First for this season is April Showers. Very reliable plant easily grown in my area (Coastal NC). Blooms are approx. 3 inches and last for several weeks. Plant will be blooming well over a month. Plant will have around 100 flowers and is 6 years old propagated from cuttings. bob
Absolutely magnificent! What an appropriate name also...
Blooming now- Ackermanii
Great bloomer with excellent growth habit. True original species have blue coloring on stamens. However, most Ackermanii are hybrids which have white stamens. Very easily grown in my area.
Wonderful blooms Bob, the season is truly underway.
What labeling system do you use. I had very little luck with permanent marker it just does not seem to be permanent.. Now I'm printing the name from the computer and sticking it to plastic knives with clear tape. I just cannot afford a commercial nurserymans labeling machine.
I triple label mine and hope one label survives.
I use the loop-on 6" tags that I also use for all my brugmansia. I loop it around one of the hanging basket chains.
I use an in-pot white 6" label..........pencil lasts about 3-5 years.
I write on the leaf with an A.M. Leonard nursery marking pen. I keep a supply of them on hand!! They are the best.
I try to remember to re-mark my tags or labels every few years.
Have had snails eat off my names written on the leaves........ down side to writing on the leaves but all in all, I have had good luck with my epies staying named.
Brenda
Wonderful ideas for marking - it reminded me of how I treasured the white plastic marker with pencil in my Dad's handwriting after he was gone - in particular one orchid cactus he marked "Pure White" Thanks for the ideas!
I use the brother labler ($32. through Amazon). I put them directly to hanging baskets and plastic pots. Very durable. I usually put a Venetian blind mini slat label also in the pot marked with pencil just in case! I keep a numbered inventory on the computer and include the # on the label in order to have a formal backup to all my numbered plants. bob
Great idea to keep inventory and track of your epies with numbers and records, Bob. I should do that!!!
Three large plants of Ackermani are blooming at the same moment.. Several new hybrids are ready for this weekend.
Large bloom approximately 8 inches. Healthy strong plant with many buds. New bloom today.
National Velvet
This message was edited May 10, 2014 9:40 PM
8 inches! Yowza! They sure are beautiful, orchidman1!
Today my Camp Fire bloomed for the first time. .First row deep orange trimmed in cerise. Second row deep orange with a golden midstripe. Outer petals deep orange. Stamens red. Overlapping, double, cup and saucer form. Flat basket growth 8 inches across. When I saw the bloom I also saw a large snake about 3 feet from me. Didn't catch him! bob
That's an amazing bloom Bob, love those outer petal.
Question, where would I make the cut to take cuttings of Chi Chi Castenaga. The branches have a strange form as you know. Thin stems with these half leaves on alternate sides. Cut where the flat pieces are or at the thin stems
Thanks
Mike
A No Id for Mothers Day. Look at the size of this bloom. 10 inch spand.
Master of .Mars is excitingly different.. Amazing wheel shape bloomer. Hues of orange with magenta center. Strong growing plant. Large bloom.
Chi Chi Castenaga: I don't know this plant. I'm sorry I can;t help. bob
Hi Bob, sorry, thought you might be able to help as the name was listed in the email you sent to me as "ChichiCastenango". Thought it might be the same one. Oh well.
Mike
I think you may mean : Crenatum ---var.Chicchicastenango White/green (daybloomer)
Crenatum Is a beautiful plant with good growth habit. I take my cuttings from the flat stems. This picture is from last year but it is covered with buds ready to bloom now.
Thanks Bob - That bloom looks like the one I had out yesterday. It gets confusing when the labeling provided by the seller says Chi Chi Castenaga. These are the branches I was looking at. Some branches are more like the regular flat ones
I have seen that type of growth on several plants including Oxys. Don't know what causes it. bob
At first I thought this beauty was misnamed but then Looked it up on EPIFORUMS AND FOUND A VARIETY OF BLOOM APPEARANCES. Beautiful! Cerise with a dark red mid-stripe. Frilled edges slightly lighter. Outer petals dark red. Overlapping, wide and flat. Basket growth.
"Macaw"
This message was edited May 16, 2014 5:59 AM
That bloom is beautiful.
Its amazing how you describe the blooms, must come with years of experience. So many of them look almost the same.
Not really amazing Mike. I use terminology from several sites since, you are right, so many blooms are so much alike! I find EpiForums to be the absolute best on Epies and rely on their descriptions since we often buy plants that have been misnamed and I like to check before putting any bloom on this site as being a named hybrid. I still find a wide variance in bloom type even to the point of color differences from the East to West coast. I've heard this attributed to temperature and nutrient differences but who know's for sure. I'm sure you, like I, have experienced differences in bloom shade or shape upon our own plants between years. bob
German Empress or Deutsche Kaiserin;
pale pink blooms w/ cup and saucer shape.
Plant has significant die back all the time--and can be mottled. Cascades of blooms that are approx. 3 inches wide. Beautiful bloom-ugly plant.
Alchemy
Medium yellow inner petals with light yellow outer petals. Overlapping, cup and saucer form. Flat and triangular, basket growth. Very Strong growth w/ high bloom yield.
Bruin
Dark burnt orange with magenta veining. Large wheel shape-vibrant colors. Looks pink to me!
Rose Queen:
Cup and Saucer in shades of pink/rose. Darker outside to light pink inside.
Beautiful blooms - keep checking the thread just waiting for what comes next.
Oh, thanks so much Bob for sharing your bounty in blossoms. And for your descriptions are so helpful.
Brenda
Looking at these blooms make my day a whole lot brighter and they are gorgeous
Lavina
Oh What a show!, They are stunningly gorgeous. Thanks for the tips and hints. I have started painting the names on the hanging baskets ( because I have just repotted them and I know they won't be changing pots again for a while) with an enamel paint pen. I also paint the name on a little pebble and put that in the pot as well. If the label on the mini blind can still be read, then that is a plus, but I have found that even pencil fades here.
5/18/14 Smarty Pants
Light lavender/pink petals, with a deep magenta midstripe. Outer petals solid magenta (almost red). Wide overlapping petals in a double, bell form. Flat basket growth. (Childhood X Eniwetok)
(EpiForum)
Beautiful Bloom 10" wide
5/18/14 Alter Ego
Inner petals orange with a carmine to cerise edge. Next row orange with carmine edge and salmon tips. Outer petals salmon. Overlapping, double, bell-shaped form. 'Letty Mae' X 'Hurst Nursery'
10 inch bloom, strong plant with many buds
5/18/14 Mormor Strong, thick greenery with large, cup and saucer blooms. Rose pink coloration and cup has two rows of rounded petals. Solid carmine-rose. Rounded petals overlap in double formation. (Name means “Grandmother”). very nice basket plant.
Thought you might like to see the inside blooms in my greenhouses. It's not often You can see this much color at one time with orchid cactus. I have one greenhouse with two wings. Each wing is 10'X22'X8'. It is homemade with glass from salvage companies.
Wow, wow, wow, great greenhouse and, of course, wonderful blooms. Interesting to see almost everything in hanging baskets. And so intense. You must work hard to control scale and bacteria. Do you spray on a regular basis or spot treat if you see a problem.
The first Epi I purchased was in a regular pot on a bench and that's how I grew mine. So I tie them to stakes to keep them veritical. In nature they must hang from trees so baskets makes sense.
Do the ones near the roof do any better than the one near the ground due to light difference? They all look very healthy.
Looks like I need to lower my benches and put up some railings for baskets to increase capacity.
In Hawaii I don't need enclosed ends which gives me a chicken problem at ground level.
Must think "enclose to keep out chickens" to give me that ground level capacity.
Thanks for sharing it gives us other growers ideas.
Microb, you are so right. I have learned so much from other growers like Bob and Carol and Brenda and really too many to name.
My collection has endured many catastrophes, and years of feasts and famine ( neglect and over abundant attention) But my friends here and on epi forums have been through it all with me and everyone here is awesome.
I love so many plants, but epies have to be some of my favorites.
Microb: I don't use any chemicals on my plants except for insecticidal soap and a fungicide.
You can't see in my pictures but I have shelves on all walls in my space and I start all plants on these side walls. I don't see a lot of difference in growth due to light placement. I do have misters that go on every day in hot weather at 11am.. My biggest problem is scale which I pick off if it becomes a problem.
Today's 5/1914 bloom is out for the first time and bloomed on a 2 year old plant (from cuttings).
El Niño; Off white with some slight veining and a fuchsia midstripe. Deep red outer petals. Fuchsia purple stamens.; Double, cup and saucer form. Thick, flat growth. Clown X Lady Ruffles
It is hard to see the coloration in this picture. I'll try with a black background next time!
I wanted to show you these two pictures because they are beautiful to me. The first is Alchemy and the second is Pegasus. I hope you can enjoy! bob
Bob, your pics have me drooling again. I have buds on 1 of mine and new growth on many, but until they start blooming, may I come set up camp in your greenhouse? LOL
Three Oranges
First row dark orange with magenta edge, second row tannish-orange with orange midstripe, outer orange with dark red-purple edge. Overlapping cup and saucer form. Tall triangular growth, somewhat branching. (Oro X Reward) Strong plant with good blooming habit.
