Beautiful Penny,
I would say you can give yourself a huge pat on the back for bringing it from seed to flower.....please keep those pictures coming. Kareen

Thank you Kareen,
The advantage to this plant is that it is a slow grower and will stay about 2-3 ft. in a container so it won't take up as much room as some of my less hardy plants during the winter. SInce it is more of a dry climate tropical it doesn't need a lot of water or fertilizer or care.
I am beginning to realize that the southwestern and desert plants are really good houseplants and that require very little attenion and less prone to whitefly that plagues othr plants inside during the winter.

Penny

Aw geez Penny I thought you were offering this plant lol! Anyway great shot and plant.

I knew it was too nice to be hardy here! You are really dedicated Penny, congrats on your first bloom.

Hey Huskey as soon as it starts to make seed pods you will be on the list for the first ones.

Thanks GG, It really wasn't that hard. It germiated quickly and then I just pretty much forgot about it until it needed a little water. Repot once a year and it is good to go. It may require a bit more attention from me now that it is blooming since it can be an everbloomer I may need to fertilize it once in a while too.

Penny

Penny ~
What source did you purchase your plant/seed from?
Legumes are easy to germinate if you soak the hard seeds in boiling water.
I have some Albizia julibrissin Mimosa seedlings from a local source plus I found a source for 'Summer Chocolate' Mimosa seeds. They are in pots and have not sprouted yet.
Thanks,
~ Gerry
Hamburg, NY, Zone 6

Gerry

My seeds came from another hummmer gardener in Louisiana. I didn't do anything to the seeds except put them in the soil and keep them moist. The one that is in bloom was wintersown. The two that have yet to bloom were sown indoors.

Penny

Penny ~

I might as well say it since you wrote "Calliandra anyone?", I also thought you were offering this pretty plant to interested gardeners. The sources I found are sold out for this year...
Which Calliandra is it, as there are a couple with red/purplish - pink blooms?
Thanks,
~ Gerry
Hamburg, NY

Gerry,
I guess the subject line was misleading....I certainly do apologize to everyone for that.

I am not positive but I believe this particular plant is Calliandra emarginata In was in with the seeds I received for Calliandra californica which is considerably different in leaf size and shape although the flowers are very similar.

Penny

I ordered seed for Calliandra eriophylla and surinamensis from J. L. Hudson.
The seed and shipping are inexpensive.
I planted both packages on August 15, after soaking them in hot water (from tap)for 24 hours. I only soaked with hot water from the start then I let the water cool. I use tea infusers to keep the two species separate. They began germinating on August 18, as I noticed the dirt in the pots "lifting up" and the seed leaves emerging.

I had to have this plant after seeing Penny's photos and I previously had seed earlier this summer, but I had the pots on my SW facing steps so they had sun for most of the day - Chipmunks rummaged through the pots and since nothing came up, reordered the seeds.

That is very pretty Penny. Looks kinda like a mini pink feather duster.

Melissa