As Tab points out, old flowers do wilt, and when you buy a plant in bloom, you don't know how old the flowers are. But here's a hint-- Sara Gold for the most part, the flowers have an intense color and a kind of lustre or sheen. If the older flowers are less intense and no sheen, they probably are old. That said, Sara Gold flowers do last a long time, more than a month or two. About your watering: A once a week schedule is too rigid-- it's too often if the plant is in dim light, and if the bark is old. An orchid that is watered too often gets root rot, and the whole plant declines and will die. You have to water when it needs it, not on a schedule. Use the skewer method described in the FAQ, or learn to tell when it's dry by hefting the pot. It should be *moist*, not wet for long periods. Fertilizer should be given at 1/4 the dose recommended on the package, as phal roots are sensitive to absorb minutes quantities of nutrients. If you are serious about trying to help your beautiful Sara Gold thrive, you have to do some reading up, so you can start to get an idea of what it needs. Url to Canadian Orchid Congress culture notes is below. Also check out the culture notes at Big Leaf Orchids and Bedford Orchids, both of which have good advice for new indoor growers. Here is a link that might be useful: COC culture sheets

Its called a keiki, and it is indeed a new plant. It can be likened to the baby plants that sprout from spider plant stems. Eventually, probably early next spring, it will have sufficient enough roots you will be able to remove it from the mother plant and pot it on its own. Look under the FAQ's at the very first and 2nd question. They can answer some of your questions.

August is show time here and the Mini Phal. is the Champion Novice orchid of a single society show. The Cymbidium orchid is Champion Cymbidium and Champion Orchid of the show. Even modern cameras have trouble capturing some subtle flower colours. That orchid when viewed seems to glow so the Radiant Ruby bit is on the money.

I actually had thrips on my vandals a few months ago. I found a way to get rid of them and now my vandals are flowering again. No, this is not thrips or any insect, because the bud is healthy looking. It just doesn’t grow. i am starting to feed it a fertilizer with a high phosphorus valium. Let’s see what happens.