Anyway, as I was checking plants this afternoon, I wanted to share a few with you. The first one is probably my all-time favorite standard, 'Kev's Meteor Shower'. Yes, I do grow some standards, but not many! This particular plant has been in my possession since 2002, when I purchased it from Shannon Ahlman. It is considered a Large, hybridized by Kevin Degner, and it's a phenomenal plant. No matter how much neglect it suffers or how many times I've restarted it, it grows beautifully, with large variegated and very substantial leaves. It blooms heavily and when it's quite young, and the flowers are a deep, velvety purple with sporadic coral puffs. I'm not quite sure how large this variety could grow, because I haven't really tried. I showed it in a state show one year, and it was approximately 13 inches in diameter, but it still looked a bit on the immature side. I'd be very curious to see it grown to its full potential by someone who likes the large ones. Who's up for an experiment?
The work continues in the plant room, although nothing was repotted this weekend. I went through the fertilizer shelf and eliminated some older products that I no longer use, and I also cleaned the remainder of the dirty trays. Otherwise, the only work done today was watering and photographing. My photography skills leave plenty to be desired, and I always have problems getting the true colors to come through on pictures. I've played with the settings on the camera, but I end up just choosing the one that comes closest. Anyway, as I was checking plants this afternoon, I wanted to share a few with you. The first one is probably my all-time favorite standard, 'Kev's Meteor Shower'. Yes, I do grow some standards, but not many! This particular plant has been in my possession since 2002, when I purchased it from Shannon Ahlman. It is considered a Large, hybridized by Kevin Degner, and it's a phenomenal plant. No matter how much neglect it suffers or how many times I've restarted it, it grows beautifully, with large variegated and very substantial leaves. It blooms heavily and when it's quite young, and the flowers are a deep, velvety purple with sporadic coral puffs. I'm not quite sure how large this variety could grow, because I haven't really tried. I showed it in a state show one year, and it was approximately 13 inches in diameter, but it still looked a bit on the immature side. I'd be very curious to see it grown to its full potential by someone who likes the large ones. Who's up for an experiment? The second plant I wanted to show you is another standard that I will always keep in my collection. Not just because of its beautiful flower or its easy care, but because it has my name! 'Amy Lyn' is a standard hybridized by Dolores Harrington, and I saw this one for the first time shown by Richard Nicholas at the 2008 AVSA National Convention. My middle name is unique in that it also only has one 'n,' so it was very unusual to see the name of this plant. I vowed then and there to obtain it by any means! It's a fantastic bloomer, as it is rarely out of bloom. In my care, it needs frequent repotting, but it's well worth the effort. And finally, a variegated semiminiature called 'Wiko,' which came into my care in 2008. From the beginning, this plant grew great. It has wonderful symmetry all on its own and stays flat regardless of the lighting it receives. These characteristics are what led me to hang on to this plant for so long even though it refused to flower. It didn't sucker and didn't flounder, but I waited and waited. I finally threatened it this past fall, and it was about to be relegated to the "other" tray, but as I looked closer, I saw a bud forming! And boy, what a gorgeous bloom it is! After seeing its flower, I vow now to keep it and give it a good place on the stand. It's worth it!
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