We were looking for a quick escape from the winter chill when a friend and I decided to make the trip to the Cleveland Botanical Garden to check out its annual orchid show.

“Love In Bloom” is the theme this year, and what a gorgeous feast of flowers for the winter-weary — 3,000 blooms and more than 100 orchid varieties are on display.

After wandering for hours admiring the floral displays, we gravitated toward the gift shop and quickly decided to purchase orchid plants. These were smaller than the tall versions we are used to seeing in our grocery stores and megastore garden centers, but the variety of colors and floral varieties available were too irresistible.

We both chose Phalaenopsis orchids, which are also known as moth orchids and are considered among the easiest to grow indoors. However, we were nervous and worried about keeping these delicate-looking plants alive, so we peppered the knowledgeable staff with questions about watering, feeding and other care details.

They assured us that orchids can live long and healthy lives indoors with the proper care. Typically, a plant will blossom once a year, and its eye-catching blooms can live a month or longer.

We had heard about using ice cubes to avoid over-watering, but the botanical garden staffers recommended against that technique. Orchids are tropical plants, they said, so ice is not ideal for them.

Instead, the garden staff demonstrated how they slipped each orchid plant out of its ceramic container, submerged the soil portion briefly in a tub of water, then set the plant aside to drain for a few minutes. The goal, they said, is never to place a water-soaked root ball back into the pot.

Horticulture faculty at Penn State University Extension explained that orchids are prone to root rot if over-watered or watered too often. Plants should be watered well, usually about once a week, then allowed to dry slightly between waterings.

In the wild, Phalaenopsis orchids grow on trees in the warm, humid shade of tropical forests, clinging to the bark. This natural habit causes their aerial roots to dangle visibly over the top of the pot. These roots can show that the plant needs water — when dry, they turn light gray; once watered sufficiently, they turn a pale green.

At home, the moth orchid does best in the light of an east or west window but is always kept out of direct sun. It prefers temperatures no cooler than 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night and no hotter than 85 degrees by day.

Phalaenopsis orchids thrive in a humid environment. To counteract the typical dry household climate, place the orchid’s pot on a tray filled with gravel and water, keeping the bottom of the pot above the waterline. As it evaporates, the water will increase the humidity of the plant.

Moth orchids should be fertilized once or twice a month, using a water-soluble plant food diluted to half the manufacturer’s recommended strength.

To learn more about growing orchids at home, visit: https://extension.psu.edu/orchids-as-houseplants.

Hixenbaugh is an Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer in Mahoning County.