Congratulation! So, it is a bit less than 3 years. I bet if you start posting their pictures, they'd flower quicker! LOL.

I am still yet experienced a full year of taking care of my hippis. Two years or more for me to wait! Patience!

-GM

Clancy, that's great. We're all excited with you. (Especially since lots of us are still waiting for our seedlings to bloom.) Alana

Clancy -

That's great. I think I read somewhere the commercial growers/breeders discard any seedlings that do not bloom in 2 years but those seedlings are usually grown in a very tightly controlled environment. Three years sounds pretty good to me for a home environment.

Were you able to record the parents for each cross? If not, hopefully you have a good idea who they were.

Be sure to post pictures when they bloom.

Thanks
MikeP

Cheers, Clancy! Great excitement for you. Please share every moment with us!! So far I have only had 2 of different friends seedlings bloom for me, none of my own hand yet. You must be thrilled. Do you know what the parentage is of the seedlings or are they just random? I hope you keep us posted.

GM, you're a genius! I took a few photos last night, and then this morning discovered a tiny 'peep' in the first-up bud. Of course, I just had to take more photos then, just in case... lol

Alana, thank you - I reckon only gardeners can understand the excitement of a new flower or plant. It's amazing how many people only offer a blank stare.

Mike, I keep forgetting to include that I'm in Australia (Melbourne) so the seeds were planted in our hottest month, with plenty of time for good growing before things cooled off. I've found that perennials planted at around that time grow heaps better than even spring plantings, so I guess I was lucky!

And thank you, too, Cindi, these seeds were from a friend in Queensland, so I've yet to even harvest seeds I've pollinated (looking okay so far, though). B's sub-tropical garden has a mixture of named hippeastrums (Wedding Dance, Milady, Milennium Star, Miracle that I know of) and quite a few un-named, so it's a real lucky dip. Still exciting, though!

Hmm... I've been trying to upload a bud photo but can't quite seem to get the code and photobucket right - I'll have to work on that as I got it under control in the test forum.

Oh, that took a long time to work out! lol! (please let me know if I should make photos smaller).

This is the first of the bulbs heading to flower. Yay!

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Nice photo, and perfect size! It's generally the full page, un-sized photos that some people have trouble downloading with slower connections. They're the bane of dial-up users!

Welcome to the forum! 'Tis the beginning of Hippi Season, so you've come at the perfect time! Everyone is busy choosing new bulbs for the season, and the new photos should be showing up relatively soon!

I've got one bulb in bud at the moment... a generic white from a kit... but it'll be nice to have flowers at this time of year!

Congrats!! looking forward to seeing your flowers.
Welcome!!!

Jan

Way to go Clancy, lovely photo. You must be so proud! Keep the photos coming as it opens.

Very nice Clancy,looking forward to more photo's.
Susan

Congratulations, Clancy!!! That's so exciting!

Theresa

I have requested one of my frieds to bring Kliber and Procerum form Holland. I hope he finds them.

Flowers yet?
Tally HO!

We're getting closer...

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From the striping, I guess I can rule out Wedding Dance?

The second bulb to send up a scape is going a bit crazy with a big, fat bud, another one to keep an eye on. Oh, and some more excitement... I bought H. Reticulatum Striatifolium in June, which has been sulking and doing nothing since it arrived. But yesterday I noticed not only the tip of (what I presume is) a leaf but also an offset, so hopefully it's finally happy.

Thank you all for sharing my excitement! Sarmadseed, I've never heard of Kliber or Procernum, what are they like?

How did you treat your reticulatum? Mine sits rootless on my windowsill and won't get started.

I received a few Striatum bulbs last year, and they're just going nuts with the offsetting! What began as a couple of medium and small sized bulbs has multiplied into a pot full! There are now two large bulbs, and about 7 offsets in various sizes!

I've got them potted in an 8" clay pot, in a mixture of 2/3 gritty bonsai medium and 1/3 regular potting soil. They'll be re-potted into Al's Mix as soon as spring gets here again.

The pot is near the east window, but gets more light from the fixtures hanging above it. I turn the lights on in early morning, and they go off about 10pm... I adjust the timing seasonally, so they get more light in summer, and a little less during winter.

If your bulb is still sitting there, doing nothing, Carl, might I suggest that it's resting right now... and when it's ready, it will begin growing a new root system, and eventually put forth either leaves, or scapes. Be patient! :-)

It sounds like your bulbs are incredibly happy, jodik, how wonderful for you. May I ask what Al's Mix is please?

Betonklotz (Carl?), in all honesty, I've been treating mine with ignorance and haven't done anything different to my other bulbs. I think that its biggest problem was travelling about 2200 kilometres (1300-ish miles) south during our winter. So it went from daytime temps of around 30 to 12 C (86 to 53F) - it must have gone into a dormancy. In hindsight, I guess I should have kept it inside and nice and warm for a few months. Oh well, I'm glad it seems okay now.

Baby number two seems like it wants to open first now.

Here's jodiks post "More about mediums", that should explain everything.

Ok, mine sits on a layer of gravel over a layer of cocopeat (to store the moisture (I thought perhaps the root will grow in this direction ...)
I'll take your statements as an encouragement. Mine should have more stable conditions.
more than two thousand kilometers, whoo! I'm happy when I can get out of the car after some hundred km. I do have around 650km of Autobahn from where I study to my parent's. I just drove half the trip, my mother did the other part and I was quite happy about it ;)

I feel like an excited aunt in the waiting room waiting on the baby. I've got a couple of buds I'm anxiously watching, mainly to see what they are. I go out everyday and say bloom, bloom, bloom, but not until my day off.
Tally HO!

Thank you for adding the link, Carl... I'll add another link, here, to the original article that was really a turning point for me in plant container culture. It explains the how and why of soils, watering, and roots together in a container environment, and there are recipes included for mixing your own mediums.

I use a mixture of equal parts pine/fir bark particles, perlite, and granite chips. It works wonderfully in my indoor growing environment.

There are other ingredients that will work equally well... it all depends on the amount of water retention needed for your growing environment. Other possible ingredients are turface, vermiculite, pumice, lava rock pieces, hydroponic baked clay pieces, etc...

The idea is to build a durable, porous, inorganic medium that will not decompose quickly, will drain fast and well, and will maintain aeration... so, when watering, fresh oxygen will be forced through the medium to the roots, and gases from the roots will be forced out through the drain hole(s), along with any accumulated salts, etc.

The bottom line is... everyone has to choose the medium and the type of culture that works for them, in their individual growing environment. But it really helps to know what all the options are!

For my bulbs, it's more the seasonal light amount that signals their cycles, I think... the lengthening days in late winter/early spring brings scape growth and flowering... and the shortening days in autumn signal a time of rest, and my bulbs drop leaves and begin napping.

I don't think temperature has too much to do with it... they're grown indoors, and winter is heated while summer is cooled... there might be a few degrees difference between the seasons, but nothing drastic.

I can't wait to see those buds open into flowers! Please post pictures, Clancy! From what is already visible, they look like real beauties!

Here is a link that might be useful: Container Soils - Water Movement and Retention IX

Beachplant, I love your chant, especially the 'not until my day off' bit at the end!

And many thanks for Jodik's link betonklotz. That, and Al's thread, are excellent reading with excellent information. A few terms and brand names I had to do a search on, but it's all clear and well written. With my potting mix, I incorporate propagating mix, which I'm guessing adds a fair bit of grit.

Jodik, you're so right about working out what type of medium/culture works best for individuals, especially since this forum seems to have such a fantastic spread of members all over the world. But being aware of what others use and what those experiences and outcomes are, is something that you just can't find in a book. Thank you once again.

Baby Two is teasing me now. Looks like she has the same markings as Baby One.

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I like that veining visible on the outer, as yet folded, petals! They're going to be very pretty!

And you're so right... Al's easy to understand articles aren't like reading any book on the technicalities of container culture... at least, not like one I've ever read!

If you're interested, I think he's written and posted other articles covering other aspects of container gardening. They can be found at the Container Gardening Forum. I believe he's written about fertilizers, watering, etc...

I know I sound like I'm preaching sometimes, but all I really want is for everyone to have a good growing experience, and I know that can't be found in the lame instructions on the back of the bulb kit! Nor can it be found in the disk of coir or the pot with no drainage!

And with that in mind, I'm happy I can spread educational information that really helps!

Just a little more time... and those buds should be open!

It does help to read what everyone else does. I grow my bulbs outside, they spend a very short time in pots, usually just while blooming so mediums aren't as important for me as they are for Jodik. But my sister is getting interested, she's in Delaware and J's mix would be perfect for her. And things I do grow in pots need a mix that won't dry out too fast during our long hot summers but will drain fast enough during our long heavy rainfalls, over 3" yesterday. Can't contain too much perlite or other light materials as it will all float out of the pots and the plants end up sitting in a pot with no soil.

Plus it's so cool to see all the pictures of everyones flowers and gardens. I love your rosemary in the background. We've replanted some in the beds. It turns out not to be salt tolerant, LOL.

Tally HO!

I recently read about a rose that can grow in seashore conditions... so I would think a sandy soil and a bit of salt wouldn't bother it... I wish I knew what the name of it was. If I run across it again, I'll post the name.

Tally, granite chips might be a good addition for your container medium... it's heavy, and it will help with aeration and porosity. I doubt it would float away!

I, too, enjoy seeing what and how everyone else grows... it really does help to see other options, and to learn why those options work as they do.

Well... the white flowered bulb I bought is not white, at all... it appears that the bloom will be an Apple Blossom. The bud is definitely pinkish!

First of all, I am new to the new GW and came for the Hippies (as my circle calls 'em) and folks interested in hybridizing them. Looks like I am off to a good start!

Clancy, I feel your excitement! I bloomed my first (and so far only) seedlings (to be big enough) in 2005 and every year since the excitement builds as there were ones that hadn't maidened yet. This is the best "high" one can get, seeing their own creation bloom for the first time - ranks right up there with the birth of a child!

I am loving the veining on the petal reverse! Do you know who the parents are for this cross (assuming it is from a cross as most are not self fertile and species are less likely to produce self fertilized pods w/viable seeds,) I see H. papilio as a possibility for parentage, directly or in the lineage and several others with the venation.

I will stick my neck out and say you should see open blooms by Monday and fully open by Tuesday. Could be sooner depending on your zone which I am sure is warmer than mine - can tell by the Rosemary in the background of your last image!

Congrats!

Rebecca

Jodi, the rose you are thinking of is Rosa Rugosa. I can never remember the name when I try to think of it, so nice I could remember it when you wanted to know. Maybe we should just ask each other when we hit a naming road block?

You could be right with Monday, Rebecca, though the weather's just cooled off after a bit of a heatwave with the best rain we've had for months. Nothing like your 3", though, beachplant. Wow!

The rosemary does particularly well in our clay soil with no/little extra watering, so I have quite a few spread around. I think of it as a 'happy plant', as it's most often got a nice saturation to the colours of its leaves, and bees and other insects find it totally irresistible when it's in flower. And they feel and smell great. There is an Australian rosemary (Westringia fruticosa) that is said to be salt-tolerant, but it's certainly not a culinary herb.

Hopefully it won't be long now, especially after the lovely soak it's had!

Thanks, Lizalily! That's one name I should have known! I could have sworn there was another, too... I'll have to look it up in my rose books... some of the more obscure old fashioned names, I just can't recall.

Welcome, rebecca47... you've certainly come to the right place! We're all about Hippis!

I want one from the lady whose roses were underwater in New Orleans for a month. I think the Antique Rose emporium has them. But I can't remember the name of it either. Old age has caught me. Nah, my memory has always been spotty. Granite chips might work, didn't think of those. Duchesse de Brabant survived Ike and does wonderful here. She's blooming now as a matter of fact. One died but the other was blooming when we returned. Mom lost all of her roses, all antiques and J&P's.

Rosemary does fine here, it just didn't do well being under salt water. And since that's the first time in 108 years that my neighborhood flooded I'm hoping it's another 108 years!
Tally HO!

Now this is a surprise! Sorry about the missing petal tip - a little accident with an ornamental metal fish nearby.

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The red/watermelon colour on my screen is perhaps a little more saturated than in 'the petal', but it also seems to change with different light as well. Baby One's getting close to opening now.

And beachplant, I'm so sorry, I didn't realise that you meant under salt water. I'll cross fingers with you that there's not another flood like that.

Clancy you must be so proud!!! I can only hope my seedling look half as good as yours!!! Congrats! Donna

Clancy that is stunning, even with the missing limb, how heartbreaking that must have been!! The coloration is delicious and the petal shape very interesting!! Congrats to you!! Does it have more blooms coming up? Will be interesting to see if they are all the same.

Clancy, great bloom - congrats! How exciting. (Don't ya just hate it when those ornamental garden things get hungry?) Alana

Beautiful! Lovely coloring!

You gotta watch out for those metal fish... they do get hungry! ;-)

Thank you all for sharing with my excitement. And I can't blame the metal fish as it was all my fault! lol!

I'm finding this incredibly interesting. Obviously something's crossed in my mate's garden and it looks like there'll be three different flowers from the three bulbs I ended up with from that lot. I must search this forum for more info on cross pollinating.

Baby One's first bud opened with seven petals - she looked like a startled rabbit to begin with  but the second has six. The flowers seem very different to Baby Two, the size is much smaller overall, the petals are much narrower and they seem to flex back a lot. I really like the almost white stripes she has radiating from the green throat.

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Baby Three definitely looks as though she'll have a lot of white/cream in her design. This is so much fun!

Oh, I love them ... really nice colour and great shape of petals. Are they all from one cross? And you have no idea which cross it might have been? Either way, they do look stunning, congratulations!

Oh I love this one! The back curling of the flower tips is so dainty. Nice mix, whatever it is, Clancy-keep the photos coming!

Clancy, that is nice! Thanks for posting the pictures for this bloom - we were all eager to see them and are also anxiously awaiting the next. Alana

Beautiful! Lovely coloration, and lovely curling of the petals!

These are lovely crosses! They can grace my garden anytime! Hope my own crosses come out as well but another year or more until I could have blooms from them.

Clancy, those are beautiful! I really like the flower in the last photo. Wow- you should be proud!
Sally

Thank you all, I'm rapt. I think your kind comments have gone to Baby One's petals, they're curling even more lol!

Baby Three has arrived with a huge bloom, and she's so very different.

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And posing near Baby One:

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This is just fascinating! Before my friend sent down the seed, I do remember admiring his Millenium Star and a big, bold red un-named bloom, though the seeds could also have been from others that he had at the time. Sadly, I'll never know.

These three are just like the Three Bears in plant size, with Baby Two being the Papa Bear... I'm also amazed at the number of bulblets each is producing - six on each now. Nature's just wonderful!

I guess I should think about pollinating these now? I've got pollen saved from Papilio and what I think is johnsonii - I'm not sure they'd take, and recent rain storms have washed away a lot of other pollens. Not harm in trying, of course.

I love Baby three, the petal shape is perfect and the lining is so sharp and clear, wonderful!

I, too, love Baby 3! What a lovely white, with perfect striping and a wonderful green eye! It's positively gorgeous!

Beautiful!!! baby #3 is also my favorite.

Jan

Baby # 3 is a winner!! They're all beautiful though!

Thank you BK, Jodik, Jan and dondeldux! I'm so pleased with these results. And now I can't wait to see other people's first bloomings. Especially with known crosses - that's going to be excitement, yet again.