amazing November blooms!

This is the most amazing thing, a large-flowered variety blooming in late November! This bloom and four other buds to bloom this upcoming week. This is "Waikiki Rainbow" and it has really gone wild with blossoms this year; simply incredible!!! Argus and Camillo Schneider are also blooming (Argus is another one that never stops blooming).

Camillo Schneider

Not too exciting as epi flowers go, but hey, blooming at Thanksgiving makes it extra special.

Repotting into a hanging basket

I've been repotting a few at at a time. I don't worry about the time of year, if they look potbound then it is time to move up. Of course, if your plant is in bud or bloom then wait until after the show is over. This plant was started from a cutting two years ago. It was slow to get started, but now is getting MONSTROUSLY huge for it's little 3" pot. Let's move it up!

Select a bigger pot. I've found that epies will expand to fit the pot you put them in, particularly when they have such a thick root ball as this plant does. So not too small, or you will have to repot again really soon. If you select a BIG pot, you'll have a HUGE plant in no time. That's not always good! I don't have space for big plants so I don't like to use bigger than an 8" pot. This plant has some scale insects noted just above the soil line, so I will also treat with a systemic insecticide. If you do use an insecticide then remember to put the plant somewhere out of the reach of small children and pets. Place plant in new pot, get your favorite potting mixture, tamp it around the root ball, include a tag with the name of the plant, add a hanger et VOILA ready to hang, grow and hopefully bloom next spring. Pretty simple! Potting up is easy, the tough job is getting the cutting established and growing. I'll do a post on that someday soon.

Trials and tribulations

This has been a terrible year for pests, I had green worms that did a lot of damage, as well as grasshoppers. There have been possums rambling through the epi area at night. Also, I have a plant with rust that appears and kills the affected branch within a day or two; the rust keeps spreading despite my best efforts. Tried dusting with cinnamon today, may just have to toss the whole thing. I moved a couple of plants, and broke branches on both, then I noticed "Princess Linda" had a sunburned branch, so had to move it as well, tried hanging a plant on the Bauhinia tree the past week, and today when I watered the plant the branch broke on the tree!! Just one dern pot was too much. Next on the agenda is getting out to Lowe's to get materials to build a lath house, that should be interesting to attempt, hopefully will have better luck this spring with everything. No place for all these plants, most of them are growing like weeds.

"Challenger"

I don't think I posted any photos of this one when it bloomed last spring. So, better late than never!