Kohleria "Designer's Fly Fishing"

bright orange tube, no pollen
yellow petal with red dots, orange touched on upper petal
long peduncle carries nodding bloom ±2.5cm in diameter
that also presents somewhat arched and downwards
records of 2 buds per leaf axil
able to bloom simultaneously per different layers of axil
silver veining on dark green, ovum-like foliage
12 inches height in a 4 inches pot
upright, a compact to medium cultivar

Outstanding Sinningia

Mr. H.C.Y. is well reputed of his own hybrids of miniature Sinningia and Kohleria. Although he doesn't announce new works recently but his old hybrids between miniature Sinningia and speciosa type Sinningia are still icon plants for Gesneriad collectors.

HCY's Blue Sea

HCY's Persephone

HCY's Apple Freckle

some violets in bloom

just in season :-)

The past violets

Several years ago, I collected many violets. Personally I think the violets are perfect house plants that combining the nice foliage and flowers. I still grow violets but much less than before as I don't have time to take care of them. :-)

Harunoyume

Sockeye

Ness' Blue Confetii SP

Marina

Nortex's Snowkist Haven

Kohlerias planted in sphagnum moss

Since last Novemeber, I discontinued using peat moss that I used as the main medium for Kohlerias over years and had all my Kohlerias newly planted in sphagnum moss as I thought it should be the alternative medium for growing my Kohlerias. The other concern is the peat moss is acidic and usually when the temperature gets higher, I need to water the Kohlerias often to keep the moisture, but the acidic and wet medium can easily damage the growth and development of Kohleria rhizomes, so that sometimes I was not able to harvest the rhizomes and easily lost certain varieties.

The only problem I meet so far is the sphagnum moss itself doesn't contain enough fertilizers. Beside the solid fertilizers, I must give the liquid fertilizers to Kohlerias more often in order to speed up the growth and let them bloom in cool to warm Spring of Taiwan which means the period from March to May.

The growing status seems ok until now, so I can look forward to the bloom season in the new environment. :)

Primulina pteropoda (翅柄報春苣苔)

Below photos and article coutesy of Mr. Campbell, thanks for his sharing.

I got this mysterious Primulina plant from local researchers in Hainan in 2009, but I soonly found the foliage and the flower are different from what the researchers have told me that it was Primulina heterotricha (syn. Chirita heterotricha 煙葉報春苣苔). Earlier than 2009, the Primulina pteropoda was only known as a cultivar and the known type specimen was a cultivated plant in GuangZhou, China, and it possibly was introduced from GuangXi .... according to the Flora of China as no confirmation of its nature habitate yet.

Such supposition was identified as incorrect information until Primulina pteropoda (翅柄報春苣苔) was collected in Hainan Island, China in 2009. Then I read some data about Primulina of 2010 mentioned that Primulina pteropoda may be endemic to Hainan Island and my plant was collected at the central mountains of Hainan, so that my plant can be Primulina pteropoda with no doubt.

So far the wild population of P. pteropoda is considerable in its nature habitate. When no bloom is available, it is often mistaken as P. heterotricha or P. floribunda because somewhat similar to the foliage. Primulina pteropoda is magnificent plant with lime-yellow flowers during autumn to winter.

Sinn. Stone's Mario

One of the newest Stone's mini Sinn. seedlings, named "Stone's Mario", presence of the dense, mixed velvet purple dots and lines ... so that Mario goes chic. :-)