Where's my Sepals?

Here is an interesting set of flowers on my Fuchsia 'Gafrey Blush' that just started blooming. I see this phenomenon when we have a warm winter but cool nights keeping it cooler than ideal.  Or at least that is the recipe that I think is helping this along, could just be chance.

It is amazing to see all the dangling leaves appear and then start to turn a bit white, then open.

The plant's normal flowers are already starting to appear and open, only the very first ones were green.

This fuchsia is also mite free and listed as such.  I know mite resistant is not equal to mite free, but this one has no other signs of mite damage or mutations. This only happens once a year, if that. Here is a picture of the growth tips, all look normal.

And a final couple pictures to close with...

Life from just the leaves

Here is a fun way to grow many varieties of succulents.   This Graptopetalum (or Grapto for short in my book) is an unknown variety I have had for awhile.  It is perfect for pulling off leaves as it leggy even in bright light (it has a long stem and grows upward as opposed to tight rosette).  Echeveria are often too compact to easily get leaves off cleanly.  The Grapto leaves are always falling off around the parent plant.

In that picture it is rooting in some perlite. But these will sometimes root all alone in the area they fall, one of the possibly more likely ways to propagate one's self over seed.

I'll root many of mine on top of my refrigerator near a bright florescent light. This helps them from rotting.  To be successfully they need to be dry but in a bright and humid environment for 1-2 weeks. No direct sun or too dry environment as that only speeds up drying out.  The refrigerator I have is old and warmer than general room temperature on top so that speeds things up. 

Some sources say just 3 days to develop a callous is all that is needed. Then to just plant in a cactus mix. A callous means the cut is completely healed over. Watch twice a day on some you harvest and you'll see the cut dry and tissue around it swell a bit. I they are big enough to leave out for a week and the room is humid roots will even start while they are just sitting there.

The best specimens are the ones that just drop off or come off easily. The leaf needs to be complete. If it tears and leaves critically needed cells on the stem you won't get roots and a new shoot. I have even had some that just grow roots and never a shoot! 

I have the best luck with leaves of Crassula, Echeveria, Graptopetalum, and Sedum. But many others are possible. On Echeveria that are often tight and compact for me in part sun I will harvest the small leaves that are attached to blooms in spring.

Another trick on Echeveria is to grow it for a month or so in shade or dim light.  It will get leggy reaching for the light and then you can get a bunch of leaves easily.  It will cause a nice compact plant to be lost, but cut the top off after the loose leaves come off and it will root too.  Whats left of the parent will sprout again as well as long as you leave a couple leaf nodes above the soil.

Here is a picture of the leaves or leaflets in between flowers. If they are too small they usually dry out but I can usually grow a few this way.

Variegated Begonia Flower?

Yes there is such a thing.

I may be taking a slight stretch at saying variegated where some would say picotee.  But these truly have a variable patter of white that can be anywhere over the flower.  Flowers are not just two colored. 

And it is also a trait that can be passed on to seed.  I won't say true to seed as very few yield nice doubled flowers. I have raised some pretty nice ones though:

These are also in the Begonia Tuberhybridia type, or tuberous bulb forming begonias.  They grow in spring and summer and then go dormant for winter.  If kept dry they need no protection in my mild weather, but should not freeze ever.

These doubles may be a bit larger this year as that was the second year flower only.  Here is another with some yellow that came in from the other non-variegated parent I believe:

So basically it is true to seed, but lush big double flowers are not! I love raising begonias from seed as it is like Christmas morning for a six year old to watch the seedlings develop their own leaf patterns and then the first blooms a year later. Each seedling can be completely different from the next seed in the same pod. I post some of my Rex crosses in the future as those all have differnet leaf patterns and each and every seedling. Amazing and great to have true anticipation of the new and unknown around.

These are related to parents involved in some of these commercial varieties:

• http://www.dutchgardenworld.com/EN/Assortment/Begonia/Begonia-other/Begonia-Lace-Pink
• http://www.antonellibegonias.com/products.asp?id=588
• https://store.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/summer/productview/?sku=57-24

See my album for a few more pictures.

• https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103932494439016719502/albums/5860300371426723777

Conjoined twin flower

I have had the luck a seeing a couple of these on two different fuchsia.  Something in my climate is just right enough to keep them happy while still make them a bit bizarre when spring starts up or maybe it is just the water.

We get very mild weather here near San Francisco but further south, little in the way of frost and little in the way of heat over 80. Just as good as could be for them this far north. But something in near forced dormancy they go through in the cold we do get (lots of 35-45F nights) causes some odd flowers as they wake up in spring. I'll will show more of soon, think flowers with leaves for sepals.

This is not a genetic mutation or at least not of the whole plant.  I only ever see one in a year, sometimes two and the last two were on different fuchsia species.  I have also seen photos of many other plants doing this once in while.  Nevertheless I try to pollinate the things anyway and grow the seeds, just hoping to create something amazing.

Quite amazing to see.  Kinda of like finding a four leaf clover to me.

Fuchsia 'Galfrey Blush'

Fuchsia 'Galfrey Blush'

Name and Exposure

Name	Common Name	Exposure	Winter Hardiness
Fuchsia 'Galfrey Blush'		Shade, morning sun	40 Degrees F (32 with min cover)

Color and Size

Foliage	Flower	Height	Width
Green, maroon stems	White sepals, carmine corrollas	3' arching upright	3' arching upright

Nice dependably mite free fuchsia.  Smaller than those old time mite prone ones, but classic basics and happy grower.  I have several planted in large containers with many other plants and they happy grow up and through them.  It is listed as an upright fuchsia but would start to lay over and trail at 1-2 feet without a little support or staking.

Aloe humlis (Spider Aloe)

Aloe humlis (Spider Aloe)

Name and Exposure

Name	Common Name	Exposure	Winter Hardiness
Aloe humlis	Spider Aloe	Sun Shade	20-25 Degrees F

Color and Size

Foliage	Flower	Height	Width
Green	Orange Red, winter spring bloom	4"	8" clump

Very compact aloe that makes dense clumps up to close to foot across. Lots of irregular placed spines and bumps add to interest with a general aloe like appearance but in miniature.  Great for container-scaping.