You asked for it...

It clearly suffers from erectile dysfunction. What did you do to it, Frank? Hang a christmas decoration on the tip? Sheesh. Those are suppose to go on that naked tree in the background.

BTW-- is that a real tree? As in a tree that took like 10 years to grow in all its beauty, cut down in the prime of youth? A fine specimen of CO2 collection? I'm just wondering. I'm not here to judge.

Ryan

Just ignore Ryan... he's cranky from lack of sustenance! Gosh, Ryan... I hope you get to eat to something soon! LOL! :-)

Frank, don't waste your money on Viagra... Sweet Lilian will open shortly without any help, and you'll be amazed at her beauty! Of all that I got last year, she was one of my favorites!

I might think about gently trying to stake her or give some support to that scape... the open blooms might add too much weight and she could tumble out of her pot, or break the scape.

Heehee! This is my favorite thread so far. Ryan's saving the world, Frank is showing me up by having the most gorgeous tree and Jodi is discouraging Viagra.....I LOVE IT. Frank, I love that Sweet Lillian.

What I'm wondering is... who's gonna save Ryan?!! We haven't put up a tree since the kids have been gone... and I think the meds for ED are too dangerous, even for bulbs!

Sweet Lilian is beyond gorgeous... wait until she opens!

lol I hope whatever Ryan had going on today went well. He's cranky when he doesn't eat ;-) You should go ahead and put a tree up, Jodi :-) Decorating is so much fun. Ours is in royal blue and silver this year. I'm the evil mommy who screams "DON'T TOUCH IT!" whenever anyone is within two feet of it.

Ryan...Ryan, Ryan, Ryan...a dirty mind is a terrible thing to waste! LOL! I guess my tree would be all of those things you described in great detail. Hope I haven't disappointed anyone for having it.

Jodi- too funny! I am not a medication type person anyway, so no risk of Viagra shopping any time soon! HAHA! I am very excited to see the blooms, but for right now this thing just looks like an evil snake! The way the scape is shaped and the 2 blooms pullin out looks like an open mouth of the snake to me....overactive imagination? Maybe! I have been trying to encourage it with sunlight to 'toe the line a little' better (haha Ryan, try to tease about that one!) and it has made a little progress but not much! Luckily, it is very firm and I planted it a little bit deeper than I normally do to make sure it won't tip! I also agree with Larissa, you should get a tree! It just makes ya feel good to look at it I think!

Larissa- You are SO funny! Thank you for the compliment on my tree. I really love it and it smells SO darn good! I hope Ryan's procedure went well also (not making any wise cracks till we know for sure!). I love the smells of the season especially the greens. I bet your tree is "da bomb"! Oh goodness, don't be evil mommy with the tree...it wouldn't be Christmas if something didn't get broken!!! I can still remember when I was like 3 or 4 and I tried to plug in an antique lamp that was my great great grandmothers...only it was unplugged for a reason because it wouldn't reach where is was sitting on display. I pulled it off the table and it shattered onto the floor. This part, I do not remember. What I do remember is my poor mother on her knees with her hands cupping her face crying the loudest and hardest I had ever heard anyone cry...THAT part I DO remember and I was a little bity fella! Moral of the story - don't eat grasshoppers and put away from little ones anything that CAN NOT ever be replaced!!!

Happy Holidays ya'll!

-Frank

And, just where do you guys think I'll put this tree if I get one?! Notice how cramped my jungle is? Well, that's because we inhabit a one room, second floor apartment that has a small bathroom and a kitchenette!

Within this small space, we have a queen sized bed, a loveseat, 2 dog crates, 2 desks with computers, unpacked boxes of clothing and other household goods, tools, more computers and parts, my rocking chair, and more boxes of stuff... books, videos, craft supplies, more clothing... there are no closets to hang clothing in, and I can't even fit my dressers up here!

There's barely enough room for two people and two dogs... and since we don't celebrate Christmas here, it's pointless to put up a tree. Besides, Huck would just pee on it, anyway!

When the kids were little, we always put up a tree... even when we were extremely brokeass... we always found a tree to put up and decorate, with paper stars, candy canes from the dollar store, cheerios and popcorn strung on whatever we had, and little bows made with cheap ribbon.

Now, we go to my son's house to celebrate... they have a nice tree!

Jodi- I have a very small place too, but I love it here. Space downtown is at such a premium, I am fortunate to be able to live within walking distance of so much. That said, it doesn't leave much room for the 'stuff' I somehow keep collecting...LOL! I have a studio with an attached kitchen and small dressing area/closet leading to a pre-war black and white deco tiled bathroom. The building was built in 1939 so lots of character and original hardwood floors. Less to clean and you never have to worry about getting asked to host guests! Luckily, I have 2 pretty nice sized closets with high ceilings to stack junk up top. It does make shopping easier because I can always say..."thats nice, but I don't have room for it" and keep moving...except with plants. It doesn't work with them for some reason...oh not some reason - CHAD is the reason! HAHA!

I had the first tree of my very own last year and I made most of my own ornaments. It was a table top tree, but not one of those little fat ones....it looked just like a minature version of a full sized tree. I had mostly pine cones of various sizes that I collected either at my folks' farm or anywhere I saw them. I really want some gigantic ones for this year since my tree is double or maybe triple the size, but haven't gone down to Southern Pines to scout out any yet. I have a 5-6 foot tree that fit nicely across the front and back seat of my car...the sales girl said "I don't know" and I said...I'll make it work if I have to let the window down...lol!

I bet that tree was the bomb and I'm sure the kids loved it. The tree decorated as a family or with things that are from the heart is so much nicer I think! If the dog is just going to pee on it, maybe not such a good idea...haha! Enjoy your son's tree without the stinch of pp! LOL!

-Frank

For some reason, the space thing doesn't work for plants, because I keep collecting and collecting... but most other items just don't seem to fit. See how strong of an addiction bulbs can be?!

Your little apartment sounds very nice, and very conveniently located! We're out in the middle of BFE! On the up side, it's quiet!

This is an older farmhouse that was completely gutted and rebuilt by the owner... the upstairs is more guest quarters than apartment, but it's cozy, I suppose. It has it's own heating unit, AC, satellite tv and internet, and plenty of light for one large room. Everything is done in very masculine wood paneling, pine floors, cathedral ceilings... two large ceiling fans keep air circulated. It's actually rather nice, just a tad bit cramped. It would be even nicer, and a bit less cramped, if my husband weren't a pack rat with computer and electronic equipment! I suppose you could say the same thing about my plants, though...

I think some of the nicer Christmases we've had as a family were the leaner ones... money is nice, but it can't buy happiness! One year, Larry's ex thought she'd pull a fast one and took the kids for both Christmas Eve and Day... which actually worked out in our favor as we were able to shop the after Christmas sales, and we got twice as much for the kids for the same money! Boy, were they surprised to come home and find that "Santa" had been extra good to them! :-)

In truth, my dog would never pee on anything inside the house... he knows better... but it makes for a funny visual! It just isn't Christmas without the kids and grandkids, so we go there and enjoy their tree with them!

You guys are making me laugh! First though...if Ryan had a "procedure" I hope he's ok. Don't let them touch your funny bone Ryan!!

Larissa, I can see you as the evil CUTE Mommy...."KEMPER NOOOOO!!!!" Your tree sounds pretty. I will not be home over the holidays but I love a tree. I have an artifical one (yes Ryan, 1 point for me) that I decorate with mostly home made ornaments.

Frank, I've had the same problem with some of my blooms, it's like the bud "skin" is so tight (NO RYAN NO) that it holds the blooms in. The same thing happened with my Evergreen and I had to do a little "procedure" of my own (does that make my bulbs Jewish...he he you know what I mean). We held a bulb Briss (sp?) and now the blooms is free.

Jodi- I had to forgo trees for a couple of years because of puppies in the house. I just didn't want to risk and eaten ornament or fallen tree. Ended up getting a 3' tree to put on the table, so that's an option for you. It sure cheers up the room.

My sickly Gurney bulbs are blooming, but the blooms are so heavy they face downward. Zombie just opened this morning. White Christmas opened and few days ago and blooms 2 and 3 are shriveling up (not impressed). Once I heard that Little Devil was prone to pinching, he got a "procedure" too and now looks "fab".

Everyone have a great day!
K

Frank, It kind of looks like a trumpeting swan to me. Got chased by a swan in Stockholm when I was a flight attendant, so they're not so sweet! LOL

Kristi, an amaryllis Briss, that's something that will take awhile to get out of my mind! Thanks for the laugh.

Larissa, I almost envy you having a young child around for Christmas. Your tree sounds lovely, in one of my past careers I was a display person for a major department store in NYC and worked for 6 years decorating year round. I wound up hating decorating for christmas because it meant it all had to come down the week after.

Jodi, Viagra!!!!! LOL, that's a scary thought to a guy my age! But, I gotta tell ya, we're giving it to men and women at the hospital for off label reasons. I'm learning so much these days my brain hurts!

Kristi, A Procedure...Kind of like getting fixed?? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

We've got two artificial trees boxed in the basement, one tall narrow, the other tall wide. Haven't put them up in years, maybe this year after finals next week. Haven't felt the "spirit" for a number of years. I guess it may have to do with not having the nieces and nephews close by anymore. Gonna take a break today and head to a local nursery, spend a few minutes in their propogation greenhouses just to smell the warm humid earth. I haven't bought one bulb this year. Of course got two in trade which are happily rooting away with no sign of scape, looking forward to spring!

Frank, thanks for starting this threadl. It's a beautiful tree, and you've put smiles on many faces.
Chaz

That's another reason we don't put up a tree... Christmas is for children, and since ours live so far away... well, it's hard to get in that Christmas spirit without the kids here.

You know, Kristi, I probably should have circumcised (ouch!) that first Evergreen bud... I might have been able to salvage it! Oh well... hindsight, and all that... now I know, and can make an incision next time a bud appears trapped.

Chaz... my son, Chuck, got chased by a turkey when he was little, and it scared the heck out of him! To this day, he still has a slight fear of them when they're not in a roaster! He's 22! I suspect both boys were chasing the birds, and the tom turkey got a little agitated!

Since I really have no space to set up a Christmas tree, maybe we could start a thread here showing everyone's beautifully decorated trees... just a thought in the spirit of the season!

I envy you today, Chaz... I'd dearly love to inhale that earthy scent that can only be found in large greenhouses filled with plants! Take an extra hit for me, will ya?! :-)

The best I could do is post a photo of my grandfather clock with the swag draped over it...gold bows and some ceramic photo ornaments (1 for each dog).

Don't let Ryan name the thread....he'll be posting something naughty, since some people decorate a smaller evergreen for the holidays, not technically a tree, better than a shrub!! Ryan would blurt out (and not in a political way, "SHOW US YOUR HOLIDAY B_SH!"...not Bash, Besh, Bish, or Bosh!!! :-) Ryan makes me laugh and blaming him for naughtiness makes me laugh even more!

We need to coin a new term...."budbriss"!

I'm bored at work...yea...!
K

Good morning! Thanks for all the compliments about me being "funny." That makes me smile through my sniffles :-)

Jodi, have you ever thought of putting tinsel on your "jungle?" Just a thought!

Chaz, I hear ya on not liking to decorate something only to have it be taken right down almost immediately. I put my stuff out on Thanksgiving Day and take it all down on New Years Day.

Kristi, on me being the "cute" evil mommy...yeah probably. lol If "cute" means they aren't afraid of me then YEAH! lol I let out a peal of "no no no no nos" and Kemp turns around looks at me like "how dare you say no to me" and grabs the tree. Can't punish a baby so he has free reign of the house for the next couple of years. Ugh. My poor house.

Ryan, my tree is artificial but my door wreath ISN'T. Put that one in your back pocket.

Frank, your story was so cute. Your poor mom:-( lol I sympathize. I have my "pretties" out all over my house. I must be brain dead but I do. I'm just asking for it. I know I am. I've been pretty spoiled. Our 7yr old daughter was always so sweet and gentle and never really did anything destructive. We've been lucky! Now, the baby......he's all boy. Yikes. He's birth control. Love him, but WOW.

I shake at the thought of toddlers in the house!!!! LOL, with all our years of travel, having been a flight attendant and Chase just traveling for work and fun we have a lot of crap around! LOL, I used to call them knick-knacks or tchotchies at this point they're dust traps but we just can't get rid of them. After our move here 4 years ago a lot of stuff was left packed. Eventually I'll get rid of it, you'll see it on E-bay or you'll all wind up with packages on your doorsteps with no return addy.
I love kids, really, but we're just not a kid/pet friendly home. I panic when the neighbors visit, or my cousins stop by in the summer and the kids are in the garden. Nothing like the feeling seeing a 3 year old come at you with a beautiful flower you've worked at getting to bloom for a couple of years in her daintly little hand...roots and all, you know the kind of plant I write of. A plant that we'd need a backhoe to remove and the tiny little hand manages to get every root out of the ground!!!! LOL, kinda stuns ya in the moment.

Call me nuts, but we never put anything out of reach or childproofed the house... we simply disciplined as needed! The only thing we ever did was clear off the coffee tables because a bulldog's tail is right about at that height!

Training dogs has certain similarities to teaching children... they're all different, all learn at a slightly different rate and level... the only difference is that kids grow up and talk back, while dogs can be "kids" for a long time, sans any actual words spoken! They both do the same things when you're not looking, and they both challenge your authority at times! Also your patience!

Gotta love 'em all, though!

As a Gramma, I get to exact my revenge! Nice large doses of sugar, and then it's back to Mom and Dad they go! LOL! And I get to say things like, "Hey, remember when you guys were little?" Hahahaha!

Chaz, we're a lot alike. Other people's kids drive me nuts. lol No one thought I would have the patience for kids:-) I have only enough for my kids. Barely. hahahahaha Hubby and I don't take our kids out to eat with us. We wouldn't do that to other people!

Jodi, we haven't done a lot of child-proofing. I just move things to a higher level off the floor as the baby gets more mobile. I find that they really learn a lot by "doing." Just yesterday, Kemp learned not to play with the kitchen drawers.

He used all of his might to open one and when he did, it slammed him right in the face. He had a big line on his forehead from the blow, but I was too busy rolling on the floor laughing to be of assistance. Such a bad mother. lol

Our daughter is a flower picker. It drives me nuts but I never say anything. I just designate beds that she can have free reign on. She'll grow out of that stage probably right when Kemp becomes a true destroyer. Greenhouse is going to be off limits for the little man.

Kids are so much more resilient than most parents realize... the reason most kids cry when something happens, barring real injury, is because the parents freak out and scream! If you laugh, they laugh, too... or at the least, they don't start bawling loudly!

Kids are fun... and not just to watch or play with... kids are great to mess with! LOL! We messed with our kids minds all the time, playing jokes on them, and stuff! It was a riot when the kids were young! We had such a blast! And now, I'm watching my kids mess with my grandkids! It's hilarious! Kids are such easy targets!

Don't I sound mean?! Nah! It was all in good fun... none of them are scarred for life, or anything! LOL!

Try this one, it is made especially for plants, green instead of blue, but the effect is the same. Dosage: take once with a cup of water as the stem emerges from the bulb. If the stem is already out, take once daily with half a glass of water until the stem straithen up. Physician's warning: the owner of the plant should not try it on himself!
{{gwi:439523}}De Divers

Laurier

That's how I was raised, Jodi! When we fell down my parents would laugh and clap and tease. It taught us to lighten up and...well....toughen up! I can't help but giggle when my kids get boo boos. It's usually from doing something hilarious. Mild teasing and fun can go a long way for kids in my opinion. I think it taught me to laugh at myself which is so great for your confidence down the road:-)

Laurier.....the viagrow is SO funny. I'm going to copy paste and email that to my husband. He'll die laughing.

Ya'll are CRACKING me up! From Kristi's "procedures" to "Viagrow"...LOL! Too funny, Laurier!

Ryan must have not seen this thread or he would be having a field day (right, Kristi?) LOL!

Jodi and Larissa- I love hearing your experiences. My children are very well behaved...for the most part. Mostly because they are just plants...LOL!

Chaz- Hope you were able to get away from that swan...bet that is something you laugh about now, but probably wasn't so cute at the time! Glad to hear you like my tree...Kristi gets a point for having artificial, so I guess my score is negative? hehe! Oh well, I wish I could bottle this scent!

Sweet Lilian is getting a little sweeter! Here she is today:

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I see potentially 6 blooms...this would be a record for me from one scape! Fingers crossed!!

-Frank

Frank, she's already a beauty, and she's not fully open! Just wait until all the buds open! As I said, it was one of my favorites! Very prolific bloomer... although, all my attempts at pollinating failed. I'll catch it next bloom cycle. Sweet Lilian also proved to be very photogenic! I took the most photos of this particular variety.

Viagrow... hahaha! So, what happens if the stem is erect for more than 4 hours? Should you consult a horticulturist? LOL!

Larissa, in today's world, you sort of have to help your kids develop a thick skin so they're ready for whatever life throws at them. We're the type of parents that never shielded our kids from the uglier side of life... we were always very open, encouraging them to question the world around them, and to discuss things they weren't sure about. Life is tough... kids need to develop good coping skills! One of our favorite lines was, and still is: Life is full of choices... for every choice there is a consequence... think hard before making your choices!

When our kids were teens, our house was the favorite hangout... there were always other kids at our house. They would all come over after school and hang out, play video games, listen to music... my fridge got a ton of mileage! I think we fed the neighborhood! You should hear some of the stories from parties at our house! Our motto was: Don't fall asleep before we do! Oh, the jokes we played on people! Ahh... great memories! Hilarious memories!

We never had a lot of money, but we did have a lot of fun! Our kids have some awesome memories to take with them through life... that much is certain!

Frank!

Sweet Lilian is a beauty isn't she? So delicate and tiny...

My very first scape appears to also have 5 blooms. I don't have a lot of other blooms right now and being the beginning of the season, they are all new but not necessarily new to me.

After seeing the bloom in person, I suspect that it is diploid with perhaps some cybister parentage. I plan to save some pollen for when my older ones bloom, but that will be in March/April.

Right now, I have Santa Cruz, Jungle Bells, Little Angel and Piccolo in bloom as well as one other Tet double. I have many others forming blooms, but none other to experiment with.

So, my plans are to use Sweet Lilian pollen on Little Angel, Santa Cruz and Piccolo. I will save some pollen for tets and diploids which is a better trial for determmining ploidy.

The blooms on the first scape of Sweet Lilian will be pollinated with Piccolo, Little Angel, Santa Cruz and what turned out to be 'NOT' Grandeur (definitely diploid - cybister). I should probably try Jungle Bells which has some pollen,but I haven't decided yet.

Sweet Lilian thrills me! I would love to cross it with Misty and a few others, but those won't be in bloom for awhile. I do wish to know whether it is diploid or tetraploid. If possible, I will determine that.

Ooooooooooooooooh! It is so much fun to see blooms again!

Jodi- The more she shows off, the more I like her. I remember now why I wanted this one...I saw a photo of salpal's here that had 4 scapes and I knew I had to have one! So she won't make any seeds huh? I wondered because the accepter (I don't know what you call it) didn't open like the others and one of the blooms is starting to fade...awww! If I used the pollen from her to something else, wonder if it would have to be a small one too or could I try it with a large one? It is fascinating!

Elizabeth- Thank you. She is a beauty! I am so proud of this kid! I don't have a clue anything about ploidy or doidy, but I am trying not to learn too much. Less chance of getting obsessed with it that way...haha!

Here she is as of today...4 of the 6 blooms have opened and there is another scape making its way up. I'm hoping for 2 more scapes too! That would be awesome!

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OK, so now she really is SWEET!!! Hope ya'll enjoy!

-Frank

Here is a link that might be useful: The Encouragement!

That is one gorgeous stem of flowers! Another on the ever-growing list of have-to-haves...

Truly very very nice Frank!! Congratulations!

Didn't I tell you, Frank?! She's a beauty, all right! And, she has that diamond dust sparkling on her petals! Great photography!

She didn't produce seed for me, but that doesn't mean she's not a producer. I may have paired her with incompatible mates, so to speak. Give it a try... pollinate her with whatever you have or choose! You may get lucky!

I think Sweet Lilian is one I may have to obtain another bulb of... having two blooming consecutively would be wonderful! I don't think many would be disappointed with this variety! She's definitely special!