Update

Iresine - It's looking pretty poorly after its pruning, but I have faith. I mist spray it every day. The leaves have wilted tremendously, but the stalks have remained firm and healthy-looking. However... I may have killed it, despite taking great care to avoid that.

Amaryllis - It grew almost EIGHT INCHES in roughly 36 hours. It was 18 inches around noon yesterday and was 25.5 when I measured it an hour ago. The buds are now coming up and out, and I can see that there are four of them! I expect a bloom tomorrow or the next day.

Orchid Show - I better get to go because I have a lot I want to buy! A a bloom booster, more orchids, and a keiki growth supplement. Those supplements (Keikigrow or Keikipro) help orchids (Phalaenopsis especially) grow little babies from the nodes of flower stalks or from their bases. I'm eager to try it; reviews claim it works almost immediately and with great results. Unfortunately, I've seen 1/2 ounce bottle sell on the Internet for $25! A bottle the size of a typical water bottle sold for $325. What??? Silly as it seems, perhaps it would be wise to invest in a small bottle. I wouldn't need much of it, after all. The more I think about it, the more excited I become.... :)

More on Orchids - I traveled on over to Duluth today, the only mildly large city in many miles, and got a look-see at their wares. I visited Gordy's Gift and Garden, which is actually in Hermantown, and was very satisfied. I'd only been there once before. They're a locally owned business which has been going strong for almost 35 years. Even in the winter, they had an EXCELLENT selection of gardening supplies, sans plants, of course. I bought some balanced fertilizer; the other things I was looking for were far too orchid-specific for me to expect them to carry. I also inquired from the friendly employee if they sold orchids at any time. She said they were due to get a new shipment of phals in sometime soon... Hmm... :)

http://www.gordysduluth.com/aboutus.htm

Anyway, I also stopped at the Home Depot there, which had pretty much nothing. They had a cart of nice phals with lots of blooms for $12.99, just like the other Home Depot. They were also trying to sell smallish out-of-bloom phals for $7, begging customers to "test your green thumb." With the state those poor plants were in, "test" may have been an understatement. I refused to spend my money on any orchid, even those cute phals with unique green blooms, and chose to save for the orchid show. :)

I headed on over to Old Country Buffet (cue salivation) and then to Barnes and Noble, where I spent a good ten minutes skimming over a $20 Miracle-Gro book: Complete Guide to Orchids. It seemed very thorough, and I bought it. I may recommend it if it proves itself to be of good use.