Rina, your Orgyalis is so pretty..Vivid orange. Your Kalanchoe must have been in full/direct sun. Mine has orange foliage but not as orange as yours. Okay, went outside..The perennial, whatever it may be has no fragrance..Leaf texture is rough, protrudes. Thankfully, no problems touching Kalanchoes. If so, I'd be in trouble. Have quite a few 'indoor' Kalanchoes. I also rubbed my finger and thumb over the Sage..It's VERY fragrant. Was going to mention, but didn't think it important at the time..probably isn't now either.lol. Actually, I bought two perennials at HD w/tags reading Euphorbia. The second had different colors. Unfortunately, it didn't make it through winter. Your E. Helena's Bush is gorgeous! Is it hardy? Your Sage looks similar to mine, only a LOT larger.. Height and leaf size. Is it planted in medium or full sun? It's supposed to grow tall, but for some reason, doesn't. This is the first year it's reached 8"..lol. Supposed to be 2-4' or taller. I think 104F summers halt growth too. Your plants look terrific. Toni

Looks like the only Lysionotus VB has right now is L. pauciflorus. L.montanus is a subspecies of L.pauciflorus - and I coudn't find the photo of it anywhere. I saw L.pauciflorus sp.pauciflorus on shows - this is the one Rob sells right now. The best place in US to grow it outside- is around Bay area in SF. You probably can grow it in MA in the light shade after the danger of morning frost is passed. It is a pretty tough plant and should do OK. The yellow Lysionotus 'Pudding' is a commercial hybrid, I think it came from Japan. It is easy to grow. It every so often appears on ebay. There is another variety of L.pauciflorus - L.'Selby"- very small leaved one - rarely blooms, but when it does - it is just another paucifloris. MA gesneriad enthusiasts belong to New England chapter - and like everybody else are sitting put and not meeting. They probably have some kind of online - zoom - whatever - meetings - find them anyway. They have a website with email contacts - doesn't look like they updated anything for a while - but emails should be still valid. Two of the best growers of gesneriads in the whole wide world - Bob and Dee Stewarts - live in Stow, MA. They have an unbelievable collection in a greenhouse. They are also members of New England chapter. While you cannot meet them - I would recommend to try to get in virtual touch - so you can get recommendations from the people who successfully grow the same plants in the same climate. Growing gessies outside in a shade in summer is possible - the only thing - they are tasty for the wildlife and for the bugs. So - if they are not chomped by deer, not dug out by squirrels and chipmunks - and they do well - before you can bring them home - you need to think how to get rid of all the pests. May be - rhizomes only and chuck the tops. Spray the s... out of them... with some serious stuff... Have Fun! Irina

Watch for frost. On a covered porch you may be OK on those cold nights. I would certainly get a max-min thermometer to keep track of the lows and highs. Be prepared to bring your plants inside if you get below 32. You can get some protection by covering the plants on borderline nights (29-33). But, there is nothing as safe as bringing them in for overnight protection. It is a hassle when one has hundreds or thousands of tender plants though ;(. I have been known to put my more tender plants that are outside, in flats or trays, for quick moves indoors. Chiritas come from China. Most if not all of China is known to have frost. But, chiritas often come from the more tender locals with that country. So, they can usually tolerate cold but some are more tender than others. C. speciosa is native to Hong Kong, and thus is more tender. I would give that one more protection. The others would be hardier. C. 'Diane Marie' has speciosa as one parent, but the other parent, fimbrisepala, is one of the hardier species, so should be OK. I have overwintered speciosa outdoors in mild years but I am in a mild climate on the San Francisco peninsula. Chiritas should be able to handle heat as well. I suspect they come from places with hot humid summers, though some are mountain species and may prefer it indoors. Try some experiments to see where they grow best for you. Meanwhile, take some leaves to root. They propagate very easily from leaves, and from your propagtions you can experiment with various growing conditions. If you are near Sacramento, there is an excellent local chapter of AGGS, the Delta Gesneriad and African Violet Society. Jon

I use the FEIT 48" LED 3700 lumen light fixtures from Costco and have them on for 4-5 hours in the morning. The plants also receive indirect sunlight from a North window. The stand in question is offset from the window against the wall, six feet away. The sunlight alone would not be enough to sustain them at that distance and location. There is another stand set in front of the window sans LED light. Some varieties grow well, others appear to get too much light. Plants with low light requirements should be further from the fixture. Leaves for propagation are covered with plastic wrap, in plastic sandwich bags, or in take-out containers with plastic domes. Use fluorescents if in doubt, as some LEDs are too strong or too weak for plants. I opted for LEDs due to efficiency, quiet operation, and they don't need changing every two years like flourescents. They will get better, but there is still room for improvement in the spectrum.