Why don't you ask the plants if they're buds? ;-)

Orchids, and most plants I think, like company. They form a micro climate and help each other's humidity level.

It makes sense to me from a Darwinian standpoint that flowering plants in an ecosystem may derive an advantage by being triggered to flower if other like species began flowering independent of photo period or temperature related flowering cues. Sort of like Keeping up with the Joneses.

I am not aware of compounds that can induce flowering in plants not connected to the same vascular system. There is scientific evidence for a "florigen", though for may years the idea of a florigen molecule apparently was the source of some ridicule amongst plant physiologists. A florigen is a compound that when present in plant tissues can induce differentiation of apical meristem tissues into flowering meristem. In brief if you had 2 identical plants subjected to different growing conditions, one favorable to flowering and one not, taking tissue from the flowering plant and grafting it onto the non-flowering plant can induce "precocious" flowering in the non-flowering host plant. Pretty cool, huh? (Plant physiologists please forgive for any misrepresentation, I am actually better versed in cellular function of things without cell walls)

The sand in the Vaseline is that in this case the plants have to have contact with the vascular tissues of, not just be in the immediate vicinity of a flowering plant. Having said that, I do know that ethylene in vanishingly small concentrations can induce fruit ripening, and I have always said my wife's geraniums smell funny...so you may be onto something.

Now here is my theory on why my wifes collection of African Violets that had been in non-flowering vegetative growth mode for years suddenly went on a blooming frenzy shortly after the expansion of my orchid collection began to occupy the same space. The AV knew that we had discussed composting them since they had been just taking up space, and the show the orchids were putting on shamed them into a floral extravaganza. As it happens the geraniums that will not die also perked up after the arrival of the orchid grow-cart.

I have 100+ orchids summering on my deck along with huge planters of petunias, geraniums and begonias. Not one orchid bloomed this summer. All the planters have been blooming non-stop. Maybe my geraniums don't like orchids.

Jane

Interesting take on things. In fact, I think you may all be on to something. Let's face it, animals, plants, and even marine corals communicate with each other for breeding rights, space, food, etc. I think the "flowering guilt by association theory" has some weight. Geraniums (pelorgoniums) are very interesting plants, and coming from semi-arrid regions, contain a vast amount of oils that are often used by herbalists for a variety of things. We know that oils from lavender, eucalyptus, Tagetes (marigold), and basil have pesticide and fungicide acitivity. I would not be surprised our geraniums also have a chemical that could influence flowering...similar to mammalian pheromones secreted during estrus and breeding season. Even teams of females in high school often start to cycle very near each other. In terms of Darwinian theory, the flowering at the same time makes sense. Maybe the orchids are taking a hint from the geraniums? (I know this is quite a bit of conjecture, but you get my drift.)