Under the radar
 

I still have my first and only phal, and had left a portion of the old flower spike (trimmed to a short length) - to see if it would sprout a new spike extension. This mini-phal was already in flower when I first bought it.

This morning, when watering it - I noticed something poking from the edge of the leaf heheheheh.

The spike was growing undetected - growing pretty much underneath the leaf, and almost hugging the underside of the leaf. Under the radar!

Hopefully it all goes well and I get my first ever home flowering for this quite nice mini phal.

It's a no-ID phal. But amazingly, another member (Edew) has the exact same plant! - Click Here.

I forgot to mention - the trimmed old spike is still good. So maybe in the future, an extension can grow from the old spike too.

Do you not (maybe somewhat excessively) examine and observe your orchids from all angles like I do?

BP ...... hahaha. I have to pay more attention! I have learned my lesson. :coverlaugh:

Will follow your example from now on hehehehe

I am the worst with not noticing spikes.

I have now had several orchids (mainly Angraecums) this season that I didn’t know were in-bloom or bud until I turned them around (the spike/bloom would be facing the wall) to move them somewhere else.

This even happened to me an Angraecum sesquipedale cross! I only found out it was in bud when it was a few days from blooming.

The same thing happened to me this week with a Brassidium (Kenneth Bivens). The spike was growing behind another plant and I only noticed the when I had to move it. By that time, the buds were opening.

Stealth little bugger!!

I sometimes realize my orchids are in bloom when I smell a fragrance, notice that the jasmine and citrus are not in bloom, and start looking for the source....

Is that Jasmine sambac? Jasmine sambac has a very nice smell from a fair distance. But I learned my lesson(s) after I took some whiffs right up close hahahahaha. It is powerful stuff! Some sort of off-putting smell when too close ----- a certain kind of chemical thing hanging in there somewhere, which can't be detected from a distance. But definitely know about it with the flower placed at the opening of the nostril hahaha. 'opening of the nostril' doesn't sound pleasant in itself hahahaha.

That’s funny. What you describe with the Sambac is how I feel about Common Jasmine and my Angraecum sesquipedale and didieri.

I have a giant 5 foot Sambac jasmine (Maid of Orleans) in bloom right now. It is my pride and joy. It tends to bloom a few times a year in major flushes.

It is one of my favorite fragrances too (even up close). On the other hand, jasminum officinale (common jasmine) I find to be not quite pleasant smelling. I find the Sambac is closer on the odor continuum to gardenia and citrus while the common jasmine is in its own category or closer to vanilla maybe.

I also have a big stephanotis that has never bloomed that I can’t make sense of. I don’t understand why it doesn’t bloom. It just keeps growing. I also have a tangelo and a gardenia blooming which both smell nice.

Lastly, I have a plum tree that has so many plums it can’t support itself and almost horizontal.

Possibly culture or growing conditions related. This link here mentions something chemistry side of things Click Here.

The site mentions that some people purposely chose young buds to put in their hair, but not go for fully opened flowers. Possibly due to some chem processes going on.

When I put an opened jasmine flower up to my nostril and smell, I do get the jasmine smell - nice, but also get a big whiff of a bearable, but not-so-nice smell in among there. The jasmine sambac flowers are so nice for popping into tea!