Indeed, there's absolutely nothing to complain about with your plant ans the flower(s). The plant looks healthy and strong and the flower is pretty and with a good shape.
Maybe the flower size is smaller this year due to the second bud at the spike ... but who knows ?That looks gorgeous, how many months?
All previous blooms have had 2 flowers, and the first (when I purchased it) looked like it wanted to have 3, and that was back when it was a single-growth, first-bloom plant, so I think it can do better!Indeed, there's absolutely nothing to complain about with your plant ans the flower(s). The plant looks healthy and strong and the flower is pretty and with a good shape.
I haven’t kept detailed notes, but I want to say at least 3, maybe 4? Perhaps someone who has kept better track of their bloomings can chime in…
That's fantastic, any other orchids having more or less the same bloom life?
Not much that I grow (mostly multifloral paph species and large-flowered cattleyas). Some of the complex “bulldog” type paphs can last that long though. There’s also the sequential bloomers (primulinum, chamberlainianum, liemianum, etc…) so while the individual flowers are short-lived (~2 weeks) they can bloom successively from the same spike for many months, to even a year or more on a mature plant.
That sounds nice too. Year-round continuous supply of flowers. Will it harm these plants if flowers are harvested like once a week?
Sorry, I don’t quite understand the question, what do you mean by “harvest”?
My bad, I actually mean cutting flowers from the plant bearing it. Or do you even do that? I was thinking of a florist when I said that.
I suppose one could, but the “stem” would be quite short, only the length of the ovary for each particular flower, if you cut any more the growth tip producing the new buds would also be removed.
Using my primulinum as an example, you could only cut at the red lines to remove the flowers without removing the buds as well. I suppose you could use these as corsages or boutonieres, but I personally don't really see the point. I think they're best enjoyed on the plant!
I got it, thanks. Seeing the beautiful flower as an example, I can't imagine myself or anyone else cutting it.
