I got a decent pic of the Dischidia ovata I talked about in my last post. At left is the plant itself. Very beautiful and healthy - it's my favorite of all the Dischidias because of the gorgeous markings. And below is a pic of the buds, which you have to look closely to see...

So here are today's notes...

I got a new Hoya compacta in January (at Lowe's) - a large, healthy plant. I used to grow it years ago, but it was such a mealy magnet that I finally gave up on it. Since I'm using systemics now, I figure I'll start growing it again. I hope it does well for me...

Hoya pubicalyx 'Pink Silver' (or 'Splash' as I prefer to call it) has lots of new growth sprouting - both the HUGE plant in the GH, and the largish one in the dining room. The one in the GH has a couple peduncles budding out, and a few others that have that "fuzzy" look of "here comes a bud." The new leaves are especially silver flecked, which is what I adore about 'Splash." Will the one in the dining room get peduncles this year??

H. diversifolia v. crassipes, which is one I got from Pirate Girl/Karen, is doing beautifully and has some new growth on it. Dischidia bengalensis, a cutting I got from Yale last year, is in the same pot and is also putting on new growth.

Ceropegia radicans is another I got from PG/Karen (both a couple years ago...), and it's doing well and all three stems have new growth. Looks like it'll be a great grower this year. Maybe I'll get some of those fascinating flowers this year.

Hoya heuschkeliana has been a challenge for me. I got one little cutting spring '06 and it has just been sitting there ever since. I finally put it in a pot with H. pubicalyx 'Royal Hawaiian Purple' where it has continued to just sit there. 'RHP' isn't showing any new signs of growth at this point, either. Maybe they'll both take off pretty soon...

Hoya arnottiana is one I got as a cutting in '06 from a lady I got some pots from on eBay. It rooted quickly, grew a bit in 2007 - seeing the little bit of growth, I knew it was one I would like. Well, it's got two new growth points, and a big new leaf that looks fabulous! I'm very excited and hope it really grows like gangbusters this year!

Hoya australis ssp. sana had slow steady growth all winter. It's on a top shelf in the GH and has stems that go all the way to the floor! But WHERE are the peduncles?!! I've had this thing so many years, I can't figure out what I'm not doing that I should to get it to bloom... Same story with the damned australis ssp. tenuipes, though it didn't grow through the winter. It's been dormant, but it got so huge last year, I was SURE I'd have flowers in the fall. NOT! What must I do to get flowers on these australis species?

Dischidiopsis parasitica is starting to grow. It looks so much like Hoya shepherdii, shepherdell and wayetii, I was sure it was another Hoya when I got it. I'm still a little skeptical, but when I get flowers, I guess that'll prove which it really is.

Hoya kerrii - well, plain kerrii has what I call "growth buds" forming. That's those kind of gnarly bumps that look fresh in spring and turn into new growth. The hairy clone (aka "hairy kerrii") is showing no signs of new growth yet. The veined clone is popping new growth like crazy (in the sunroom, interestingly enough!) I put the variegated kerrii back in the GH and it's been growing, but you have to look close to even find a HINT of variegation. I really, really want one of the albomarginata (sp?) variegates and plan to get one this spring...

Hoya shepherdell has two new growth points. I'm very excited to see this one take off. I really like the long-leaved Hoyas.

And one I'm REALLY excited about is Hoya carnosa 'Krimson Queen' has one new growth tip forming! I've had this 'KQ' for a long time and at some point, almost the entire plant had reverted back to green. I salvaged two original pieces and put them in a smaller pot by themselves and put them on a high shelf in the kitchen in front of the north window. They've done nothing for the better part of a year and a half, but today I noticed a new shoot coming out of one of the stems. It's too soon to see if it's going to be variegated or pure green, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed and will be checking it every couple of days. I've been watching for a 'KQ' at the usual spots, hoping to find a new one, but I haven't seen one in years, so I have a feeling salvaging this one is my only hope...

And that's my plant notes for today... I plan to start working on repotting, top dressing, cleaning up and checking roots on the succs over the next few weeks. Need to get them ready for an early spring because with such a hard winter, I think that's what we'll see. (I HOPE so, anyway!!)