I'm not known for my patience, but I hate to throw out a plant that's still growing. I picked up some shiny, black seeds when I was exploring the Roman ruins of Leptis Magna on a tour of Libya in 2005 and - ahem - forgot they were in my pocket until after returning home. I planted the seeds in pots, five germinated, I gave away two plants, I killed one of my three by overwatering, and the remaining two just made bigger and bigger bulbs. Finally, after TEN YEARS, one of the plants has bloomed. It's a Sea Daffodil (Pancratium) of some kind, I think.

I can beat that. I waited 20 years for my plumeria to bloom. Like yours, mine is sentimental, a NOID White. I knew that it did bloom once, so I never gave up hope. This is it's second year to bloom for me.

Oh my, my heart just stopped for a tiny second. We were in Libya in the Spring of 2006, Leptis Magna was one of the places we also visited.

But to answer your question, I did wait 5 years for my Cattleya skinneri to bloom. Once it finally did, it bloomed from there on year after year.

Applause! You guys are great.

I can't hold a candle to your stories, but I lived in my current spot for a few years before sarting to make raised beds (wit sunken floors). While excavating clay, I turned up a bulb or two, and some pieces, and put them back where I found them after the bed was made.

A year or two later, something small happened, and the year after that I had a big, blooming lily.

Now I have a patch that I should have divided last year. Lavatera and blackberries have infested that area since then. Now I NEED to dig them up, uproot and burn the lavatera and #$%^# blackberries, and re-plant the bulbs.

I've been told this guy is
Lily (Lilium 'Black Out')

He sure is dark red! I gave one bloom to a barista around here, and she looked at it with GREAT suspicion and seeming trepidation.

I waited for about two years for the Pride of Barbados that I started from seeds to bloom. It's finally started and I'm hoping for some more seed pods.

I waited 5 years for this crinum to bloom. Summer Nocturne.

I have waited all spring and all summer for my pond lily to bloom, it never will, but was fun o see if it would!
I know zip about pond plants so I know know its not for me!

I waited 4 years for my daylily seedlings to bloom.

I just have some martagon lily sprouts---
I will be waiting years for them to bloom.

7 years for Paw Paw trees.

@hetty, I just shipped out a large cork slab, 12x28". I asked the guy (he's in Atlanta) what he was going to do with such a large slab and he said he had a huge C. skinneri and was going to mount it on the cork. Asked him to send a picture(s) when it was mounted and told him I would post it/them on ATP. I invited him to join.

@Ken, will Hetty be able to find your post here? Maybe Treemail her?

That should have been directed to @Ursula, Cheryl. She posted about her C. skinneri. Just another in a long-line of mistakes.

Waited 12 yrs for daylily China Dawn to bloom. A few crinum along the same lines, some mystery bulbs, possibly amaryllis that have never bloomed. Would like some cooperation here! Stubborn things..mumbling under my breath, disgruntled exhaling, sighing and stomping.

My Hoya kerri variegata took about 3 years to make blooms. A noid plumeria cutting took about 3 years too. Some paphiopedilum orchids of mine averaged 2 years to bloom, but now taking even longer..

I think I've got you all beat ! Well, not me exactly. I got a text, with picture, from my son today. I'd given him a cactus 15 years ago and it just bloomed for the first time.
I can't even remember what it's called.

@orchidgal, I'd say that flower was well worth the wait!

I will probably have to ask him for a cutting -- I don't recall seeing that bloom in my garden !

We had a layover in the Amsterdam airport - where there happened to be plants for sale at the gift shop. Never seen this plant, Sprekelia Formosissima, so I picked up a package and planted the bulbs; that was 2003. They have NEVER bloomed!!!!

Betsy I had Sprekelia bloom shortly after I bought it and never again. I traded it.