Phragmipedium longifolium
I bought this plant as a small seedling a couple of years ago and it hasn't skipped a beat in all that time. It's a very vigorous plant. I keep it sitting in water at all times, using a rockwool based potting media. The plant is currently in a 6" pot with one mature growth, and one pup that's about a year to a year and a half away from blooming. I don't feed very heavily, but this is one that would probably appreciate slightly higher feeding rates than I've been applying, simply by virtue of how quickly it grows.
When it was younger, I used to be able to give it fairly bright light under the shelves, but as it approached adult size, it's become harder and harder to fit it under there. Last winter I moved it next to the sliding glass door that gets an obstructed northeast exposure. That meant very bright light for less than 1 hour in the morning, and then very shady conditions the rest of the day. This summer, it's been sitting between the light shelves, but close to a window as well. Overall, it seems to tolerate shadier conditions than I thought it would.
Growing indoors, it gets warm temperatures year round, though I suppose last winter it would have experienced some cool nights sitting next to the door.
This spike has taken a while to develop. I don't recall exactly when I first noticed it, but I believe it was back in June (perhaps even earlier). This morning I noticed that the bud was ballooning out quite rapidly, even compared to the day before. I decided to snap a few shots of the beautiful bud.
Of course, I went back into the grow area a few hours after the initial bud photos, and surprise, surprise, the bud had begun to open.
Overall, if you're in the market for your first phrag, and you have the space, this seems like a good one for beginners. This plant hasn't been fussy at all. Once it gets some growths and age on it, a species like this can often maintain at least one of the sequentially opening flowers year round. Even better, if you are limited on space, there are compact varieties available.
Phragmipedium longifolium
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