Gloxinia erinoides, K. 'Strawberry Fields', Chautemsia calcicola, Columnea herthae, Microchrita 'Phuket', S. 'Prudence Risley' and S. bullata

This is becoming one of my favorite plants in the collection. It's Gloxinia erinoides. It's labeled Gloxinia erinoides 'Alto Paraiso'. It's supposed to have plain green leaves but it has the coolest spotted leaves with redish highlights. It looks more like the Google searches for G. erinoides 'Red Satin', but this was grown from seed from the Brazil fund and it "should" be what it says it is.

In any case, this is a cool plant with cute tiny flowers and it likes it humid!

This is an old friend, Kohleria "Strawberry fields". Nice plant that blooms and blooms and blooms with a huge head of flowers even on a starter plant.











Great red blooms held up on top of the plant.

 Haven't had a pic of this on for a while. It's Chautemsia calcicola. It's a tiny thing with small purple rhizomes. It really needs to be kept moist or it does NOT do it's thing. If you keep it too dry, and it still grows for you, the leaves will turn out tiny. If it does get what it wants, it seems to make a pretty good terrarium plant that is reasonably easy to get to bloom.

The one outstanding things about it is that it really makes the rhizomes in abundance (it seems) and they do start again after you've goofed it up a few times. Don't toss the pot till you've really searched for the little purple rhizomes.

 Got a baby of a formerly named Chirita augustifolia.

They make an easy offshoot to propagate.

 This is one of my favorites too. It's a Columnea lehmanii now known as a Columnea herthae. This little plant is pretty darn cool! I'm not sure if the flowers ever open much, but it sends out these little fuzzy blooms and they are really showy and cool and this is a plant you really need.

I keep this one under a dome too, and I'm not sure I have to, but it seems to like the humidity.

 Another picture of the blooms and bracts. Not bad eh???

 My Microchirta (annual) species from Phuket made the seed pod you might be able to make out on the upper right side. It's the long pointy pod like a Strep.

I'm going to set that seed and share, and see if I can keep the plant going after it dies for the season... being an annual and all.

Nice plant, it likes the humidity too... seeing a pattern today at all???

This is a Sinningia 'Prudence Risley'. There is nothing at all not to be in love with with this plant. It's got every good feature you want and nothing you don't!

Look at the color and size of the flowers!

Look at the pleasant size and good foliage!

Find this one!

Lastly, for today, but not least(ly).... This ia a baby Sinningia bullata. I get such a kick out of the fuzz. Nice plant. It seems to get big and I was so very sad to lose my tuber of my big one last winter, but I'm starting out with another and we'll see that we don't water this one too much.


It was very, very finicky about starting from a cutting, whereas some of the other Sinningias just threw themselves off the counter so they could put down some roots off a busted leaf, this one is a hard... or at least here it's proven to be tough to start more.

Questions????


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Walter the Gardening Cat Gets Assistants

The blog has been on hiatus due to unforeseen circumstances.....

Back a couple of posts ago, Walter was not alone. He had some company in the plant room. If you will notice, his company was as round as a basketball and waddled.

*note Mamma was a pregnant stray taken from an area with all four-lane roads, traffic and cement and now given a permanent, loving and SAFE indoor home with veterinary care.

 SURPRISE!!!!

Walter welcomed into the world some newly minted gardening help. He was feeling a bit overwhelmed with his plant chores and thought some assistants would be a great idea.

This assistant is only three hours old.

 The "Itty Bitty Pretty Kitty Committee" started off at four ounces and had its eyes tight shut and ears folded down.












Walter did not expect quite so much a resemblance because he is only the "uncle" to the young ones.

 We spent a lot of time sleeping and eating.... eating and sleeping.

 Walter paid only a short and tiny visit to the happy new family and knew that he should wait about a month until trying that again if he valued his anatomy in one piece!

 We grew and grew and got weighed each day to see if we were making the proper progress.

 One day we even got to go on a field trip and try out a new soft bed (mostly for photo purposes). That did not last however. Mamma preferred keeping her family were they were and where she could keep a very, very close eye on them.







And speaking of eyes, our eyes opened to reveal a stunning blue!

After the "Kitty Committee" grew for a while they moved to a room where there were more toys and more fun. They invented all sorts of games like "King of the Pillow" which is still a Committee favorite.

 The Kitty Committee was charted and graphed and it amazed everyone that the growth was so perfectly linear. I wonder if they show you that at vet school?







The "Committee" even decided that being weighed wasn't so bad, they would assist in "helpful" ways.

 We're now much bigger and feistier and will challenge all toys that get in the way.

But, really... after all that hard play and training for the new plant room assistant job, there has to be a little down time. They are practicing some "nap therapy" now, which involves a vigorous round of wrestling and then a sudden drop into a coma.





Walter, in one of his weaker moments, was caught being nice to the kittens and snuggling. He will make a fine "horticultural tutor" when the Kitty Committee is ready to learn. 

Stay tuned for future updates on training for plant recognition, plant tasting and plant shelf selection.

Comments??