I just received my first flower from seed that I started late in the fall of 2009. Here are the photos showing the seed, newly germinated seedlings, and finally the flower taken last night. It has been a rewarding experience, but it took a lot of nuturing and attention. The plant was H. cumingiana and was pollinated in the greenhouse by an unknown insect in the summer of 2009.
Use Ebay With Caution
I recently had a very expensive transaction go horribly wrong on Ebay. I ordered mature plants from Thailand, and they arrived with rotted roots and half cooked to death. I had to leave negative feedback, because of the lack of seller response. He then contacted me and negotiated a deal to retract the negative feedback. This process apparently goes on all of the time and is the reason why sellers have perfect feedback. The buyer is so desperate to get back some of their money that they give the seller what they want. After getting back around half of my money, I still feel like I overpaid. Here is a photo of one of the plants. Buyer beware and don’t be fooled by these remarkable photos of “actual plant” to be shipped. I would say order from reputable vendors from here in the U.S. unless you are comfortable taking a big gamble.
Hoya krohniana Page Added
I have just added a page for Hoya krohniana, which just bloomed for me for the first time.
New Photos Added
New photos have been added to the Hoya kerrii and Hoya lacunosa pages. April 2011 now holds the record for the month with the most Hoyas in bloom at one time for myself. It has been an unbelievable month with at least 15-20 species showing their flowers. Here is H. macgillivrayi from last night.
Maple Sugaring in Vermont
Had a great visit is our friends the Dillners in Montgomery yesterday. We got to watch their traditional backyard sugaring operation, and see all of the cute farm animals.
Cropping Photos in Picasa
Having your own website doesn’t mean that you have to know very much about computers. I am really a novice. I had not used Google Picasa in a long time, but just found out how easy it is to crop photos using this great free software. Here is an example:
How We Heat Our House
Some of the credit to my success with Hoyas has to be given to how my wife and I heat our house. If it were not for our wood pellet stove, we could never afford to keep the house warm enough for these plants. It allows us to keep the house at comfortable temperatures that vary but average around 75°F.
Photo Updates
I have added new photos today to the following pages: Hoya odorata, Hoya patella, Hoya lobbii, Hoya memoria, and Hoya coriacea. Here is a sample:
New Movie
I just added a new time-lapse video of Hoya imperialis var rauschii to the movies page. It can be accessed there or right here: http://www.youtube.com/user/MrDchamberlain072002?feature=mhum
These time-lapse videos are a lot of fun to make; I hope that you enjoy watching them as well.
Don’t Be Afraid to Age Your Hoyas
Some people despair that their Hoyas will not bloom for them – some people can be a little impatient. Most Hoyas bloom best after they get to be at least 2-3 years of age. I know that it can take a long time, but what is it they say about the best things in life not coming easy. Most of my blooming plants are from 2 – 8 years of age – that more than anything else is the reason that I get so many blooms. There are some exceptions to this age rule, but they are far and few between.