Wow! That is a beauty Mariava7!

I have a Candy Floss also that has just sent 2 scapes up where I can see them. I can't wait and hope it will be as beautiful as yours!

Thanks for sharing with us and happy holidays!!

-Frank

I do like that one, and it is such a great photo.

Vera is opening for me, finally. It is the same type of pink with red markings, but the markings are different. I will post a picture for comparison when it is finally opened all the way.

Thanks and enjoy your holidays!

OoOOoHhhHhh AHhHHhHhh! Thanks for the eye candy. Enjoy the spirit of Christmas Maria!

Now I have to show a pic of my Candy Floss too.

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Soultan, your photography knocks my sox off! ...wait, I wasn't wearing any sox! lol Beautiful! Merry Jingle Bells and Rum Cake!

Do I have an H. Candy Floss? I bought it last year and when I posted and if I remember correctly nobody knew what it was. In the link above the pic of my possible H. Candy Floss is near the bottom of my blog entry can y'all see if it's a match with yours?

It doesn't seem like Candy Floss to me. Candy Floss has no deep red stripes on the bottom petals. As I can judge or speculate based on your picture, it looks like it is also a smaller flowering variety. Candy Floss has big flowers. Standard Hadeco large flowering variety.

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Now that I see the full flower on yours I don't think mine looked like that. It wasn't as ruffled as yours seems to be. I'll take a better pic if it blooms for me again for me this year.

Thanks for looking at the pic.

Wow Soutan, yours is very beautiful as well! I love all the photos. Keep 'em coming!!

I'm so pleased I ordered Candy Floss.....uberly excited! =)

I didn't get Candy Floss this year, but it is on my wish list... I did get Amalfi, though... which is such a nice shade of pink!

Nice choice, Paxfleur!

Careful with it. HUGE flowers.

Today was a terrible day to take photos (as it's raining cats and dogs outside) but Candy Floss opened it's first scapes today and wanted to share. =) Will take better pictures tomorrow.

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I ordered Candy Floss from Park's "3 for the price of 1" sale. 2 of the 3 were rotten into the basal plates and I had to cut away half of them. I am quite disappointed...I think they are very pretty flowers. And I noticed that Parks is down to Orange Souverign and Elvas. I have enough Elvas now. I think I can save the 2 bulbs but doubt I will get much bloom this year. I wish they would not send rotten bulbs out on clearance! IT is not like these were hidden in a box! I could see the rot as soon as I looked at the net bag they were in.

Paxfleur... what a lovely pink! I haven't had much luck taking pictures the last few days, myself... everything comes out blurry, or too much light, or not enough light... it's driving me nutty! I took such wonderful shots when the first of my bulbs were opening, and now... I don't know what the deal is! Maybe it's how the sun is coming in the window now... it would have been at a different angle a few months ago, not by much, but maybe by just enough...

I've become wary of clearance bulbs... especially after getting some tulips that were buggy right in the package, and some others that were dried out or mushy... it's not worth saving that little bit... I'd rather pay more for good bulbs!

Very beautiful! I want to go out and buy one now. But I have promised my self no more this year! Ha only 1 more day till next year!!! Just kidding. I do not have enough space for the ones I have now. Great growing though. Good job.

I'm wondering what I'm going to do with the ones I still have coming! I do have more lights I can put up to supplement the natural light... last night, Larry installed timers for my lights so they go on and off at precise times instead of whenever I think of it! I'm sure that will help a lot!

Candy Floss is a very lovely pink... I'm going to have to bump it up my wish list toward the top!

I enjoyed my Candy Floss this year also, though it's blooms didn't last long. I was able to cross it with Happiness and the pods seem to be holding up ok.

Very nice Candy Floss, maria. I should get one, too. It is a very pretty pink, or mauve?

Pax...Lovely Candy Floss is a performer and a giver. It will be a robust plant too. Very nice one you got there.

My Candy Floss last season gave out prettier and more lasting blooms on it's second and third scape. So expect more from it. This is Candy Floss's flower in it's second scape.

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Thank you everyone for your comments! =) I was a tad bit disappointed yesterday that my Candy Floss wasn't as pink as Maria's and Soultan's Candy Flosses but was so pleased when the pink intensified today. =)

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It's really a beauty, Pax. Enjoy! I notice the colors of my blooms also change as they age. My Elvas that was intense with freckles and watercolor reds on the petals now is mostly white as the latter flowers bloom.

I've also noticed that several of my bulbs have opened lighter in color, but intensified the next day... it's a gorgeous pink today, Paxfleur!

Today, In the rain even Elvas is pulling in more color. Funny how they change with time.

Or simply change color! Remember the pictures I posted of Hermitage? The blooms opened pink, and by the next day had turned orange! Another fascinating piece of the Hippeastrum puzzle!

Candy Floss is still in her full glory with her second scape opening tomorrow. =)

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They're still beautiful, Paxfleur! I remember when my very first Minerva put up its first scape of blooms... I thought one set of blooms was more than enough because it was such a lovely and large set of flowers! And now, as I watch some of my bulbs put up second and even third scapes, I'm so amazed at the beauty! And some varieties really keep their blooms for a while, it seems...

The darker veining in Candy Floss is really something, too!

Wow! Another gorgeous blossom! I think the colour changes have something to do with light and what they are planted in as well. Soil has some amazing capablitiies to house our many types of flowers. Depending upon its compostion, you can get some beautiful variations on their original colours.

You know, I never thought of that, but it's possible that the mineral composition in soil has something to do with flower petal color... I've heard it changes the petal color of hydrangeas outdoors, and that was according to my Grandma! She had gorgeous hydrangeas!

Oh yes, indeed. I have seen it with my sweet peas as well. It depends upon what is in the soil mixture, but also what the flowers have in them. If they do not contain any blue, for instance, it is impossible to change them, but it will enhance in some cases whatever is in the flower genetically; or enocurage some attributes of colour that do not seem apparent.

Interesting, to say the least... I'll have to keep my eyes on the Sweet Peas and other things this coming season... I would imagine some plants are more apt to change hue than others... I just put in a couple of hydrangeas last summer, and it will be fun to see if they flower true to color!

Candy Floss on her THIRD scape....what a giver! =) I'm not really liking how her top petal is bending back like that.....I was hoping by the third scape she would fix that or improve on her petal posture, but oh well! =)

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Paxfleur, I think I could forgive the poor petal posture just because the pink is so luscious and it's such a prolific bloomer! As I scroll down this thread, I become more convinced that I need this variety! It's on my list as a "must have" for next year!

Wow, that is one great bulb you have there paxfleur! It just keeps on giving and giving. I thoroughly enjoyed mine from last year, but sadly while outside this summer, it rotted... :-(

I didn't get any shots when it was fully open, but here is what she looked like with 2 beautiful scapes:

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-Frank

PS The tag it came with as well as the Elvas bulb (that never bloomed) read 'Hadeco' and I noticed a long thread about the Hadeco bulbs. Everyone seemed so excited about them, so I didn't want to say anything negative. I am in the process of trying to keep Elvas from rotting away too at the present and they were both given no different treatment than all my other bulbs that are doing fine. I am but an amateur though!

Got room for one more Candy Floss??
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I agree, this is really a giver. Along with San Remo, this has been a top bloom producer this season and seems to take pollen and form seed pods easily. I am so glad I added it to my collection this year!

Jodi, Candy Floss is really great and I highly recommend it! =) I'm not too stressed about the posture but oh well, imperfections are beautiful too.

Wow Frank and Cindee, both your Candy Flosses are G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!!!!!! Really really beautiful! So sorry you lost yours Frank, Candy Floss is such an awesome variety! =) I wonder if bulbs from Hadeco require more drier conditions? Since they are from South Africa??? I'm sorry for your bad luck with their bulbs; I haven't ordered anything from them yet so I cannot speak from experience.

Here are more Candy Floss shots from today....=)

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I don't have Candy Floss, but I do have Amalfi and a few other Hadeco bulbs... I find them to be especially sensitive to the medium they are planted in and how moist they are kept... they definitely prefer a quick draining medium, and dislike too much moisture for too long... they seem prone to rot...

I had to perform surgery on Amalfi shortly after planting it, and had to re-think the medium I was using at the time... I have since changed the medium I use for all my bulbs, and am careful to allow them all to dry out a bit before watering again... I have salvaged a few bulbs from rot, and have since learned to water with a lighter hand...

I have found that unglazed clay pots are the best for my environment, and adding a layer of charcoal to the bottom of the pot for drainage helps... the medium I use is my own mix of pre-rinsed coco coir, vermiculite, perlite, a touch of good quality potting soil for body, and a little sand to aid in drainage. I bottom water most of the time, although I do top water once in a while to help leach out excess salts... I have opted to alternate diluted fertilizers, and use a few drops of Superthrive every once in a while...

That's my recipe for keeping my bulbs healthy... so far, it appears to be working... the only problems I seem to be having now are good enough lighting and CO2, both of which I need to add more of...

I think that once I bring most of my hippis outdoors for the warm season, they will all do much better... and should come back indoors later in the season recharged and ready to bloom early the following spring...

Well, Candy Floss seems to be a good seed Momma too! I harvested CF x Self and x Happiness this morning and both pods have a lot of fat seeds inside. I am anxious for them to dry a bit and then I will plant some and save some to share.

Here's a pic of my friends Candy Floss from Hadeco.The colour was amazing!

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If that color is true to life, then I must say it's incredible! It's almost fuchsia-pink!

Cindee - How excellent! You're just harvesting seed pods all over the place! Your bulbs have been very giving this year!

Jodi, you know I am gonna share, doncha? WOW jeremy, that color has definitely more purple than mine. Mine is more a true Pink.

Gorgeous, gorgeous! Can't wait for mine to decide to bloom! I wonder if the brighter one was opened in lower light or if it was photoshopped a bit. Cindee, I suspect it will open darker for me then for you in your Florida Sunshine. I look forward to finding out!

I know you'll share, Cindee! You're a generous kind of girl! I'm looking forward to the warmer weather so we can trade some things! I'm sure I have some seeds that you'll want, and I know you have some that I'd be thrilled to try! I just wish it would warm up, already! I'm about sick of this cold weather! :-)

Hi again;

The picture of the Candy Floss that i posted a few days before was not photoshopped at all - I saw the flowers in real life - and the colour was just like that. This is actually its second year now after purchasing - in its first year the colour was much lighter - similar to the other pics posted here. I dont know what to attribute the change to.

btw - my friend and I live in South Africa-Durban

Perhaps it can be attributed to the amount of light? Or perhaps the fertilizer and care you gave it the past year? The color is just fabulous! Almost neon! It's the brightest color I've seen yet, in hippeastrums!

Unless the leaves of the plants are also strongly blue as they are in Jeremys photo,then the camera or process is inaccurate.I have seen strong blue influence in Hippeastrum,
but not like that.All the photos I've seen of Candy Floss show a milder blue influence.It is possible,through tissue
culture to obtain wide variations of a cultivar,therefore it is not an impossibility that one clone line has this color.Environment definately affects color,among other things.Hydrandgeas can be planted in neutral ph soil,then limed on one side of the plant and epsom salts placed on the other side to make the plant have blue and pink flowers.

Del

Wow!!! A thread started in Dec. 2006. I feel old...lol!!!

Time flies when you're having fun Maria! Especially getting carried away with Hippi bulbs! That is around the time I first starting posting here.

Oh gosh don't say old...say wise! Think of all the learning experiences we have all had since then. I know I have learned a ton thanks to the help of you and the others here that are so gernerous and helpful! Actually, in this particular thread, Jodi is talking about which soil she was using and now she can tell you...it wasn't the right thing for her babies. Its all trial and error!

We are all blessed to have this outlet to connect with others that "get it" about these awesome bulbs! So many do not unfortunately. This just means more for us!!!

-Frank

It's a process, just as it is with everything... you can read all you want, but it's the hands-on experience that brings it all home. There are so many nuances to indoor gardening... you have to live it in order to really learn... by trial and error.

I think back, and this all began with one little bulb in a box, with the same name as my dog.

What really clinched it for me was reading that I could grow these bulbs the same way I grow all my other houseplants... that I didn't HAVE to go through the dormancy process. At that point in time, I didn't understand the dormancy process, so finding out that I didn't have to do any of that made the whole thing seem easier and more attractive.

I sort of figured that once the Minerva bulb bloomed, it would all go downhill, and I'd be lucky to have the thing continue to grow leaves, never mind ever seeing blooms from it again. Back then, I didn't always check my plants on a regular basis, and I would remember to water when I saw a couple of my plants begin to wilt from lack of moisture.

I think it was that neglect that actually kept Minerva alive... she was on the windowsill facing south, in a huge bay window of the Victorian farmhouse we were renting at the time.

Imagine my surprise when she began to grow flower scapes the following year! I was flabbergasted, to say the least! From then on, she bloomed like clockwork every February, her flowers bigger and better every year! The first year she bloomed on her own, she only gave one scape... but the following years, she gave two scapes! She even survived several moves, and did surprisingly well in the environments and situations I threw her in.

That was my introduction to growing Hippeastrum bulbs indoors. The addiction began when I came here to find out more about them! And ever since, it's been trial and error, learning about those nuances of indoor growing, and learning what medium and what fertilizer are best, and learning exactly when to water. I think Maria says it best, when she tells us that our bulbs will tell us what they want, what they need... all we have to do is pay attention.

Having this outlet to help us is one of the most valuable pieces of the process... we're connected with others going through the same learning as we are, and even though we each have different climates and environments to deal with, the basics are similar. It's a huge boost to share this process with others who love it as much as we do!

I may seem as though I'm fairly well versed in Hippeastrum growing, but I still have a lot to learn! I'm still growing as a gardener, no pun intended! :-)

I think it's through sharing our successes and failures that we're able to grow as gardeners. It's incredibly helpful to get a different perspective from other growers.

As I look back at my earlier posts, I feel embarrassed and silly for having extolled the virtues of a soil that turned out to be detrimental, but I think by sharing my enthusiasm, and admitting I made a mistake, I have grown further. What fun would it be if I knew everything already?

In conclusion, this forum and its inhabitants have opened my eyes and my mind to new ideas and new experiences, and I can't imagine a better group of people to share it all with! I look forward to new and interesting possibilities in the world of rare, and not so rare, bulb growing!

As a footnote... my first re-bloom since becoming so enamored of Hippeastrum hybrids is in process right now! I hope to post photos of Lady Jane soon!