Sowing Sarracenia seeds

Well I have two packets of Sarracenia seed crosses I am looking forward to germinating and growing.
Today is a great day for that so I am going to make it happen within the next hour. The crosses are:
Night Sky x Doreen's Colossus  and the other is  Red Bug x Candy Stripe . The seeds will be stratified in the refrigerator for a month. I will then pot up and place on the lighted stand awaiting for germination. I look forward to my raised bog garden. Though I am now cursed with chronic back pain and I can no longer have the large bog garden I was wanting, I will adapt and conquer!
3/9: Later than I wanted to sow these but I had just potted up the seeds in a sand/peat mixture. I sealed up the pots in ziploc baggies with a small amount of carbon dioxide and placed on the lighted stand in my studio.
4/5: I noticed  germination starting!
4/14: More of both crosses germinated and are growing. Hoping they live!

Overwintering Sarracenias

I have a choice...overwinter outside giving some minimal protection from occasional bitter winds, snow blanket and/or ice encasement, or to cut, clean, treat with fungicide and store in the fridge till end of February / beginning of March. What to do?????
Gotta love New England, our weather is erratic to say the least. One day you could be outside in a tee shirt, 2 days later shoveling snow, a week later back out in a tee shirt. One week after that an ice storm or a Noreaster,
I will decide over the next few days and treat the 3 Sarracenias that share my porch a little rest.
I am looking to do a raised bog garden of various carnivorous next year. Since I am now physically limited I might have to reduce this bog garden to a round tub on my porch.
Once I decide I will photograph and include as much information on overwintering Sarracenias I can provide. Of course there will be video links and fungicide options.
12/08/13.....I moved 3 frozen blocks of ice containing my beloved Sarracenia to the side of the house in a more sheltered location.

01/18/14..... Weeks ago I moved the potted Sarracenias to the fridge after a warm snap, the blocks of ice melted quickly in 60 degree weather. They have been left in pot, cut back and placed in basement fridge.  The newest carnivores which I purchased in Dec. are chilling bareroot in the fridge and doing fine. Will be potting up in a month.

Adenium obesum care & propagation information

Article I am writing is to come..
I had a gorgeous NOID dark red Desert Rose that I gave to an author friend and fellow plant junkie. I did regret it and wanted to grow another. I picked up a NOID seedling this summer. While researching online, I noticed some amazing grexes that I wish I had the space to grow. I can squeeze maybe one or two into a lighted stand my art studio. I have a passion for very dark flowers so I have narrowed down my long list of desired varieties.

Hemmercallis hybrids

Though I sold most of my collection 3 years ago.  I still have many Daylilies. Due to an injury, I am only able to photograph when it comes to my garden. My husband has been awesome this year by weeding my garden regularly. I will try to get the rest of the Hemerocallis  photographed. Ive got about 30 varieties left. I had well over 80.

 

 

H. Mandarin Dragon

H. Jamaican Midnight

H. Sparkling Orange

H. Smith Brothers

H. Nebuchadnezzers Furnace

Odontocidium Tiger Crow



Odontocidium Tiger Crow 

(Tiger Hambubren x Crowborough) 

 

This awesome orchid is in full  bloom with another large spike budding. The beautiful flowers are sweetly fragrant. One of my favorites! Some of my Hoyas are hanging around in the background. This window has a N E /East exposure. Still waiting for these Hoyas to bloom!

Hemmerocallis Smith Brothers - Black Daylily!

5" bloom, 30" tall, Mid Season + rebloom, Dormant

I've grown this Daylily for a few years now and is definitely one of my favorites. It is grow in very light shade.



Psychopsis Kahlihi in full glory

Finally fully opened

Nematanthus 'Black Magic'

Botanical name: Nematanthus 'Black Magic'

Common names: Goldfish plant 'Black Magic', Guppy plant 'Black Magic'

About the Cultivar: 'Black Magic' _ 'Black Magic' is a trailing to scadent, tender, evergreen subshrub with elliptic fleshy, glossy, dark green leaves, marked brown/purple beneath, and tubular, pouched, orange flowers with yellow mouths, (candy corn)  borne primarily in summer but may occur throughout the year.

Like most Gesneriads, this plant is very easy to care for. I keep mine on an N E / East exposure window. Water weekly and feed very lightely monthly. This is the actual 'Black Magic' and not a mislabeled plant, I got it from the hybridizer. Ive grown this plant for many years and its one of my favorites, Roots easily from stem cuttings.

Grow stand in my studio

Monnierara Millenium Magic 'Witchcraft' AM/AOS

The care for these orchids are different than that of most orchids. At the bottom of this post is a link to AOS Culture Sheet. The flowers are all fully opened today, just in time for Halloween. Last evening only 2 flowers opened. Happened quick and the flowers have a sweet fragrance. It is a little difficult to pinpoint how to describe when I have a very large Odontocidium Tiger Crow in flower same room, sweet and fragrant!

American Orchid Society: Catasetum Culture Sheet

Hoya publicalyx 'Royal Hawaiian Purple'

 

Hoya publicalyx will always be one of my favorite plants. I love this grex for the foliage, the flowers are an amazing plus. The leaves have silver and pink flecks and with proper light, purple / red on the leaves. This grex is also known as 'Chimera'.  The flower clusters are pretty cool too, they can range from black to dark pink with some blooms having mixed colors on one cluster. This plant is very easy to grow indoors as well. Keep plant on dry side.

Notocactus magnificus (Balloon Cactus)

Notocactus magnificus is a native of southern Brazil and nearby Uruguay, is in danger of extinction in the wild. Fortunetely this plant is easily grown from seed. 

The genus Notocactus has now been moved into Parodia.  Parodia magnifica is the currently accepted scientific name. The common name, balloon cactus, is a pretty accurate description, as the plant is globular and can shrink and expand in volume. As the plant grows, it frequently offsets.

The color is dark green to blue green. The golden spines are distributed along the edge of each rib. As the plants ages, the aureoles seem to merge together. The flowers are a bright yellow color and borne at the apex, either singly or in groups. Flowering occurs in summer through early fall.

Variegated String of Hearts with first flower

Ceropegia woodii variegata is an Asclepiad, native to South Africa. A small succulent vine growing from tuberous base,  heart shaped paired leaves. The leaves are thick and colorful, marbled in pink, white, silvery gray and green.

The small tubers that form on the stems are to store water and can be used to start new plants.

Ceropegia woodii variegate is best in hanging baskets/pots , so stems may trail over the sides..

There is an earlier post showing the beauty of the foliage.

Maranta leuconeura var. kerchoveana starting to flower

.Commomnly known as  the rabbits foot plant, Maranta are easy to grow houseplants. This clump grower flowers in early summer with insignificant small white flowers. This plant needs moist well drained soil and bright filtered light. Very easy to propagate whether by seed or cuttings.

 

Tiarella

Euphorbia amygdaloides f. purpurata aka Wood Spurge

Thank you's to my family!

Due to an injury, I am unable to get out and work in my garden. Which is breaking my heart. My awesome family did it for me, especially my daughter in law who for two days cleaned up and divided loads of Heucheras and planted Hostas, You Rock!. My garden plants and I are so very appreciative! Posing is: Brunnera 'Jack Frost', Arum itallicum, Bloody Butcher Trillium, Cranesbill Geranium 'Mourning Widow', Azalea 'Girards Scarlet', Striped Lily of the Valley, and an Epimedium.

Gymnocallum spegazzinnii

Original Description: The Cactaceae 3 p.155 - Britton & Rose (1920)

Depressed, globular, 6 cm high, 14 cm in diameter, grayish green; ribs 13, broad and low, rounded on the margin; areoles elliptic; spines usually 7, subulate, rigid, appressed to the ribs, sometimes recurved, grayish brown, 2 to 2.5 cm long; flowers 7 cm long; inner perianth-segments more or less rose-tinted; filaments and style violaceous; stigma-lobes 16, white to rose-colored; scales on the ovary few, broad.

Blue Lady Hellebore

Tovara trying hard to be a chameleon.

Though Houttuynia cordata 'Chameleon' is a quick spreading groundcover, being invasive for some. Its not a problem for me. Tovara 'Painters Palette' is another story (variegated leaf with red chevron). Though its very beautiful it shows up everywhere in my yard. Looks to be trying out its chameleon skills, haha.

Ceropegia woodii variegata

Ceropegia woodii flowering

I was pleased to find this flower today, Ceropegia flowers are so interesting to look at. This will always be one of my favorite plants, it was also one of the first plants I ever grew. I started one from cuttings thirty four years ago that I had gotten from an elderly neighbor. This forgiving plant likes very little water and bright light.

Corylopsis pauciflora aka The Buttercup Winter Hazel

 

I purchased this awesome shrub 7 years ago and never regretted the decision. It is a wonderful performer in the garden, faithfully covered in chains of beautiful creamy yellow flowers every spring.

Corylopsis pauciflora is known by the common name of Buttercup Winter Hazel. Not only is this shrub deer resistant it is very tolerant of shade. It can be grown in full sun to full shade.  It is unfortunately not commonly seen in the nursery trade, since many people do not know bout this versatile shrub. It grows to an average of 4'x 4' which makes it ideal specimen for many yards and great for foundation plantings too. I am in zone 6a and have acidic soil.

Seeds to sow!

I just picked up some seeds online and look forward to sowing them. I am trying:
Aloe polyphylla
mixed Stapelia
Euphorbia obesa
Euphorbia enopla
I will be keeping track in this post.

Stapeliads aka the Carrion Star Flower

A new passion for me. ...STAPELIADS, aka stinky plants that are pollinated by flies. I have grown
Dracunculus vulgaris for years, apologies to my next door neighbor. I love the form and flowers of these awesome succulents from South Africa. Such a cool looking plant that grows quite well in containers, I love them in plain clay pots. I recommend a visit to the following link!
Stapeliad Photo Gallery
for more info on this awesome family:  Wikipedia: Stapelia
There are more than a hundred species of this member of the milkweed family. The velvety gray green stems are low growing, branch upward and resemble cactus. They are shallow rooted and and need to dry a bit between waterings. They need bright light but will burn in full sun.

Euphorbia aeroginosa

 Euphorbia aeruginosa is a beautiful bushy, spiny succulent native to South Africa. Plants will reach 12 inches  tall with a 4-angled blue-green stem with copper-colored spines. They are very easy to grow and make an attractive addition to any succulent collection.  I picked up this little beauty at a recent Cactus and Succulent show.

Hoya curtisii

 Originally from The Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand, Hoya curtisii has one of the smallest leaves in the Hoya family. It is a slow grower, but when it takes off it gets to be a very full and can tolerate periods of neglect. The leaves are beautifully variegated and looks quite similar to Ceropegia woodii. The scented flowers are yellowish-green with red center.  This very pretty Hoya loves bright light but should be protected from full sun. The soil needs to dry a little between waterings.

10/28/13: I summered this Hoya out on my front porch that had full sun late afternoon. Foliage had turned a gorgeous bronze. As the nights began to chill, I brought curtisii back into its window spot in my bedroom. I am patiently waiting for the start or any hint of buds.....I so want flowers!

Witch Hazel Fire Charm

This beauty that is in full bloom in my yard is Hamamelis x intermedia  'Feuerzauber'  (aka Fire Charm).  I am on the border between zone 5b/6a. I have had this shrub about 9 years now and its one of my favorites.  Ive been growing in part light shade, in moist soil. Most of my yard is clay loam and very acidic!  Despite Witch Hazels dislike of acidity, this shrub is robust. I do feed it with tree spikes twice yearly and lime the around this shrub atleast twice a year. This shrub is decidous and flowers every year from the second week of February to well into March.

Updates to plant collection and Euphorbia obesa 'Baseball Plant'

Im in the process of updating my plant list. I had a few losses over the winter and just this weekend had made a few succulent purchases. I was able to get three new Hoyas and a few new Euphorbias. One of the Euphorbias I had purchased was a small obesa in a 2" pot. I dont know if male or female, but I have wanted to grow one of these for awhile. This link to Euphorbia obesa on Wikipedia shows how to sex this plant.
While very rare and getting close to extinction in its natural habitat due to over collection, E. obesa is well established in cultivation. Being easily propagated from seed, hundreds of thousands are produced yearly in the horticultural trade.