This orchid is the very last survivor of the dwarf orchids and she’s gone through so much hell and isn’t even at top form yet here she is trying to grow her third attempt of a flower stalk. No pun intended in that I’m rooting for her to succeed this time! I have never seen her flowers before so it’d be such a treat to see.
Have I mentioned that I’m surprised I got any seeds at all from stratford cause of how late in the season the harvest was? Cause I’m still floored I even got so many seeds. Little behind schedule again with seed sowing (I was gonna sow these guys back at the start of 2017 Christmas holidays) but nonetheless in the window of time I’d still prefer to get them their kickstart. Katsura are reputably tender to winter freezes/frosts when young so getting them started now will give them a better chance of survival for the next winter. Window boxes to put it bluntly have very poor drainage for seedlings so most window boxes I’ve been using I’ve been drilling holes into them like patterned swiss cheese to give lots of consistent drainage for when I start watering the trays more routinely. Ngl I’ve been doing the “is there sprouts yet?” checking ever since I sowed these up.
If my memory serves me right within the 20th+ days of this month onwards a lot more seeds are gonna be started from the fridge stratification and it’s gonna definitely fill up my growlights and probably spend through the majority of my currently prepped potting soil <A< sooo good thing I have these lights moved to their new place and already re-set up for the work that’s to come.
Badly photoshopped (or technically fireaplaca’d but w/e) ideas/brainstorms for my now empty canvas of a shadowbox (cleaning it out of gross jarred insects was so overdue). Thinking fruitiforms to make most of the space while following a botanical theme. In order with pros/cons of each organizational idea;
Pros– Very variable fruitiforms making for a very unique/exotic display. The rarity of such of a display of species would be worth getting smug about.
Cons– Difficult to acquire (majority only accessible via distant arboretums & botanical gardens). Depending on species the fleshiness of fruitiforms (M. macrophylla in particular) may be very difficult to dry. Seeds which could make the display even prettier both difficult to dry as well as too valuable to leave in a shadowbox when they could be cleaned/sown instead.
Taking a pretty strong lean on having a Magnolia/Pine based display. What do you guys think? Anyone leaning to one of these themes more than others or do any of you have ideas for an entirely different fruitiform/herbaria theme for such a shadowbox?
Merr Christmas. Even one of my tiny little Schlumbergera seedlings is blooming this month for the occasion! Gotta say though that the Schlumbergera x buckleyi is killing it for standing out this year though, even if the flowers are smaller than the rest!
“Pepper and Sammy are paid by the taxpayers of Ontario in room, board and veterinary care. These “mice-control technicians,” as one bureaucrat called them, are the reason there is no rodent problem at the Ontario Tree Seed Plant in Angus, Ont., about 120 kilometres north of Toronto.
The cats are soon to be fired, however. The government will shutter the plant next September.
The chorus of critics attacking the decision is not so much about the cats as the future viability of native species of Ontario trees.”
Pair of ‘mouse control technicians’ to lose their jobs when Ontario closes tree seed plant
Apparently it’s World Soil Day (or was, just missed by a few minutes) so here’re my soil-based books.
Publication 494 Ontario Soils- Physical, Chemical and Biological Properties and Soil Management Practices from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food
Soil Management- Best Management Practices from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs.
Ok I didn’t realize these two books were so localized, also the books are oriented for those heavy in the agricultural business (so mentioning the of certain machinery and practices which a common gardener wouldn’t use), however much of the information they have is applicable to those who want to learn about soil.
Experimenting with the edible day lily, hemerocallis fulva, which grows wildin most of the US. You can eat the flowers, flower buds, young stalks and tubers.
Wow another old one in drafts, but one I think I still want to post it. Has anyone on the plantblr scene harvested daylilies for food before? H. fulva and some of its very close kin/hybrids I know are supposedly edible.
Schlumbergera truncata and Clivia minata did a rush of floral growth since their new room finally got heating for the winter. Funnily the S. truncatas I have began their flower openings around American Thanksgiving (making them for once live up to their common name of Thanksgiving Cactus, normally mine bloom around January), though the yellow flowered form took the lead/show of them all. Sadly there will not be any red Schlumbergera flowers this year as it was one of the few plants that perished from the previous neglect drought. I’m going to have to keep track of what other floral forms have perished before I begin to replace them. I’m nonetheless happy that at least the yellow form is doing well, especially when you consider the fact that it was once considered a far less vigorous colour form/hybrid in the indoor garden market.
As much as Hoya imperialis is an extremely impractical giant species among the hoya genus, especially as a indoor gardener of very limited growing space (dwarf species frankly would be best with my space), but MY GOD does H. imperialis make my heart stop whenever I see photos of it online. Just, what a gorgeous beast among hoyas.
Happy Birthday Gertrude you Horticulturalist artist you.
And I’m sorry I can’t remember what awesome stuff you did, History of Gardens class was a bloody blur when we got to influential gardeners like you DX
Kihaku-Gato's Garden Blog (tumblr import) 