Oh those flowers are extraordinary!!! I do like them all- do you find the pink floyd cross to be a stronger plant than pink floyd and the Ruby Meyer x La Paz stronger than Ruby? I have both and neither "thrives" for me. I covet that Ruby Meyer x La Paz cross and the San Antonio Rose too. Excellant work! Thanks so much for sharing these pictures Lora.

I love them all!!!

WOW Lora!!!! Love the eye candy! Especially like the Pink Floyd X La Paz cross, Very nice.

Glad you like'em !
Pink Floyd is a bit touchy, wants more warmth than the large flowered hybrids & will drop it's leaves at the least chill. The crosses with PF as the pod parent seem to be much tougher and come to bloom very quickly. The tray of PF X La Paz is throwing new leaves on top of it's summer foilage in spite of the cold & miserable lack of sunlight.

The Ruby Meyer crosses seem to carry the habit of going dormant if chilled & there is a nekkid tray in my kitchen window right now. There was enough of a temperature bump to get the scapes up but I bet they aren't happy! I'm not enjoying the cold myself!

SAR could come your way,there are a -ton- of offsets I potted this Fall.

Thank you Jan & Primeribs : )

just because she makes me smile.

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She is sweet too- how old is she and what kind of dog? (I'm no expert- I love the mixes)

I have some PFxPap and some PFxES (exotic star). They are much stronger than the Pink Floyd which has been shrinking each year- yikes!

I love Pink Floyd- though difficult for me to grow- I wish I would do better. You do seem quite the expert. If ever you need to divest yourself of some SARs, I have the previously mentioned and lima x pap (and vise versa)crosses.

I really do appreciate the pictures you post- I love to see the results you get from your crosses. Thank you so much!
Sally

She makes me smile, too, Lora! :-)

Your crosses are extraordinary! I love the first one pictured, Pink Floyd X La Paz! They're all wonderful!

Thank you so much for sharing those!

Eye Candy, indeed!

I cannot stop gazing upon these beauties. I find myself rapt, enthralled, spellbound, captivated, riveted, mesmerized, and enraptured.

As it is likely that I will skip dinner due to my state of enchantment, I hereby name this virtual pleasure "Lora's Eye Candy Diet."

-B

That is little miss Zippitydodah, or Zippy for short :O
She is black lab X dachshund. She & her litter mates came to us in July at 4 weeks old,mom dead -starved to death & the pups nearly so. 3 died in spite of all we could do. The 2 others were easy to find homes for but Miss Zippy is "special needs". Her vision is impaired, makes her very twitchy around strangers,esp small kids. In her small world she is quite happy, outside of it is very, very bad.

Salpal, I bet we can get something going this spring, or whenever the icebergs retreat : )This might help with PF, I'm not sure if it's a selection of the species or a primary hybrid, link below.

Hiya Jodi,thanks a bunch : )

Blancawings, sit down, with your plate and eat! Nobody leaves our house hungry unless their lips are stapled shut!

Here is a link that might be useful: How to make that darn thing happy

Lora your Cybister hybrid crosses are amazing! Cure pup dog too!

Pretty, pretty flowers, sweet fur babies :)
Susan

I've never seen a pink Cybister before, Pink Floyd X La Paz is just amazing. But I also like Ruby Meyer x Emerald a lot. Thanks for showing! do you have more crosses?

Lora, your pink cross is WAY prettier than Hippeastrum doraniae!! It's much more delicate and spidery! That's a winner, for sure!

I know what Blanca means... I sat and drooled over your crosses for quite a while! What an accomplishment! But then, a piece of chocolate cake called my name, and I had no choice but to go eat it! ;-)

Oh, oh, oh, my, I am speechless. I love your crosses but my favorite is your Pink Floyd X La Paz. I am inspired to continue to make crosses.

AJ

H. brazilianum X H.striatum

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And a towering tall Ruby Meyer X Emerald, nicknamed Red Rocket.

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The scape carries an odd blush of pink with a dark pink ring at the base of the spathe valves : o

Thank you everybody! I'll keep adding photos as the blooms pop.
And Bentonklotz, the link below is last years photos.

Here is a link that might be useful: more photos

Oh, my. I thought I was done being overwhelmed by your pictures. Why did I have to open that link!!!

Wow, really.

Gorgeous flowers. I'm with salpal, coveting. And would love to hear more about your breeding experiences. Are you sure you don't want to do an internet workshop?

Also very happy to see you getting such results in your climate. I'm new to hippeastrum and LOVE the bulbs for their resilience and the fact that I should be able to grow them outside here, but pulled my new bulbs in because I'm a nervous new mom. Maybe next year, after I've enjoyed the first flowers, I'll let them do their thing outside.

Thanks so much for the photos! G

H. brazilianum X H.striatum looks like it will be a pastel similar to striatum, but what I wanna know is if it carries the fragrance from the pod parent!? You will know soon!

"Red Rocket" surely got carried away reaching for the light, but the blooms are wonderful! Do keep me in mind when this one pups!

Before I forget, again, that PF X LP is a definite improvement of the species (doraniae), color is so saturated!

You do good work!

That first one. . .WOW!

Oh Lora, you sure know how to put a smile on people's faces - these are absolutely wonderful! Thank you so much for showing me even more beautiful blooms that I've never seen before.

Lora, amazing results! Congrats on all your successes. I just love the PF cross too. Alana

Patann,lol!
Purpleclover, quit coveting & start pollinating : ) The Picotee X Charisma cross is easy to make with a very high percentage of bloomers at 3 years. Pink Floyd & La Paz are readily available-go for it!

Rebecca, it looks like striatum walked all over brazilianum's genes!Orange is dominant but geeze! In a way, it is good cause brazilianum is incredibly slow to offset,striatum multiplies like a rabbit. This one falls in between, 9 offsets with a golf ball sized mother.It is very unlikely there will be any scent,it's recessive & needs a gene from both parents.
The Ruby Meyer crosses have all been really tall,even the spring & summer bloomers. They would be better for cut flowers than potted plants.

Thank you Iluvneps, Clancy and Alana.

Thanks Lora!

I browsed though your album and I have to say these are all really amazing varieties. You seem to like crossing with Emerald. I hoped to do that too, it's got a great flowershape. Of course relatively broad for a Cybister.

IN, that's Indiana, right? So you're doing it all indoors? I'm amazed, you're doing a fine job with your crossings!

I have 2 'Ruby Meyers' bulbs so guess I had best reserve a couple of bamboo stakes for them!

Yes, striatum is a multiplier! I have seedlings that have already rolled off pups and these were seeds sown in early spring of THIS year! A pot full of these will be a gorgeous display when most of the bulbs are mature enough to bloom!

BTW, I have some of those glass hummers in my entry window!

(IN is Indiana and you'd be amazed at what we can grow here, even without a greenhouse!)

Hoosiers Rock!

Your Pink Floyd X La paz is one of the prettiest I've seen.
It is especially outstanding among Cybisters. I would love to try doubling that one!
Del

Well, here she is....

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nearly any trace of the mother is wiped out, no scent at all.

Betonklotz, may I call you Carl?
Thank you. Some of these crosses are so large due to tremendous fertility. Ruby Meyer sets seed with a sort of fierceness, as if it needs to fill acres with her children. Emerald was handy at the time, fertile and willing : )
It is fascinating, the variety of patterns and colors that come out, gives an insight into what is in the parentage of the parents.
There are a large number of crosses with Pink Floyd that are very near bloom, brazilianum, Jade Serpent and more La Paz. PF is an excellent mother, her seedlings are very fast to bloom and you can fit a lot of them in a small space :)
I will try to keep the winter doldrums at bay, there are more blooms opening now and many more to come.
And yes, Indiana- a wild, fierce and beautiful land!

Rebecca, yep, Hoosiers Rock!
Do you want some striatum pollen? I can get it to you in the mail pretty quick if you had a match in mind for Ruby Meyer.

Oh Del, now you have my poor little mind spinning! The only double that I can think of that might be 2n is Jewel, do you have any other candidates? Lora

Oh my goodness! How did I miss these beauties and my Loraaaaa!!!!

(((((((((HUGS))))))))

They are all beauuuutttiiffuulll Lora! But I won't mind that "Eye Candy" Pink Floyd X La Paz blooming "in my face". WOWZA yummylicious one for sure!!!

You and your babies give me so much hope for my babies. I am DYING here waiting for them to bloom. This winter cold dormancy/storage is putting a big setback on their development. I have been trying to save for a greenhouse but expenses and bills are faster in consuming the savings account. Ughhh!!! Hopefully spring of 2010, my babies will finally bloom in my new greenhouse. Hopefully...

Question: How come your babies are blooming at this cold season? All the while I thought they should be flowering in spring. Don't they get winter/cold rest? Or have they been continously grown since they were planted as seeds with no dormancy at all?

Nice to have you back girlfriend!

Maria,

I saw some great photos of your blooms in another thread, and it made me think that there are probably many people who would love to wrangle an invitation to see your hippes.

So now I'm thinking that you could charge a fee for open house days and use the fund for a greenhouse. ;-)

G

My vote goes to Pink Floyd x La Paz.
Sure is a cute little dog too. Dachshund/lab.... I'm trying to picture it, lol.
The dad must have been the Lab.
I have a dachshund also. My other one passed away almost 3 years now.
Anyways nice crosses. Can't find many good Hippies around here in the stores. Just the usual suspects. Red Lion, etc...
Nice work

Lora,apparently GW has lost the reply I made to you. I don't remember exactly what I said,but the effect is;that edensblooms.com sells an heirloom double from india that I believe is probably a diploid. I also said that Jewel is a desirable parent,because of fragrance and its several other attributes.I simply can't remember other diploids. I may have notes on it,I will look.
Del

I like that Ruby Meyer x Emerald- a feminine fairy- Of course I like them all! Impressive!
Salpal

(((((MARIA))))
So glad to see you! How is everyone?
I know all too well the chasing of pennies! I will keep my fingers crossed for you that the greenhouse happens soon!
How old are the babies, what kind of crosses? Can you keep any in a window over the winter? Have you picked a greenhouse yet or are you having something built? Soooo many questions!

Why are my babies blooming now-idunno-! My best guess is the very cool summer-fall was enough to act as dormancy and turning the heater on made them think it's spring. It's only mid 60s during the day but they seem happy. The cybister crosses did drop their leaves, scared me into tipping the trays out to look for rot or insects but they look fine, just horribly over crowded. They have been growing straight through till this year when they put themselves to sleep.

Purpleclover, I'm with you! Maria should make a hippie peep show, or publish her photos!

Mikey, Pink Floyd X La Paz seems to be the favorite!
Poor Miss Zip is sort of odd looking,front legs shorter than the back & her body just keeps getting loooonger,a bunch of spare parts.

Del,GW lost one of my relies too, the forums seem a little shakey these days. I'm used to it, my email gets eaten all the time.
Jewel is in the greenhouse, thanks to Blancawings, and seems to be the most likely candidate. I will contact edensblooms and see if I can set up a spring shipment. It's too darn cold to try it now. I think I had purchased vittatum from them,got a 4n hybrid but it's fertile and very delightfully fragrant.

Salpal,yes, very dainty looking with her pinstripes. I think some papilio is peeking out. Lora

Of course you can call me Carl. I just don't write my name underneath each post but nevertheless, that's my name and so you're free to call me like that.

I've heard in the news of loads of snow in the US at the moment, are you too struggling with the harsh winter at the time?
Here it snowed for a long while and the snow stayed even though we had some sun today. Hope it stays like that for a while and it won't turn into too fast into this snow slush.

I thought we were gonna get dumped on yesterday, too... but all we got was a little dusting that's melting today. Everything is muddy again. I'm thinking we might not have a white Christmas. :-(

Lora, your babies are gorgeous!

Right now, I have a Sweet Lilian in scape, an Apple Blossom in scape, and 2 Pasadenas, each with a touch of pollen... is there any chance a cross could be made out of any of these?

I already tried Pasadena pollen on sweet Lilian, her first scape, and it's a no go... the pods began to swell, then turned yellow and aborted.

Any hints would be appreciated... you and Maria are the Queens of Pollination! :-)

A few more

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Hi Carl,
Much like Jodi we missed most of the snow. How are you coping with the cold? I understand it has gotten mighty chilly over your way.

Hiya Jodi,
I have not worked with Sweet Lillian but from her looks I could guess she is 2n. There is a very slim chance of setting seed with the 4n big flowered hybrids. Doesn't mean I wouldn't try : ) It can work, I have 1 seedling from an intense date between Ruby Meyer & White Christmas. I would give Appleblossom a try and any 2n pollen you have. Lora

I'm at my parent's at the moment. Here it's all right but I guess the snow won't stay till the 24th (we're celebrating christmas on the evening of the 24th.). Snowy but not too icy, there've been some car accidents but nothing out of the usual.
In my new place of abode it's still below freezing point, last year parts of the Baltic Sea did freeze, normally the winter are less harsh there.

But enough of that!

Jodik: Try your best, pollinate with as much different pollen as you have and also I'd recommend to pollinate more than one time. When the stylus opens, when it's fully open and a bit after that again ... good luck!

Thank you, Lora... I wish I had more in flower at the moment, but the choices for pollen are slim right now. Spring will be more abundant! I think I'll save some Sweet Lilian pollen for then.

Thank you, too, Carl... I will definitely give everything a try.

I just thought if Lora had any experience with Sweet Lilian, she'd know whether a shot in a dark was worth it or not. I guess, though... ultimately... all shots are worth a try with these bulbs!

Thanks! :-)

Lora...I am growing a few of my chosen seed crosses with papilio and Supreme Garden. These are what I am hoping to bloom in spring including my "newbie" crosses of the regular varieties. I did save a few of them and gave away the rest.

Residence is a good choice for aiming for doubles with the cybisters.
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That is IF you can catch the pollen at the right time. It only takes a few minutes and then it's gone.
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I did got lucky with it a few seasons ago...Pink Floyd X Residence.

Jodi...Sweet Lillian is really sweet and a performer. Blooming 2-3 times here. BUT it has rejected most of my pollination attempts. It's pollens can be accepted by a few varieties.

Thank you, Maria! Residence is rockin'! I love the color!

I'll keep trying with Sweet Lilian... maybe I'll get lucky!

Lora, are you willing to divulge the parentage of those last 2? I'm gonna guess Ruby Meyer x something? Beautiful intense color!

Maria I would love to see your Supreme Garden x Pap!!!

Jodi, when I first got Sweet Lil I crossed exclusively with 2n and received nada for seeds. She turned out a sickly plant and I have a new one- in bud! (I'll be experimenting on my old bulb soon)