I took the camera around cage and deck yesterday, ( pics to follow in the "growing area") and jumped for joy!! My Mexipedium xerophyticum is in spike!!!
Now you have to understand - I bought this one in 2004 in the form of such a tiny thing, it was basically 1 small leaf with some roots. I paid 40 bucks for that, swallowing hard. I was told of the rarity of the plant and how fast it will bloom on a very small plant. Suuuure. I babied this thing along for YEARS. It grew and grew and consist now of several beautiful plants, never showing the slightest hint of a spike.
I bought this March another small plant just as comparison, thinking that it was maybe my plant?
Well, just like a couple adopting a baby and then welcoming their own baby another year later, the old 2004 plant is spiking!!
