So it’s been a long while since I’ve posted a Jimmy update –
and it’s not because he is dead, although I did wonder for a while if this was
going to be the case during the winter.
Jimmy’s been through quite a lot since I got him. He bloomed
magnificently for months, but when it started getting colder, slowly but
surely, his flowers withered and fell, one by one, until he only had a bare
stalk left.
This was when things started getting a little hairy. The
stalk started withering and drying out as well, and when I repotted Jimmy I
decided to cut the stem off at the base and let him settle down for the winter.
He stayed this way for a long time. Too long. I started wondering if he was
still alive, even though his leaves were still green (mostly). No leaf growth,
no new roots, no new growth spike for about six months.
Getting somewhat worried, I decided to repot him again, and
he really seemed to like his new home. A few new roots emerged, together with a
pair of new leaves and TWO growth spikes! Hooray! On the not-so-good side, I
managed to damage one of his new stems while trying to clip it to a support
stick and it has been hanging on by a few plant fibres! Although this stem has
borne two flowers now, I’m not sure how long it’s going to last… Two of the older leaves have also yellowed
and fallen off, so am slightly worried about this.
Here he is today:
I should also mention that a few months ago we acquired a big
brother for Jimmy, Brian:
Brian is very tall and also has two growth spikes. He has
been in bloom since we got him, but his flowers have started to dry out and
fall off now. Here’s hoping I can keep them both alive for a while longer!
