Wow Cena, you've got lots of hoyas in bloom.
I have kenejiana, pubicalyx, cinnamomifloia, KQ in bloom.
Buds are coming in fungii, motoskei.
kenejiana.

Those are all so beautiful!!

I have Lacunosa, Pink Silver, KP, KQ, Kentiana and Obscura!

I have Nicholsoniae and can't wait to see that one bloom. I love the red leaves!

I have a small rooted cutting NOID(I think it is Pottsii)? has a couple of buds...I will post a pic of it when it opens to see if I can get confirmation on its ID.

Right now, 'Krinkle 8', lacunosa (when isn't it!), rubra (pumping them out like a mad-plant!), diptera, kerrii (dripping bright red sap everywhere!), davidcummingii and obscrua. Trying to bloom for the first time is meliflua, though it looks like it's going to drop those first buds. At least I know they're on their way! Also putting on gobs of peduncles is inconspicua, so it's just a matter of time for it. Pubicalyx 'Red Buttons' has been teasing me for a long time, and finally the little flowers are growing, ever so slowly.

Cena, I like the color of your nicholsoniae. Mine stays green for the most part, even on the top shelf in the GH. But it grows like a weed, and bloomed earlier this spring. They're some of my favorite flowers. The first year it bloomed, I captured the progress of the blooms. I was pretty excited when I saw those buds forming...
{{gwi:938376}}
My buds aren't spotted like yours (different clone?)...
{{gwi:938378}}
...and the glory of the open flower!...
{{gwi:932485}}
The plant has set tons of new peduncles this summer, so I'm hoping maybe I'll get another round of blooming before we get into winter. Or, who knows, maybe I'll get a nice winter treat of flowers! That's always special when it's gloomy and I can go to the GH and soak up my little glassed-in paradise, complete with flowers!

Denise in Omaha

God, all your Hoyas are absolutely beautiful!!!!
The flowers are amazing, colors vivid..
Cena, your H. pubicalyx colors are amazing, gorgeous.
What's growing on your Steph? A seed? WOW..I can't get my Steph to flower let along seed..

Just Beautiful~~~ Toni

Hi Cena,
No blooms, but I wanted to congratulate you on your win of best Epihytic Cacti! I bet the competition was rough.

Denise, mine are in fairly high light. A less dense part of the tree, hanging so that they get morning eastern light and afternoon western light, thus the red coloring.
This is back when the second one (note the difference in color between the two) came home from Rainbow Gardens last year and I placed it by the one I already had. It was nice to have a reliable source give me a name!

Oh, those are Very Nice, Denise! YOu reminded me about my cinnamomifolia excitement to come...

Toni, my steph is ground planted in this bed; you can see both it and the Breynia were not too thrilled this Spring.

Thanks for sharing your pictures, Keep Em Coming!

(Thanks Mentha, that catagory doesn't have a huge amount of entries!)

Hey Mentha...how ya doing?

Cena, I have a question about H. pubicalyx.
I was browsing a hoya site..lol..They had two different H. pubicalyx.
H. pubicalyx, 'red buttons'
H. pubicalyx..no other name.
What's the difference? The red buttons cost $6.00 more.

H.A. - there are several pubicalyx cultivars. I've got four myself - 'Red Buttons', 'Pink Silver', 'Royal Hawaiin Purple' and 'Bright One." They're all just a little different, but I find 'Pink Silver' is the real climber. The others, for me at least, aren't as likely to reach and grab at other plants or objects. All good growers, though.

Denise in Omaha

The biggest differences that I see (through others photos as I only have the one) is that the flowers are slightly different colors.

By persons with a great deal of experience in the matter, I've been told that my cultivar is RHP.

Another difference with this species in general is that the new growth and leaves exhibit deep purple/maroon coloring in high light.

I think what drives those prices could be popularity rather then actual 'differences'!

(Denise is one of those persons whom I consider to have a great deal of knowledge and exprience on the matter and I would always follow her information.)\

Hi Gang,

There's at least one more that I know of (purportedly anyway).

From the Hoya Fest in Burbank in '04, I have a Pubicalyx called Fresno from Dale Kloppenburg, who gave it to Norma who shared it some w/ me. Looks like most other Pubicalyx, never flowered for me. Thick, gnarly, nubby joints.

Beautiful blooms on everyone's Hoyas.
There is not anything new and exciting blooming here. I have Hoya carnosa, carnosa "Krimson Pinncess', multiflora and DS-70 in bloom right now. I missed the second round of blooms on my Hoya lambii while I was away but I am happy to see some new peduncles forming on some of my year old plants and lots of new growth.

Mike

Cena, which Rainbow Gardens are you referring to? Still new to the site, so not sure of locations.

Thanks,

Carolyn

Carolyn, this Rainbow Gardens used to do a LARGE hoya and epiphytic trade but sold off the business. Now, I'm not sure what they do, but I see the orginal owners at the San Diego Cactus and Succulent Societ Show and Sale every June, which is where I find hoya treasures and WONDERFUL books.

Cena,
I never did find Rainbow Gardens while down there for mother's day. Oh well, there's always next year. I did get to meet Norma while down there so all was not lost. Cody said she flitters like a butterfly, hehe. When he heard that your camera had broke, he wanted to send you his so you could update us on the fuzz patrol. The other kids ask for pictures of the fuzz all the time. Their brothers finally made it to Santa Barbara, a few weeks ago. And now there are 7 replacements, ugh! Anyway Pretty has an appointment with the vet and a $45 discount for a spay. No more kittens in this family.

Carolyn,
Rainbow Gardens sells hoyas and epiphyllums, if I ever get there, I may never leave.

Sounds like it was a fabulous place! Wish I lived down there. We don't have ANYTHING like that, anywhere around. :(

Carolyn

cena,
I am so envious that you can grow stephanotis in the ground! You must be a west-coaster! (:o)

I've never seen a seed pod on a stephanotis before. I half expected the seed pod to look more like a hoya seed pod, being long and thin, and not so "fat and round". You should put a nylon around the pod so when it bursts open, you can collect the seed.
Thanks for posting the photos.
Mike

Cena, Can I ask you about your Stephanotis? I live in FL zone 9. I have one in a pot, I've had it for 6 months and growing very fast. I have it outside right next to a tree, gets filtered morning sun, afternoon shade. I've had only two blooms so far. How cold can these take? I was hoping to leave it outside as long as possible? Thanks!

PL, I'm right at the Mexican border.
I've had temps down in the low 30's with survival.
I don't think the Steph was in the year we had 29* temps three mornings in a row, with frozen water for the chickens.

I've never covered it, it grows up against that rose colored cinderblock wall, so it has a microclimate all it's own, and some reflected heat.

I believe it is on it's third summer in the ground, but only it's second fall. The new growth has TAKEN off, so I have no worries as to established or not? This year I have non-stop flowers everywhere, and an early fruit.

There is one fruit that should be ready in fall.
Pirate Girl germinated seeds from the pods last year, so everything is viable.

Mike, Stephonits pod split is NOT like Hoya pod split! It takes a few days before the fluff starts flying! (I'm still digging kerrii seeds out of the spider webs in the tree!)

Thanks for the kind comments.

Thanks Cena!!

Here is mine...seems to be growing well. Like I said I've only had two blooms so far. Maybe it will bloom again in the fall?
{{gwi:972462}}

Cena, your comments about my experience are appreicated, but perhaps not so earned. I'm just "vocal" about my opinions and experiences! Pubicalyx has been one of my absolute FAVS over the years, and there are differences in the way they grow. So far, for me, 'Pink Silver' (or 'Splash' as I prefer to call mine for the extraordinarily silvery-flecked foliage...) is the only climber in the bunch. All the others just send out these long, long vines that hang. They don't naturally attach as they grow - even when I clip, they don't "twine."

I've also heard of 'Chimera'. PG, I'll have to harass Norma into giving me a start of 'Fresno.'

My 'Bright One' has been teasing me for SO long! Today, I watered her and she finally has buds that are about an inch long, so maybe I'll be sharing photos of that one soon...

Lovin' the pics! Keep 'em coming!

Denise in Omaha

I've heard that 'Chimera' may be synonymous with RHP. But don't quote me, I don't know this for a fact. I took a chance and got 'Chimera' because I liked the pics I saw of the blooms, in case it was different from RHP. Because you know, if it was, and I'd gotten RHP first, I would have to go back and order 'Chimera'... and then I would have four different varieties of pubicalyx! Which would be just crazy, ha. (For me, that is.) In any case, I won't have any blooms to compare for a long long time, I'm sure, because my Chimera has three leaves that are smaller than my speckled lacunosa leaves, and stands about a half inch high.

Hi Everybody,

Hey Cena, everything looks beautiful as usual.

I thought Chimera meant sport, I thought I've seen it in an AV context or maybe a Gesneriad conversation.

Cena's correct, I germinated seeds from her Stephanotis last summer, August actually. My 3 remaining seedlings are abt to be 1 yr. old, they're 6" tall & cute, live in a west window here in NYC.

Hey Denise,

Am working on an EM too you, so sorry; been a bit crazy here; hope things are good.

As to the H. fresno & Norma, I thought I heard/read her say she quit growing Hoyas, a while back. Mine's actually died back some over 4 yrs., if I can get it to get growing again I'll give you a piece.

Please permit a digression:

Just now to the right of this thread, there is an advertisement of a scantily clad Vegas showgirl; I find this VERY offensive.

It appeared last night on the Quilting Forum (under That Home Site). I posted about this & my displeasure at it there on a thread called "OT but on This Forum Tonight". I asked folks to join me & chime in w/ their comments & if felt that it was inappropriate, to voice their protest & complaints to GW/IV at their "Letters & Comments" or "Suggestions" area, reachable by scrolling down below.

Very offensive stuff, especially at the Quilting Forum where it's virtually ALL women participants. Incredibly bad marketing & insensivity towards women -- clearly decided by men.

Opinions please??? (we can start a seperate thread if Cena prefers, sorry Old Gal!)

A chimera is an organism with two different DNAs existing side by side. In the AV world, it manifests as a central stripe of a different color, usually in the blooms, but sometimes in the leaves instead. You can have a sport without it being a chimera; chimeras are quite rare. There are also chimeras in the human/animal world. It was impressed on me especially well because in the space of a few days, I encountered an example in a novel, a television show and an article. It's kind of like the universe really wanted to make sure I knew what a chimera was : ) Crime fiction finds it fascinating because it messes up DNA testing; you can take a sample of DNA the standard way, and it won't match the evidence because the person has two different DNA types. It was also famous in a custody case, because they claimed that children this woman gave birth to and raised were not hers because it didn't match up. They found out she was a chimera, and was finally able to prove she was the mother by taking a DNA sample from a different part of her body.

In the hoya world, I have no idea how this applies, or how 'Chimera' got its name. It may even be a reference to the creature in Greek mythology, but I don't know in what way. And it's possible this is more than you ever wanted to know about chimeras, so back to your regularly scheduled hoya blooming programming ; )

Denise, any one who sticks with a plant as long as you have, grown successfully, demised their fair share, and kept the faith... I think you under value your 'expertise'. You can promote whatever you know and offer as you see. Please don't discount yourself, because I've learned So Much, watched, waited, and been so excited with the growth of your garden AND your knowledge!!!

Say whatever, many of us, unsung and not frequently posting, KNOW the truth!!!!

Bless you, Denise! You inspire so many and say pshaw!

Cena...you're totally right about Denise...I thank God she's part of this forum...she has such incredible knowledge about so many things...from fertilizing, pests, potting, lighting...you name it, she knows it all!! Thank you, Denise, for sharing so much with all of us. Pirate Girl...I agree whole-heartedly with you. Quinnfyre...thanks for explaining that to us...it's helpful and you explained it so well with your examples. Best wishes, Patrick

Hoya pubicalax 'Chimera' is the cultivar that often has blooms that exhibit uneven coloring randomly throughout the group of flowers.

Mike

Here is a link that might be useful: Hoya pubicalax 'Chimera'