Something else.. I attended Michigan State University back in the Ice Age! Being a science major, I had occasion to take a botany class or two. There was a rather famous professor At MSU, William James Beal. He created the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden which is the oldest continuously operated botanical garden in the United States at MSU. Part of his research had to do with this very topic about seed viability. As the story goes, he buried numerous bottles, Beal's Bottles, on the grounds of the MSU campus (back then it was The Michigan Agricultural Collage). At predetermined times, a bottle would be dug up and the seeds planted to see how many would germinate. The experiment is still ongoing and will conclude in 2100. So Karyn, I guess it all depends on the seed. Here's wishing you 100%

When it might flower depends on what species it is. And also on where you grow it. Cheiridopsis are very roughly winter growers but in many areas winter is too cold and dark for them to grow, so they either flower in autumn or spring or maybe not at all. I wouldn't expect flowers on your's until next "winter" at the earliest. They need almost no water in summer because they will be dormant, although they will probably still be plump and green. It is normal for the older leaves to die back in summer, generally leaving just one pair of leaves on each head. Eventually the plant will clump up so that you will get a mat of many heads.

Karlos If your out west the best place for you to go would be Hamiltons World of Cati - they are just out of Blacktown. Look them up on the net for details. They are not necessarily cheap but they have a large range of cacti and succulents - worth checking out!

I have heaps of succulents to trade or will send for postage costs