Has anyone ever had a Vanilla Orchid bloom for them?

I seem to remember either Jim or Fred Rump blooming one some years ago.

Goody. Maybe one or both will let me know. I wanted to know how large/long and how old that vine has to be to see flowering. I am hanging on to one plant, and it is around 3 yrs. old now, with a 3-4' long vine.

It must have been Fred. I do not grow them because they get huge here and I can't protect them in the winter.

Jim

I've not had any luck growing them, Ken. Both the variegated start I got from Mj and the planifolia from you have died. Pretty sure I let them get too cold.

But there is a huge one in the top of the greenhouse at Selby that blooms regularly. The leaves on it are a foot long, and the flowers only last a day or so.

Jim and I also saw one in bloom at Plantio La Orquidea on a plant that trailed about 6ft.

OK, sorry to hear you lost the plant. I would have thought they would take a light freeze, but I have never "challenged" that notion. I have sold my last two up for sale but am keeping the (really) last one for myself, just to see if I live long enough to see it bloom. The vine is now about as thick as a pencil and is 3-4' long. I can't tell the true length since I continue to intertwine the vine back and forth through the trellis as it grows. Thus it is only approximately 18" tall, not counting the pot. All three of the last ones are nice and large and healthy, but mine is the best of the lot. Maybe when I (finally) get that sunroom built, I will be able to let the plant spread its wings. It sure is an unusual orchid compared to all the rest I have.

Tell you the truth, last winter was the first time I brought my warm growing orchids indoors for most of the cold weather. All of them did better this year. So I may try another Vanilla some time and keep it very warm.

I had an all green one 40+ years ago, back in the days when I had a large gh. It did get huge and only bloomed for me once and I missed pollinating it. I remember the flowers only last one day and it has to be pollinated first thing in the morning - as soon as the flower is fully open. I just bought a variegated one from Tropiflora just because I like the leaves. No illusions here about it blooming in my lifetime.

OK, it seems I will just have to enjoy watching this vine grow.

Everyone keeps making my point.

Jim

It was me with the vanilla. It climbed about 40 feet up a sabal palm but died from the freeze we had several years ago when I also lost lots of other tropical plant life. When they are small they can be protected and then there are warm winters and they keep on growing until mother nature says, 'not so fast, you don't live in the tropics'.

I now have several variegated ones. One is growing inside my greenhouse, another I have planted outside on a cypress tree. The local animal or insect patrol seems to like to nibble on it. I also lost the part growing in the ground from those same marauders. I simply packed up a mound of mulch around the cut off end and let nature take its course to grow new roots. So far so good. I think the variegated ones are a lot fussier than the plain green ones. I think both need lots of sun to flower.