I don't know, but is that a citron (Buddha's Hand) in the background (toward the left and bottom back) in the top snap there?

I will keep taking snaps for you; I think I will wait until the Picotee shows real progress however, it is up a ways now but not near enough to warrant a pic. There is so much to look forward to now though. Will it snap off? Will it be as beautiful as some of yours.....

Ryan,

In my notes, Picote is a hybrid of Ludwig & Co. registered in 1958.
And that White Peacock of yours is Jewel indeed. It has a slight sweet smell, right?

Wilde,

How about some suggestions: 1st one: Minerva, 2nd one: United Nations. The White ones with red marks are so easy to mix up... I wouldn't say it is Clown.

See...I thought #2 was a clown-- but Soultan has more experience than I...

Soultan-- the blooms I showed as "White Peacock" does NOT have a scent....I'll have my wife check just in case my sniffer doesn't detect it! The forth bloom on the so-called "white peacock" is a full double!!! So that makes two singles, one semi and one double all on the same scape. Weird bulb!

Hopflower, yes, that is a "Buddha's Hand". One of my favorite citrus, have had the plant for years.

Ryan, your photo looks like "Jewel" to me, too. From what I understand, its flowers can range from single to fully double, with its main tendency to semi-doubles.

Soultan, I have the same information in my "Picotee" notes. I also noted it shows variation in size and number of flowers per scape (I have noticed a tendency to have just a few), degree of white, presence of streak and speckles, and thickness of the red edge. It also notes it appears several Dutch hybrids are sold under this name. Unfortunately, I did not note the origin of these notes, but chances are at least some of the information is from the Read book.

Thank you for the tries at identification. I certainly have not been able to definitively say yes to any photograph I have seen.

I like citrus, too. I love the bitter oranges for their extra perfumed flowers; and they are delicate in appearance as well.

Wilde-- you said, "degree of white, presence of streak and speckles, and thickness of the red edge"

I noticed on my now-blooming Picotee (it opened today) that the outside of the petals had a lot of red on them this morning. The inside looked to me to be completely white, save the red edging. Upon my return this evening, after a day in the sun, the red is gone, leaving only the edges red. This seems to be a pretty dynamic flower in terms of its coloration (and bleaching).

You also said, "Ryan, your photo looks like "Jewel" to me, too." I cannot argue this point-- but this particular flower has been confirmed to NOT have a fragrance...so if it is Jewel, I feel cheated :o)

Anyway-- I did have a loss tonight. I found one of my bulbs has rotted below the soil line. It is a very small bulb that came in a bunch and it only had one tiny leaf-- it didn't look well. The rotted portion was mushy and red and had what I believe to be earth worms on it (at least they had better be earth worms!!!). I tried surgery but the "red" mushy stuff went deep into the bulb. In an attempt to isolate this rott, I removed it from the other bulbs (a communal pot!) and tossed it.

Ryan...Jewel does goes from a single to a fully double occasionally but most of the time a semi-double. As I have said in another post, the ring of red dots in the most inner part of the throat would be it's distinguishing mark besides the slight scent.

The latest on my Picotee...only two days later!

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That is one happy plant. One thing I love about amaryllis is the willingness to get up and go for it. I have one orchid that takes about six months to finish growing a spike - I almost dread seeing a new spike. My Birds of Paradise also take months and months. In contrast, watching an amaryllis is really refreshing.

Wilde,
I have another suggestion for your White with red stripes: What do you think about Sydney? Sydney's downward petals have the tendency to lose the red stripes. Clown should be striped on all petals. Right?

Thanks, wildebloem, for your courtesy. You are very nice and it is encouraging and always a pleasure to talk to someone so polite.

I don't grow orchids, myself. They seem to be so delicate although I know the jungle-type are the ones to be so finicky. Some can be grown on a windowsill and are no trouble at all.

I once attended an orchid show just to give them a fair chance and to see what the fuss was about! I must admit there were some beautiful ones there, but they did not at all grab my heart, you know, the way some other flowers do. I like Hippeas of course, sweet peas which I grow each year, and lilies, and narcissus a lot. Lily-of-the-Valley and other flowers, too. I just never got into orchids at all. I was also on a visit to a hairdresser on one occasion, and saw the most gorgeous, pristine white Cattleyas with deep amethyst throats. I have never seen such orchids before. There were three of them arranged in an amethyst-coloured, low bowl vase. The lower lip was really frilly on each one of them. Stunning!

Hopflower, that white and amethyst orchid sounds divine, amethyst being my favorite color! Your Picotee is really moving right along! I just planted mine a couple of days ago, and already there are green tips poking out the top of the bulb!

Yes, they were really quite stunning. I have never forgotten them, and really know nothing about potting or growing orchids to save my life! But they were glistening white, and almost sparkled in their petals. I am not kidding. If I could grow orchids (I have never tried); I would choose that one, for sure.

My favourite sweet pea is a lavender one. Not quite amethyst, but in the same family. It is, to me, the quintessential sweet pea colour.

I've never grown orchids, either... these are my first. I've read that the Phals, or Moth Orchids, are one of the easiest... if they weren't so expensive, I'd have more... and I probably would have tried them sooner...

I've never grown Sweet Peas for some unknown reason... I'll have to try some next year! I'll go for the purple shades! I'm keeping a list of what plants and seeds I want for next spring... I'm adding the Sweet Peas.

I will give you the names of the best sweet peas to get.

Thank you for the nice compliment, Hopflower. English is not my native tongue and I always worry I sound a little stuffy.

As for orchids, there are some easier ones, depending on your conditions. I used to grow quite a few but the one thing I have against a number of them is that they just do not look very attractive out of bloom. I still have a dozen or so Cymbidiums though. They are easy to grow, have nice foliage, and like low temperatures. Other than that, I continue to grow some odds and ends: winter-fragrant ones (Zygopetalums and some hybrids), and few Cattleya and Oncidium tribes crosses, Pleiones (little ground orchids), things like that. The Phalaenopsis are a little more difficult for me to grow because I keep the greenhouse at a minimum they do not like. I tried growing them in the house, but I cannot tolerate their pollen (first orchid I ever found that causes an allergic reaction). A real shame, because we have a Trader Joe store and they sell beauties for $10.00-$15.00.

I love sweet peas. Because the deer do too, I try to grow a few large tubs of them in an enclosure. What are the best fragrant ones in your opinion?

wildebloem, I would be glad to send you some of mine in that they are first rate and prize winners. They are grown for exhibition and garden decoration, so they are really sturdy with tall stems and large frilly blossoms.

If you would like to email me we can discuss what you would like to have and you can try some first.

Same for you, jodik. There are a lot of lavender and purple ones around! Mixed with white and pale pink, the are a vision; and the fragrance is wonderful.

Hopflower - Thanks for the offer! I have heard that they are very fragrant, and I see pictures of them in the spring catalogs... I have no idea why I never grew them! I also didn't know that you hybridize them! How excellent! Hippis are the very first plant I've tried breeding... I sent you an email...

Wildebloem - I don't think you sound stuffy at all... in fact, I'd say that you have an excellent command of the English language, and if it's not your native tongue, I understand it's very difficult to master! I wish we had a Trader Joe's in this area... $10-$15 is a great price for orchids! The Epi's and the Phal are my first orchids... I've always wanted to try growing them, but thought that they were way too difficult for the average person... I was very glad to find out that there are several types that do fine in the average home.

I do believe my Phal is putting up a new flower stalk/stem! It seems to be adapting just fine to my east window... along with the other large group of plants stuffed in that area! It looks like a small jungle! I need more window space!

For those of you who do not grow orchids...here's some eye candy to sweeten your morning coffee!
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jodik-the ones you see in most of the regular catalogues are just the Royal variety or in some cases Galaxy, or even latifolia, the perennial variety (they have no scent at all, and just come in pink pinky purple, or white). They are nice enough in the common garden, but are not outstanding necessarily.

The ones I grow and am interested in are the English hybrids of the original Sicilian flower that are tall, and very frilly and large-blossomed. Some of the stem length is determined by how they are grown, but some of it is also genetic. The original Italian ones were very heavily scented and the scent is often kept in these English hybrids, but in some cases not quite as strong. They are much larger though and frillier in blossom, some are almost even doubled.

wildebloem you speak English just fine, not problems here. It is a Germanic language, so there are some things in common with yours, as I am sure you have found. However, learning new words for things and also us being backward to everyone else in sentence structure does present a challenge; but you have well-mastered it.

Hopflower, thank you, and yes, English can be a challenge. The worst are the words that are similar but mean something completely different. Trust me, it can get clumsy - "oops" is one of the first words any foreigner should learn to use. (I hopefully will not be a foreigner much longer though - I applied for citizenship this summer.)

Over the last years, I have grown "Early Mammoth", "Heritage", "Knee High", "Little Sweetheart", "Old Spice", "Royal Family", "Supersnoop", and "Winter Elegance". For my conditions, "Royal Family" and "Heritage" work best, but the success varies from year to year for different varieties. I hesitate to accept some of you hybrids - as I mentioned, I grow them in pots (I use tomato cages to accommodate the climbers) and not every type likes growing in that manner. I would hate to end up wasting special seeds.

They are all climbers (except for the bush type) you can grow sweet peas in pots of any type, but they prefer being in the ground on a trellis or support of some sort. I don't have nay hybrids that I did at all.

Little Sweethearts are nice in pots, too, but they are dwarf types like Supersnoop. They all have their uses, though. I will post some pics for you of the type I grow.

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Oh lord, these pictures make me want to run out and find at least a bag of each type I can find - and order the rest! Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. I love the very deep red-purples best, probably because I seem to find fewer of them in mixes I have grown, but really, I love them all. If I look long enough at the photos with the sunshine, I can practically smell them.

I misunderstood, I thought you hybridized sweet peas. What kinds do you grow and which do you find to have the best fragrance?

wildebloem: I have tried hybridising them; believe me there are a lot more failures than successes! They are self-pollinating and also sometimes will revert to the old version if not fixed for a very long time.

Lilac Ripple (the first one), is a very good one for size, frilliness, and for scent; the one you like best from the pictures (maroon) is called Windsor, and Royal Wedding which is, as you probably guessed white, is very fragrant. Windsor is striking for its depth, but is not as fragrant as the other two. Ethel Grace, which is lavender and not in the pictures is my favorite; it is very well-scented and about the most delicate and perfect of lavenders and to me, the quintessential sweet pea.

There is a cream one, also not in the pictures, I have grown called Castle of Mey; and it is a lovely large frilly one with a gorgeous scent!

I have many on the list for either scent, size, or frill. Just give me the colour you like, and I will let you know how it is. Most of the sweet peas available are not of this quality.

Heheh! And you thought Royal Family was the end of it!

hop=those sweet peas are SWEET! Delicate shape, very pretty.

Well, cindeea, you should be very proud. They originally are Italian flowers, and found in the wild in the Sicilian mountains. They were hybridised for frill and size and longer sturdy stems than those found in the wild by us English who could not get over their delcate looks and heavenly scent!

We keep working on them, and they keep their charm; both originally and in modern hybrid form!

Thanks, though. I grow them every year VERY carefully and the snails are NOT ALLOWED near them. :)

I wonder if I could grow them in the spring here. I miss my Dad's sweet peas. He was Italian BTW..lol

I have blue pea vine, Clitoria Ternatea. I have tons of seeds if anyone wants them. It is truely true blue and beautiful.
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It's pretty but no fragrance. My yard is filled with longtail skipper Butterflies. This is one of their host plants.

First of all... wonderful orchid photos, Cindee! You know I'm hooked! I've been watching the eBay auctions of Epidendrum Orchids... not to buy, mind you, but just to look at the different and beautiful flowers! It's way too cold to purchase and ship orchids now! I'm counting the days until spring arrives again, so I can expand my collection!

Hopflower - Wow! You sure know your Sweet Peas! Those are absolutely gorgeous photos!! I can almost smell the flowery perfume... (sniff) Mmmm!

I've only seen the Mixed colors sold in catalogs, and never individual colors. I love pinks, whites and purples... although, cream colored sounds very pretty! I would think that the white stands out very well... the light pink, too. Purple and red are my favorite colors, but I like the idea of frilly white scented Sweet Peas! They sound heavenly!

I would never have thought of growing them in pots... I bet they would look gorgeous grouped in large patio pots growing up small trellises! In fact, I have half a dozen small trellises that I had no idea what to do with... now I have an idea! However, I have a great spot along a fence that needs some color, and it's close to the sidewalk, so you would smell the Sweet Peas as you walked by... I am definitely going to plant some Sweet Peas next spring! Again, Hopflower, wonderful pictures! Thank you for sharing those!

Actually, I have written a reply to this thread and I don't see it here. Interesting.
I complimented you, Cindee, that you have a magical garden full of interesting plants because every time we come up with something new, you simply have it... It is like a wondrous place with hidden little dimensions full of plants that you gather together to hide away from the world...

Soultan what nice words. Thanks for complimenting my efforts. Truth be told, I am not afraid to try to grow anything. I love when seeds sprout and make new babies. I love different colors and textures and especially love fragrance. I try to attract butterflies. I am a master of none and novice at most. When I overcame the fear of killing plants, then I really got wild and tried everything. I have a ton of fruits too: Pomegranates, grapes, blackberries, Mulberries, carambola, bananas, lemons, key limes, tomatoes...a regular produce stand. You would think I have a lot of land, but no, it's just all crammed together on my 3/4 acre lot. Being able to garden in SW Florida year around, allows me so much freedom to experiment!

Yes, I truly love them. I think you could grow them cindeea if you wanted to. They do not like to be in summer heat, so I am sure if you planted them early enough you would be able to have some. I know you are Italian; which is why I mentioned that they are, too; you have mentioned it in several of your posts, so I knew you would be pleased about them. That is a nice blue vine, as well. I have never grown that particular vine myself.

jodi: You can get individual colours, which I will in fact put in the envelope for you; although I will have to mix them in the packet. Otherwise I would be sending several packets which I guess I could do; but since I know the names of them anyway I was thinking I could write their names and corresponding colours and send with them; if you like a particular one then you will know what it is and be able to order them when the time comes.

They do enjoy trellises and and have to some sort of support; but often people will grow them in large pots. The pot has to be at least 18" deep, though, and the support fairly tall. I use 8-foot stakes and they sometimes reach over that! They look delicate, but the vines can get heavy and strong. You can also tie some stakes together at the top and make a teepee of them and grow them up and around it.

The thing about sweet peas is I have never met anyone whom they fail to charm. Their form and delicacy and scent seem to enchant everyone; and also many people are reminded of their grandmother or father or parents; having grown up with them. They make people happy on sight!

Hopflower - Mixed would be wonderful! The containers I have are very large, way too large for me move around! I keep the bottom 1/3 filled with wood mulch, both for drainage and to make the pots a bit lighter, not that it helps much! They are still very bulky and hard to move once planted! I do believe they are well over 18 inches deep! A mixed lot of Sweet Peas would look wonderful in them! And since I plant several colors and types of annual vines along the fenceline, a mixed batch of Sweet Peas would look great there, too! The area gets quite a bit of sun... enough for roses to be happy there. And the containers are across the driveway, next to the garage and flanking the doorways. Yes, please don't go through any trouble to separate seeds... mixed will be just wonderful! Thank you so much! And remember... whatever you'd care for in trade is fine... as emailed, just let me know!

Cindee - What Soultan says is true... you seem to have a new flower picture for every occasion! I am so envious of your ability to grow things year 'round! I can only imagine what it would be like to have fruit and vegetables and flowers all the time! And to be able to try new things most any season! And here, I'm relegated to looking for the fastest growing, shortest time to maturity plants so I can reap the benefits before winter closes in! It's so sad to go outside after a few hard frosts and see the damage and the dying remnants of what were roses and other beauties! I know they'll appear next spring, but waiting all winter is so depressing!

How's this for a flower for the occastion. I had to trim my Mexican sunflower tree today (Tithonia) and my kitchen smells like honey and sunshine!!
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Jodi, try using packaging popcorn on the bottom of your larger planters. It drains beautifully and stays light and fluffy!

What a lovely bouquet of Mexican Sunflowers. So cheerful.

Jodi I will get your packet sorted out this weekend and get back to you by email soon. I will put a list of the names and colours in it so when they bloom you can tell which one is which and see what you like. It will be a little adventure for you wondering what is going to come up! At least you will become fast acquainted with your favourites that way. :)

Thank you so much, Hopflower! As I said, there's no rush... I'm stuck indoors until spring! I'll be dreaming of Sweet Pea flowers, though! And give some thought as to what you'd like in trade... if you'd like perennials, I'll make sure I have the kinds you want, and start extra seed this coming February... or whatever your pleasure is...

Cindee - Hopflower's right... cheerful comes to mind! What a nice picture that is, with the candle burning and the beautiful yellow of the flowers!

So Cindee, it is then Apple Cinnamon Honey Cider...

Jodi, I have grown sweet peas in a long, narrow window box with an attached trellis indoor. I started the seeds in fall, but you could try now with a few not too precious seeds (in case your experiment fails) if you have a window that is very bright.

I have a tendency to get a little impatient with Ma (Nature, that is) and have tried lots of odd things indoor in winter. For several years, I potted up tall bearded iris rhizomes and forced them into bloom in late winter. The miniature bearded types actually work even better, because they naturally bloom before the tall bearded types - they look great in flat bonsai dishes. I have kept over a number of perennials that kept blooming as well.

Lol Soultan, YES! The guys came in the house licking their lips and asked what I was baking!!

OK. Latest picture of the scape of Picotee!

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Cindeea...Those flowers sure are very pretty. Do they last long in the vase? I remember your posting a pic of that tree. It must be so pretty full of those flowers. How do you propagate them?

Maria. the Mexican Sunflowers can last over a week in a vase. As I was telling Jodi, the friend that gave me my first twig 4 years ago (we just cut down from 12 feet to 6 feet) this weekend. She called this plant a 'whore'. Plant it anywhere and it grows. I am sending Jodi some cuttings this spring. I'd be glad to share with you too. Your little girls will like them. The flowers are HUGE.

Hop your picotee is LQQING good!

Cindee...I would love some if it will survive here. I was thinking about my mother. She would LOVE that. Maybe next time you trim it, maybe this coming spring, I would ask for cuttings. Hopefully she will still be strong enough to come visit next year spring/summer time.

Hopflower...Picotee's flower is awesome. You will adore it hopefully soon...

Thank you. Tithonia (Mexican Sunflower) is easy to grow from seed. You don't need to go to all the bother of clipping and sending cuttings! They are anuals anyway. I actually have only seen orange or orange-red ones around here. Yellow is not common at all. Like a lot of daisy types, they can trhive in soe fairly poor soil but need it well-drained and to have full sun.

Hop, most of my Florida Forum friends have the orange. Luckily I got the Yellow one. Very deep rich yellow color and the fragrance of honey.

So they are actually large flowers... I thought it was the small kind that I saw here all over. But again, these can be something else. I just look at flowers, smell them, and like them, but don't learn about all.
Should I bake Apple Strudel again, Cindee? Your ideas make me hungry.

Hopflower - Picotee is really coming along, there! Should be blooming soon!

The only things I've brought inside to grow when the weather turns cold are geraniums, which never do well, and the English Ivy I use as trailers in my patio pots. The Ivy does fine, although, it tends to lose some leaves during the transition from chilly to warm again. This year, I dug up and saved the tubers from the purple and chartreuse sweet potato vines that are so popular for container mixes... I'm hoping I can just plant them again in the spring, and have them grow for me. I've never really forced anything, like paperwhites, or brought in perennials for winter bloom. I am trying some hyacinths this year; they are planted and chilling right now. Next year, I'll be trying some Lily-of-the-Valley pips for winter color and scent. I don't know that I'd want to waste any Sweet Pea seeds trying to force them to grow inside over winter... I really don't have a bright place for them, as all my window space is dedicated to hippeastrum bulbs! I'd rather save them all for the garden, where I know they'll get plenty of sun!

Cindee - Let me look around for Tithonia seed before you send me cuttings... it sounds very familiar, and I think I can just buy some seeds and grow it!

Yes, cindeea, they are very nice. A friend of mine had a whole plot in her garden devoted to them as well as mixed pink and white cosmos. They were quite stunning that year. A lot of people grow them around here because they are rather care free nd easy to grow; no need to worry about heat in their case!

Jodik-sweet peas are very hard to grow indoors. They are not really indoor plants at all and are not at their best; unless, of course, you have a professional glasshouse. Even in there they are grown in the ground. Professional sweet pea growers do this to get a jump start on the season. Most grow a lot of them outside when weather permits. England and The Netherlands of course grow some of them indoors, but even they mostly are grown in fields in spring and summer. It is tricky indoors because light and enough heat without bringing in mould can be a problem.
I have prepared your packet and will send it off today or tomorrow and it will not take long to reach you. The seeds are mixed in the packet but the names of each colour are listed so you know what they are when the bloom! You will naturally like some more than others. But I warn you now: there are a lot of sweet pea addicts out here! :)

It seems the Picotee is coming along just fine. When it blooms, I will take a snap and post it.

Thank you so much, Hopflower! I can't wait until spring gets here so I can plant Sweet Peas! Very soon, I shall begin putting together my seed list for next year! There are so many perennials I want to try! I'm not so much for the annuals, although, I do grow a few for containers and the garden, like lobelia, snapdragons, mina lobata, cup & saucer vine, morning glories, and cleome... just to name a few.

Perennials are more my style, and this next year I'll be trying several more varieties... last year I grew columbine, sage, anise hyssop, butterfly flower, gaillardia, sweet william, dianthus, foxglove and a few more... next year's list will include heuchera, monarda, lupines, echinacea and lots more that I can't think of right now! The list will be extensive!

I'm also going to grow a few herbs... I haven't thought about which ones yet, but it will be another good sized list!

It seems that most gardeners are addicted to more than one type of plant or flower! I know I am addicted to several, hippeastrums being only one! I think that after I grow the Sweet Peas, I'll have to add them to my list of addictions!

Oh, jodik: they will add themselves. Once you see these, you will be hooked! Heheheh! There is no escaping it.

And they will be arriving at your door soon. :)

Oh, thank you, Hopflower! I can't wait! Hehe! Spring can't get here fast enough! Well, it never can because I hate cold weather, but now I want it here even more so I can start planting seeds!

There should be quite an assortment of things for you to choose from... I'm vastly expanding my growing list this coming year... now that I have the mini greenhouses and seed starting equipment, it should be that much easier to get everything growing!

I'm also planning on bringing most of my bulbs outside to summer over... I have a fenced in, raised bed vegetable garden that I'm saving space in just for my bulbs! So, I'll be spending a lot of time outdoors, tending to my bulbs and garden areas... including several very large containers of Sweet Pea flowers, and a fenceline full of annual vines!

I'll let you know the minute I begin sowing seed... I'll email you the list of what will be available... plus, I'll keep you updated on winter crafting, in case there's something you'd rather have!