Darren and Len, you guys have made believers out of me! Flickering Flame has been rare because I stopped propagating very many of it. Why? Well, it takes the 6 inch pots a long time to bud up and I was afraid it might not bloom enough to satisfy people. Your photos show that not only does it bloom, it blooms extremely well once it gets some size and age. The bush is lovely with the glossy leaves and the flowers as colorful and fancy as they come. Thanks for sharing your plants and photos, it makes a difference to what we will offer in the future.
Charlie
It takes a long time to bud up, it is definitely one that needs 2-3 years to really get going. I've noticed this with many HVH CVs, my 4 inch plants from last year are just starting to get going. There was also a problem with my 6 inch Princess K, it still wasn't ready by September and I ordered it in Jan, I ended up cancelling it because I figured it was not a good CV if it had so many problems. Is that also one that takes much longer to bud up or is it just a problematic one? Going back to Flickering Flame, it is one that I really regret giving up, I will likely have to remedy this in the future.
Kristen, in my experience with Flickering Flame is never fluted (like Bon Temps) or Reflexed (Space Oddity) It opens normally, and is a CV that catches my eye in that it is very ruffly and fancy. The tufts and ruffles I suppose could make the bloom not appear fully opened, but I promise you they open just like any CV. If you look at that one bloom you are talking about being fully opened, it has less tufts and ruffles than a normal bloom does, giving it a different look. Normally they look like all of Darrens other pictures he has posted of this CV, it is probably one of my favorite CVs in the bright and bold category.
