# longest wait for a bloom



## lindafrog (Jan 27, 2007)

oops my entire message didn't post I wanted to ask forum readers
WHAT IS THE LONGEST YOU'VE WAITED FOR A SEEDLING TO BLOOM


I wanted to share the good news. The phal gigantea seedling I purchased 15 years ago is blooming. It was worth the decade and a half. I've been told its a wonder the plant even survived my cool growing greenhouse. Somehow this tough plant with 2 and half leafs put out a spike. Now its blooming away the Blooms are bigger than I expected and much prettier than the pictures.


----------



## smartie2000 (Jan 27, 2007)

OMG 15 years ago! congrats on the blooms!


----------



## Marty (Jan 28, 2007)

Wow, you're very patient  Got any photos?


----------



## L I Jane (Jan 28, 2007)

And people wonder why at 70 I don't want sdlngs anymore.I think the longest I ever waited was 10+ yrs for something to bloom.


----------



## Heather (Jan 28, 2007)

I'm still so new to growing I can't say yet. Like Jane, I do get a little impatient with seedlings. I'm down to just one sanderianum, and it's growing well, so we'll see. I would guess that that and my stonei 'Fernwood' x self are probably going to take the longest (should they survive that long!) 
So far, my fastest maturing seedling is my kolopakingii. I would like to think it will bloom in another year or two (and I've had it for almost 3 years, started from a 10" seedling.) It has always been extremely vigorous. 

Congratulations, Linda, do share some photos if you can!


----------



## Rick (Jan 28, 2007)

I haven't even been growing orchids for 15 years.

Way to grow!!

WE WANT PICTURES WE WANT PICTURES


----------



## lindafrog (Jan 28, 2007)

Thanks to all for your nice comments. Yes I'd love to post pictures. Just need to figure out the details of using our new Digital camera.
I almost traded this phal to someone in warmer temperatures. The deal never happened. Do you think this is Phal gigantea's way of redemption?
Happy growing to all
Lindafrog--- looking out the window at a pileated woodpecker at the suet feeder!


----------



## Eric Muehlbauer (Jan 28, 2007)

I've had several plants that kept me waiting a decade or more....like the Laelia purpurata seedling I bought when I still lived in Brooklyn.....partly it was my fault because I believed a greenhouse grower who told me to keep it dry all through winter...now it blooms every summer...actually, Linda..I think I sent you a division of it a few years ago. Paph Ariel? (haynaldianum x bellatulum) took at least a decade to bloom...one flower, and it wasn't worth the wait. My first armeniacum, a mature division I got in 1983 took well over a decade, at least 12 years, to bloom...and of course it died the next year....Even though phrags are generally easy bloomers for me, my Grande has not even attempted to bloom in the decade I've had it...large, multigrowth plant definitely not worth the space it takes up...maybe its an aneuploid...I can't see a phrag being that hard to bloom. I've had quite a few paph seedlings that have gone nowhere, or had setbacks....and I can never bring myself to throw out a living plant that appears to be at least minimally healthy. I guess its just that some plants are dogs in that respect. I do have a malipoense seedling that appears to be very healthy, but just grows slow as ****, still not much larger in size than when I got it 10 years ago.....but then again, its malipoense. Take care, Eric


----------



## Gideon (Jan 30, 2007)

lindafrog said:


> Blooms are bigger than I expected and much prettier than the pictures.




....so where are the pics???


----------



## TADD (Jan 30, 2007)

I don't know what your guys problem is I bloom everything all the time.... oke: Like Jane, just buy stuff big enough to bloom.... :evil: I am going on 3 years for a few maudie hybrids form a compot....


----------



## Jon in SW Ohio (Jan 30, 2007)

Congrats Linda!!

Last year at our spring show I bought a baby Phal. gigantea with a 5" leafspan. It seems to be growing at the speed of frozen molasses, so hopefully it only takes another 14 years!

Jon


----------

