Wholesale hardware horrors

[efbiosis]

Typical saturday...walking around the lawn and garden section of the mega-box harware store (being totally ignored by the way) and what do I find?  A flat of pings hidden underneath one of the display tables.  The pings look rough, ignored, reviled...maybe even spit upon

Anyway, I started to pass the whole sorry scene up, but chanced upon one lonely ping with a bright red flower!

My camera isn't working now, but I can describe it... small purplish leaves, red flower.  What is this?

I'm hoping that I can save it from the compost heap where I'm sure all its sisters will end up

Can anyone help with care suggestions?

Damon

 

[sarracenialuver]

Hey,
Well, the only ping with a red flower in the entire genus is P. Laueana. Its a mexican ping that likes highland conditions.
Kevin

 

[cephalotus88]

Yep, laueana is the olny ping with a red flower. They are gorgeous! I have many of them here, all flowering at the same times. It is very easy to care for:

Repot it in a mix of peat/sand or peat/perlite (i don't really measure, roughly 50/50-I found pings can grow in a bunch of things). Roots are fairly shallow, as in other pings. I keep mine on the windowsill. Sit it on a saucer of water. I don't worry about my mexican pings going dormant. I never do anything different. Some will go turn into buds by themselves.