I understand how you feel :) Waiting for it to bloom can be a long journey but very well worth it!

Mine is a couple years old now and the actual bulb has really started to swell up this past summer, it doubled it size at least.

Good on ya Marlene,
Yer past the hard part. Although, I've had one that size yanked out by a bird for nesting material. They are kinda fussy, probably why alotta people don't grow em.

I grow mine in pure crushed granite and several times I've had the pot fall or spill and it's a nightmare as most pots just loose a little bit of dirt but in pure granite the Worsleya goes flying and everything has to be completely repotted!

A WORD OF ADVICE, I bought a bare root Worsleya on ebay and the roots didn't make it, Worsleya is a bit different than other bulbs as the bulb is suppose to be 100% above the substrate so with no roots there is no anchor... As you can guess the plant is barely making it. If you ever buy one request that it's shipped potted if possible otherwise you'll have a hard time recovering!

I got in maybe 30 Worsleya bare-root 5 years ago.....they are not difficult to reroot as long as you keep them warm and water every day in pure pumice or cinder or whatever you use. My problem is that they really have no desire to grow in our summer heat as it stays way too warm at night and they want 20-30 degree F drops as this is what they see in nature in the mountains.....so, in the end they grow very well in the spring and again in the fall when the climate is right and stay dormant all summer never growing a new leaf.....a real pain to be honest. The best growers in the world are in OZ so you should contact them and get the best possible culture info......you will have success I am sure :o) Dan

You're probably right about the night time temps Dan. A lot of OZ has a mediteranian(sp) climate. Mine only W.p. has seemed to struggle after transplanting this spring. I've had it staked up, but we often don't get below 80F at night, though rarely over 100 during the day this summer. Now that cooler temps are here it's doing better.

Is there a source for buying worsleya that doesn't charge hundreds of dollars in Australia?

There are several growers in Australia and there is a major grower in Brazil with reasonable pricing, but importation could affect that cost.

There are two active Facebook groups that you can check out if you are looking for someone to purchase from and you should have no trouble finding a seller in Australia.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1386338788357062/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/503594579711387/