I love seeing pictures of everyone's blooms and plants, and I love sharing my pictures. I took a few minutes this morning to snap some pictures of what I have blooming now, what's about to bloom, and seedlings that are doing nicely. I hope you enjoy them!
Streptocarpus 'Bristol's Hug Me'
Here's the whole plant of 'Bristol's Hug Me'
A lovely Streptocarpus NOID
Streptocarpus 'Kitten Face'
And the three above sitting in the window together. They're right in front of my kitchen sink and I love looking at them!
You'll have to excuse my dusty kitchen blinds. We're remodeling our kitchen and I refuse to clean them til we're completely finished stirring up dust! LOL
Here's Streptocarpus 'Cherry Pie' It bloomed a while back and I left the seed pod to ripen. I removed it two or three weeks ago, and now there are tiny new buds forming! The blooms on this one are huge. I have a picture of it blooming somewhere. I'll post it if I can find it.
Keyring, can I go ahead and sow those seeds or do I need to wait a while? They're 'Cherry Pie x self'. I guess they'll be viable seeds, won't they?
For reference, that cup is about 5 inches tall.
This is Streptocarpus 'Cassandra' just full of buds.
Streptocarpus 'Midas' and S. 'Bristol's Tropical Twister', both budding out. I can't wait to see them bloom, and will certainly post pictures when they do.
Streptocarpus 'Daniel'
Here's Streptocarpus 'Ilsa' just full of buds!
And one of my favorites, Streptocarpus 'Jason'. I love the dark color and white edges of this one!
African Violet 'EverGrace' There are at least 5 or 6 plants in this pot, but it stays in bloom, so evidently it's happy enough. I know I should divide and repot them, but I think it's beautiful just the way it is. :o)
African Violet 'Mac's Carnival Clown' Gorgeous!
Keyring, here's that Sinningia pusilla you sent me. Remember how you told me I'd have a whole colony of them? Well, you were absolutely right! Can you see all the seedlings around it?
I let one pod ripen and self-sow in that wine glass, and thought I'd better remove the next couple pods that ripened. Here are the results of those two pods. Obviously, these were sown at different times. I don't know if you can see it in the middle of the clump of more mature plants, but there's a bud there! LOL They're persistent little things, and not a bit of trouble to care for!
Here are some Strep seedlings, a couple of which are in bud, and all of which need to be repotted.
A couple of the previous Strep seedlings which I did get repotted. They're both in bud, too.
Here are Streptocarpus 'Blue Mars', Codonanthe devosiana 'Paula' and Codonanthe carnosa. The Codonanthes have been blooming like mad, but those blooms have faded. They all have buds soon to open, though.
I joined the Gesneriad Society, received my seed packet and sowed it. A couple weeks later, I knocked the pot over, so who knows what seeds might have been in there that will never have the opportunity to germinate. :o( However, these few did germinate. I have no clue what they might be, but am excited to watch them grow and mature and find out. Any ideas?
And last, but certainly not least, Aeschynanthus 'Black Pagoda'. I saved this one from certain death at Home Depot. On one of the coldest days of the year, we went to Home Depot, and what happened to be sitting RIGHT BESIDE the entry doors that open constantly to permit entry of an Arctic blast which cut right through any and every living thing in its path? This lovely plant, that's what! I snatched it up, thanked my husband profusely for the lovely Valentine's Day present, and home we came. I had to do a lot of trimming of damaged ends from all that cold, but it's putting out lots of new growth, so I think it will be fine. Yay!
Now I need to know how to progagate this beauty. Anyone know? Just cuttings, I assume, but I haven't tried yet.
Oh Raingazer, what a nice way to start my day. I thoroughly enjoyed this show. Your streps are my inspiration! I just started growing streps. I have 3 from Rob's and a bunch from Gail in a trade. I think I may have potted the new ones in pots that are way too big, but I didn't have the small size left.
Bristol's hug me is so beautiful. I think I need to get that one. I'm going to be ordering small pots from bluebird nursery so I will see if I they carry ' hug me'.And mac's carnival clown is scrumptious.
Can you tell me how to sow seeds? Jannich is sending me seeds of DANIEL and I'm not sure how to do it. Someone said there was something in the sticky by keyring, but I can't locate it.
Thanks for sharing all of these pics. It was like seeing a movie.
Hi Maureen!
You're so sweet! I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures!
Here's the link to Keyring's page about sowing seeds. http://www.flickr.com/groups/gesneriads/discuss/22059/
It's in the sticky for Other Gesneriads, maybe a quarter of the way down, under the Propagation heading. There are several other links there, but Keyring is the one who told me how to start seeds, and her method definitely works.
Take Keyring's advice before you take mine, but here's how I sow seeds.
1 part Miracle-Gro potting mix
1 part perlite
1 part vermiculite
(peat, like Key suggests, is probably better, but I don't have any, so I use the MG potting mix) Mix those three well in a microwave safe bowl, put in enough water to thoroughly moisten everything, cover loosely, and put in the microwave for 9 minutes on high. (Some people don't recommend microwaving the mix. I do, and it works for me, but do some research about it and decide whether you'd like to do that or not.)
Once the mix is completely cooled you can put it in your pots. I'll use pretty much anything with a clear lid for a pot! LOL My parents like to get barbecue take-out. The restaurant uses these really neat black plastic bowls with clear snap-on lids. My mom saves them all for me. I use a cheap soldering iron to burn holes in the bottom for drainage. (Careful, it's very hot and stinks something awful. My kids fuss at me! LOL)
I thoroughly wet the soil with dechlorinated water, no fertilizer. (I use the chlorine/chloramine remover for aquarium water in the water for my plants. I don't know if there's a reason not to use it, but my plants seem to do better when I use it than when I don't.)
Then just sprinkle the seeds on top of the potting mix - don't cover them with mix or press them down. Carefully snap the lid on so as not to jostle the seeds and mix and put it under the lights. The lid keeps it plenty moist for quite a while, but when I have to water, I set the pot in a bowl of warm dechlorinated water and just let it soak up as much as it wants. That way I don't wash the seeds down into the mix where they won't germinate.
When I don't knock the pots over, I have pretty good success with this method. Good luck with sowing your seeds! I'll help you all I can, so just give me a yell if you need anything. :o)
Here's a picture of those barbecue bowls with the lids on. They are what are housing my Sinningia pusilla babies and the Gesneriad Society seedlings. The Strep seedlings above are also in one of them, but once they got so tall, of course I had to remove the lid. Do that slowly, though. When your seedlings are up and big enough that you need to remove the lid, don't just take the lid off all at once. Loosen the lid and just barely slide it to the side for a few days, then slide it a little more for a few days, and so on, so you don't shock them. And be sure to keep them plenty moist while you do that. They're used to living in 100% humidity and won't handle it well if you cut that in half or more all at once.
I am like maureen.....what a wonderful way to start the day and what a wonderful collection of plants you have....Obviously you are a good "mommy" to them.
gail
Hi Gail!
Thanks for your compliment and I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures! I'm a MUCH better Strep mommy than AV mommy. LOL You'll notice how few AV blooms I had to show. I just can't keep them happy. Streps have quickly become my favorite, with Codonanthes and Sinningias running a close second. :o)
Good Growing Amy! You have been a busy girl.Your streps look marvelous.Can't wait to see all those blooms : )
I don't have black pagoda lipstick(love that foliage) For my frostfire lipstick plant I usually snip off about 4 inches or so form about 6 stems ..strip off a set or 2 of leaves towards the bottom and stick them in water.I noticed if I sit them in their rooter in a warmer spot they root much faster.I have also just snipped some off and stuck them in soil and they do fine that way too : ) There is something about rooting in water that I just love. I love the way the roots look thru the glass.I know..You know I am kinda silly : - o
Nancy
Do you grow your streps under light?? I have 3 plant stands and am already out of room because I have so many Av's, episcias, etc......plus a lot of minis...
LOL Now Nancy, look at how many plants we all have and then think we need more! I think that's a good sign we're all kinda silly! ROFL I did convince my husband that it was a great idea that for every plant I get rid of I can it replace with a Strep. Sounds like a good deal to me! He doesn't really like AVs anyway. Fuzzy plants offend him or something (he calls them the fuzzballs, and besides dog hair sticks to AVs, but not the Streps!), and they never bloom for me anyway. He likes the Streps a lot, so that makes it easier to convince him that I NEED more! LOL Now to get a scented Strep so I can convince him that they really ARE worth more than the regular ones! ;o)
I love rooting in water too, and you know, talking about that reminds me that I had set my brugs (rooted in water of course) outside and we got a freeze last night and I just know they're dead. Darn it! Why do I stuff like that? Cause I'm silly, I guess! ;o) Well, I'll scurry out there and see if maybe they lived. Blast! I had lost a few over the winter but had three or four left... Oh well... Bet it killed my Datura seedlings, too. Grrr...
I'll snip off a few ends of that Black Pagoda, and if they root, they're yours if you'd like them. How's that for a thank you for the help? ;o)
Hugs!
Hi Gail,
I grow my Streps under lights, in a South window and in a West window. (I only have one plant stand, so I have to make every inch of space count. LOL) Streps are really easy to please, and don't pout at me when I don't water them exactly when I should (like AVs do!). I could sing the praises of Streps all day! :o)
Here are a couple more pictures. This is my Streptocarpella I almost killed. Seems to be bouncing back, but it still looks pretty bad. Poor thing.
I don't know what this is. I asked someone one time, but can't remember what they said. I can't get it to bloom, no matter what I try. Anyone know what it is and how to get it to bloom? I'm almost positive it's a Gesneriad of some sort.
i can't help, but i can send it to someone who probably knows....taking your pic???? OK??????
OK Thanks! :o)
looks like a columina, can't spell it. lol i think it's the time of year so many streps & other plants are blooming now. I have a wonderful collection but always need more.we are so bad. lol here are a few of mine.this is snow rose memory
mrsbonnie
this is sinningia country crocus
mrsbonnie
wow, you have been busy!
The pusilla seedlings are cute! I just sowed some more myself.
You know, I got my codonanthes as cuttings from a friend, and she had to twist my arm to take them. Turns out their water needs are perfect for me ;-) When they first started blooming, they bloomed only on and off, but now it is pretty much constant. And, the flowers are about 50% larger than my first blooms (but still smaller than the ones I saw at Strybing... hmm.....).
Cherry Pie x self seeds - I don't know, as I usually let mine dry for a week or two at least.
The Columnea - where are you growing it? I have a hard time blooming mine under lights, and I think they would do better in a window where the temps drop at night. They also take a while (a year or 3) to settle into their pots before they decide to bloom.
You could reroot pieces of the Streptocarpella to make a pretty pot. I find they root and grow very fast in the spring. Pinch and they shall branch.
Aeschynanthus are easy to root. The smallest piece you need for propagation (not that you need to know this, with a full plant like that) is a leaf attached to a piece of stem (not the part joining the stem to the leaf, but the stem itself). I usually propagate from tip cuttings (bury two nodes) or from a pair of leaves (by burying the stem between the leaves in soil). I have a small one which I'm trying to propagate, so I took a tip cutting with 4 pairs of leaves, and instead of rooting that as one, I put down the lowest two pairs individually (midde top of photo), and then the very tip (snipped off one pair of leaves and buried that node - bottom center). Once the tip has rooted and grown a couple more pairs of leaves, I will pinch off the top to promote branching.
This message was edited Apr 7, 2007 5:47 PM
thanks for this good advice on the Aeschynanthus.....I didn't know that and Nan just sent me the prettiest variegated rooted cutting...
Hi Key!
Those are the Codonanthes you sent to me! I wasn't sure how I'd do with them, but I LOVE them! I bought a Codonanthe luteola, but don't have it yet. Hopefully it will be shipped in the next week or so, along with the Ruffled Wood Nymph micro Sinningia, and Diastema vexans (I think I have all those names right, but I'm trusting my memory so who knows...) I bought at the same time. The Codonanthes bloomed like wildfire all winter, and have decided to rest now, just when everything else is kicking in. They've got a lot of buds though, so they'll be covered again soon enough. They forgive me for underwatering, too, just like the Streps do. It's just hard for me to find time to keep everything watered and I've learned that I can grow just about anything but AVs - they're just too picky about exact watering needs. I don't even have too much trouble with Episcias, though they just haven't caught my heart like the others have.
I'll get those Cherry Pie x self seeds sown one day this week. And all those Strep seedlings are the White x KRB Purple you sent me. What does KRB stand for? I'm anxious to see them bloom. I'd love for them all to be different. Is that the way it works - they can bloom any way they want to?
So the consensus is that my unknown plant is a Columnea? Well, I've tried it everywhere - in the window, under lights, on the counter just getting light from the window but not actually in the window. I've had it about a year and a half, so maybe it's at least getting close to doing something.
I've got Streptocarpella cuttings stuck in dirt all over the house! LOL When a stem would start to look bad, I'd pinch the end off and stick it in the nearest pot of dirt. Those in the picture are what is actually left of a huge beautiful plant covered in blooms. Such a shame! I'll pinch those and root the tips. Between those and all the rooted tips I've got, I should have a pretty full plant again by the end of summer.
I'll also get started propagating that Black Pagoda (that A word is one I haven't learned to spell yet so I'll just stick with calling it Black Pagoda for now LOL). Everyone seems to like it and I've got a plenty big enough plant to propagate some for all!
I've had a blast with the seeds you sent to me, and it has really encouraged me to let pods ripen and collect the seeds. It's such a thrill to see those tiny specks of green pop up and grow! I am really excited to see what my Gesneriad Society seeds turn out to be, and I'm working on putting together a list to send for from their Seed List. The Boea hygroscopica is one I'm hoping they'll still have when I do send off for them. Don't have a clue how I'll do with it, but I'm willing to try. And seems like I saw a mini Strep, too. Can't remember the name, but I read that it's quite difficult to grow. I'm hoping to give it a try. Maybe I'll send half the seeds to you so at least some will have a fighting chance! LOL
On the White x KRB Purple strep seeds, the white is a noid white from the Gesneriad Society mixed new members seed. The K in KRB stands for Kevin, the person who sent the originial batch of seedlings. R is for Royal - Kevin crossed a couple of the plants he got from his packet of "royal series" seed (I think from Park's Seed). I can't tell you what B stands for, but suffice it to say that I was getting rather annoyed with the amount of space these things were taking up....
On the Gesneriad Society seed, you might want to order months before you want the seed ;-) I think Jannich has been waiting for quite some time.
Was the strep you were looking at pumilus or cyanandrus? Needs terrarium conditions to grow, and I think pumilus dies after blooming so you need to collect seed. I grew pumilus but didn't manage to get seed, of course..... but growing and blooming was the same as for the micro sinns.
Sounds like those seeds could produce any kind of blooms, then. I'm anxiously awaiting the day the blooms open. Probably another couple weeks to wait, and longer for the smaller ones, but I'm watching them every day anyway.
Oh heavens! Months to wait for the seeds? What is the impulse buyer (that would be me!) to do?? LOL I guess it will be a nice surprise when they finally do arrive.
It was S. cyanandrus. This picture is what did it. http://www.gesneriads.ca/strep%20296.htm If there is a possibility of results like that, I've gotta try it! I realize those are the cream of the crop for blooms on that plant, but I figure aim high, and be happy with what you get.
ohhhhhhhhhhhh, you just reminded me. I got this sneaking suspicion after reading your post, and sure enough, I have some cyanandrus seeds in the fridge. I remember drooling over the same photo some time ago and ordering some seeds. The seed fund packets are quite small..... I hope I can germinate them. I'm out of ziploc bags, though, so no sowing until I re-stock.
A couple of notes from the gesneriphiles list:
Dale: Strep cyanandrus is a lovely plant, but it can't take the heat at all. According to the book "Streptocarpus" by Hilliard and Burtt, page 245, "from seed originally collected in Rhodesia, 7000 ft......distribution at altitudes between 2130 and 2440m". Therefore, it wouldn't be the best to use as a parent if you want a hybrid that's heat resistant.
Jon: Cyanandrus is basically an annual. It will make a few leaves but die off no matter what you do. So, I think many of people's cultural problems with it are due to natural causes. To grow this species for the long term you must keep harvesting and planting
seed. In terrariums it will also self seed and grow anew without any intervention (most of the time). I say all this, but I keep losing it.
The strep hybrid seed is likely to come out bluish or white, some friller than others, some more floriferous than others, some with wider leaves and others with narrower leaves. The white parent was not a good grower - few leaves, flowers opening one at a time. The KRBs were good growers but too frilly for my taste.....
