March Flowers of the Day

[Charlie]

March has arrived and with it an increase in blooms in the greenhouse. Too early and cold still for many outdoor flowers so instead of flower photos today here is a photo of 1 table of the 4 inch pots that will start to ship out later this month and in large numbers in April.

Charlie

[Nievesgirl]

Cool charlie I should be posting some blooms soon, I should have changed my bulbs because they are old so I did not get  lot of blooms. But ever since I got the 48" fixture I now have probably over 10 buds from simple pleasure   I have about 7 from Rockets red glare !

[Charlie]

That's super. Simple Pleasures is really good at budding up early and heavily. Rockets Red Glare is not far behind either.

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

I need to get a cutting of Simple Pleasures from my friend.   I will have some pictures to share tomorrow, buds on Sunkissed Blonde and now that I am looking at them, Heaven's Scent and Flickering Flame are starting too!   Luckily it looks like there is alot of new growth since the spidermite infestation I had a few months ago! 

[helixturnhelix]

Went a bit pic crazy

Sunkissed Blonde and Burnished Gold

Burnished Gold bush

Sunkissed Blonde bush

[helixturnhelix]

Sunkissed Blonde

Burnished Gold

[Nievesgirl]

WOW im loving the bush on Burnish gold I might have to add this to my list !

[helixturnhelix]

Kerry,

Burnished Gold has an awesome bush, blooms alot and the flowers are huge and well formed.  It gets my two thumbs up.  This is also a winter bush, which gets me excited to see how nice it gets over the summer and how much it is going to bloom:)

-Chris

[Charlie]

Nice photos, Chris, with excellent light effects. Several people are getting very creative with their photos -it's neat to see.

Charlie

[Charlie]

I thought you all might like to see photos from the greenhouse as of yesterday.

The first is one of the area where the 4 inch pots are grown - it shows one table with the 4 inch pots that will start shipping soon. Behind that table are shelves that are holding about 1200 plants grown from seed that will mostly bloom this coming summer.These are the ones that we hope will provide a few dozen new varieties worthy of propagation, meaning those that are improvements on older varieties or show new colors or bigger size or better form or bloom more or have other desirable traits. All 1200 will be moved to 2 gallon pots during March after which they will grow very rapidly and start flowering mid to late summer. 1100 will eventually be thrown away but out of the remaining 100 we surely will find some jewels!

Next are photos of 2 unusual varieties that have retained the juvenile leaf forms they showed when growing from seed. The first is African Princess and the second is Wine Spritzer. A third one named Pinot Noir (no photo) also has retained the multi-lobed leaves. It is still possible that these will change but by the time they reach this stage it is very rare for further changes to occur in the leaves. Usually we only see such leaves as the seedlings grow but by the time they reach first flower the leaves have become normal hibiscus type leaves. The 3 named here all bloomed last summer and have been propagated from cuttings and are now growing out in 6 inch pots and still have these leaves. It's a neat feature, I think, giving the hibiscus plants a different appearance.

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

Wow Charlie!

They really have a different look to them.  Do they both root easily from cuttings? 

African Princess seems to be a pretty unique variety in flower color and leaf shape!

 

[Charlie]

Yes, African Princess is very unusual in every way.

All 3 of these multi-lobed varieties are better than average rooters and growers in my conditions. It doesn't always happen that way. There was another one that I had hopes for but none of the cuttings rooted, to my surprise.

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

Thats good to know Charlie,

I bought one for my friend, so I might have to ask for a cutting later.  I just really like the foliage even if it doesnt bloom!  Do you have any bush pics of this one?  or is it all cut up now to make more?

I am also looking forward to those seedlings.  I hope to see some new blooms soon!

[Charlie]

Chris, you are asking about African Princess? If so, mature bush photos will have to wait for a couple of months since all older plants of it are indeed pruned back for cuttings, as you suggested. Not sure what you meant by "if it doesn't bloom" for surely it will bloom! My photo is of 6 inch potted plants that will ship in May when they are in bud and bloom. Oh, I get it, you mean even as a foliage plant it is interesting enough to grow for pleasure. Yes, that may well be. I will be disappointed if they revert back to normal leaves but I've never seen it happen this late in the production process.

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

Lol yes charlie   I was referring to it being a foliage plant.  If I didnt know that was a hibiscus I would think that it was a papaya plant!  The foliage is so interesting.  Do you ever see variegated seedlings like "Snow Queen?"