originally told her to only water my two banana trees. Not the orchids. And yesterday I specifically told her yet again to only water the banana trees and to leave my orchid alone. But she went behind my back and pulled the petals off, thinking she was helping. This was after I told her not to touch it. I’m going to look for a grow light and put it in my bedroom.
@Mardrae That's probably a good call. The unfortunate reality is that you can't trust people as much as you can trust yourself with certain things. So here's to another eight years of a beautiful orchid.
