Thanks! She is beautiful. BUT, she is a chimera and she is taking up real estate and doing nothing. Rosie

Haha. Oh Rosie!... without sounding brutal .. off with her head! And wait for sucker babies.

I know,,,right? She already lost her head,,,,,now the waiting begins! Rosie

Tough crowd!

I just bought my MA's Happily Ever After. I hope I don't kill it. It's expensive. I have 4 chimeras, honestly I am not I mpressed by them. The blooms are small. I am currently spoiled by the Russian huge flowers. I am going to stick with Russian with a few exceptions from now on.

Im sure youll do fine! Maybe email Rob and ask if he has advice for Mas to keep it happy. His wife was a wealth of information while I was there and since they tend to so many.

Rob is usually very very busy. And there is no difference between taking care of Chimeras and any other AV. Good culture is a good culture. They do know everything what to know about AVs - but he would better be hybridizing.... I think at some point - he was saying - call me during the working hours, I can work and talk at the same time. I am not sure he is still doing it, but you can try.

We need to keep in mind - their plants are grown under the lights, I doubt if I can keep Rob's Lucky Penny leaf chimera alive on natural light for long. Too variegated. Ma's plants will do OK on a natural light - standards are usually sturdy - but again - green leaf plants do better than variegated ones.

Yep, agreed. He usually gets back to me bu email within a cpl days if I ask something... I grow mine under lights so hoping they do well.

Julie,

My ma''s happily ever after kept having suckers. It's like 1 per each week. I took one sucker out and it grew pretty good but slow. Somehow, it died all the sudden last month and the mother die too. I grew at the window. Here is the old picture. I bought it in last November.

I love Lucky Number! That must have been a fun trip; how nice to have a real live in person violet friend :)

Yes! Come on over Amy, I can always go again lol. If anyone does go there you MUST eat at "Roots Cafe" its a cute little victorian home turned Winery and Cafe. Delicious food.

Got a question,,,now that Pixie Redhead has literally "lost" her head, all that's left is a rosette of several rows of leaves. Is there anything I can do to make her sucker? Force her to sucker faster? Or is it just the luck of the draw if she does make suckers? AND will the suckers bloom true all of the time? I know you can start the leaves but I also know that is a crap shoot. No telling what you will get. So I guess I am still unhappy with her even though she had the most beautiful flower. Rosie

So after talking to Violet Barn at my visit.. def the best luck for true suckers from the crown... second would be the bloom stalk and a reallll crap shoot from leaf. Picture of what your dealing with??? I just de-crowned both if mine. Stay tuned.

Rosie - do not waste time on starting leaves - it wont be a chimera - it will be something pink-red or tie-dyed even you will have trouble loving.

Just repot it in a fresh soil - and let it be. You will get your suckers.

Believe it or not,,,I DON'T have any intention of starting leaves from her. Will the suckers be like the mama though? Ok, I will give her some fresh soil mix. She is still in the mix I bought her in last April. (I think). Anyway I will at least top dress her. She looks like she needs it. Thanks Irina! Rosie

If it is in a same soil you bought it - it is a tired soil. It was possibly repotted last time in January. Repot it, do not just put a lipstick. It will be happy and start sending you suckers. Hopefully blooming true suckers. Most of the time suckers do bloom true.

On the subject if Chimera suckers... when you decrown the plant what is the average range of suckers you get?

Stamik, hope you are not asking me, this is my 2nd Chimera EVER so I don't know.

Thanks Irina, Sunday is plant day so I will attend to that then. But I don't understand about lipstick? Rosie

By that time I will be ready to chuck the plant myself. And I am NOT buying another Chimera. (but she was sooooo beautiful!) Rosie

In my experience red and white plants always "bleed". Never pure white - always pink around.

I didn't know that. I thought her coloring was very different and beautiful. Rosie

Rosie - yours is much better than the one on LLC site. Theirs... hard to say if it is a chimera or edged.

Regarding Ma's Happily Ever After. It is variegated - minus, it is grown on natural light - minus, it suckers like crazy - minus, the flowers are double, heavy - minus. It just used more energy that it could replenish. The blossom from November is so large in comparison with the plant, I just feel it was too early to let it bloom. It needed to grow and bulk up.

Next time - you get the sucker rooted or purchase the young plant - it opens the first flower - OK - it blooms correctly - snip the blossom and enjoy it in a glass of water. Same with suckers - I understand the desire to propagate a valuable plant - but do not let it sucker all the time, remove the little leaches immediately.

And You WIll Have Your Happily Ever After ;-)).

hmmm, kinda doesn't totally resemble mine, but after all it is a chimera right? Are they always consistent? I do like my pix better. Thanks Irina! Rosie

Rosie, I think the better way of putting it is 'are they ever consistent' :)

Hear, hear!

haha,,,ok no problem,,,but who will answer dbarron's question??? Are they ever consistent?

Rosie - I think the answer will be - they are never consistent - very unstable - it is a nature of the beast. The structure of a chimera plant is like 2 plants merged together - the stem has 2 layers of differently colored cells - that continue all the way to the tips of the buds and express themselves in flowers - as the outside layer and inside layer - stripe. But plant is growing - so sometimes layers are becoming asymmetrical, one totally disappears on one side - and - puff - you have chimera flowers on one side, solid colors on the other - and eventually everything turns solid...

oh that's sad...a disappearing chimera. But...

if you had bought that at Lowes's, a money-back guarantee!

:D

Hahahah. You let us know the day Lowes starts selling Chimeras... ;)

Irina, just re-read your post. hmmm,,,so that means I wasted my money? It will end up being plant NOTHING? Rosie

No, she said...repot and wait for suckers (praying could help). Just chimeras are difficult beasts...with three heads and all.

Yeah. I read it. It was that 4 letter word that I saw,,,,,WAIT. But I have no choice but to do that. Hope she blooms again. heavy sigh. Rosie

Rosie - it is like watching the pot boil...

She even threatened to send it to me, so I can watch it and wait. *lol*

I probably wouldn't be any better at waiting than she is :0

One of my chimeras bloomed! Thought you might like to see it. This is Love Potion.

Wow, I really like that!!! But,,,,no list for Chimeras no matter how beautiful they are. Rosie

Ha Rosie:)

Very beautiful, db!

Er...I mean Tiffu

Tiffu - it is NOT blooming as a chimera. This is Love Potion from LLG site

There is a thin, very slightly darker pink stripe that is in the middle right now. You can just barely barely see it in the picture and it almost looks like the same color with just a slight change in elevation on the petal. I thought it looked strange and not very chimera-like (chimeric?). It's bloomed consistently this way since I got it in June. I've been waiting to see if cooler weather would encourage it to bloom more true.

What happens if it never does? Is this plant a NOID now?

Back to "Lovestruck" probably.

Julie, how's your Ma's happily ever after doing? I'm thinking about getting it from violet barn again. I just want to check see how other people feel about their plant. Thanks

It s gone. I lost it to rot. I recommend Psychedelic Show. The bloom is bigger and prettier.

Oh boy, thanks

LLG plants are cast iron. I second Julie - Psychedelic Show rules!

Its pretty. Thanks

I wish my Psychedelic Show had looked like yours. It bloomed solid dark pink and then didn't do well so I didn't keep it. After seeing yours I may try again!

Mine is as beautiful as Irina’s. I had one I purchased on eBay bloomed solid pink. The one blooms true is from violet barn.