Evergreen and Gervase are both so beautiful, I might have an Emerald, but no Evergreen yet. What I have blooming for me now is Lemon Star, she is very beautiful and loaded with sparkles....a very clear and soft pale yellow here she is....................... From HIPPEASTRUM 2009-2010 From HIPPEASTRUM 2009-2010 This one has a more accurate color..................... From HIPPEASTRUM 2009-2010 next is Elvas, though not as colorful as last year, nice none the less............................... From HIPPEASTRUM 2009-2010 and a closer look................................... From HIPPEASTRUM 2009-2010 and finally Red Peacock is still giving...two scapes up 4 flowers each only half are out now, and she is getting a little top heavy with the large heavy blooms.......................... From HIPPEASTRUM 2009-2010 and one last one......................... From HIPPEASTRUM 2009-2010 Thanks for looking..................... Donna

Several years ago I vowed to never again do potted plants as we traveled in the summer and it's not always easy to find a 'plant sitter' then. However last year we hadn't any trips planned so I did 10 (at least). They all did well except one and I think it was the type of clay so this year if I do as many I'll line that pot with plastic. Most of my pots are terracotta which I prefer the look of. The largest one I have is huge but easier because it's plastic altho in hot dry weather they all need watering once a day, twice sometimes. I may use some polymer crystals in the soil this year to try to decrease the watering chore. Forgot this year in my excitement to get everything potted up. Growing in pots is a good way for us northern gardeners to enjoy perennials well outside our zones. I bot a Lavender Dentata which is hardy to zone 8 and planned to use it as an annual but it still looked so good in the fall that I brought it inside. It's easy care and doing well in a window and if it continues I'll put it out again on the deck for the summer. Definitely worth the $2.99 I paid for it! Something to keep in mind when looking for plants to pot. Love that amaranthus! Might have to try some of that this year.

Rita; The daylilies are just about ready to start blooming good, now.There is big buds everywhere.I have been having a lot of blooms but they have been on the Stella D'Ore's. There is about 6 clumps of them blooming good .Rita,That pot is soo big I ran out of potting soil for it and had to go out to Home Depot and get some more to finish potting it.It has plenty room to grow in this pot....The 3 Hosta's I have ARE in planters.That big one is in a 18inch square planter and its done got root bound,I think.I have very little shade for them,and where I have them at, thers no way I can dig there to plant them.The ground is solid roots. Kay: Incendiary IS a very pretty bloom and this first bloom on it is a little small.I guess the next ones will be bigger. My youngest daughter was here this afternoon taking pictures of the blooms, too, to send to Her daughter. Jean

Interesting subject. I suspect that correct culture and the genetics that are bred into the cross may have a big influence on bud and flower production, and also blossom numbers....especially the number of flowers that will open all at once, and how long open blossoms stay on the plant. It seems that Adenium breeders (I'm just guessing here) release plants for sale that are NOT perfected, and that would be culled under other circumstances due to bad genetics. I think if blossoms looks different, have novel, or new colors, have double/triple petal count, etc...in short, any plants that will sell, get released by major breeders. Nowhere have I ever read, or recall, on any Adenium breeder's sites, any Adenium forums, noted by any seller, that Adeniums were specifically bred for bud/flower count, flower substance, bud retention, for disease/insect/rot resistance, fertile blossoms...etc. I recall not one thread, at least I can't find them, that discuss the virtues of any particular cross or the progeny, resulting from that selected cross. Dimmitt comes close, with his breeding lines, but where are the Dimmitt plants, and where do you buy one? Ko's seeds, and seeds from other noted breeders might produce some superior flowers, but what about the other important aspects of plant genetics that were mentioned above? It seems that when it comes to Adeniums, flowers are the goal, and little else matters. Are we just growing some inferior mongrels that have pretty flowers, and poetic names? Just asking. Perhaps all the dogs, inferior plants, do in fact, go into the Adenium compost piles, before any selected and named Adenium hit the open market....but I don't know for sure if we are buying and growing the best of the bunch. My cynical guess is that motives for profit, allow some lousy plants, but, with nice flowers, to be released. Frank NYC/7b