My new goodies...

Last weekend I went out to hart's place in the Shenandoah valley, for the mid-atlantic plant swap and cook-out. It was a great time, but being that I only garden in containers and indoors, I was unsure if there would be anything there I could use on my balcony or indoors. I took a variety of small potted up house plant babies, and some streptocarpella and episcia Kee-wee cuttings. Imagine my surprise when I found out that someone else had episcias too!

I was able to trade some of my Kee-wee for three different varieties I don't have, plus a couple Alsobia 'Cygnet' cuttings. I was so excited! They are small, but it really made my day to come home with goodies I liked. Episcias are my favorite gessie, and I had been wanting an alsobia since seeing the threads on here about them.

Again, the cuttings (stolons) were small, and I was a bit worried, but I potted them up right away when I got home, and they already look better, so I think they will be OK. Thanks to critterologist for the trades!

This is one of the alsobia cuttings...

The second alsobia cutting...

Episcia 'Blue Nile'...

Episcia 'Strawberry Patch'...

And episcia 'Teddy Bear'... also with a leaf, as it broke off the stolon.

:-) :-) :-) :-)

Karen

You will love the Strawberry Patch and Teddy Bear................I can't seem to get my Alsobia Cygnet to bloom.....i guess she will when she is ready....
I ordered 'Blue Nile' last week...

Gail... I was just reading some of your responses on the other thread I started. I can't believe you have over 20 with 20 more on the way! Wow! I too, love episcias the most, but I just don't have the room to go that far.

I didn't realize I needed to take every stolon off to get them to bloom. I have been trying to get my big 'Kee-wee' to bloom (as seen in another thread), and I know everyone said to remove stolons and feed her up, but every one??? The stolons really make the plants fill out nicely. Hhmmmm....

I guess it's a matter of what you want most... the beautiful flowers, or really big, robust foliage.

I don't understand the stolon removing thing....I have chocolate soldier (I think) and it's just dripping with stolons and blooming his little head off.......

I spent hours today at a nursery I passed by on the way back from Kerrville.............the owner is the president of the San Antonio AV society...........he has been growing for 38 years.........I learned so much................he told me this (and I wish I could up photos but my printer is down).....he grows his episcias in nothing but spaghnum moss(I bought one to show you all) in a closed floral clear big container..........he says to always let a stolon root with its' mother and then once it is rooted, quickly move it to a new home.....in any case, the stolons aren't on there long.....I will provide some pictures hopefully by Tuesday if i can get the computer tech out tomorrow.

I will also show you some episicas that i traded for where the stolons have not been allowed to stay...........you will be flabbergasted to see the size of each leaf ........

Show us! Show us! Show us!!!

I'm getting ready to take all the stolons off Kee-wee tonight, and start feedin' the heck ourt of her! She already has some leaves on her as big as the palm of my hand. Take a look at this photo (again)... http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=3517041. You can see that the outer leaves are way bigger than the little 2.5" pots in front of them.

VA_Wild_Rose: Oh My Goodness ... That Kee Wee is Beautiful! I am new to Espicia's and would love it if the couple I have could get that full and bushy! That is really a pretty plant!

Gail: Can't wait to see your pic's!

Rose, good luck with the cuttings! I'm sorry they're so small, but I figured bringing small was better than bringing none... if they don't make it, I'll have more for you! I think sometimes you get the prettiest plants from small, 4-leafed stolons, so I hope these will do well for you. The Alsobia 'Cygnet' baby that was already potted up has been in that little cup for a while, but it hasn't been getting much TLC, so I'll bet it will just take off under your care.

:-)

These are horrible pictures....didn't realize how bright it was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here are some stolons sent to me in a trade where stolons were not allowed to stay on the plant long...(maybe to just root)

They came to me about 2 or 3 weeks ago....and now they are starting to bloom....you might see a stolon or two that needs to come off.

Now here are some where I have let the stolons pretty much stay on too long....their leaves aren't nearly as large as the first picture....I have had these longer than the traded ones....these came from Gary...

Now I am going to show you how the man in Boerne grows his.....in spaghnum moss under cover......he lets each stolon root and then cuts away from the mother immediately.

This is his 'Cleopatra' grown in spaghnum moss and in a great big corsage clear container (I had the small ones, but he told me that any florist would be happy to sell me the big ones or order some for me)

Then he went on to say to be very careful about trying what other people tell you...........he visited with me for over 2 hours!!! The nicest man I have ever met..................he said to always just try one to see if it works for you.

He grows his leaves in 1/2 perlite and 1/2 vermiculite (I have been using straight vermiculite...can't wait to try some his way)

Critter... I am happy with the "babies" I got! I just looked at them last night, and I can already see where they are getting bigger. I was just so happy to get something that I like... it was such a nice surprise! Really made my whole trip out there!

I hope I am not hijacking anyone's thread, but I have to show you some once again bad pictures of streps that the owner of the African violet nursery grows in spaghnum moss also................learning new possibilities every day.....
I am hoping to save some strep seeds to try what you all are doing.....

Look at this color red....he doesn't even put the names on them.....he jokingly said that if it was important to me, he could look them up

Lin, you will not be surprised at this news.....when I got home yesterday, my oldest daughter, her husband and my grandson, Patrick were here at the house watching the golf tournament. They said that they could see how much I loved my plants............that they would be back in July to move furniture all around so I could add 5 new gro stands in my office (LOL)

Gail ... Love your Lovelies! And, I am not surprised! Your kids love you and Wow ... making room for 5 more grow stands??!!

Can I adopt one of your kids? :)

I am so amazed at the wonderful, healthy plants you find .... I think I should move to Texas! No one sells Gessies around here ... I have to buy all of mine on line, or get them in trades. Maybe that's for the best though ... if they were sold somewhere nearby I would be needing a whole new room! I've always wanted a large indoor plant room!

While in South Florida I had hoped to go with my sister to her friends house. The friend's son lives with her since her husband died and her son raises orchids. My sister says he has thousands and that they are so beautiful. I asked if he had a web site and she said he just sells them at the local flea market. Unfortunately she told me this as we were getting ready to leave. Next time I'm down there sis is taking me to visit this friend and her son. I will probably come home with a few orchids to add to the menagerie! I have about a dozen orchids now that need a bit of TLC. One just finished blooming, it was really pretty ... they all need repotting and feeding!

this nursery where I found all these plants I didn't even know about...........just passed it on interstate 10 going west on my way to Kerrville......he grows these streps in spaghnum moss??? I don't think I will try that one on for experience....

Hey, maybe my kids may love me too much.............they all announced that they are within 5 years starting to build a family compound here on the farm!!! They want to be able to gather for all holidays and summers throughout the years to come.....want to make sure that even their children will have enough room to build their own houses when they are grown. Actually, it thrills me to pieces.......maybe someday I won't have to travel to see them.

Back to this nursery ............he had a big greenhouse full of the most beautiful orchids I have ever seen.................I just stared with my mouth open!!! (LOL)

Gail, were you able to take any photo's of that nursery? Oh, how I wish we had a nice nursery here in my city!


A family compound sounds like a wonderful idea. My Mom would have loved something like that. Her six kids ended up spread out all over the Southeast and she would have dearly loved having everyone close by .... wouldn't that be wonderful? Grandparents, Parents, Grandchildren, Aunts & Uncles! Wow! What a great idea!

I wish I had taken pictures of the nursery, but the state AV convention is in Kerrville in November and I will go back to the same nursery on the way to Kerrville.

Oh my goodness Gail, those are all so pretty, but Cleopatra takes the cake! It's gorgeous! What great places and deals you find!

Rain, if anyone shopped for plants as hard as i do, they would eventually find good "stuff"......

I have another Cleopatra that i ordered and has many stolons.....although it just came in last week.....want to see if I can recreate something as pretty as this man has done with his Cleopatra...

I don't blame you! It's a really lovely one. I like the ones with that soft pink in the leaves. Do you know what color it blooms?

I just looked at my other one from robs....it appears to have soft orange blooms....there is also Pink Brocade that looks very similar and one called Shimmering Valley............and Pink dreams.....they look pretty much alike in the foliage????? I will have to get to a site like Rob's and look at the pictures with a bloom or description....

*** YOu have some awesome looking streps......