Good luck Arlene. Mine was an amazing experience! About 3 days before the buds bloomed, the stems that had been hanging down started to curl up into the "dutchman pipe" position. We didn't have any artificial light in the room it was in so I can't answer your light question. We served local late harvest wine and a great dessert to our guests who came to watch the great unfolding. Please keep us posted.

It didn't bloom last night. I actually waited until all the house lights were off, took a small flashlight and brought the plant into my bedroom. Every time I woke up slightly I checked if I could smell it blooming. Nothing!

Do they bloom shortly after dark or does one have to sit up all night? If so, I am not going to be able to do it.

And as for light - how do all the guests at the plant-viewing parties find their wine? Candles maybe would not make enough light to bother the plant?

a.m.

lol, we had lights on...not bright but certainly living room lighting. Guests came at 7:30 and the buds opened by 9 pm. You could almost see them open. They were certainly fat and lush the day they opened. Hope you have as much fun as we did.

Thanks for that information. That helps.

The buds still haven't opened but two of them are particularly fat and one has a drop of some clear liquid (?) coming from it. Perhaps the hot day we are having today will speed up the process.

a.m.

Has it bloomed yet?

Yes! It bloomed last night. All four buds opened at once, about 9:00 p.m.

And wouldn't you know it - I was allergic it! I really like fragrant plants, even though, as in the case of roses, sometimes I am slightly allergic to them. But this was really bad. Maybe if it blooms again next year I can sit outside and look at it where the allergens will not be so confined.

At any rate, the flowers were amazingly beautiful and I took a bunch of pictures.

a.m.

Did you do something special to get them to bloom? I have 2 of these that have never bloomed for me. I got one a garage sale 4 yrs ago. It's been growing like crazy. The other is a piece that broke the original. It's been growing about 2 yrs. I would love to see them bloom.

Thanks,
Peggy

Peggy the blooming trigger is a cold, dry rest period. I keep them outside late into the season, right up until first frost, and I stop watering about month before that. You want it to get a little gaunt & starting to show it's ribs, together with colder temps.

mine is blooming tonight in CT zone 6! I brought it inside to enjoy the smell. I am afraid to turn on a night light though.