Вот бы орхидея зацвела к приходу гостей.

Вот бы is a wishful particle combination. It adds the sense of if only / I wish.

So Вот бы орхидея зацвела... means something like:

• If only the orchid would bloom...
• I wish the orchid would bloom...

This is a very common conversational way to express a hope or wish about something that has not happened yet.

This is one of the things that often surprises English speakers.

In Russian, after wish expressions like вот бы, the verb is often in the past tense form, even when the meaning is about a hoped-for future event.

So зацвела is grammatically past-tense feminine singular, but here it does not mean that the orchid already bloomed. It means:

• if only it would bloom
• I wish it would bloom

This is a normal Russian pattern for unreal, desired, or hypothetical situations.

Because зацвести and цвести are different aspects and have different meanings.

• цвести = to be blooming, to bloom in progress
• зацвести = to begin blooming, to come into bloom

In this sentence, the speaker hopes for the orchid to start blooming by a certain time, so зацвести is the natural choice.

So:

• орхидея зацвела = the orchid came into bloom / started blooming
• орхидея цвела would sound more like the orchid was blooming already, which does not fit the same idea as well here

Because орхидея is the subject of the verb зацвела.

The sentence is about the orchid doing the action of blooming, so it stays in the nominative:

• орхидея = the orchid

Russian does not need an article, so орхидея can mean the orchid or an orchid, depending on context. In this sentence, it will usually be understood as a specific orchid known to the speaker.

Because the subject орхидея is feminine singular.

In the past tense, Russian verbs agree with the subject in gender and number:

• masculine: зацвёл
• feminine: зацвела
• neuter: зацвело
• plural: зацвели

Since орхидея is feminine, the verb is зацвела.

It means by the time the guests arrive or more literally for the arrival of the guests.

The preposition к often means:

• toward
• by
• for the time of

Here it expresses a deadline or target time: the speaker hopes the orchid will bloom by the guests' arrival.

So the full phrase suggests:

• the blooming should happen before or by that moment

Because the preposition к requires the dative case.

The noun приход changes in the dative singular:

• nominative: приход
• dative: приходу

So:

• к приходу = by the arrival / for the arrival

This is a very common pattern:

• к утру = by morning
• к вечеру = by evening
• к празднику = by the holiday
• к приезду родителей = by the parents' arrival

Because приход is a verbal noun meaning arrival, and it is followed by the person who is arriving in the genitive.

So:

• приход гостей = the arrival of the guests

This is similar to English the arrival of the guests.

The base noun is:

• nominative plural: гости
• genitive plural: гостей

So after приход, we get гостей.

Usually no. In Russian, this sentence normally expresses a present wish about a future result, not regret about a completed past situation.

So the natural meaning is:

• I wish the orchid would bloom by the time the guests arrive
• If only the orchid would bloom before the guests come

If the speaker wanted to talk about a past missed opportunity, Russian would usually make that clearer from context or wording.

Yes, but the sentence is still quite natural.

The basic order is:

• Вот бы
  • subject + verb + time phrase

So:

• Вот бы орхидея зацвела к приходу гостей.

This sounds natural and neutral enough in speech.

Russian word order is flexible, so other orders are possible for emphasis. For example:

• Вот бы к приходу гостей орхидея зацвела.

This version puts more focus on by the guests' arrival.

That would sound much less natural for this meaning.

Цвела is imperfective and suggests an ongoing blooming state, while зацвела focuses on the orchid's coming into bloom, which is what the speaker is hoping for.

If the idea is:

• I hope it starts blooming by then

then зацвела is the better choice.

If you changed the structure completely, you might express a different nuance, but in this exact pattern зацвела is the idiomatic choice.

It is mostly conversational and natural in everyday speech. It is not rude or slangy, but it is not especially formal either.

In writing or more neutral style, Russian can also express wishes in other ways, but вот бы is very common when speaking emotionally or spontaneously.

It often carries a feeling of:

• hopeful imagining
• longing
• daydreaming

Yes. Гости can mean guests in the social sense and sometimes visitors, depending on context.

In this sentence, the most natural understanding is social guests coming over to the house, because the speaker is hoping the orchid will bloom for their arrival.

So guests is probably the best translation here.