[joan gero]

Can this be? My (current) most distressing plant is a large Cattlya Portage Glacier that has suffered cat chewing and broken leaves, poor care by house-sitters, and this summer several badly sunburned leaves. Now inside, it has a horrible case of aphids. I have set it apart in poor light because it seems almost hopeless (and window space is scarce), watered it even less than usual (forgotten in its solitude), and postponed the thankless job of eliminating the aphids. Today I decided to sponge it down and treat it... and discovered what seems to be a healthy ready-to-burst sheath!!! I couldn't be more surprised (if I'm correct).

Is there something to this? Do plants sometimes throw off blooms when they have given up hope for a normal life? This was true of the only Bulbophylum (graveolens 'Mount Millaiae') I ever got to bloom for me... after 5 years of no blooms but healthy growth, it stopped growing, the bulbs shrivelled... and it bloomed and died!

Is this common??? Thanks...