Bonnie's Blooms are Awesome! Rob's Scrumptious really is scrumptious! Great growing Bonnie!
Well, I need to go shower. Just finished mowing the lawn - 98 degrees here! We have real low humidity today (21%) and Red Flag Fire warnings up because of being so dry and the low humidity. I could smell smoke and see ashes flying around while out in the yard. Came in to turn the news on and see if there is a fire somewhere close by, but they aren't reporting one nearby so I'm not sure where the fire and ash are emanating from. With the gusty winds it's probably from a fire that is in another county west of us. That fire began at 2 p.m. with less than 50 acres and has grown to over 600 acre's. Firefighters really have their hands full here in Florida lately!
A New May Blooms Thread
Makshi your Geranium is gorgeous..love the color! Mrsbonnie..awesome plants..would be hard for me to pick a favorite.
Brenda..your spacedust baby is so pretty thats another one of my favorites..lol..along with every other one I see..I know..LOL.. have a great safe weekend with your daughter...It does sound like it will be so much fun but..I am just like Kim..makes me break out in a sweat to even think about it..lol...ooo I don't think I could get on any kind of plane...
Lin..98 degrees! ohhh that is way to hot for me... I have been reading about the fires down your way..hope you and your loved ones stay safe!
Well I had my break now..lol..I am going back out to finish the front flower beds..or try to anyway....
Here is a new baby that managed to survive my inexperience this winter *lol*
This is: Emma
hmmmm space dust is nice!
I picked up a few strep babies from the raffle table even tho streps are not my thing - I don't recognize many strep names so it was a gamble. Well, SD was one of them :)
Someone brought in this sinningia.
Oh Ki, that sinningia is absolutely STUNNING! Looks like Eumorpha! OMG is that lovely!!
What a beautiful lavender!
Love it!
Kim
it's a speciosa, maybe the one going around as 'Lavender Queen'. If you could see the rest of the plant, it looks like a florist's gloxinia - tho the leaves aren't huge like some. It's the slipper form (the normal form) of Sinn speciosa.
Oh My Goodness ... I Love that Sinningia! Awesome!
Keyring has S. Eumorpha in PF and it has a white bloom: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/141241/
To me it resembles S. Lavender Queen: http://www.gesneriads.ca/sinni138.htm
^_^ Looks like we cross posted!
I absolutely LOVE the shape of that flower! Reminds me so much of foxglove and is my favorite color, lavender. Such a beautiful combination! How awesome!!! I have some Carangola babies which I grew from seeds but I seem to keep losing them when I try to pot them in their individual pots so I'm leaving my last 5 in the darn tray *lol*
OMG is that pretty!
Kim
Some really Gorgeous Sinningia's here: http://www.gesneriads.ca/gensinn.htm
Ki what a Beautiful Sinningia.They sure do have pretty blooms!
Kim I love that strep"Emma"..Thats one of my birds names!..LOL..or at least it was until we found out he's an Emmet :o So Pretty!!
Lin..thanks for that link on sinns..I need to check them out : )
Oooh ... How did I miss that Beautiful Emma?!! Kim, that is wonderful! I sure wish I could grow Strep's! They just do not like me or my house for some reason. I keep telling them I am a very nice person and promise to take good care of them but alas, they don't live long. Maybe it's not me, maybe they don't like Florida. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! I will just stick with growing Chirita's, Episcia's and Sinningia's. ^_^
carangola is lovely. I really like the slipper forms of speciosa. I just wish they weren't so big.
Eumorpha comes in other colors but I don't have any :( I also love eumorpha - especially now that my tubers aren't staying dormant for as long. silly plants.
Looking at the photos on gesneriads.ca, I'm not sure that my photo is actually Lavender Queen because it has spots in the throat. Whatever it is, I like it. She was giving away tubers so I have one that I will try to pollinate. The sheer number of flowers on hers just proves that she's a good grower!
Morning all,
So many pretty blooming plants.. Beautiful!.What a great way to start the morning..
Kim,your pictures are lovely.That fire and ice strep is nice and the tulips are so different.Emma is sweet..
Nice plants Susan,love the group shot.
Lovely plant makshi, It amazes me what come from one little seed!
Bonnie,Beautiful as always! The robs plant is awesome.
Hi there Ki,That's one pretty sinningia! As the eumorpha sinn.tuber get older,do they not stay domant as long??Mine just came back after being dormant since last spring,but its now growing fast.Maybe I will get a bloom this year...
hi Jan, that seems to be true - none have been dormant for longer than a winter now.
The one year old seedlings are resprouting from a short winter rest and at 2 pairs of leaves, they have buds. Hmmm... last night I was 100% sure that these seedlings are eumorpha x self, but maybe the cross did take and they are a eumorpha x mini hybrid. Otherwise the growth habit is odd.
I like this one Sinningia guttata.
Thank you Jannich :)
I think I'm going to cut the blooms off though so that I can give some strength to the plant as they are just babies with only 2 leaves but I just had to see the blooms *lol*
It seems like forever ago that I put the leaves down and each one of those (Emma and Surprise Party) are the only ones that lived :(
Always learning,
Kim
wow, thanks for the information Keyring on that being Lavender Queen. I am working on an order from the gesneriad society right now. She is magnificent.
****I want to order seeds immediately but you have to send an envelope with a check to them. (the gesneriad society) Does anyone know if you can do it online somehow? (Keyring where are you?)
Thanks
I am home , tired and happy and threw away african violets all afternoon............can't grow this many and too tired to even give them away......(LOL)
This message was edited May 22, 2008 7:13 PM
Hi Gail,
Glad to see you home safe and sound.You can;t order from the gessie society online.Just have to do it slow mail.Don't forget to list some subs.They might be out of some of the seeds you want.Sorry some of your plants died while you were away.
That would be cool if your cross did take Ki.Its nice to know next time eumorpha might not be domarnt so long.
Hi Kim,I hear ya one seeing the blooms.I do it too..LOL.
Oh Gail,heres a picture of the little bird that blew out of the nest.I put it in the middle of the pomagrate tree, not to far from where it fell from the big oak tree.The mom and dad found him and is feeding it but its to small to fly I think. Isn't it cute!
Welcome Home Gail! I bet you are tired but I know you had a great time with those grand kids!
Oh Jan, that little bird is soo adorable! We had Mockingbirds nesting in a Hibiscus in our front yard and there were originally 4 babies ... then all of a sudden there were only two (I'm sure a predator got a couple) We watched them growing and getting their feathers. Then one of the two was out on a limb one morning ... still not flying yet ... a couple of hours later it was gone and there were Swallow Tail Kites flying around and hunting. Then the next day the other was out on the limb and he was gone quickly too ... I think the Red Tail Hawk got him. :( So sad ... those parents were taking such good care of their babies too. The adults are still around and eating the berries and fruit I cut up for them ... I've seen one flying back to the same nest every so often so maybe we will have more babies soon!
Do you know what kind of bird that is? He is just so cute! I am a bird lover ... have quite a few feeders in the yard and spend a fortune on seed! Of course we have tons of squirrels who help devour it too! I mixed up a batch of seed, raisins, nuts and peanut butter and put it out a couple of days ago ... there must have been a dozen squirrels feasting at that tray!
Key: The Chirita Kazu has 3 flowers opened now and a couple more buds ... I still don't see any sign of pollen but I'm wondering if I'm missing it? I used a magnifying glass but don't see any yellowy, polleny type stuff. LOL. My old eyes aren't what they used to be. ^_^ I will wait another day and cut the flowers and send them to you ... maybe there will be something there you can see and use! LOL. If not, I will gladly try again on another Chirita when they bloom! Will keep you posted!
Hi Lin and Jan,
Bummer as I hope it doesn't take too long to get the seeds. Thanks for the tip on listing substitutes.
I love people who love birds and always help them! That is the cutest little bird I do believe I have ever seen! Hope someone can figure out what kind of little bird he or she is.
I saw the most unusual plant at a nursery grown by Monrovia out of California. The owner kept calling it a Pitcher Plant. The tag says it is hardy from zone 7-11, but with our heat index supposed to be 108 tomorrow (in May) I doubt she could make it through our hot summers.
I found some adorable Bella series Abutilons (flowering maples) in various colors but forgot them at my daughter's house.
We were so busy that my daughter didn't even arrange these peonies when Fed Ex delivered them. They were gorgeous. Cassie's stepmother has a fabulous job as personal assistant to a lady who owns a farm out of state and they grow peonies for a hobby. She is so nice to send them to Cassie about 4 times a year.
There were so many kinds and colors.
Just another view of the peonies.
Oh Jannich, that is the SWEETEST birdie I ever did see. Those little "tufts" of fur on his ears is just the cutest!
Gail, I am SO glad you are home and had such a great time. You sound exhausted my friend. I'm sure the kids were SO happy to have Nana there visiting :) I remember when I was small how much having company meant :)
What gorgeous peonies! Those are SO pretty. I had to move all my peonies 2 years ago when the new house came. Gram said it takes 3 years before they are strong enough to bloom again. This is year 2. I see some buds on them but they are not getting nice and fat like they should so we'll see. Maybe Gram is right *lol*
I wonder if Brenda is leaving for her plane ride today or tomorrow? What a great trip that sounds like. I'm sure her and her daughter are going to make alot of fun memories together. Can't wait to hear about her trip.
I think we are just going to lay low this Memorial Day weekend. Maybe a Bar-B-Q or something. There is still alot of things that I want to do in the yard so maybe we'll just "putter" for the weekend. I am SUCH a home body that just "puttering" is fine with me :) My favorite place in the world is right here at home surrounded by my babies inside and out :) Hanging out with my family and walking through our woods. The lady slippers are starting to get their nice pink coloring now. Soon I will be pollinating them. I am kind of bummin' though because something stepped on my grouping of white ones and only 1 survived :( My dad may be putting his "stuff" on the back of my land so I need to be sure he doesn't need the space they are in and I need to put up some kind of marker for them. If he needs the space, I will need to move them which I don't really want to do. I have successfully moved 4 into my beds, however, they stay MUCH smaller (almost miniature) than those grown naturally in the woods. I am garteful that they did at least live. I saved them from a pile of trees my neighbor made on our land line. I'm going to see if any more are coming up under the trees this year and will move those if so.
I hope you all have a wonderful day!!
Kim
Good morning!
I finally found out what kind of bird it was.I could never get a good look at the parents till I put the baby in the pomagranite tree.Got the good old bird book out and ID them as Orchard Oriole's.I'm pretty excited about that.I've had Orioles here before but they were just passing though.This is the first time any have nested here.
Oh Lin,thats sad about the mockingbird babies.Is'nt nature a funny thing.I'm a bird watcher too.If you could have seen the humminging bird going around the pomagrante flowers and come face to face with the baby bird.It as the funnist thing.lol
Gail,that is acool looking plant.And Ilove the flowering maples! Beautiful peonies,there one of my favorite flowers but mine never came back for me.I guess they don;t grow in the south?
108 dregress,,Yikes.I'm wilting at 93 degress.LOL
Gail, that plant is also called Bear's Breech, it's a perennial and grows quite large, but it's an impressive plant when mature. I think it would probably be a good plant for your climate. I was admiring one at a local nursery until I looked at the price - it was $50! and still a small plant.
Susan
I missed out on Brenda's trip but how much fun with her daughter!
The price tag I didn't look at, Susan, on the Bear's Breech. I wouldn't have paid 50.00 for it though (LOL)
Kim, you just wake up with a smile on your face, don't ya'?
I don't know what the actual temp will be but the heat index will be 108 with our humidity.
Jannich, there would be no possible way to grow peonies here but I keep thinking about your baby orchard oriole. Lucky you!
Missed alot again I see..lol.bad storms here so I better make this quick before the lights funk out again..were without power most of yesterday and sounds like its going to be a bumpy weekend around here..LOL..Loving our much needed rain but could sure do without downed power lines high winds and hail : ( Gail cool pics..I love those peonies..Jannich what a precious baby oriole..Ours are just now nesting so I have been busy cutting up yarn and string to help them out..They haul it away about as fast as I can hang it out for them..lol..Kim just a nice weekend at home is all I ever ask for..I love staying home.never been much for traveling..Hope you all have a Great Memorial Weekend..Stay Safe!!!
Nancy, at least you are getting some rain! Send it our way, please (LOL)
I am loving staying at home and potting up plants.
WOW, what fabulous photos to catch up on. Precious birdie!
I have been busy with doctors, tests etc. I had Lithotripsy last week. That was not fun. Soon, I will have surgery. I have been getting lots of food made and frozen for the time I will be recovering. I have cooked for my little doggie too.
Thank goodness for WICKING when we are ill or away!!!
This message was edited May 23, 2008 5:53 PM
The baby birds grow so fast.seems like in 2 days it's grown ,It's still in the bush I put it it in,but its starting to move around on the branches.I think in a day or 2 it will be ready to fly.
Nancy I put yarn, dryer lint ,break up small trigs,all for the birds.LOL.You stay safe with the storms.
Gail,I've been doing the dance dance for days,still hasn't helped.LOL.This summer is going to be another dry one.That to bad peonies won't grow down here.I still can't get used to gardening in the south.I gardened in New England to long.LOL
Sally,I hope the surgery goes well and you recover fast.
Just wanted to pop in and let everyone know that we're home from vacation. I've got a ton of catching up to do and am looking forward to seeing all the pictures I missed. Hugs to all! :o)
Hi Rain..............glad you are back...........
Sally, let us know when you are going to have surgery. My sister in law is having to have over a half inch of bone taken off of her foot where a bunion has formed through the years. Recovery time he told her was at least a month. Someone in Sunday school had the same thing done and said it was more like 3 months for recovery.
Jannich, I wish I had taken pictures of the whole plants but I am still intrigued with the 'flower' I set the camera on. When I came home, I found blooms I hadn't seen. Will post a few of them. (Many came when I ordered those strep leaves on ebay..........some are blooming now)
Sinningia Playful Porpoise is drooping its bloom as I only left the lights on 7 hours a day when I left home and they need a lot of life........
Snow White and Fernwood's Silhouette (I bought the Fernwood from the sale)
strep 'Hot Ticket'
I think this leaf came from Kim
I have never had a 'Jason' and i really like her bloom.
baby Ruby.
