Hi Theresa , nice to see you, beautiful plants!

Theresa!!!!!! So nice to see you here.. What Beautiful pic's I can't wait to see your garden grow.. SOOOO What did you get in the ground??

Hugs!!!!
Kylie

Hi Siam And Kylie!!! So nice to chat with you again! Kylie, I have not planted anything yet.I'll probably plant a few things this weekend. Do you think it's OK to plant bananas yet? I want to do a tropical bed like Boca Joe's. Love his gardens.
What have you planted?
Here is the Streptocarpus fully open this morning!

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The two vines are gorgeous! Changsong

I planted out a few banana's yesterday..Most of them have been out on the porch for a few weeks..If the nights stay above 40* you should be alright..I can't wait to see your new beds!âº

Hi! Glad to see you back. I love that Streptocarpus. Do you root the leaves the same way as an AV? BTW I still have a kohleria tuber for you. Hasn't this spring been wonderful with above average temps and loads of sunshine.

Do you just have the hydroton on top of the soil or are you growing the iochroma and others hydroponically?

Guess what? My chinchilla that was on the verge of death for such a long time has recovered fully, even his eye looks good. I'm so glad that I didn't listen to the vet and have him put down.

Thanks Changsong. That is an Iochroma. It is a relative of the brugmansia.

Kylie, thanks for the banana info. I should probably wait a couple more weeks. I can't wait to see the beds either! LOL

Hi Karyn! I'm so glad your chinchilla is OK. I lost the last of the ones with severe tooth problems over Xmas week. Back down to 3 chins.
The strep leaves can be cut into segments with some veins and you just bury the edge straight up about an 1/8th to 1/4". Here's a photo when I first started them. BTW, the AV leaves you sent me are to the right. I have alot of babies. I separated and planted a couple but I killed them. :( The other babies are still on the mother.
The Iochroma is in straight hydroton. I just feed it with the Dyna-Grow liquid every couple waterings.It seems to love it.

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Threas: You should not have replied to me with the name of the plant:) Hopefully I can find one in the annual plant sale in our local botanical garden. Happy gardening. Changsong

Hey Theresa! Good to see you again! The plants all look so lovely, especially the iochroma! Sorry to hear about your chinchillas.

Pam

Theresa did you start the iochroma as an unrooted cutting in the Hydroton or was it already rooted in soil? If so how did you go about adapting it to the expanded clay?

How long does it take a strep leave to root? I wonder if a kohleria leaf can be grown that way too? It has a different root system then an AV. It has rhizomes that look like worms with scales, same as a hardy gloxinia. What kind of roots does a strep have?

Sorry to hear about your chins. I hand fed and treated the injuries on that poor chin multiple times a day for over a month and continued to debride his wounds a few times a week for another month after that. Believe it or not but he only ate raisins for the first 2 weeks. I figured that alone would do him in. I really thought that he had lost an eye and was sure his front paw would become gangranous but he's a little trouper. Of course he was one of the babies that I was planning on getting rid of but I can't possibly part with him now. lol Except for a couple tears in his ear he's still beautiful. He's a Black Velvet.

Hi Theresa.
Hi Karyn. With all the plants, pets, kids and a husband, you also have time for chinchillas? You amaze me.
Ingrid

Hi Pam, so nice to be back! Hi Ingrid, I know, right? About Karyn....LOL
Changsong, if I can get a cutting to root, it's yours.
Karyn, The Iochroma was rooted already. I just washed the roots really well and planted in the Hydroton. I acclimated it last summer,by keeping it in saucer of water out of the sun. It had some blooms almost all winter. I don't know whether it's the Hydroton or the variety of Iochroma, but it really did great over the winter. My other Iochromas in dirt are really struggling....
I never did well with AV's until I grew them in hydroton, they thrive in it for me. You can also bag the plant to keep moisture in while acclimating in hydroton.
I love Black Velvets!

I like your Iochroma and Streptocarpus. I learned something new from your discussions with Karen about rooting Streptocarpus from leaves.
Thanks,
Pat

Hi Pat, Glad You learned something new. I love doing that too!

Theresa

Theresa, nice to see you again. I've been missing too, too much facebook and owlcam! The easter cactus is cool! My christmas cactus is still bloooming - unusual. And I love the streptocarpus - I have a streptocarpella. Have you ever heard of that? The flower stalks are long like the streptocarpus, but I think the whole plant structure is more petite.
Diane

Hi Diane! What's owlcam? I picked the Easter Cactus up for $5. I love the streptocarpellas. They grow in a trailing habit. I'm just getting into Gesneriads.... Yikes! Love 'em all! LOL

Theresa

My Streptocarpus vine succomed to the weather in the greenhouse. Do they die back in the winter? I'm watching the root ball to see if it wil come back. Nothing so far I'm not going to give up and yank it untilI really, really need the pot for something else.
pa

Aww, PA! I don't think they die back in winter. I could be completely wrong though. Keeping my fingers crossed that it comes back!

Theresa

Great to see you posting again Theresa! Love all your plants especially the iochroma.