I've been thinking about the "orchid vs dandelion" theory that some people (usually discussed in context of children) are dandelions, who can grow anywhere, including 'coming up through cracks in a sidewalk', and thrive in almost all circumstances; where as other people, who are highly sensitive and have trouble dealing with stressful situations, are orchids.
Actual orchid plants grow a whole variety of different ways because there are, you know, 28,000 different species. But for the sake of the metaphor, assume they're talking about the traditional Phalaenopsis/ "moth orchid", which is just the normal kind of orchid you'd find at any grocery store. Those guys are epiphytes, which means that they don't grow in soil. Instead, they use their extremely cool roots to cling to the side of a tree or a rock or something off the ground. Because they don't grow in soil, they've got roots that can be exposed to the air. Strong roots, that are able to hold up the whole plant, keep it anchored, grab as much water as they need, and support the plant growing beautiful flowers. But in the soil, their roots are smothered. Soil holds too much water, doesn't create enough airflow, and the roots will rot away.
Dandelions grow in soil. They seem tough and easy because they grow the typical way that someone like me who lives in Canada expects plants to grow. But if I took a dandelion out of the ground, washed all the dirt off its roots, and tied it to a tree... that dandelion would die. That dandelion would die so fast. Any plant that grows in soil will die if left with roots exposed to the air; orchids love the air.
There's an idea that because orchids don't grow easily in the way we're used to, they're "sensitive" or difficult or tricky. But if you have an orchid in a nice chunky substrate (mostly chunks of wood) in a pot designed for orchids with big holes in the sides to let in more air, orchids are actually really easy to grow. They can handle getting dried out, because they've got those strong roots. And it's pretty hard to overwater if you've got them planted properly, because the water will just flow through the chunkiness and out the sides of the pot.
An orchid can thrive in conditions that other plants, even the hardy dandelion, would find impossible.
The metaphor still mostly works as intended, but I think it's such a different way of framing it to acknowledged that orchids are actually pretty tough, pretty resilient. It's not that they can't handle "stressors". It's just that some things that wouldn't be difficult for another plant are impossible for them.
But likewise a bare root dandelion is going to die if it's tied to a tree.
