How to make Orchids bloom??????

[AmandaS]

Hey everyone. I am new here and have had orchids for about 2 years now. I have a couple questions.

Phalaenopsis - I purchased this a year and a half ago with 3 blooms. This year one of them wilted and died. Towards the end of the last years season a little bud began to grow from the tip of the stalk but it is still itsy bitsy after a whole year. When will another flower grow? What can I do to encourage this? The stalk turned brown and I cut it back and another one grew with 3 on it. Any thoughts?

MY REAL QUESTION - I recently bought a cattleya at Lowe's. It was wrapped in packaging and had no blooms but had a lovely picture attached. It is healthy looking with probably 8 large leaves and I think some small pseudobulbs. When I was buying it I heard a woman say, "Oh dead already, maybe give discount". It is all green. It seems fine. So, a) it's not dead, is it? b) How do I make it bloom? Little things are growing out of the leaves/bulbs (I am not familiar with this, my phal has no bulbs), will they eventually turn to flowers? When do Cattleya ordinarily bloom? It is an ordinary white one with a purple tongue.