Thanks for all your help, Dennis! Here's the result...

[Helen]

Hi Dennis,

This is Helen from the mountains of western Guatemala. I have been
eagerly waiting many weeks to share this news with you - my encyclia
bloomed today!!! I am very grateful to you for all your help with my
orchids. Please see photo IMG_OO52 in the gallery (I forgot to change
the name of the file before I uploaded it, but I take it you can
change them; please feel free to rename if you want).

The success is bittersweet, however, because the plant sent up two
spikes of buds, but the larger one wilted before blooming (photo
IMG_0047). I was going to write soon and ask you what may have
happened; but I am very grateful I got at least a few flowers (one so
far, but there are two more buds looking good) for all my efforts!
It's a beautiful blossom.

We are having a very cold, rainy year, so I have been wondering if
they aren't getting enough sun or if it's just too cold for them here;
unfortunately neither of these are things I can control (we don't have
heated houses). The rossiglossium is still growing slowly but shows
no signs of blooming.

Thank you so much for your help and for providing me with the delight
of coming home to a beautiful flower this afternoon!

Helen

[orchid doctor]

Hi Helen:

I have changed the name on the new images to Encyclia cordigera, which
is the psecies you have. It is native to Central America, but usually
found below 900 meters, so especially cold weather during its summer
bloom season could have caused the buds to blast. What also sometimes
happens (and just happened to an odont hybrid of mine!) is that a
small caterpillar or slug may well have eaten a hole into the
inflorescence near the base. This will cause the inflorescence to
slowly lose the buds, but the hole may not be very obvious (or large
enough to make the inflorescence fall over) and only show on close
inspection. Very frustrating!!!

But I am glad to see you are having success, and you may well see a
larger number of flowers next year.

Take care,
Dennis

[Helen]

Hi Dennis,

I just uploaded two photos of the encyclia cordigera in full bloom -
three lovely flowers, and they have lasted over a month already! I
also uploaded one of the masedvallia floribunda, which gave me a
pretty nice show of flowers this time; it blooms two or three times a
year. The files are named helens encyclia cordigera 1 and 2 and
helens masdevallia floribunda.

I really appreciate all your help with my orchids. My rossiglossium
is growing quite a bit, so hopefully will give me some flowers next
year!

Thank you so much.

Helen