Feel free to upload your new blooms - Part II

OK, I think I am coming to the conclusion that I may have fallen for the wrong plant to start collecting when I first learned how much I loved plants *lol*. I started out with hoyas. OK, they grow nice and green in Maine but I have a HARD time getting them to grow fast or to bloom. Depending how I make out with my new gessie addiction, I have come to the hard conclusion that I am going to need some "hanging" space eventually and think I will have to start downsizing beginning with the hoyas. IF I do as well with the gessies in real life as i am in my head already *lol*

I am SO excited about this new adventure it's hard to describe. I know for alot of you, you have been growing them a long time but for me it's like discovering a whole new world. I'm simply astonished and amazed the more I read and learn.

Because I was able to trade some of my houseplants for some new babies, I get to experience all kinds of new things this winter. Like growing streps from leaves. Or nurturing tiny tiny baby streps or possibly getting a bloom from a nice sized plant. On top of that, I received my very first Episcia stolons. I didn't realize by pictures how beautiful they are in real life. I just want to "pat" them every time I check on them (which is at LEAST twice a day *lol*)

I want to thank EVERYONE who has been so kind to me and shared their babies with me. I truly feel welcome here and look forward to being able to share my babies someday soon :) I'm working real hard to make you all proud *lol*

Here are my very first Episcia stolons. It has only been 1 day since they moved in but so far they seem to like me OK :)

wow.............Kim...............you are off to a fast start...................those episcias love the heat and humidity...............good luck!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, Those are Beautiful Babies, Kim!! I Love Episcia's and am new to them too! I just can't wait until I see my first blooms when my little stolons grow up! Maybe in the Spring we can make a trade if we each have some the other doesn't ! I think I love Hoya's as much as some of the Gesneriads. I don't have too many Hoya's but I think they can get as addictive as the Gessies! Problem with Hoya's is space ..... they grow and climb and trail and need more space than the Gessies! I will probably get a couple more Hoya's come spring too .... I'm wanting more of the fragrant ones! I never knew any of them were fragrant until I got the Lacunosa and I love it. I also have (I believe) Hoya Bella that smelled so good when it was blooming last month!

Do you have names on your Episcia stolons? I have Stolons of:

E. fimbriata 'Blue Heaven'
E. 'Checkerboard'
E. 'Chocolate Soldier'
E. 'Chocolate Velour'
E. 'KD's Glitter Magic'
E. 'Pink Acajou'
E. 'Pink Panther'
E. 'Silver Dust' and
E. ?

All of mine have come from these wonderful gal's here on the AV/Gessie Forum!

E. Blue Heaven is the very first one I got in a trade last year and I didn't think I really liked it that much because it just has the light green leaves .... but it has really grown on me! As it got larger and bloomed it became a favorite! I love the soft fuzzy leaves and the flowers are soooo pretty. I can't wait for the stolons of all the others to grow, spread and bloom!! It is so exciting to get that first bloom from a plant you've grown from a baby!

Oh, and I forgot .... a few weeks ago I got some seeds of E. Strawberry Patch in a trade and they are sprouting! I am hoping and praying they will grow and stay alive for me. I have grown many annuals and perennials from seed over the years but am new to these gessie seeds and didn't have luck with Strep seeds earlier this year!

Keep us posted on your new little ones! They look perfect!

Hey RainGazer, sorry you are having so much trouble with your neck and shoulder.............you gave me my first leaves to plant and this one of them..........i am down to my last plant of her. I must stick a couple of leaves before something happens to her.

I will always have at least one...................check out the foliage and the perfect purple bloom!!!!!!!!!!

*********edited to say, Lin, I just read your post and don't forget I am the one with 4 kinds of hoyas for you that I haven't sent yet.................yes, you will need room.................

PS.......I now have two Pow Wow leaves stuck.........I had one from you and then I got another in the gessie swap.........real excited

Really nice Episcia's Kim....I like how you have them. I have fallen in love with them too....AV's I must say, have fallen down in my list of favourites...now it's Strep's and Episcia......well....and Hoya, Begonia's, Ferns, lol...etc.,etc.,etc....

Gail: So glad to see you are feeling better today. Make sure you get plenty of rest and take it easy so you don't relapse! ..... Listen to me, you've got a daughter who is a MD and a son in law who's also a Dr. and here I am giving you advice! But, I just can't help worrying about my friends!

Now, about those Hoya's! I didn't know you had been back to that nursery yet! Which ones did you get?! I am so excited and curious as to the names! I have one basket of either Krimson Princess or something or other that I hung out in a tree a few weeks ago and it's blooming now. The DS-70 is always hanging on the front porch and it has been blooming fow quite awhile now but those flowers are nothing to write home about. I really do love the Hoya's ... have had the one Krimson Princess for 30 years and a couple of others for maybe 3 or 4 years but didn't learn a lot about them until joining DG .... actually never knew that some were fragrant and had no idea there were so many different ones!

Well ... I'm going to lurk on other threads a bit .... back later!

Lin, did you get the D-mail I sent you regarding Apollo?
I took a bunch of houseplant cutting this past weekend and tried to identify as many as I could.
My new espicia babies names are:

Episcia Kee Wee
Episcia KD's Glittermagic
Episcia Grey Lady
Episcia Teddy Bear
Episcia Chocolate Velour

I keep looking around and see that they hoyas really do take up alot of much needed space. I am enjoying this new gessie addiction MUCH more and think that if they do as well for me as I' hoping that I will have to part with the hoyas. Our growing season and the direct sun/humidity they like only lasts for a very short time so I don't think they have a long enough season to bloom for me. I think I would rather use the space they take up to keep MORE gessies *lol*. Time will tell though how good I end up doing with these babies.

I like the fact that streps bloom more often. I like that they propagate so easily. I like the fact that they like cooler temperatures. They just seem to be the type of plant I needed to discover. Thank you all for encouraging me :)

Look at these babies. They traveled all the way from Idaho to Maine and I talk to them every day. So far they are neon green *lol* I think that means they like me *lol*

Lin, you know me.....LOVE trading :) I may even have some hoyas for you too *lol*

I have had this lipstick plant for YEARS! It has NEVER bloomed. This year I put it outside for the first time. This weekend when I was taking cuttings..look what I found :)
I tried identifying it the best that I could and think I have it identified as Aeschynanthus Micranthus ?

This is a picture of the overall plant (before her haircut)

Oh, she's a Beauty! And ... I LOVE, LOVE those beaded hangers!!!

Come spring when your weather warms I will gladly trade for more hoyas! Maybe I will have some more gessies to trade by then!

Kim: D-mail about Apollo???


going to check my d-mail now!

Lin, I have been back out to Helen's many times............but we made a deal............I gave her my baskets just to propagate and she will give them back to me.................but she is rooting not only those baskets of mine I found at Lowe's (shooting stars and another one I can't remember) but she got inspired to propagate a lot of hers that she hadn't done so..................she has a lot of different kinds............so I am waiting to send you some ..........................I have to pick up 2 giant bags of perlite and 2 giant bags of vermiculite from her next week..................she told me not to worry about picking them up as she knew I was under the weather.................(small town)

When I go I want to see how many rooted new ones she has..........I have 5 kind at my house that i grow, too...................I peeked in her greenhouse last week before she came out of the house and i saw that she had rooted that real long leafed narrow one (a lot of them).........it won some award in 2005................and Bella was rooting plus a few new ones...........

Oooooh ... I want some of that one with long narrow leaves, whatever it is! And, I love Bella ... I have a basket of that and it was blooming last month and smelled heavenly!

Will send you an e-mail at your home e-address later to discuss the hoya's for when you go to see her!

I left you a dmail.............so we can get all this straight...............I am so lucky to have a nursery lady who loves hoyas.............Lin, I will have access to DG while I am gone.......but I can't access my regular email..........we have a weird wireless connection out here in the country..........for which I am grateful........the only other option would have been dial up...........

Remind me again when you leave Gail? Is it this coming weekend?

You have a dmail

Boy I don't get on here much and there are sure alot of pretties to get caught up on : )

Kim your Episcia babies look wonderful.Good luck with them! I bet streps would do great for you with the weather you have in Maine..oo your lipstick plant is Gorgeous!!

Threegardeners.. you sound like me.My plant interests keep evolving to include new ones every day.I don't think I could ever be AV free though..LOL..but I need to do something soon or I will run out of room..

Lin looks like you have quite the wonderful collection of Episcias yourself! I bet they Love your humidity..

Brenda,that Multiflora bloom is awesome.I have one thats growing gangbusters but it keeps blasting its buds.I can't quite figure out what it wants to bloom for me.

Amy take care of your neck and shoulder.I know how painful that can be...Hopefully it won't have you down too long.

Gail glad to hear you are feeling a little better.Do as Lin says and don't over do!

Listen, nancy............if they would leave me on steroids the rest of my life, nothing could possibly hurt..........I think I might just run a marathon.............i am going to ask for the good stuff anytime I hurt (LOL)
They make you sooooooooo hyper.........i am that way anyway.................don't need much sleep on steroids..........

LOL on the steroids Gail..they are wonderful aren't they?....glad they are working well for you....Oh My..did you say More Hyper???Just teasing ya Gail...I wouldn't want ya any other way! I don't consider you hyper..more like happy go lucky..and you can't go wrong being that way : )

Let's put it gently..................rules are mere suggestions to me in my life................my sister in law almost dies when I slow down at a stop sign...........look both ways and proceed.........that is when I had to explain to her that rules are just suggestions..........the object in a car to get somewhere is to keep it moving at all times (LOL)..................

I don't spend a lot of time worrying about 'consequences' as my mom used to warn me of................Yes, these steroids are 'good'!!!!!!!!!!

Oh I shouldn't be telling this but it is a perfect example of the way to live your life (not really).............I haven't registered my car in 3 years because i forget........so I carry around the notice I got three years ago in the mail (so if i get stopped i can show them my old card...and I just put my insurance card in the glove compartment.........a new first for me)

Rain had told me she couldn't drive her car until she got it inspected..........I started laughing and asked her if she was worried that she would be stopped (in a town smaller than mine)...............and she doesn't even travel on the highway like i do.............reminded her that I went 2 years without an inspection .........but got it this summer...............yea for me!!! She refused to break the law.................admirable quality..........

Ok .... I've heard of people having to take different kinds of steroids for different kinds of illnesses but I had no idea they made you hyper! LOL ... I have some days when I'm dragging where I could use steroids ... usually caffeine does the trick for me though! I drink a lot of diet vanilla pepsi .... hooked on it! I very rarely ever make coffee .... Pete doesn't drink it and I can get my caffeine fix with the diet soda! I do drink hot tea and iced tea too. I have some Hill's Bros. vanilla latte that you just add hot water to that I love but it has a lot of sugar so I try to be good with that!


Hey Nancy! Good to see you!

Oh My Goodness! I am sooooo Law Abiding! I have a habit even ..... when I see a cop on the side of the road (usually with someone they pulled over for breaking the law) I always slow down, roll down my window and Thank them for being out there!

Gail: I can't believe you are driving all over Texas with an expired registration! In Florida I think your DL would be suspended because your insurance would have been cancelled and the insurance company reports it to the state, at least it works something like that .... "Big Brother" knows a lot about us even when we don't realize it! You are a brave lady!

We don't have vehicle inspection in Florida anymore, they stopped it years ago! There has been talk of reinstating it but so far nothing has been done. I think it's good in a lot of ways .... Florida has a lot of unsafe vehicles on the roadways. Bald tires, faulty brakes ... you name it!

Well ... guess this "Miss Goody Two Shoes" (that's what my oldest sister called me as a teenager because we were sooo different) is heading off to sleep now! I'm sitting here watching Without a Trace and yawning away! Will chat with y'all tomorrow.

G'Nite & Sweet Dreams everyone!

Good to see you too Lin....Oh my caffeine sends me to the moon if I drink too much.I get jittery and shakey instead of hyper tho...not a fun feeling for me..

Gail..I almost wet my pants with your story....I got a feeling I would get in all sorts of fun trouble hanging out with you in person..Oh dear!! You do live a fun life!! LOL

Wow, you ladies partied all night *lol*
Gail, you are just 2 funny! A real rebel! I dig that about you *lol*
Lin, that ironic because hubby used to call me "Miss Goody Two Shoes" too *lol* Growing up he was allowed to do anything he wanted and he was a real "burn out". I was a refined honor student whose mother didn't let her leave the yard so he used to always say that to me. I hated it! *lol*
Sometimes I will say to him "aren't you glad you found out that I wasn't the Goody Two Shoes you used to think I was?" *lol*
Steroids....sounds like fun *lol* I have never tried them as I hardly ever go to the doctors for anything and rarely get sick. When I get sick I get some boring thing like Penicillin or something that puts you to sleep *lol*
I DO drink ALOT of coffee and Diet Coke though and once in a while I will experience the jitters. Not too much fun. But I am always doing SOMETHING! Hubby will actually get a little (how do I put this nicely) upset with me when I am doing 10 things at once and it's supposed to be "relax" day *lol* I always have AT LEAST 4 or 5 things going and the whole time in my head I'm saying "and when I get done this, then I will do that, and when I get done that, I will do"......it's part of OCD and I know I have it. My dad has it worse though. He is like Monk. Good thing he lives alone as there is not a woman on the face of this earth that could tolerate his OCD. Mine isn't as bad. OK it is. One year I decided I needed rings. I went on E-Bay and before I knew it I had new rings for every finger. Now, years later I have decided I HATE rings and only wear my wedding band and diamond. I get very obsessive with my plants. At some point they are going to have to be in bed with me because I have run out of room. Hey, a thought just came to my head....I could hock the rings for plant money *lol*

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Kim

LOL Kim ... how cute! I've heard of people hocking jewelry and stuff when they really need the money for rent, or food but can honestly say I've never heard of anyone hocking jewelry for plants! If I ever did that I'm afraid hubby would have me committed. I've never been a jewelry person though and only have my wedding rings. I sometimes wear a bracelet that is a nice piece of jewelry but other than that my ear rings are all the Wal-Mart variety ... not worth anything! hmmm ... will have to look around the house to see if there's anything I could hock for plant money! Now see what you've done! I never thought of "plant money" and I like the sounds of that!

:)

I don't think I have anything to hock..............lost all my jewelry years ago and like costume better anyway. When my mom passed away she had so much good jewelry...............my sister in law wanted it all and i said OK....................Later my girls fussed a little about it, but I told them that we don't need jewelry!!

On my first cup of coffee.............off to make more.............

Kim great beauties....lucky girl!!
:) Donna

Thank You Donna :)
I think they have rooted too :)
I am amazed at the foliage on them!
I am just learning but so far so good (fingers crossed) :0)