I bought a Plastic Pink/ Royal Hawaiian rooted cutting last fall from a grower well known and recommended here. Had fallen in love with the deep pink and overlapping petals, but never researched it's growth habit. Because of the lack of sunshine and intense wind where I live, I started a basement greenhouse last winter that has worked out very well. From every inch of ceiling there is a T5HO big light or some LED lights I use for citrus. It's quite bright in there, the humidity is 45-50%, temp 90* and lights are on 14-16 hours a day. Had some gorgeous blooms this spring/summer.

But the Plastic Pink has been a huge disappointment. Wrinkly, pale green/yellow leaves, sparse leaves that turn brown after emerging, tall gangly branching...it's always looked pathetic.

It opened a bloom yesterday- and it was NOTHING like a Plastic Pink. It was white and nondescript, a minute bit of pink on edges. No smell. Tiny- 1.25 ". (I know first blooms are small but this was really small.) So I did what I've been wanting to do all along- pruned it waaaaaay back partially out of revenge. It was about 4 feet tall. It's now 14".

Feel a little guilty, that's why I'm writing here. Just have a feeling that with new branching, even if it doesn't have attractive flowers, it has a better chance of looking decent.

Thanks for reading/listening. This feels like confession.

Nancy