Miniature Rose Update. 13 Jun 24.

 The first yellow one, that was a Valentines Day grocery store mini rose, probably Sun Maid, is vigorous enough now that I don't think I can call it miniature now.

I just up-potted the one that I had solitary.  It was drying out too fast, the plant being too large for such a small container.

The others, that had been in the same original pot and now in a much larger group container, are starting to bloom again.

It's much larger than I expected, unlike the first red one ¿Danika?  but it's OK.  It's a very nice rose, and has been fun learning and experimenting.

The pink one that I added recently, didn't much like the treatment I gave it.  My theory is, the weather now is too warm and sunny for a mini rose with such small roots to go directly outside.  There was lots of wilting.  The flowers looked sad  so I cut them off.  It looks like I forgot to post on it, so here it is.  I identified it as ¿Light Pink Felicitas Kordana?  I bought this plant 1 June, slightly past its prime.

I repotted it the next day.  This is the root mass - not a lot of roots.

After the wilting and crispy leaf episodes, with the flowers cut off and the dead leaves removed, it looks like this.

This doesn't look like much, but I take it as a new beginning.  I am leaving it outdoors 24/7 now, and there is no further wilting.  I think it will catch its breath and start growing again pretty quickly.

David Austin Roses. Bring Me Sunshine and Darcy Bussell. 13 Jun 24.

 Bring Me Sunshine opened its first flowers.  They are very nice.  The myrrh  scent is incredible, my favorite.  The current flowers are low on the plant, but new buds are on the top of new growth.

Given the vigor, I don't know what will be the long term situation, container vs. in-ground.  I prefer container.

Darcy Bussell is looking good too.  Lots of flowers.  Unfortunately, I barely detect a scent.

Up-potting Schlumbergera Seedlings. 11 Jun 24.

 I planted these Schlumbergera seeds 6 Dec 23, from seeds that I saved from my own plants and cross pollinated myself.

They grow slowly but I'm surprised at how sturdy sone of the seedlings are.  There is also quite a diversity of appearances.

The roots are not deep, but they are tightly entangled. They were difficult to separate.

 

I selected the most vigorous looking plants to separate and plant into three or four inch containers, three plants per container.  This is similar to how the plants are sold, a few together in 4 inch pots, but these plants are much smaller and in juvenile stage.

I also replanted the remaining smaller / less vigorous seedlings together again in a small container.

I haven't grown Schlumbergeras from seeds before, so I don't know if any seedlings might bloom this winter.  They are still quite small, so I have my doubts.  There is quite a diversity in shape and vigor among the seedlings.  It's an interesting experiment.

Planting Out Marigold Seedlings. 11 Jun 24.

 Today I planted seedlings from my home-saved marigold seeds.  I've raised these through multiple generations over eight or ten years.  The original plant was a volunteer in my vegetable garden, probably a seed fallen from some plants I grew previously.  But I don't know.  It's a nice variety.

I also planted up the Alumnia Vanilla Creme marigold seedlings

I'm glad I got them moved on to their summer containers.

Up-Potting Alpine Strawberry Seedlings. 11 Jun 24.

 These are the alpine strawberry seedlings.  I planted the seeds 30 April.  Here.

I decided to up-pot the seedlings in the most crowded cell.  It's  interesting to look at how developed the roots are, for such tiny plants.

I planted the seedlings in eight-packs.  One with eight seedlings, the other with sixteen, two per cell.

I don't know yet what I will do with all of the other seedlings.  I'm thinking they'll go into rectangular group pots, like I did with the Ozark Beauty strawberry plants.

We'll see how they do.  Time will tell.

Original seed packet.