Kohleria seedlings

I presume I have to bury some of them into the ground and then estimate if they are qualified to be a perennial weed like I did for those seedlings that did not perform well in a pot. :-)  Eventually I will know what is the appropriate application in terms of their gardening characters. It's important to find a definition on a new plant.

This is really a successful weed that grows and blooms every year by itself. It proves that it's a decent perennial plant for flowerbed. I will say this is its definition as a gardening plant. To understand our plants first then we just know how to use it to meet our requirements.

Aeschynanthus in Doi Inthanon

I went to Northern Thailand in February and visited Doi Inthanon (in Thai "ดอยอินทนนท์") which is the highest mountain of Thailand. The weather was gorgeous because it was the dry season and the sky was clear and blue like the sapphire in the mountain. And because it's dry season, it's not a right time to visit Doi Inthanon if you are looking for Gesneriads. I only saw a species of Aeschynanthus in the mossy forest. This is one of most popular national parks in Thailand and it is full of biologic treasures.

Kohleria "Designer's Formosa Taiwan"

花臉苣苔 ~ 設計師的美麗台灣

orange-red tube, no pollen

red dots on white to hot-pink petals
records of 1 flower per leaf axil
corolla sticks tightly on calyx, long lasting
diameter of flower is 2.5-3 cm across

grey green foliage with slightly black veining

a miniature grower comparing to other Kohleria
qualified for group planting display

upright, up to 3 inches height in 7" shallow pot

So far, this is the smallest Kohleria hybrid that I got from my seedlings over years. The variety name "Designer's Formosa Taiwan" is named after my beloved mother island "Taiwan" or so-called "Formosa" (it means beautiful) when Portuguese sailors saw and called my island for the first time in 16th century because of the beautiful landscape.

The plant in the photo started from rhizomes about 6 months ago. Due to the influence of diverse weather in spring in Taipei, Taiwan, the flower size/shape/color are not conformable as you can see from the photos. I believe it will perform well under stable weather conditions.

  

you must have ~ Sinningia sellovii

If I will recommend a Sinningia species to beginners, I will definitely say it's Sinn. sellovii. It is a very strong plant and you can see the flowers all year round based on good care. The only problem is that it grows pretty fast and easily becomes a huge monster. My solution is to grow it like a hanging plant, so that it happily enjoys the airspace that other plants usually don't require. Sinningia sellovii also plays as a leading role in hybridization and the offspring is usually strong and easy-growing.

Sinn. "Stone's Joana"

A delicate but easy-growing hybrid selection from the cross of miniature Sinn. and Sinn. tubiflora. The interesting thing is this one usually gets 6 petals. The color of "Stone's Joana" properly represents the mild and fresh spring in Taipei.

Primulina balansae

I got this from a friend about 3 years ago, not hard to grow but it does take me a long time to see the flowers until now. The foliage is not bulky, it's a small species for those who don't have enough space for bulky Primulinas. :-)

Winner takes all

This Kohleria is the winner from the seasonal growth competition, it's the most strong variety and passed all challenges although it is not the prettiest. But pretty or not is not important eventually because no others are there for comparison ... all have been beaten down.  XD

Primulina "Mineko"

Large/lavender flower of Primulina Mineko is always an eye-catcher. This plant is the messenger of spring as usual although the temperature of Taipei raised up to 33.4 degrees Celsius today.  XD