Hot Plants in and around the Greenhouse

They definitely get warm, even with mist and exhaust fanning. Many have moved out to shady spots, like the Burro Tail Sedum and Mistletoe Cactus.

Inside the greenhouse, all those little 'beans' I collected when they fell from the long tails, have turned into tiny plants, all clumped together in a yogurt container. How does one prick these babies out and plant?

Blooms in a Bromeliad

If you are not blooming, you're a prime host for a tiny frog calling for rain.

I tired of watering Calla lilies and they kind of outgrew their pots, so I planted them out along the Gardenias on the north side of the greenhouse.

Gardenia blooms are about done.

Inside, there's this:

The first tomato to start ripening on the plants I started 

early spring.

First of May Report

Porterweeds went to Fiesta Bed today, one with a bloom.

Persian Shield has not a home as yet. It goes well with 

bright summer flowers in strong tones.

Agreeing with Alison that Graptopetalum was not a suitable companion for burro tail sedum, I took out the Ghost plant and put more burro tail from that little hanging pot in with it. It looked a lot bigger out of the tiny pot. I hated the extra-long piece so I broke it in half and stuck the cut end in the soil to root. I didn't make another pic but it looks better solo like the other pot. I thought about some of that mistletoe cactus with burro tail but decided they should all have own pots.

 As if I didn't have enough Epiphyllums, I rooted a piece last fall. It has some pretty green leaves. Some of the old ones outside look kind of rough. I cut off the very worst growth but left some shabby leaves that sometimes will throw buds better than the pretty green ones. The old bromeliads on the bottom shelf are growing pips again. None of the young ones are included to bloom yet. Most have a little green frog living in the cup.

Most everything is planted now: Porterweeds and Pineapple Sage in the Fiesta bed. Remaining is red Alternanthera. It will mostly join Brugmansias in the Upper Garden. Eventually everything will find a home outside except the purple alternanthera growing in the greenhouse floor.

I think this is Minerva, blooming in the ground. There is another potted amaryllis in the greenhouse that suddenly put up a bud after I moved them outside, so I put it back inside. It is a small bulb, either an offset or a seedling. I think an offset.

I have mixed feelings about Amaryllis. This is the time of year they bloom outside, a good time for extra blossoms when the big show of Spring is over. On the other hand, I like having them bloom in pots all through the worst of Winter. What do you think?

Sunday Best in the Greenhouse

We're having a warm spell during which I need to haul everything out and do some cleaning one day soon.

Kalanchoes are blooming and blooming and blooming.

Easily rooted, they bloom most of the winter.

Should I get other colors?

Burro Tail sedum. Every little bean that breaks off will

make a new plant. It takes time, faster with a longer piece.

Purple Heart Setcreasea and Persian Shield/Strobilanthes.

Both are starting to bloom.

I think this is a red and white 

Amaryllis, maybe Minerva. 

Various stages of bloom. Fun. 

Mostly Appleblossom, the unopened tight buds.

Another view of Appleblossom. When I'm in the greenhouse, what a treat to catch a whiff of the sweet fragrance of Appleblossom, a good reason for having several and timing the blooms to open in sequence. (You don't really think I planned that, do you?) New bulbs are blooming later than the one from a previous year because they were planted late, but it is a thought, to start them 2 or 3 weeks apart.

Are your forced bulbs all done? Do you have plans for forced bulbs next year?

Peek into the Greenhouse at Mostly White Flowers

White flowers in the greenhouse, as close to thoughts of snow as I care to go. When I ordered Hyacinths, this year's choices are white and pink. I gave away most of the pink in single pots, a few are left. 

White hyacinths in the broken pot container with Graptopetalum.

To the right as you come in the door, Single pots of Hyacinths

have mostly cleared, White Pearl Hyacinths in pots of 4

remain. There's no particular reason that Burro's Tail Sedums

hand out with them except maybe for the light.

White Kalanchoes are blooming at left. I am not happy about 

their tall lanky look. Young cuttings in a pot look much better so 

plans for the summer are shorter cuttings later in the season.

Five White Pearl in a bonsai container with 

Sedum acre. One has a double bloom forming.

View from a stool where I stand to water plants on high shelves.

To the left as you come in the door are mostly bromeliads and other exotics.

Top shelf includes Alternanthera cuttings in both water and

soil, a couple of Begonias and the nearest of the Epiphyllums.

Pink Pearl at top of Broken Container Garden. 

Pots of White Pearl. 

Next year's plan is for Hyacinths in Purple shades. Claus Dalby featured Woodstock Hyacinths in his blog today. I hope I remember when it is time to order bulbs in late summer.

It's wonderful to have a greenhouse. I used to grow Hyacinths in the barely heated laundry room, kept the Epiphyllums there with rooted cuttings through the winter. I trundled early spring seeds in and out of the tool shed on an old kitchen trolley that I still use in the greenhouse. I'm growing orchids in an east window indoors -- one has buds . An Amaryllis hanging out with the orchids has two fat buds.

Tip for Greenhouse growers: I mentioned before that I use two small inexpensive electric heaters in a 10 x 12' greenhouse set on Low. I got the bright idea that setting five one-gallon milk jugs filled with water about 30 inches in front of the heaters might help mediate the heat process. I keep 10 gallons of water in there for hand watering and rarely use a hose. I can't say if it is my imagination or it really works, but I think the temperatures are staying up better since I started the water jugs idea.

Tonight is predicted 23ºF for the second time this year. 

Flaunting my Flowers at Tootsie Time.

LIghts, Camera, not much Action

Temperatures today returned to warm for January. It rained more than a half inch. I spent some time in the greenhouse checking plants for problems. My parlor palm had ugly brown spots on some leaves and stems. I pruned out the uglies and repotted the rootbound palm to see if it makes a new start. Otherwise to the dump.

I love the Mardi Gras look of the Christmas lights, so they are staying for now.

Most of the Christmas Cactuses have finished blooming. I pinched off dead blossoms.

Next to bloom will be Kalanchoes on the back of the potting bench.

Broad view from the door. Epiphyllums take up much of the whole north side.

Hyacinths for forcing are starting to show a few buds. 

They're planted with Graptopetalum and Sedum Acre.

Under the bench are white begonias, big begonia near right.

I rotated pots where hyacinths were stretching toward the light.

The repotted palm is on the left behind the Epi with some Bromeliads.

The little red blooms in the white pot are a begonia.

I set some seedlings out in the rain for a short time, and two ferns. 

There are a number of things I look forward to including an Amaryllis with a fat bud and more coming.

Heaters are unplugged for now. By midweek we'll expect another freeze but maybe a mild one.

There are two daffodils blooming outside!

Burro's Tail Sedum

Sedum morganianum is a popular plant in photos. I aspire to having long donkey tails hanging from a basket. I bought a tiny plant less than a year ago.

The original plant came in this tiny

hanging pot. This is a cutting.

The original plant behind and a cutting with some leaves with tiny sprouts.

Do you see the butterfly on the big plant?

If you touch this plant or bump the pot, jelly-bean-like leaves fall off. Each leaf is capable of making another plant. A faster way is to break off a small piece, which is probably going to happen anyway.

Every little leafe grows a plant. Isn't that neat?

When I was researching growing these plants I found a site that said to water cacti and succulents that belong to the Crassulaea family at night. It has to do with the Calvin Cycle, which corresponds to our  Krebs cycle.

Here are the notes I took:

Calvin Cycle

Water Cacti and succulents at night. All members of the Crassulaea family = dicots

CAM: Crassulacean Acid Metabolism

CO₂ entering the stomata at night is converted into organic acids.

Calvin Cycle: CO₂ +H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₂ (glucose) +O₂ +ATP (energy) carrier.

I comprehend it. I cannot explain it in detail. We all know about photosynthesis.

So far I am still watering when I think of it, but I will make an effort to water at night wthen the nights are warm. When the weather turns cold again most of these plants will not need frequent water.

Fun Plant.

November Is Time for a Change

We are on the verge of a change in the weather. More than an inch of rain fell today. I could hardly wait to go look at my cabbages and Kale. When John the Veggie Man told me what bad luck he'd had with the super-powered fertilizer he shared with me, I was afraid the wilty look Kale had was because of the fertilizer despite my efforts to side-dress with just a spoonful, not too much. It was dry wind I now believe. I didn't make pics, but they look great after the rain.

Most everything that I can stuff inside is in. I can hardly bear to leave anything out. I broke the tops from angel wing begonias growing in the ground and stuck 5 in a pot. They are already firm in the soil when given a tug.

A bag of potting soil for seeds and things as I need it. Everything tucked in. 

I keep looking at glorious pots of this sedum hanging long and graceful. Mine just kind of splays and every bit that breaks gets tucked in a bit of soil to root.

The Amaryllis I was concerned about soft spots and redness? They all put up a bud or two. 

Notice the peeper frog on the lamp. Every cache pot has 6 or 8 inside. We should be bug-free.

These were just quick pics when I went to check on something after dark. Daylight shots are better. 

I located seeds for fall sowing today. I have more corn poppies than I thought, maybe enough Larkspur, plenty of breadseed poppies and enough for a good smattering of California poppies. There is Silene for the Fiesta bed. I have to remember I am not putting that pink out front. Some of the poppies have to wait until Tulips go in, late December.

When I was pulling grass around some daylilies I dug down to check on daffodils. Do you do that? Dig in beds where nothing shows to see what's underground? Anyway, there was a rotten bulb where I dug and one triple-nose fat daffodil bulb starting to put out new roots. We'll see what comes up in the spring.

I sliced straight down with a spade beside small Camellia bushes under the big tree forms today, getting them ready to transplant later. Under one bush there was another bunch of those big ugly roots of Catbrier. I thought I got them all last time, but not so. One reason for limbing up Camellias into trees was so I could get under there and dig out those nasty vines. They look like huge sweet potatoes.

Just as the rain started I finished raking pine straw off the driveway to put around Camellias. Bushels of Pecan leaves are falling and Oak leaves continue as usual. I have some nice pictures of fall color to put on Seedscatterer blog.

Babyland

I can't help myself. Every stem with leaves, every seed, every bulb needs sticking in some soil.

The need to plant cuttings is why I have Kalanchoes lined up on a board outside the greenhouse and three old plants with tender foliage crying out to be used in a similar way.  If I can coax them to bloom just before Christmas I can find homes for them.

Schlumbergeras and their kin the Easter Cactus have rooted themselves into dozens.

Bromeliads have a curious way of reproducing by making offsets after they bloom. The ones on the left have tiny insignificant blue blossoms in the centers. New plants are forming around them. The one on the right was in bloom when I bought it. It has all but died off and new plants are surrounding the old one. I didn't make a new photo of the tillandsia in the greenhouse that has new plants forming in the center of the plant instead of around the edges. I think they can all stay in one pot after I repot.

 

Every little bean that fell off my Burro's Tail made a new plant.

I have a plan for these, really. Martha Stewart's greenhouse has a display with Burro's Tail and Mistletoe Cactus which is another plant that I just happen to have divided....

 

I could not resist tucking a couple of seeds from a Gerbera Daisy into a yoghurt cup. These can go to live in the garden when they reach some size. It has been a good year for growing Gerberas, though they've been shy to bloom, the bigger ones.

 

Little Plants are  like kittens. finding homes is not easy. I am to a point that I rarely go into a garden center any more except to buy potting soil and more pots.

 

On the other hand, I am making lists of fall planted bulbs and will order soon.

 

I did not garden today. It rained all day, slow drizzle mostly, an inch and a half.

 

Mistletoe in Summer and other Fun Things

Mama used to grow this little cactus. I forget what she called it, but it wasn't Mistletoe.

She didn't call it Rhipsalis, either, from the Greek word for Wickerwork.

I first saw this epiphytic cactus on Rainforest Garden blog.

I found a little pot of Rhipsalis and  one of Burro Tail Sedum at a garden center in Tallahassee.

I divided the cactus into three pots and am rooting the pieces that broke off the Burro Tail.

These jungle plants are surviving in the heat and humidity of the greenhouse.

I moved the potting bench and some other fixtures of the greenhouse, including Ike's Wicker stand. Ike isn't overly impressed with the new locations but it may work out better in the winter. He'll be able to jump up on the bench where the flower arrangement sits and onto his beloved shelf on the left. He likes the potting bench, too.

About the flowers -- this didn't work out so well. The resinous scent of the purple Vitex almost did me in. By the time I took it in the house, it had to come right back out and I removed the smelly stuff that was making my nose itch and burn. I left the Oakleaf Hydrangea, Echinacea, Kniphofia and Shrimp Plant. It's still a big bouquet and overwhelms the kitchen table. I'm going back to bud vases.