Yesterday I went about watering my plants, and to my absolute astonishment, saw that one of my honohono orchids had bloomed! They normally flower around early March in Hawaii, so anything this early is surprising. Maybe the first of the year here:
You would think I would have noticed the buds a week or so ago, but it just shows how much attention I pay to them. There are also three other purple flowers blooming in my apartment:
Those are purple anthuriums, which you rarely see, but have been around for almost four decades. As I couldn't move the honohono patch, I gave two flowers to Pearl:
The photo to the above left was taken in her final year and the other the year I met her. Why that glass figurine is that she was born in the year of the rabbit. The plaque is a replica of what was at the Ala Wai Golf Course when the Gold Trees were planted.
Why I don't know, but my posting six years ago titled HONOHONO AND CATTLEYA ORCHIDS is one of my most popular ever. I've bought these orchids for most of my adult life, and previously they all withered away no matter what I did to care for them. 
Since I've been at 15 Craigside there have been two instances when I went away on long trips, so arranged for a staffer here to maintain an inch or two of water in a tub holding these plants, just to keep them alive. To my shock, the cattleyas actually had bloomed when I returned. I think scaring orchids so that they think they will soon die somehow catalyzes a bloom cycle.
The honohono is a dendrobium (anosmum) known for its pleasant fragrance. But the white version has no odor. Interestingly enough, anosmum in Latin means scentless, so taxonomists must have named them after observing the white honohono. There are 12,000 species. Like many of the flowers in Hawaii, the honohono came from Southwest Asia. All guides indicate that, anywhere, the blooming season is from March to May. Must be something about my apartment's air-conditioned sanctuary. Also contrary to my new-found experience about drowning them, experts say you need a mild winter chill followed by generally dry conditions.
This time I redesigned the growth environment by having layers of perlite, sphagnam moss and fir bark, into which I placed the orchid plant. This systems provides reasonably airy conditions. However, there are holes at the bottom of that green tub. There is a larger black tub where I regularly fill with some water so that some rise to the orchid roots by osmosis.
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