Think I am getting the hang of this, here is a photo of two of my plants at a local flower show last August Bank Holiday. The pink is from seed and the white is grafted.

Those are some great looking plants!

Welcome! This is a very informed group - come back often and join in. I mostly read, even though I have 27 Adeniums. I learn so much here.

Your plants are lovely!

You should be very proud to have grown such a nice plant and beautiful flowers. Seedlings look very healthy.
Congratulations,
Rick

Well hello there and welcome! How good to see another Adenium fan from the UK, we are a rare breed so that's great news!!
Congrats on getting one to flower, you have some good looking plants there, and from seed too....how old are your plants? Where are you located? (I'm in the Staffs Moorlands, nr Alton Towers) I'm sorry for bombarding you with all these questions but I am interested to hear from you. My plants are also from seed but have yet to flower, they are 5 yrs old come Feb but I have had a few issues with them these past few months as you may have read in a thread recently. Look forward to hearing from you again.
Gill from the UK.

Hi. Nice DR's. Now Gill has someone at home to play with. lol

Hello Gill,
I live on the edge of Merseyside, near Aintree Racecourse. The pink seed raised plant in the picture is 4 yo and the white graft is 5yo. Both are now considerably larger than in the photo. This is a problem as most shows restrict pot sizes as you probably know. I think it is a good thing to put them in shows as they can create interest and maybe new growers. I buy seed direct from Mr Ko in Taiwan, have you seen his ebay shop? When you buy 10 he sends 15. I have started using lights so that the hobby dosen't stop during the cold months. I am including a photo of a graft I obtained last summer, it started to flower in the autumn and isn't affected by low light levels colourwise. The blooms are 4 inches dia.
Happy growing

Wooohoooo, I have another playmate, yippee!! I have someone else to quiz now instead of my pals from across the pond and beyond, lol!! There are a couple of other UK growers who pop in here from time to time so to have you join is really good.
It's a quiet time of the year obviously so the forum has slowed down, hopefully come the 'better' weather things will step up.
I can see from what you have posted you are doing very well without help from here, but I do hope you will continue to contribute!
I have not bought seed from Mr. Ko personally but have seen his name 'praised' on here several times. I have bought seed from ebay though and also from the Adenium Store.
It's difficult to estimate the size of your plants, at the moment my 3 remaining big ones are around 7-8 inches, but are almost leafless. Have yours ever gone dormant?
Gill from the UK.

Gill,
Many thanks for your kind comments. I'm sure most of the members are from USA. They can show some wonderfull plants growing in ideal conditions.Mr Ko is known the world over for his seed and plants and his seed is regarded as the most likely to give plants resembling the pictures. I would say that much of the seed on ebay is fake, with pictures of plants that simply do not exist outside of the computer. The pink plant is currently 18 inches from the top of the pot and 18 spread. The white is 19 inches from the top of pot. Both are in 8 inch pots. In my experience most plants go dormant in the sense that they stop growing but retain a few leaves. Only a few of Obesum will go completely dormant. That is my experience. My A. Arabicum and Boehmiensis however do go completely dormant. I never try to force complete dormancy. This means that I still water occasionally during the winter.I also find that young Obesum from a summer sowing should be kept in full leaf in our conditions. Others may disagree. This is what makes adeniums so interesting, they are all individuals.
If I have spare plants during the summer I will let you know.
Happy growing.

Hello again, that flower is lovely and at 4inches is some bloom.
It's fact that a lot of the adenium pics shown on ebay are tampered with and this subject has been discussed on the forum by several members. One of my older plants did start to push out buds 2 years in sucession, but they dropped off whilst still small. That was the nearest I have got to a flower, but I am ever hopeful.
Have only ever seen one DR for sale in the UK, it was at a large garden centre and was GBP20 and around 8inches high with a couple of pink blooms.
You have produced some really good growth on the plants pictured, on a par I would think with those of our friends in the US...and in such an alien climate for this family of plants. Are they kept in a greenhouse, I assume they don't go outside?
I have continued to water each winter, albeit minimally as mine have failed to drop their leaves, some even continuing to grow at a very reduced rate. The caudexes had been rock hard on the 4 big guys (sadly, now down to 3) for months on end...this has all changed since our 'holiday problem'. I think the survivors of said deluge may be over the worst now and seem to be pulling through. However, a couple of the smaller ones are still struggling along.
As for them being individuals, yes, they are as unique as us humans!
I would be most interested to read (and learn from!) about your propagator set up/growing conditions if you have the time to spare, either on the forum or by email.
Gill from the UK.

Hello Gill,
Thanks for your post, my aim is to try to grow plants as well as those you see on the internet, not an easy task at 53 degrees north, but I believe possible with a little extra help. Firstly I grow seeds during the winter at a time when otherwise the hobby would be at a standstill. The seeds grow easily in a small electric propagator and another advantage during the winter is that they take up little space as small seedlings. The grow lights are extremely effective and quite as good as natural sunlight I think. This takes removes all the guesswork and provides strong young plants ready to take advantage of our warmer days in the greenhouse. The small growlight unit is from Dibleys in North Wales and you can see a picture in their online catalogue. My larger propagator fits neatly into the base of the light unit to provide the heat as necessary. I use a smaller propagator to sprout the seeds and then transfer to the light unit. It is amazing how many seedlings you can cram in. This method provides me with more than enough plants without them taking over the whole house. The propagators also come in handy at other times as "intensive care" for any sickly plants.
I have tried plants ouside during warm spells but don't do it now as I found they survived but produced no growth. Also I think the risk of getting waterlogged is too great.
I heat the greenhouse a little in late spring and early autumn as necessary, and bring the plants into a spare room for the winter. To provide the warmth required for success would be too costly otherwise.
So you see my recipy for (hopefull) success is to be as independant of the elements as possible.
Here is a photo of a plant in my greenhouse taken a couple of years ago.

Adenium1949. That was very pretty pink, and the purple was beautiful too.

Welcome to the group by the way.....

Marie

Hi there Ad.1949, thank you very much for taking time out to reply again. It's nice to read how others manage their plants, and even more so as you are doing so well in adapting your plants to grow here in the UK, and with such success too. The pictures you show are proof that it can be done!

I also usually start seeds off during the colder months, mainly in order to try and give them a head start for facing the following winter. I use a 'boiler cupboard' for germinating and so far it has worked well. Keeping them moist till they pop is tricky, but they can't dry out. Whilst growing, it's surprising exactly how much water they do need, as long as they are free draining and don't get waterlogged. Cold and wet = rot. I read on a expert growers site....'in summer treat as a wetland tropical, in winter treat as a desert cactus'. So even for us in our less than ideal conditions, this rule is basically true.
My DR's usually live indoors, occasionally venturing into the g/h in the so called 'warmer' months. I've never had them outdoors, either as it's too wet (often), too windy (frequently) or just not warm enough (usually)!! They live on south facing windowcills all year round, hopping onto the floor in front of the radiators come winter evenings.
They have had scale or RSM at intervals, which I find pesky to rid, but daily checks and occasional spraying with a bug killer keep them under control.
Thanks again for the latest info and pic, I appreciate it, lovely work.
Gill from the UK.

Adenium1949,
Nice to see you raising these wonderful plants in a somewhat similar climate to mine. Canada (Vancouver Island, West Coast of B.C.)
Do you keep your adult Adeniums inside of the house in winter or in a heated greenhouse?
Never been to the UK, but many friends who have lived there have told me much about it.
RIck

Hello Rick,
Thanks for the post. I keep the plants in a spare room in the house during the winter, the risk of loss is too great otherwise. I do heat the greenhouse a little in spring and autumn as necessary to extend the growing season. I think these plants are very rewarding when we get it right.