What's blooming for April?

Our thread was getting too long........
Mackenzie put out 5 blooms at one time and now she is starting up again less than a month later.

Here's Lipstick Plant 'Mona Lisa' still blooming away:

Gail
I went to a Nursery in Lake Geneva WI off of route 50 its called Pesche's Greenhouse INC. I stop buy and pick up a few plants than I was looking for some AV and they look pretty dead. She had 2 Strep and gave them booth for free I gave 1 to my sister. Some time I can get plants AV cheep at walmart when they look dead . or even Kmart I look for the ones that say .50 cents or a 1.00 and try to grow them, but most of them don't have a name. The jewel were has 2/for 4.00 again no name I almost picked some up but I didn't. Gosh I have better learn how to spell I am getting better
Dimmer(AKA) Kim

Wow, Dimmer .... 2 for $4.00 is a great price for AV's! We don't have Jewel here :( wish we did.

well, it is a great looking plant and you did good!!!!!!!!

Oh I am a sucker for lipstick plants .. Lin your Mona Lisa is picture perfect : )

This is Kaylih Marie..I love the pink tint in the variegation on her...

Waterdancer...

Cedar ... that one is really beautiful! I love pink flowers and any variegation with pink! Would love to have a pink room with all pink flowers and pink variegated plants! LOL.






hmmm ... that makes me sound like a real girly girl, doesn't it?

and..Alliance....

Forgot to say I love the name on that pink one too ... that would be a pretty name for a little girl.

And, Wow, "Waterdancer" is gorgeous too. Love those flowers with the ruffly edges!

My, you do have some pretties blooming! Looking at your beautiful plants is making me want to make a wish list for AV's again! LOL. I am down to about 6 or 7 I think and had thought I would try not to buy more, but just stick with Episcia's and Chirita's and a couple of Sinningia's! FAT CHANCE, huh?

LOL Thank You Lin..yep that makes you sound like a girly girl alright.Thankfully we are allowed to be girly girls when we feel like it and tom boys when we need to be too : )

This message was edited Mar 31, 2008 10:08 PM

Sooo true ... I can get just as dirty as any boy when I'm out digging in the dirt in my yard! I'm usually bare foot and my feet get really, really dirty! My husband is always yelling at me that I should put shoes on. I grew up bare foot - only wore shoes when absolutely necessary (like for school, LOL.) My DH is one who MUST have shoes on, even in the house! His mom always had to have shoes or slippers on, she couldn't even stand to pad around in socks ... always had to have her slippers. Guess it's all what you get used to from a young age.

Oh how I can relate with that Lin.Tomboy here too.Happiest when I can play outside in the dirt...I grew up barefoot too and to this day only wear shoes when I absolutely must!

wow, Nancy! How do you even now about all these gorgeous violets that I have never seen? Seriously, where are you ordering? Those are outstanding choices......I like your taste in violets.

We will temp Lin again to add to her collection!!! (LOL)
Circus Time was blooming on Feb 28th this way and she is already covered in buds again.

This was on Feb 28th and she is a giant now and covered with buds.........I lost her name....Boo hoo! Her foliage actually has more pink in each leaf than green.

Lin, I am going to take a picture of this one tomorrow. Her buds have turned to blooms again after only 6 weeks.

I think I will start leaves just for Lin with variegation and lots of pink. Pink and purple are my weaknesses in african violets.
This is Apache Rose

*******edited to say that I am looking your violets, Nancy, on First Class. That Alliance is fantastic..........have to get the other names now

This message was edited Mar 31, 2008 10:30 PM

Oh my Gail ... Circus Time is a WOW! I don't think I've ever seen an AV with leaves that huge! Love, Love, Love that foliage and those flowers! I am a Purple bloom lover too ... wouldn't it be great if someone could hybridize and come up with a new AV with real purple leaf variegation and purple flowers?

Apache Rose is awesome gail..so are the others but I reallyyy like that one. As for mine..Kaylih Marie & Waterdancer came as baby plantlets last spring from Lyndon Lyons and Alliance came as a baby from Robs last spring too.They are ones that grew really great for me.Going to order more from both again : )

When I get through this coming month, I am going to concentrate on sticking lots of av leaves of my favorites. I think you, Nancy and I must love the same ones.

That would be great if someone could come up with purple variegation and purple flowers. I got those that I showed pictures of from a lady who came to our February sale the first week of February. She only lives an hour away so I keep being tempted to go see her but i don't have room for anymore big ones right now.......bummer........

Thanks Nancy......I am hoping when we trade you might part with each a leaf from yurs and I will send you leaves of my really favorite ones. In May I have to decide what I am going to grow for next February show and sale, so I might take a look at LL and Rob's avs at that time.

ooo..purple variegation and purple flowers..now That would be something!! Oh yes gail I do love the standards but they sure do take up a shelf fast..lol..I just love great big blooms!!

edited to add..sure gail..when we trade I will for sure send you some leaves from them : )

This message was edited Mar 31, 2008 10:49 PM

The lady who is Pres. of our local AV Club grows one I love, I think it's called Tiger and it's a really large AV with gorgeous foliage and purple flowers. I found it at the AVSA site: http://www.avsa.org/Photographs/TigerLrg.jpg#http://../Photographs/TigerLrg.jpg%23 but this one the leaves don't look as big as hers.

Oh My Lin..Now Thats Pretty!! I had leaves from Tiger once but never got any plants that lived from them.Now I really wish I would have tried harder..That is a Beauty!!

Love the violets, I love girl foliage and variegation so much. I love frilly, wavy variegation. Girl foliage is so.... girly, ha. Circus Time is a cutie!!!

Oh WOW what eye candy this morning!
Ladies, those are really terrific!
As you all know, I'm trying my FIRST AV's now. I have lots of leaves that I stuck on 2/16 that are throwing up babies.
I had some baby plantlets and suckers that I rooted that I put in little wine cups this weekend.
I'm going to watch them closely and if I see that they are not liking the wine cups I will take them out and put them in pots but for now I am really enjoying them in the wine cups on my window sill above the kitchen sink.
So far they seem to be doing OK.
Being new to me, I thought I would play around a little with them so that I can learn their likes and dislikes.
I know I will have to be very careful watering as there are no drain holes so I will be sure to be diligent about it.
Once I get flowers, I will show you all how cute they are :) I don't think foliage pictures would do much for you *lol*
BUT, I do have buds on one of them even though it's a little plantlet :)

What awesome pictures ladies.........you all sure can grow :)

Kim

I am so mad at myself. This is Tiger just starting to open up. I had two of them and sold both at the sale. I should have kept a leaf!!!! Slower learner I am!

Tiger is sure a beauty gail :)

Kim.. I am so happy for you.Your 1st av babies! Good Job!! You will be hooked for sure now!! Now you have me on pins and needles wanting to see your pics...lol..I bet they are adorable....hope you can post pics soon : )

Here is my 1st blooms from Kitten Face...looks like alot of buds left to open yet..I believe this came as a baby from raingazer last fall : ) I love the dainty blooms.
hmm in looking at my pic it seems its about time I change my tablecloth to a spring one huh??.Holly in April is probably a no no .LOL...

All the AVs are beautiful! I'm still working on growing them. LOL The Shoshone Gail sent me is in a self-watering pot and is doing great. It had a bud when it arrived and it opened! Now it's gone, but there are more buds forming! I'm so happy! Just think of all the plants I could try to cram in here if I learn to grow AVs!! LOL

Nancy, Kitten Face is gorgeous! It is one of my very favorite Streps! The blooms are not as showy as some of the others, but you can't beat it for number of blooms. It's literally non-stop!

I actually have a few Gessies blooming now! Can you believe it?? LOL (But of course you're gonna get Orchid pics, too!)

Chirita tamiana - For the longest, I could NOT grow this plant, but now that I've figured out whatever it is I've figured out, it going crazy! I hope all those seed pods mature... They're holding their skirts up and showing some leg, but you all know how I water, so...

Nancy, you sent me this one and I absolutely love it!

Strep Bristol's Tropical Twister

Strep Jealous Heart. Don't know what's up with the flower on the left - only 4 petals.

Sinn pusilla *again*! LOL If y'all get tired of seeing this one, let me know. :o) I try to catch the seed pods before they ripen, but I never can. Seedlings come up all over the place wherever it's potted.

Sinningia buds that I don't think are EVER going to open. These things grow about a millimeter per month. LOL It's one I grew from seed from the Mixed Gessie packet from the GS, but general concensus is that it's probably S. cardinalis. Maybe if it ever does open those buds, I'll be able to find out for sure.

Sinningia 'Rio das Pedras' My first bloom ever on this one! It's adorable and so tiny!

And now for the best of the Gessies, in my opinion. Nancy, remember the Petrocosmea 'Momo' you sent me that I had so much trouble with and finally, when it had dwindled to the size of a nickel, you told me I should just bury it and put it out of its misery, but I was too stubborn? Well, it's doing a bit better. ;o)

Well, the family calls... I'll post the Orchid pics later, if y'all want to see them. DH and I went to the Heart of Dixie Orchid Society show and sale last weekend and I got a few new plants, plus some I've had are in bloom. I've found that Orchids and Gessies grow quite beautifully together. :o)

Oh Amy ... Gorgeous Blooms!

I have Chirita Tamiana's that I got in a trade from Jan last year. It's one of my favorites. It blooms regularly but has not taken off with a lot of growth ... maybe because it's planted in a small wine glass and needs to be repotted desperately! LOL. Yours is absolutely stunning! Your description "holding their skirts up and showing leg" fits perfectly!

WOW, gorgeous pictures! So happy that Momo is happy. What a precious photo.

Thanks, Lin! :o) C. tamiana really is a great little plant, isn't it? I didn't realize it would bloom that prolifically! Ideally, they'd have leaves all the way down, but I simply cannot keep us with watering like I should, so they suffer a little. LOL