Gail,

Moth orchids (otherwise known as Phalaenopsis, or Phals for short) will do
that. Not always, and not even most of the time, but often enough. I've got
a Phal that has been in bloom since early August, and is still blooming, and
I have heard of ones that have been in bloom for over a year. My
mother-in-law has a Phal that is almost never out of bloom for long -- it
seems like it will either start a new spike or continue growing an existing
one, whenever it's prior flowers have wilted.

One thing to watch out for with a Phal that is continuously in bloom for a
long time: Be sure that the plant remains healthy. Blooming takes energy,
and some Phals may bloom themselves to death if you don't observe the health
of the plant (leaves and roots).

Do its leaves continue to look healthy? Has it grown a new leaf at all
during this amount of time? If it has lost more than one leaf without
growing a new one, that would be an alert that it's not well. Usually if
the leaves look healthy, the roots are likely ok, unless the plant wobbles
in the pot as if it did not have enough root system to sustain it. If the
leaves start to look unhealthy, it is a good idea to cut off a flowering
spike all the way at the bottom to allow the plant to concentrate on its
leaf and root growth. Repotting in such a situation to look at the health of
the roots and trim away rotten ones would also be a good idea.

However, as long as a Phal looks healthy, there is no reason to not let it
continue blooming for as long as it is willing to do so, especially if it is
also growing new leaves occasionally (every few months).

Hope this helps. Enjoy your Phal! And welcome to this group.

Joanna

"Gail" wrote in message
ink.net...
My sister and I are new orchid addicts (wonderful addiction). I gave her a
blooming moth orchid in Sept 2004 and the plant blossoms continuously (it
is
still in full flower). None of our other orchids do this. We call it the
"special orchid." Is this a common phenomenon? Thanks in advance. I'm
happy
to be here in orchid heaven.
Gail