Jay, I harvest Choy Sum the same way Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan or Kai Lan) is harvested. So far I have picked twice from the plant sown on Ang.7 and the little stem for a 3rd picking is already showing. The 1st harvest gives me a beautiful rosette with a center stem surrounded with leaves and maybe a center flower head. The 2nd harvest is exactly the same rosette form and as beautiful and tasty as the 1st. The rosette is very showy in cooking presentation. Choy Sum in Chinese means "Center of the vegetable" and is often eaten in the rosette form so people can enjoy the center (a feast to the eyes and the taste buds). Unlike many leafy vegetables, Choy Sum center flowers taste great and flowering does not change the taste of the leaves. Too bad I didn't take any pictures before eating them. I was told that a Gai Lan plant can keep producing side shoots for up to 3-5 pickings. But the side shoots gets smaller after each time, and finally becomes impractical. I have not noticed significant size changes yet, but will not be surprised if it does get smaller. Come to think of it, maybe it'll be better to grow the regular Choy Sum so the 4th or 5th picking will not be too diminutive?

The very same thing just happened to me so I feel your pain. I went outside yesterday to admire the new rosebed by the road that had brand-new buds just ready to open any minute....and lo and behold, every one of them was gone. It looked as though someone had snipped them off with scissors which didn't make sense to me since they were UN-opened roses. Upon inspecting the soil and mulch around them, I saw very clearly deer hoof-prints. I guess I have been lucky all these years, until now. I live out in the woods with only a few houses on my road. I never had a deer problem before, but now the woods across the road are being cleared for a mobile home park, which maybe means the deer are being forced out. I never knew that roses were attractive to deer, considering they have countless ACRES of vegetation around here to enjoy. This is really discouraging since this roadside garden was such a labor of love, and now I worry about all the other rose gardens I have in my yard We wait all the long, cold winter til mid-June for roses only to have the deer eat them....and whatever is left, the japanese beetles will be partaking of shortly. (Sigh). This rose-growing isn't for the faint of heart. Celeste

I don't have this species because I just don't have the space it needs but I would guess that your plant might want more light. The extra energy that is needed to produce such large flowers is probably just not possible in a somewhat shaded position. I don't know the light limit for this one but generally the larger species tend to climb quite high and then flower on the more exposed/brighter portions of the vine, you won't find the peduncles forming down near the base where the plant is shaded. I have read that it can take a few years to flower from a cutting but increasing the light slowly can hasten blooming. Just like orchids in nature you can find beautiful lush plants but without the proper light they may never flower, it's all a waiting game but with Hoyas like this they go to the light and when they get enough the bloom. Mike

Good luck with your greenhouse/orangerie Pac! I was thinking of doing something similar but then I decided to transform the space in yard for raised beds for veggies. The trees will just have to winter in the house. I haven't had any fruit off my Valentines yet but they both are currently budding. The one at my office is just the entry size so I won't let it keep its fruit but the Premium one I have at home should be able to handle one fruit. Hopefully it tastes good, but I have a feeling it won't have any tartness to it.