HousePlants Now

Kohleria ‘Manchu’ flowering…in water

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 01:09:50 +0000

Kohleria Manchu is in the same family as African violets, the Gesneriads. These plants produce brilliantly spotted flowers above fuzzy green foliage. While plants can get quite leggy and large, this miniature vase of ‘living’ Kohleria flowers has been blooming in this tiny vase(about 5″ high) for months! It can be placed and enjoyed anyone there is good light and takes up very little room. Here’s how we did it.

Kohleria 'Manchu' flowering in water

When our larger plant comes into bloom, we simply snipped off a few flowering stems with both buds and flowered. Placed in the vase with water, we found that the plants will root and keep blooming as if nothing has happened.

The stems will keep producing flowers over several months, with only the occasional few drops of liquid flowering plant fertilizer to keep them happy. And of course a bright spot by the window or under lights will keep the flowers coming.

Kohleria 'Manchu' close-up

Eventually, they will be done blooming and the water will get clogged up with little rhizomes snaking their way up to the surface. At this point its best to plant your cuttings in soil, to grow as a regular container house plant.

In another post, I’ll share some photos of the mother plant from which these cuttings were taken, and some tips on growing Kohlerias which are not as difficult to grow as they might look!

Sinningia Doll Baby

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 01:16:48 +0000

Sinningia Doll Baby, close-up

Sinningia Doll Baby is a delightful miniature Sinningia that will never need anything bigger than a 2.5″ pot to thrive. It produce several rounds of flowers with each blooming cycle, and often has two flowers open at the same time. The flowers are similar in shape and form to a miniature pusilla.

I find that these miniature Sinningias thrive in the warmer humid conditions of summer. They grow easily in a bright window with indirect light or under artifical lights. After flowering, the original growth dies down but newer growths are always developing and blooming as long as growing conditions are ideal. I grow it an an African violet mix, and keep it moist, but not wet, while actively growing.

Sinningia Doll Baby growing in a 1.5 inch tall bonsai pot!

This plant was planted in a miniature bonsai pot! The bottom two thirds of the pot were filled with perlite to facilitate drainage since these plants do not seem to grow very deep roots. You can see the penny near the base of the plant to give you an idea of the small size of the plant and pot.

Potinara Kat E-Sun ‘Caribbean’ lives up to its name

admin — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 17:23:31 +0000

Pot. Kat E-Sun 'Caribbean' (Sc. Beaufort 'Elmwood' AM/AOS 4N x Blc. Sunset Bay ' Miyamoto')

Pot. Kat E-Sun ‘Caribbean’ (Sc. Beaufort ‘Elmwood’ AM/AOS 4N x Blc. Sunset Bay ‘ Miyamoto’) is a stunning orchid as you can see. Its in the Cattleya alliance. The Beaufort parent is a classic and brings plant size downs considerably–this is obviously a happy marriage with the Blc. Sunset Bay.

I grow this plant in a sunny south facing window year ’round. It is blooming in 3.5″ pot and has several strong growths and leads so will need repotting soon. It took about a year to bloom although it matured at least one or two growths in this period.

Often I find that many orchids with cyclical growth patterns take a while to adjust to your growing environment, especially if quite different from the one they were growing in before purchase. However, once they’ve settled in, they should have a more regular blooming cycle. This hybrid apparently blooms several times a year–something to look forward too!

Brassavola David Sander

admin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 03:07:55 +0000

Brassavola David Sander 'Carney'

This is one of my favorite orchids. It is now known as a Rhyncovola but I prefer the more commonly used older name. I remember seeing a photo of it in one of the first beginner orchid books I bought and being immediately captivated by the flower. This orchid, in the cattleya alliance, has a large elegant, almost ghostly flower, with a striking fimbriated lip. The flower is white, but the back of the sepals have a dark pink pigment so when the light shines through them they can appear pinkish.

I purchased this division several years ago and it took about 3 years before it bloomed! Since then it has bloomed regularly putting out more flowers every year so it was well worth the wait.So if you have one, it may need to put on a good number of growths in order to bloom.

The plant blooms in the summer, and thrives in bright light and humidity. Learn more about how to grow Brassavola David Sanders.

Orchids shine at 2010 Chelsea Flower Show

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 03:00:56 +0000

Eric Young Orchid Foundation Exhibit, photo: BBC

The Eric Young Orchid Foundation was back at Chelsea this year winning a gold medal with a stunning display of Miltonia (pansy) orchids. Located on the isle of Jersey, the foundation is well known among orchid growing circles for their first-rate collection of award-winning Phragmipedium slipper orchids. Like most of the phragmipediums that the foundation grows, miltonias appreciate milder temperatures with cooler nights. Miltonias have been bred with their near relatives such as brassias and odontgolossums to produce hybrids which are widely available and easier to grow.

See photos of individual miltonias in display at Chelsea

Amazing Amaryllis Make Great Houseplants

admin — Sat, 08 May 2010 14:59:30 +0000

Amaryllis Picotee

Our Amaryllis bulbs are just reaching the end of the blooming cycle so I thought I would throw a few pictures up while they were still in flower. Amaryllis (correctly known as Hippeastrums) make great houseplants if you have full sun. Many amaryllis will typically bloom in spring in the Northern Hemisphere, give or take a month. The reason you see so many in flower around the December holidays is because those bulbs have been specially prepared to bloom then. In fact, most growers assume that you must let your amaryllis to go dormant in the fall months so that they will bloom when awakened. Most of the species in nature do not go dormant — they are from tropical or subtropical regions and while they might enjoy cooler winter spells they grow continuously. So, you do not need to let your Amaryllis go dormant by withholding watering in the fall, unless you’re trying to orchestrate the blooming for the holidays, which is a different matter. You can read more about Amaryllis dormancy here.

Amaryllis buds

To the contrary, amaryllis like to grow throughout the winter months, as ours do, in a bright sunny spot. Admittedly, they don’t grow that much during winter but most of the foliage is maintained and as soon as spring comes they have a head start on dormant bulbs. Once I started doing this, I found that my larger plants sometimes flowered more than once a year — in the spring and again in the fall! Typically, I get two to three spikes of blooms per bulb every year, and in some cases even more.

Link: Learn how to grow Amaryllis bulbs.

Gesneriads Galore in D.C.

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 02:38:18 +0000

The National Capital Area Chapter of The Gesneriad Society recently held its annual show at U.S. National Arboretum. The most popular gesneriads are, of course African violets, one of the most popular houseplants in the world, probably followed by the florist Gloxinia, and the Cape Primrose(Streptocarpus). But there are many more unusual and beautiful genera and this show is a great opportunity to see some of these. They range in size from plants more than one foot across to miniatures that can fit in the palm of your hand. Many of them make great houseplants, while others require special conditions to thrive. Here are a few photos from the 2010 show.

Sinningia Orange Zinger

Saintpaulia Pixie Redhead--one of the few African violets on display

Streptocarpus Roulette Cherry

Genseriad Society members were on hand to answer questions–the members are very friendly and happy to offer advice on how to grow these gems. Many gesneriads, such a the Cape Primrose and Kohlerias will even thrive in a bright window as houseplants, while others do very well in terrariums. There is also a sales table where you can pick up young plants, cuttings, and seed at very reasonable prices.

Chirita brassicoides 'Marble Leaf'

Sinningia 'Georgia Sunset'

Petrocosmea begoniifolia-grown for its perfect symmetry and richly textured leaves

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Kohleria Peridot's Rolo

For more information visit The National Capital Chapter of The Gesneriad Society. Meetings are held several time a year at the National Arboretum and new members are always welcome to learn how to grow gesneriads as house plants, trade plants and cuttings, and enjoy the gesneriad plants on display by members.

Bonsai camellia in bloom

admin — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:39:30 +0000

Bonsai Camellia

I popped into the bonsai collection at the United States National Arboretum for a few minutes. Many of the trees are still a sight to behold without leaves, displaying their armature of tree trunk(s) and exquisitely and painstakingly teased branches, upon which buds and leaves are beginning to sprout. One bonsai tree, however, was well along and at the peak of its beauty in the Chinese pavilion-a bonsai camellia!

Below is a close-up of the flower.

bonsai camellia flower

Orchids on the National Mall–USBG 2010 Show

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:14:06 +0000

” …go on a journey with the U.S. Botanic Garden as we explore the ways orchids have permeated the lives of people around the world. Discover orchids in arts, literature, exploration, jewelry, trade, and business. Travel the world within our Conservatory and discover how influential and magnificent orchids have been in our lives!” [from the USBG website]

Ever year, the U.S. Botanic Garden and the Smithsonian Institution Horticultural Services Division put on an great display of orchids, and this year is no exception. Many stunning specimens from the collections are on view, including ‘vintage’ orchid cultivars, some dating back to the turn of the last century. The show is free and runs through April 11 2010 at the US Botanic Gardens on the National Mall in Washington D.C.

Here are a few photos to whet your appetite!

orchid dragon

Dendrobium Merlin

Dendrbioum species

The dendrobiums pictured are mostly spring bloomers requiring a bright, cool and drier winter rest in order to produce their abundant blooms. Many beginner growers have a hard time withholding water for one to two months in order to stimulate flowering. Many of these types of dendrobiums are deciduous-they’ll drop their leaves which also prevents water loss during this ‘rest’ period. The cooler temperatures required during this rest period, about 50 F, also reduces plant growth and hence, water requirement. In fact, they will not produce any new leafy growth until warmer weather, after flowering. Remember also that ambient humidity also tends to be high enough to keep the plant pseudobulbs(long canes) from drying out

Dendrobium farmeri

Lc. Gold Digger 'Buttercup'

Oncidium Irene 'Mamau'

Cymbidium insigne

Jardin Botanico in Bogota

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:23:13 +0000

The Jardin Botanico is Bogota, Colombia, is an oasis in this city of 7 million. It has a tropical house, including one devoted to orchids which will be featured in a future post. Bogota is more than 7,000 feet above so it has a distinct flora of cooler growing plants. Since I just got back from Colombia, I thought I would throw up a few pictures to brighten up the late winter days!

pink passion flower

stunning red flower--perhaps a mimosa?

Flowering Vriesea bromeliad

Both bedding and exotic plants for sale

Beautiful palms are a highlight of the gardens