Buds

unopened bloom

open bloom w/ hand to show size

The whole plant w/ multiple blooms open

Thirty buds? Wowser! Move the stinker away from the house while you have the chance! :D Yes, the blooms match the name, gigantea!

Nice Stepalia.

I had a similar experience with mine. Once it finally started blooming , it just wouldn't stop. So much so, that I stopped counting and taking pictures. Luckily, mine wasn't really that stinky.

Quick question, Was the first bloom of the season noticeably larger than the subsequent blooms? My first bloom was about 2" larger point to point than most of the subsequent blooms. Just trying to figure out if that's a fluke or an expected result. I couldn't find anything on the net about it.

Hi kdhp75,
Beautiful flowers! I have a young plant of this stapelia, and wondering -how long will it take to bloom? How old is your plant?
Thanks for sharing!

Just a guess, I think as temps drop, the buds get smaller. I also think they like to hang down to bloom.

Just wondering what did you do to your Stapelia. I assume they are happy and give you a reward with flowers.

I have mine for years, bloomed once only one flower too. No bloom this year, but multiply lots of new stems.

Here is my formula.

50% MG C&S / 50 % Perlite, small pebbles as a topper.
plastic hanging basket that I drilled 4 drain holes in
kept on patio, morning slightly shaded light ( about an hour, and not by choice ), full shade of patio the rest of the day.
I stick it out in the rain about once every 7 to 10 days.
I'm in zone 9, so keep in mind that my formula may not work in other zones. It's pretty easy to grow here.

It bloomed like mad all summer and definitely did better than 2 offshoots from the same parent did in a clay pot ( got one small bloom ), and another in a nursery supplied plastic pot ( this one was second best and bloomed a few times.)

I had many more blooms from the hanging pot that I didn't take pictures of and its actually still blooming now.

Here is a link that might be useful: A Few of my pics

Sort lived outside lasting only a day