That is so exciting!

This is lovely and I can't wait to see the rest of them! I always wished I could find a Night Star as I've seen some lovely hybrids using it as one of the parents.

Donna

What a beautiful cross!!!!

Marie

I got the night star from Royal Colours 4 years ago and it has bloomed every year, and yes, it does produce some interesting hybrids, especially with giraffe. It is pushing up a tall shoot now, but my giraffe are a long way from flowering so I may have to try something else. I have an exotic star with the beginnings of a bud, but not sure if they will overlap.

Meanwhile, today there are two new night star x giraffe from the 2011 cohort open in the garden. The first has three flowers - the background is a cool creamy colour with dark crimson streaks.

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The second is much more yellowish - it seemed to glow more yellow than it appears in this photo. There are 4 on this head.

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One last treat for today was a Lima flowering in the community garden, with both scapes in full bloom exactly together:

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Your Lima blooming in the community garden looks so lovely and happy. Maybe you could save some of its pollen for one of your Night Star's upcoming flowers. As you likely know, their ploidy is compatible.

-Blanca

Very nice!

Two more new night star x giraffe plants blooming today. The first is very pale greenish yellow, with only the faintest red streaks. This will be a perfect cross for the Lima x giraffe that appeared last year that I called âÂÂgreen jadeâ - an even greener individual. That one will flower shortly so this cross is a real possibility, or as Blancawing suggested, I can keep some pollen.

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The other is much streakier, with bold patterns of cream and maroon:

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The very first night star x giraffe to flower this year has become considerably redder as the days pass by. You can see the difference by comparing this picture with the one at the top of the page:

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Quite a few more are due to appear in the next week or so, so I'm hoping for some interesting features..

Very interesting to see the color change in your first flower! Love to see your inspirational pictures and your successes!

Donna

Thanks so much Zep! Your crosses continue to impress and inspire!
I got Giraffe this season but didn't get to use it in crosses. I had very few, if any, other hippies blossoming at that time. But it has parental value, definitely, and will give it a try then when possible.

Two more night star x giraffe opened today. The first is a fairly typical one with thin striping on a creamy background:

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The other is a much bolder design, with solid chunks of maroon on the upper petals

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Oh my, these are gorgeous crosses. I have avoided making crosses because there were so many new cultivars each year, but your hybrids are making this very tempting! - J

Thanks for sharing!!...Donna

The night star x giraffe bed is now a real treat with such a variety of shapes and colours. IâÂÂm just preparing some of the individual flowers, but in the meantime hereâÂÂs a general shot of the garden.

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And here are some of the varied individual plants:

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The bottom photo is a real treat! Each bloom is different, a bit like H. Gervase!! I also like the 3rd from the bottom....it takes after its pollen parent. I miss my original H. Night Star, but it gave me 2 offsets that are getting larger. I hope to see it bloom again!

Thanks so much for sharing this "family" of blooms!
K

Wow, what a treat to see all of these!
My favorites are #4, #7, #8 and the last 2. Great job!

Like Kristi I particularly like the last one with the variations in the colors.

Donna

Eye candy!

WOW. I can't choose a favorite. Each has desirable characteristics.

It will be fascinating to see the F2 generation flower in the future.

-Blanca

Very nice...all of them! It so nice to have a wide variety of colors in one cross.
Congratulations and well done!