Orchids can be grown indoors in the summer or winter as they are very versatile and easy to care for. You usually see them growing indoors at your local department stores for what seems like weeks at a time. They are sold in plastic baggies hanging on the sides of racks in those places so sometimes go without being watered for weeks and still survive. That is why you don't need to fret if you don't get home on time from an extended vacation - indoor orchids will survive. I water mine once a week by soaking the entire pot in a bowl of water in the kitchen sink so all the media can soak up the moisture...so this keeps them happy for a week - they could probably survive 2 weeks after that but I prefer to soak them once a week for quite a few hours. Orchids are a good plant to give to someone that is too old or too busy to do much caring for plants. Just tell them to water once a week and maybe stop by and visit to check on their orchid to make sure they aren't over watering it or if it needs to be soaked. This gives you another reason to drop by for a visit. Orchids are very slow growing but once they do bloom their blooms last for many more weeks than your average flower.
There is nothing better than caring for an orchid for sometimes up to 2 years before you get to see it bloom as an orchid needs to be mature before it does bloom. The wait is worth it if you were wise enough to pick out a bright flashy fascinating orchid that you knew ahead of time what it would come to look like. I keep pictures of orchids I plan on getting someday within view of my computer so I can look at them easily.
