Hi Jon--

I'm glad to hear you're having luck with this plant. I don't know who propagated it for the convention but I tried to spread it around to a lot of people. It's a very interesting species that ought to be grown more. It tends to be more tropical than most other kohlerias (it comes from relatively lowland areas of Panama and Costa Rica, unlike many kohlerias that come from higher elevations in Colombia) and is the most cold-sensitive kohleria I have grown. Temperatures much below 50 degrees or so will blacken the foliage. Otherwise it's easy to grow; it loves heat and sun, and grows tall so needs plenty of room--i.e., outdoors or a greenhouse. The flowers are bat-pollinated and usually open in the evening, and yes, they do have a fragrance (this is the only known fragrant kohleria). The main drawback is that each flower only lasts for 2-3 days so there are never many open at one time. Otherwise it would make a very dramatic garden plant.

Yesterday, on the only open flower, the little petals were nice and flat. Today, they have all reflexed back and aren't quite as attractive. I am sorry to learn that the flowers don't last long as the spike has lots of buds. I went around and put pollen on the few kohlerias I had in flower. Not, the best plants to make crosses with this one but the results if any, should be interesting. I put it on 'Beltane' and 'Trinidad'. After I did the pollination I tied a short piece of dental floss around the pedicel to mark the flowers I pollinated. Hopefully I will get some seed.

Meanwhile I have been bringing in my various kohlerias from the greenhouse and putting them in bright windows or under lights. I am finding that regardless of variety, they seem to prefer the indoors to my cooler greenhouse.

Under lights I have equally sized plants of 'Sunshine' and 'Roundelay'. They have nearly identical foliage--dark charcoal gray patterned leaves; but, 'Sunshine' is all budded up while 'Roundelay' needs to grow on a bit more. I have another pot of 'Sunshine' budded up on another lightstand, also very compact. I am beginning to think that is is a terrific kohleria. I wish I knew what its parents were.

Jon