'Nancy Leigh'
Anything Blooming? Part III
'Iceberg' should be much prettier than this.......don't know what i did wrong
'Raphael'
I will definitely be selling when I have big enough babies. I did quit using the wicks on streps. Now I just let them get completely dry and then water with water from the tap that has sat on the kitchen counter in containers at least 24 hours to let it neutralize.
The leaves on Icy Sunset act horrible, so I am not taking her to sell. But I am going to take a leaf and start over with her plus I am going to take the crown only and start that one over, too. If I use a leaf ring from the beginning like I usually do, the leaves will be fine.........
Interesting about not wicking the streps. Might try that.
Here is my one lonely strep in bloom right now but I LOVE HER!
I brought her out in the snow so I could get a true color shot.
This is Blue Mars and this is her first bloom :)
Oh, and this is my backyard today after our huge ice storm. Stayed home from work as there was no way I was getting on the roads :)
Playing plants and chatting with my friends........It was the BEST day!
wow, Blue Mars is a beauty. Look at her healthy foliage, too! You are braver than I am to take her out in the weather! (LOL)
Oh, I could just sit and look at y'alls photo's all day! Beautiful Blooms! I still haven't decided if I will ever try Strep's again!
Wow! Look at that Beautiful Picture of your backyard too! Gorgeous ... so peaceful looking. There's no way I could drive in that stuff either .... scary!
Oh Gail my friend, I only took her out for a split second to get a picture against the snow. Now she is right beside me on the floor so that I can look up from the keyboard and see her. I will carry her around from room to room so that I can enjoy the flower until the flower passes *lol* I have been dying for this one to open. I'm going to cut the pollen out so that I can store it to use on something else someday :)
What a nut case I am huh? *lol* I love it though :) I don't want to be "normal"......too boring *lol*
Oh, you are not a nut case in my book! Not at all! I so admire folks who have the patience to collect pollen and get into all that botanical stuff with pollinating and hybridizing! Me, I just buy them and if they live, they live ... if they don't like my house and die, well ... I will just go buy another one! LOL.
You talk about a fun person..........go the Dave's auction talk and look at Gordo's last post. It is on the negative feedback thread..............hysterically funny..........
You know what I wanna see Lin? Pictures of your beautiful Chiritas :)
I can't wait until I get my first bloom someday :)
Guess what though? I have babies :)
Kim: The Chirita's I have left don't look so beautiful right now. I had a major problem with my AV's and Chirita's a couple of months ago ... lost a lot of plants! I'm not sure if I brought in some insects or what but I lost almost all of my AV's, some Episcia's and a couple of Chirita's as well.
Here's one shelf with the Chirita's I have remaining that seem to be doing okay. Nothing blooming right now - Stardust just finished another bloom cycle as did the two little C. Tamiana's. They have seed pods but I have not been able to collect viable seed.
Lin, yours look better than mine do!!
Wow, those are BEAUTIFUL! Even with blooms on them I think they are just stunning! Thank you so much for sharing your picture :) So sorry about the buggie problems and your losses Lin. I would have been sick over it :(
Kim, your strep is very pretty, you can be proud. Your weather, however is another story. We had nice warm spring like temps here for about a week, just enough to get me thinking about planting, now we're back in the deep freeze. 70's yesterday - down in the 20's tonight..
Gail, do you keep your streps pot bound? What size pots do you use? Do you let them dry completely before watering?
Sorry for all the questions, but your streps are so pretty and healthy, I love 'em
Susan
LOL Kim ... I have had so many plants over the years, if I got down over every plant I've lost or that hasn't done well for me, I would be in a bad way! I've always thought sometimes plants are just meant to be for as long as they "are". My youngest sister used to get discouraged and sad when she bought a beautiful plant that didn't survive long. I told her to just enjoy them while they are here and then forget about it and go buy another beautiful blooming plant! Years ago I always bought tons of Poinsettia's at the holidays to enjoy and then throw them out .... same thing in spring when stores would have the beautiful mini azaleas in full bloom ... I would buy a few to sit around by the front door and out on the deck. After a few weeks they were kinda kaput and I would just say bye bye! Life is short, enjoy what you can, while you can! LOL.
streps like to be root bound so I leave them in a 3" squatty pot unless there are several crowns. But I don't get a lot of crowns until the plants are older. I do move up to a 4" av pot but never a standard 4" pot. They are too deep.
I like to move from a solo 3oz cup to either a 21/2" square or the short 3" pot. Let me find a picture of them. I just ordered two hundred 3" squatty pots from Dave'sviolets for a good price.
Front green ones are 21/2" square and a 3" squatty pot
Behind the 3" squatty pot is a 3" standard and a 31/2 " standard
Behind the 21/2" square pot is a 4" violet pot which is short also........look that is shorter than the 3" standard and the 31/2" standard..........
Do I have you totally confused????????????
I will go get a strep in a 3" squatty pot to show you
Fancy Pants is past ready for a 4" av pot ........just haven't had time to move her up another size. She is sitting in the short squatty 3" pot right now.
I agree, so many people (especially with gardening outside) get very upset if plants do not do well. My sister sort of gives up on having fun gardening because she loses plants. I agree, enjoy them and chunck 'em if they upset you or they die, ha.
That said, I do have one azalea in a pot that my g. mother gave me. I have flower beds with ones we bought, but this one WOULD upset me if it died. I take extra good care with it.
With most plants, I just replace it or find a better plant for the place outside.
Below is a picture of the azalea from Nana, it is larger now.
You learn a lot when they die and when they thrive too! It is all about learning and enjoying!
Very pretty Azalea from your Nana, Sally! I love pink and that one is a beauty!
Yes, some plants do have special meaning! I have a Schefflera that my Mom gave us for our 15th anniversary and we've been married almost 39 years! I also have a Jade plant she gave me many years ago ... hasn't done real well but it's still alive. I have a fern that had been my Mom's too. I also inherited a dracaena good luck bamboo when she passed.
I got it at my Mom and Dad's 50th anniv. party just for the family five years ago or so. Nana gave each of us a tiny little plant. My sister's and Mom's azaleas have died so I HAVE to keep this one happy. It is blooming again. I have a flower floating in a crystal bowl right now too.
My Mom LOVES gardening and Nana did too. Both love birds and flowers also. I get it from them.
Not the best photo but I found Episcia 'Pink Panther' with a bloom today:
That is nice, Lin and all your episcias look good, too!
This one is not in bloom and I'm hoping this spring to see flowers on it for the first time, I'm happy with the way it's growing. This is Episcia 'Chocolate Velour'
Thanks Gail ... Pink Panther is the only Episcia I've had bloom so far. I am new to these - all the ones I have are from trades here on DG. I might end up buying a couple more come spring! LOL.
I will go take some photo's of the others ... meanwhile here's a plant I found blooming a couple of days ago. Not a Gessie but my Jewel Orchid! First time bloom on this one for me. Nothing to write home about ... not a spectacular flower but kinda pretty just the same.
A few more Episcia's. Left to right, KD's Glitter Magic, Checkerboard and Pink Acajou:
These have no label's - I am trying to get better about that! Some are duplicates but I have no idea which ones they are. One may be E. Grey Lady but I'm just not sure.
You have some nice plants............that Jewel Orchid is one of my favorites..............the first time I stopped in Seguin she had a big hanging basket of it and I was in a hurry. When I went back...........it wasn't there. Rule number one: never pass up something you really want!
I have some seeds that are now plants and trying to bloom..............can't wait.........this is Koellikeria erinoides...........
It takes 2 years Jan told me for this Sinningia hatschbachii 'Iporanga' to bloom but they are so pretty just growing. They are the big fuzzy leafed ones and they have a big fat caudex sitting on the top of the soil for roots.
Oh, you found out the ID of that plant I see! Koellikeria - never heard of it but it is one nice looking plant - can't wait to see what those blooms look like!
Oh, I am loving that fuzzy Sinningia hatschbachii 'Iporanga'!! What a mouth full! LOL. I wouldn't even care if that one ever bloomed ... it is just so pretty with that soft, fuzzy foliage!
You are an expert grower Miss Gessiegail! You must have good growing conditions but I know it's because you are a great Gessie Mama and take care of your babies! I need to take some lessons! I think one of my problems is I have too many just every day generic house plants ... I find something I love, want every one I see and then there isn't enough time in the day to take proper care of them all!
Lin- I'm so evious your Jewel Orchid is blooming! None of mine have bloomed yet this year. But probably my fault- haven't been a very good waterer the last month or so...
I finally talked the owner where I worked tolet me order more mini AVs. I bought three ! They seemed to be bigger leaved ones than last time- BUT there were a few variegated ones!
Lin, if I were you, I would completely close in the area around your pool and make it like a winter greenhouse. My outdoor plants have thrived this winter on the front porch with the ugly poly wrapped around it. (I live in the country and don't care what my house looks like draped in poly) (LOL)
Shenendoah Sugar Plum sitting on the carpet beside the shelves!
Pulled out Bristol's Very Berry, also
Gail, they are both absolutely stunning! I think we need to refer to you as the Strep Queen! Really, Really Beautiful!
I've been outside playing in the dirt all day! The weather here has been absolutely wonderful the past few days with highs right around 80/82 degrees! My hubby even came out and helped me weed some flower beds and he transplanted a small Senna tree for me. My neighbor gave me a little cutting last year, I rooted it and planted it in an area of the backyard that didn't get a lot of sun so I didn't get many blooms. Her little tree was soo pretty, all covered in yellow flowers. So, now my little shrub/tree is in a spot that gets full sun so hopefully late this summer I will get some nice pretty blooms. Hubby came in to watch the Daytona 500 race on t.v. and I've been puttering with repotting a couple of houseplants. Ran out of orchid bark and potting soil so I'm done for the day ... tired and dirty so I'm heading to the shower! Tomorrow he is off so we are thinking about taking the boat out for a few hours!
Keep posting those pic's Miss Gail ... they are Wonderful!
Jeepers Gail! SO PRETTY!
Nice day for gardening here too, plantlady! Gorgeous!
I did make some underwater arrangements. This is the smallest.
Wow, Sally ... that is very pretty Orchid under water! I really like it!