this is what I got at my local Gesneriad Meeting today :-)
The plant that has been at the top of my wish list for a while (amend that to say the top of my "gesneriad wish list"....) was on the raffle table and was still there when my number was called :-) How about that for good luck.
The raffle tickets are 3 for a dollar, and because there were so many plants on the raffle table, there was even a free for all at the end. I'll be sharing this batch with a friend who couldn't make the meeting.
Here's a closer look at Chirita brassicoides - the leaves on the right. I had almost come to terms with having to look for one on ebay.... Now I just have to grow it well :P
There is a Little Show at the meetings where people bring in plants and arrangements. There was a big pot of Kohleria Manchu today.
full plant shot.
Keyring, those pics are great. I"m so glad you got the plant you wanted. What a good day you had.
those blooms are so beautiful, thanks for sharing the pics.
You had a great day Ki, love te leaves on the chirita.Very different. Glad you had a good meeting.
Wow, you did hit the jackpot!! What a great way to start the day seeing your awesome pictures....yes indeed, the chirita bloom there is simply no description for that kind of beauty.....thanks
oh, the flower in the photo is a kohleria. Someone included a flower in their bag of rhizomes so that we would know what kind of flowers it had. I think it is the same person who put bags of Regent on the sales table last year - must be one HUGE pot of Kohleria.
thanks, now I know what to look for....never had kohleria....although I saw them recently when I placed an order for Av's, chiritas, streps and Episcias....have to go back and look at that one!!!
Wow Ki! You had a great day!! I've looked at that Chirita on eBay, too. So far I've resisted, but with my birthday rolling around next month, I feel a bout of weakness coming on. :o) I love Chiritas! And that Kohleria flower is beautiful! Which Kohleria specifically is it from? I don't have any of those...yet...LOL
Keyring
don,t think i,m crazy but whats them funny looking things that looks like worms,is that seed pods?i think i had one on one of my violets but it just died,so i really have never seen any,a close up picture of them
Those are Kohleria rhizomes, starfly.
LOL - you should have seen me jump when I first found a rhizome in one of my pots!
That flower is kohleria regent. I'm not sure how big of a plant it will be - the pot of Manchu in the fourth photo is probably 8" square and they say Manchu is compact. I'd been avoiding them because of size, but I guess no longer - I seem to have picked up a bunch of rhizomes in the past couple of years.
Keyring, are you growing all these plants in a greenhouse?
gail
a greenhouse? Hmmm.... I guess you could describe my apartment as one....
I grow on shelves in a tiny apartment - even my windows are not usable because of the little light they get. I have enough plants here to fill a small greenhouse at least, and the idea was that I would move to somewhere bigger. That was the plan 2-3 years ago, but quite frankly the prices around here in Northern Virginia are outrageous. A 1000 sq foot condo near the metro is about half a million. Two floors of a town house (in other words, take a town house, and slice it in half horizontally) about 20-30 mins walk to the station 30 mins out of DC is about the same. Renting a 2 bedroom apartment is $1800-2400. It's ridiculous.
And moving out of this area of N Va is not really an option. I don't want to move further from the city. DC is cheaper but taxes are higher and parking is painful. Maryland would convert my no-traffic 20 min commute into a 45 min -1.5hrs (depending on traffic) high stress commute....
So for now I'm stuck here. Quite frankly I hate it.
What this means plantwise is that I only grow out a few plants each year and keep everything else severly pruned. I haven't decided what to do this year - perhaps the kohlerias.....
Keyring, as much as you love plants, i vote for you leaving the whole area !!!! (LOL) I know you said leaving was not an option.....Before I moved out here to the country I was living in a small town nearby and lived in a big brand new apartment with two full baths, over 1000 sq.ft, and paid 825.00 a month. My heart goes out to you who have to pay this...I couldn't do that!!!!!!
Wow! That Chirita is soooooo nice. And, I've never tried Kohleria, but now I gotta go googling!
Lin, I have already decided that i cannot live without a couple of Kohleria.......aren't they the prettiest in the world???
another Kohleria from a show. K. Texas Rainbow.
close up Texas Rainbow
I have to have the Texas Rainbow....someone just give us an idea of sites where they can be found....oh my goodness....they just get prettier all the time, Keyring.....I love the foliage too....I think the blooms and the foliage are prettier than streps for sure.....a big thanks for posting, keyring...
if you go through the sticky up top that begoniacrazii put together for gesneriads, you'll find vendors. That sticky has a ton of info - I go through it every now and then.
http://www.lyndonlyon.com/CP%20List%20Kohleria.html
http://www.garys-out-of-africa.com/kohleria.htm
and there are others.
thanks...I just went to Karutz and only saw one that i really wanted....I will check these out...I have an outstanding pending order from Gary Mitika....just for streps and episicias...thanks so much...I like him...
you know... Texas Rainbow was on the raffle table but I did not pick it up.....
Hey ..... If there was a "Florida Rainbow" I would buy one!
Key: You enabler you! Oh now I am falling in love with another Gessie Plant ... Kohleria .... gotta get one! Did I say one? Well, I really, really fell for that photo of 'Manchu' ... now I gotta check out some others!
Loving that Chirita 'brassicoides' even more every time I look at it too!
Help!! Some of these Beautiful Plants are soooo addictive!
Great pic of Kohleria Manchu!
MsC
A most propitious day indeed. The best part is having a gesneriad group/club nearby or within reasonable driving distance. Your meeting yielded some great finds, Keyring. Everytime I look at kohleria Laura, I think of you as she's a small grower. A photo taken just now in her 2.5" pot starting to make lots of buds.
oh great. I just lost everything I typed.....
nicely grown. I need to take inventory of my kohleria and was-kohleria pots to see what I have. I thought I had Laura. I thought I also had Flirt. Who knows. Most did not make it to blooming last year, and died back during one of my mid-winter trips (cold and dry would do it). On top of all that, I'm not sure I like them all that much, other than the mottled-leaf amabilis, the dusky greyish ones like Silver Feather, and the greenish flowers of warszewiczii.
Let me know if you're interested in the next meeting (June) - I forget if you've attended this group.
Here is a pic of Laura and Flirt from the show table in 2005.
Oh my ..... I've got to stop looking at these pictures! Now I want to try growing Kohleria! What Pretty Plants! I like the idea that they are slow growers!
Something tells me that I'm gonna buy a Kohleria pretty soon!
umm, Lin, they are not slow growers (unless they live at my place). And they are actually very rewarding easy plants. You should certainly try a couple.
Oh Thanks Key, I thought you were saying they were slow growers ... well, no matter .... so much grows so fast down here anyway, I should be used to it ... Yep, I think I must try at least one!
Did I just say one?? I might just start with one, or two ...
Where does your gesneriad group meet? I would like to go if it's reasonable driving for me.
I posted a photo of the compact growing kohleria 'Laura' above and since it is blooming now, I thought you all might enjoy seeing the blossom.
Beautiful!
I am thinking of trying my hand at a Kohleria .... saw a couple on line just the other day while looking at AV's. Gorgeous Plants! Are they hard to grow? Are they any more difficult than AV's? I have decent luck with AV's and Chirita's and am just getting interested in the Strep's and Episcia's, so might just have to try one of these Beauties!
Wow, I have been leaning more and more toward episcias and Kohleria and streps and sinningias as well.......the AV's seem almost to pale next to them.....
Lin, I think kohlerias are easy to grow. Some can get quite tall and lanky but many are nice compact growers even when on the larger side provided they get enough light. I know a guy in Florida that grows some outdoors in the shade. I love keyring's photo of 'Manchu'.
threegardeners, I've been leaning a lot towards the other gesneriads myself lately.
kohleria 'Peridot's Kitlope'
kohleria 'Perodot's Kitlope close up -
Oooh ... I am beginning to really like Kohleria's!
My camera is broken ......have to take it to get repaired tomorrow.....these are my first Kohlerias..............from Rob's last week.
I am so excited, Snowrose, I have Peridot's Kitlope, too!!!! Your picture is great.....but you can see from this blurry picture that they are already trying to bloom.
i think everything is easier to grow than a standard av (LOL)
These little babies (whatever they are called) are so easy to propagate and bloom....these pics were taken before the camera settings got messed up.
