On 2014-08-23 11:31:26 +0000, Bob Hobden said:

"Sacha" wrote

I bought one of these some time ago and it has bloomed from around
March until a week ago, when the flowers started to wither and drop
off. Pretty good value, I'd say. BUT having transferred it to the
'hospital' window in the kitchen, I glanced at it the other day,
wondering if the stem was dying back, To my surprise and pleasure, one
withered flower was still clinging on but further up exactly the same
stem, new buds are forming. I've never seen this happen before on any
of my other Phals.

Quite normal. It's why you should never cut the flower stem off a Phal
unless it goes brown and dead. The show experts use this trait to
enable them to produce lots of flowers by changing the temperature at
which the plant is kept so extending the flower spike a number of
times. You may find the spike branches onto a number of extended spikes
before flowering, I think that is when they are at their most beautiful.

Thanks, Bob. I've only had the 'shrivel up' experience with the stems.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk