What's blooming?

OMG I hate when I do that............forgot to add the picture..........DUH!

Wow! Those are Beautiful Babies Miss Kim ... looks like you've found the right conditions for Streps! Someday I might try one again but they have never lived very long in my house!

Are you keeping them in a cool room or normal household temps? Mine don't seem to want to bloom, and I was wondering if they need a cooler space? They are beautiful. I intend to keep trying till I get this right also. I have had some bloom beautifully, then collapse and die on me. It has upset me teribly, but in the spring i want to buy some more and keep trying. Lou

Lou, don't get discouraged.
I had a pretty one called "Hot Ticket" that was a special one to me big time and it bloomed and then collapsed.
I still have the "stump" refusing to give up hope that SOMETHING will sprout from it eventually someday *lol*
I'm still learning every day and although I have blooms today........that doesn't predict what tomorrow could bring *lol*
I do have them near my windows here in Maine but they are pretty much in my warm, dry house just next to nice cool windows. So far.....so good :) NOW, if I could just let them dry out between waterings *lol*

Kim

I had one Strep that did well for about a year and then all of a sudden died within days. It was Strep 'Dilby's Gwen' and was a pretty little thing. Gail sent me a few in trades and not one survived more than a week. I just got so discouraged not knowing what I was doing wrong. They were in the air conditioned house but I thought maybe it still wasn't cool enough. They were on a table about a foot away from a south facing window - no sun at all because of a lot of trees but a lot of very bright light. I tried putting a couple in an East window with no sun but bright light and they did not survive either. I was even thinking I should maybe put them on a bowl of ice to keep them cool. LOL.

I will, at some point try a Strep or two again but just haven't gotten up the courage yet!

Lou, every lady down here who grows the gessies in the club all use a 12-36-14 1/4tsp in every reservoir and..........if not in a wicked situation, they water with this count fertilizer every single time.....................it works is all I can say..................if nothing else, you could find a 15-30-15 from Miracle Grow for a constant feed.................

Since we were able to talk about 'hair dos' on the other thread, this granny wants to share a poem written by my granddaughter in the 4th grade. They have been studying slavery and the underground movement this month and were asked to each write a poem. When she sent it to me tonight big tears welled up in my eyes to think what a good job the school is doing in teaching important history.


I just have to share.......I told her I would have it framed for her..........her poem she was asked to write in class about slavery.

-------Original Message-------


Subject: Poem

My mom said you wanted to read my slavery poem... I hope you like it... I might see if it will publish I am going to ask my mom and dad... well here it is...

February 26, 2008
I am a slave…
I am a slave…
I wonder if I will survive these hard days.
I hear the whips upon my friends.
I see the sunset, yet I am still working.
I want to runaway, but I can not.
I am a slave…

I pretend to be so strong, but yet I am so weak.
I feel the hot sun beating down on my back.
I touch the tobacco that I am picking from the fields.
I worry that I will get caught and be brought back to my owner if I try to runaway.
I cry because my children and wife were just sold.
I am a slave…

I understand that slaves should have independence.
I say to my self that I will soon be free.
I dream that one day I will be released into freedom.
I try to get free, but it is too hard.
I hope that someday someone comes and saves me.
I am a slave…

Wow Gail- That's very touching! It SHOULD be published!

Way to grow KIM!!!

Gail's Streps are always so beautiful and tempting to start. But there's someting about the way they look that makes me think I would have trouble with them, so I haven't got up the courage YET! Still want to try the Siningias. Any suggestions for a goood one to start with anyone????

I just got my first ones...............so i can't comment................isn't it amazing what a good teacher can get out of students?

I am going to have it printed up and framed for her.........oooooh I love my grandchildren!

Yes you do, and they love you too! Very obvious from the things you've said and the beautiful pic of you with them on the other thread! And I love my little G-son. He's laying next to me sleeping right now......So precious

Oh, Diane............I had forgotten you had a new one!! Aren't they just the best!
What is so special about grandparents is that we can love them unconditionally and they love us unconditionally............their parents have to be the 'bad guys' when it comes to any discipline (LOL)

What a touching poem Gail. Your Angel Baby did a WONDERFUL job writing it! I think framing it for her will make it all that more special :) Sounds like she has a great teacher!

Very moving.

Can't wait to try my hand at grandbabies someday :)

Kim

Hi Lou;
I have a friend that also lives in florida & grows some of the prettiest gessies you will ever see, alot of streps to. Seems like they do best in temps at 70 & below, i know for me they seem to die in the summer even with the air on as temps get at least 75 in the plant room with the lights on, thats running them at nights to cool down the room. Right now my strep are beautiful & i am going to get another air cond. for that room this year.I do have some babies i can send you when it warms up if you want to try them again.just make sure it's cool enough.
mrsbonnie

MsBonnie, I don't think I've ever seen Suncoast Peppermint Kathy with such pretty coloring - very nice

Mulletman - I love your Columnea

And Gail, as usual, your plants are beautiful.

Gail, Your Granddaughter did a wonderful job on her poem. Kids can be so insightful. My youngest niece is now 21 but I have a couple of poems she wrote at the age of 9 that I typed up on the computer and printed out on some pretty paper and laminated them and sent copies to both of her grandmother's. Her poems were not about anything as important as slavery, just cute little poems of how she saw flowers, dolphins and things. The one about flowers I typed up and printed on some pretty paper with a flower border to hang in my kitchen. When we repainted a couple of years ago it was taken down and I forgot about it. Need to go look for that precious gift from my niece and hang it up again.

I know this is the wrong forum but look!!!!!!! I went out on the porch and look what I found.........have no idea what kind of hoya it is..........will go to the hoya forum for that.......

Hoyas are just as exciting as gessies to me!

Gail, HOW BEAUTIFUL!!!

Does it have any scent?

When you post on the hoya forum you may want to post a picture of the foliage. My best guesses would be a Carnosa or Davidcumgii.

AWESOME picture! What a FANTASTIC bloom my friend!

Congratulations!!

Kim

LOL ... I just saw this on the hoya forum and guessed H. carnosa but I am new to hoyas and don't know nuthin when it comes to these plants! I just know that they are really growing on me!

You guessed right according to the hoya people. I have two other baskets with the same leaf it appears to me but I have seen them bloom and the bloom is a much lighter color........and someone called them Silver Pink or something like that..........

Gail- Beautiful! Lucky you.... I've been watching for Hoya blooms but nothing yet. Of course they are in my cold sunroom and I haven't been good at watering lately..

I think there is with the name of Hoya pubicalyx pink silver, or something like that.

:) Check out this one I just found in Plant Files: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/57670/

I have a H. lacunosa with a couple of blooms right now and DS-70 also. At night the fragrance is really nice!

Hmm....Maybe I should go check my DS-70. It's not in my sunroom but it's the one growing through my lace curtain so might not notice if it's blooming right away. I have a Stephanotis in bloom right now and they are so fragrant that's all I smell.

Ooooh ... I have a Stephanotis out on my deck but no blooms for me yet! What do you feed yours? Only thing I've used so far is VF-11 which I just bought another case of. I was thinking of using a bloom booster food on it. What do you think? Oh, I want to smell that fragrance so badly!

A drier winter rest time usually worked for me. This is a new one so it had the buds when I got it! But I had one years ago and that's what I did with it. I've heard that Hibiscus food is good for them- haven't really looked at those to see what's in them but I didn't use Miracle-gro on it but orchid food instead. Also have a new product I'm trying called Awesome Blossoms And will probably try it on this one when the time comes. The VF-11, isn't that the Eleanor's that everyone is always talking about? I've never used that one. I get a lot of free samples through my job so am always trying something new! LOL

Gail, as always, I can't help but drool over your Strep pictures. I'm going to have to get 'Remembering John'. That's my dad's (well, stepdad, really, but he's much more of a father to me than my biological father) name and I'd love to have one myself as well as grow one for his mom. She's 88 and just loves plants! She can't see well, but those blooms are big enough that she would be able to see and enjoy them. :o) I always add to my wishlist when I see your pictures. LOL

Jan, Orange Zinger is gorgeous! Love those bright colored blooms!

three, isn't that the neatest bloom on the Black Pagoda? Not particularly pretty, per se, but very interesting. Perfect to go with that neat foliage, don't you think?

mrsbonnie, I love Sinn. Sentimental Journey!

MullettMan, I'm so happy to see all those plants blessing you with blooms! You're doing better than me, cause that 'Krakatau' refuses to even give me a bud!

Kim, you are doing great with the Streps! Such pretty blooms, and they give so many of them! :o)

My Gessies are being a bit stingy with blooms right now, though I do have several Sinns with buds and Pet. momo is budding out again, as well as an Aeschynanthus. In the meantime, I'll subject you all to Orchid pics, as those are all the flowers I've got right now.

Phal Fortune Buddha x Brother Pumpkin (a couple blooms are turned funny, my fault for moving the plant. :oP )

Slc Painted Cave 'Mojave Eve' x Lc Drumbeat 'Heritage'

Brs Mem. Fritz Boedeker

Rain- That Phal is one of my fave in that genus. So cool! And a cool name to go along with it LOL
Waiting for some of my orchids to re-bloom....waiting waiting I have yet to re-bloom a Catt.!

Thanks Diane! I happen to know of a place that has started selling them, if you're interested! LOL I haven't gotten a Catt to bloom for me, but I just started growing in June 07, so I'm hoping I'll have done something right and at least one will bloom for me.

This is another of my faves. I just love the small dots on the blooms.

Dtps. (Brother Pirate King x Taida Rose) (in my limited Orchid understanding, a Dtps. is basically a smaller Phal, I think)

They are so interesting looking aren't they? That's a really nice one! I would like to know the website if you don't mind. I haven't been doing orchids long either. At least not really getting into them. There's another orchid I've been wanting -Phal violacea-and I ordered it twice. The people I got them from send them out bare-root and I can't decide if it's that or I just can't grow it in my conditions cuz they both CROAKED LOL

I got both of mine from http://www.theorchidgallery.net/id67.html and she may still have some left. You could email her and ask. Edited to add: She has a ton of stuff on eBay too! :o) http://home.search.ebay.com/_Orchids-Tropicals_W0QQcatrefZC12QQsacatZ25462QQsassZtheorchidgallery

Otherwise Oak Hill Gardens has Phal Fortune Buddha x Brother Pumpkin http://www.oakhillgardens.com/htm/orchid_fs_detail.php?prod=2122 and they don't have the Dtps, but they do have one with Brother Pirate King as the mother plant. http://www.oakhillgardens.com/htm/orchid_fs_detail.php?prod=2121 I've never ordered from Oak Hill, but have heard only wonderful things about them.

I want Phal. violacea, too, and I've set out to get it a couple of times, but ended up getting sidetracked by the ones above. LOL

This message was edited Feb 29, 2008 1:10 PM

I don't really know enough about getting them bare root to help you with that. I did receive one bare root one time, though, and it's doing fine. Not blooming, but putting out new leaves and roots. I've got all my Phals potted in sphagnum moss and they really aren't any trouble at all. Much easier than I expected.

Oooh Rain, love those orchid blooms! I have about 15 or so orchids ... had to drag them back inside again a couple of days ago cause we had 35 degrees night before last and 38 last night! That is unusually cold for us the end of February!

I am not good real good with orchids. I usually buy them from the clearance table at Wal-Mart just because I can't stand to pay a lot for a plant! I had a coupon for 1/2 off an orchid at Home Depot last month and picked up one that the lady was just unpacking. It's been blooming for about a month and it's not one of my favorites, but kinda pretty. I cut the flowers to put in a vase for hubby for Valentine's day! It was just labeled Hybrid. Have no clue as to what kind it is. Maybe a Phal? I will go take a pic.

Beautiful orchids Rain :)
I tried orchids once and I don't know what I was doing wrong with them but they really didn't do well for me at all.
I sent them to a lady (including all their clay orchid pots) for postage just so that she could save them.
They bloom for such a LONG time too so you really get to enjoy them for a while :)
GREAT growing!
Starting to get spring fever SO BAD and it's still SO far away here. We are supposed to get ANOTHER 8-12 inches tonight. Wondering how we are going to make it to the grocery tomorrow *lol*.....

Gail, think I will make peanut butter and jelly *wink*

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

Kim

Looks like a Phal to me, and it's gorgeous!! It would be one of my favorites! LOL Wish my Home Depot would get pretty ones like that. I'll show you the two I got at HD. Not nearly as pretty as that one!

And here's the other one. I really just needed a plant fix that day and these are all I could find. LOL I do like this one better than the purpley colored one.

Oooh ... I really, really like that first one! I am a sucker for pinks and purples!!


I found this site with pic's and I really love the last photo down of the: Phal violacea var mentwai Micael Liu

http://www.phals.net/violacea/index_e.html

Heck, I'd take any of those pictured! All Beautiful!