skip to main content

'Red Buttons' in bloom

16 years ago

It took me a couple of hours and over a hundred shots (curses to the wind!), but I finally got a few decent pics of my pubicalyx "Red Buttons"...

TGDP... Thank goodness for digital photography!

I'm particularly pleased because I pretty much missed the last blooming cycle; only a single flower was still hanging on when I got back from vacation...

Still kind of interesting in its own way, but not the image I was hoping for.

My H. lanceolata "bella" is probably 2 or 3 weeks from blooming if I'm lucky. Seems like I'm always anticipating some bloom or other (but that's the fun, isn't it?)...

Mike

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

epiforums
16 years ago
Great shots Mike. That lonely bloom is beautiful on it's own. And I will have to agree with you on the cursing of the wind at times. And great to know you're expecting soon. Hoyas of course. ;)

Eddie
ines_99
16 years ago
Mike, it is typical for pro photographers, whether photographing flowers or photographing naked women, to take thousands of pictures just to get a handful of good shots! I read once about a National Geographic photo expedition of polar bears, the number of ROLLS of film shot was in the tens of thousands for a 6 page spread in the magazine!!

These are gorgeous, the ruby-like glow of the light coming thru the first one is beautiful, especially with the green behind it ( not sure if you know that green and red are opposites on the color wheel and are very complimentary to each other )

The second one has a sort of lonely feel, and the detail is awesome. I find it amazing that digital cameras can produce such great photographs, I can't seem to get shots like this with my digital! I also have a Cannon Rebel (not the digital one) and the shots are much better, but I am one of those people who takes pictures and never gets the film developed.....5 years from now it will cost me $500 to develop the 50 or 60 rolls I have laying around, and I will go thru the pictures and be like "What the heck is that? When did I take that picture? Who are those people?"
or "Oh my god look how young Morgan was...!!" etc etc

Ah well, for now I will just enjoy everyone elses photos.
Related Discussions
Royal Hawaiian Purple or Red Buttons (?)
Q
Comments (29)
My HD or Lowes and Walmarts never ever have them here either. Everybody always posts how they find them there so I always look, ....but nope. However, a few years back the Stater Bros. grocery stores kept getting several varieties in. Haven't seen any lately though. A nursery here USED to have big specimens of several kinds that came in regularly, but this year they said they no longer carry them as the supplier moved. Bummer!
...See More
Red Buttons bloom from this summer
Q
Comments (10)
I just had to have one since you enabled me with this beautiful picture as it seems everyone is doing to me these days..lol I am now up to about 15 Hoya when I had about 7 2 weeks ago and I can't wait till mine look as nice as yours. I have one coming from Thailand too. Brad, I am with you on this one. I finally have one too and with all that you have added to these forums, I can be more successful with them. Your last comment was all it took for me along with Tigerdawns beautiful pic. 'Dave' here too is a gifted grower and I thank him for all he does! Mike
...See More
The Sugar Experiment
Q
Comments (11)
Well, PG's points are certainly legit. If you want to be able to draw clear conclusions from your experiment then you will need to control your variables more tightly. Buuuuut, it seems like this is a more lighthearted endeavor. After all, chamomile and cinnamon aside, it isn't clear whether there are 'control' plants of the same variety not being given sugar. And of course you'd need to run a longitudinal study so one didn't give sugar credit for growth that was simply the result of a nice long summer of sun and rain. We all probably err on the side of making gut level causal assumptions that the variables we are consciously manipulating are the ones causing the changes we observe. But how we learn all boils down to how much we relish the scientific method versus how much we enjoy tinkering instinctively with our plants like a cook in a kitchen. Gosh, now I kind of want to run a personal fertilizer trial. Has anyone here done this in a serious way? Any suggestions on fertilizers to include?
...See More
H. pub 'Red Button'
Q
Comments (23)
Brad, Spending time in this forum is good since we get to know others with the "buying problem" affliction, also. (:o) Andrew, No, 'Red Buttons' is not rare; this plant has been in circulation for many, many years. I grew 'Red Buttons' in the late 70's and early 80's. 'RB' does have beautiful flowers and is certainly worth growing. Mike
...See More
huachuma
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the compliments Eddie and Ines.

I feel fortunate to be able to get any acceptable shots with my 5 megapixel "point and shoot" Canon... I have a very nice 35mm Nikon with the 50mm Nikkor Micro lens and ring flash, but I rarely use it anymore; I don't have a good transparency-to-digital converter, so any slides I take just languish... (I also have the habit of waiting until I have multiple rolls to develop before I take them in!)

Someday, when the kids don't eat up so much of our "discretionary" income, I'll buy a digital body to go behind the lenses and get a "Cool Scan" slide converter to transfer my thousands of dusty tranparencies to jpg's...

Mike

Related Stories

HOUSEPLANTS How to Force Amaryllis Bulbs Indoors

By creative jewish mom.com

Enjoy vibrant red blossoms even as gardens turn snowy white, by teaching this hardy repeat performer to ignore the calendar

FLOWERS AND PLANTS Abutilon Palmeri Dazzles the Southwest With Nearly Year-Round Blooms

By Oakley Gardens

Plant Palmer’s Indian mallow for velvety foliage, long-lasting orange flowers and an abundance of wildlife benefits

GARDENING GUIDES Glorious Purple Blooms Bring a Crowning Touch to Gardens

Royally beautiful but mingling well with the masses, plants with purple flowers or foliage are worthy of homage in any garden

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Amelanchier Signals Spring With Airy White Blooms

By Ellen Sousa/Turkey Hill Brook Farm

With roughly 20 species of serviceberry native to the U.S., bees can feed on the early-season blooms while birds enjoy the summer berries

TREES 6 Unsung Spring-Blooming Trees

Billowy blooms and rare fragrances will make you wonder how these flowering trees could ever have been underused in landscapes

GARDENING GUIDES Top 12 Summer-Blooming Perennials for Deer-Resistant Drama

Can you have garden color, fragrance and exciting foliage with hungry deer afoot? These beauties say yes

HOUSEPLANTS Orchids 101: How to Keep Your Moth Orchids Alive and Blooming

By Marianne Lipanovich

Growing Phalaenopsis — and getting it to flower again — is easier than you might think

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Try Penstemon Digitalis for Showy White Blooms

By Pollination Press LLC

Bees gather nectar from this North American native while you’ll appreciate its unthirsty nature and soil tolerance

DECORATING GUIDES Treat Yourself to Spring Blooms in Winter

Get a jump on spring with a fragrant pot of paperwhites and other bulbs indoors

MOST POPULAR Spring Gardens Are Blooming — Here’s What to Do in April

By Annie Thornton

Get the guide you need for gardening in your U.S. region, with tasks, climate-appropriate plantings and more

Sponsored

39 Reviews

Ohio's Kitchen Design Showroom |11x Best of Houzz 2014 - 2022