Question
this may bea stupid question but myboyfriend bought meant potted orchid for
valentines' day and its the first living thing I have ever taken care of! Happy to
say it is flourishing and the last bud is blooming :) my question
is  ; I'd like to cut the older fullybloomed flowers so I can press them into
bookmarks, is there anyway I candy this without any damage to my orchid?
After the last bud blooms I do plan tocut the stem and hope for reblooming...
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  

Answer
Hello Linda,

Don't worry, there are NO stupid questions, only stupid answers!  Hope mine isn't too stupid.  (grin)  

Yes, it is possible to press the flowers.  Place the cut flower on a white sheet of paper, arrange it how you want it, place another white paper on top then gently lower a flat weight (large book or similar) on top to press or smash the flower.  Leave it like that for several weeks then lift the weight.  One of the problems with using it as a bookmark is that the flower petals may be rather brittle and begin to break apart.  There are some copy centers that can put the flowers between plastic sheets then cut them into bookmarks for you.  At the same time, if you wish, you could include a phrase or similar with the flower.  

If your orchid is a phalaenopsis, it is not too difficult to get it to rebloom next year.  Grow it where it will be in bright shade, temperatures between 60F to 85F, humidity above 50%, with a little light air movement.  Water when the potting mix becomes barely moist and feed it a balance type orchid fertilizer.  

Hope this has helped.

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.