Spring Peek into the Greenhouse

First Day of Spring. I moved 28 pots of Schlumbergeras out yesterday to my improvised urban stone patio. They aren't very attractive out of bloom but worth keeping around for next Winter's Thanksgiving and Christmas blossoms.

Pots of Rhapsalidopsis are still indoors. Only two have buds. Other succulents yet to move are Epiphyllums and Kalanchoes. 

Note the little open hole near the bottom? That's Mr. Kitty's space. He will complain later because I set a pot of rooted Echinacea right where he jumps up on the potting bench. It may be on the floor when I go back.

Bromeliads haven't moved yet. In the foreground is Agapanthus and Lemon grass. I plan to leave the Agapanthus in a pot, just to see. Frosts knock them back here; those in the parking lots at Sams in Tallahassee were nice and green when we were last there. That Graptopetalum at right has buds.

Ghost Plant with buds

Amaryllis seedlings.

Amaryllis seedlings in bud.

This may be Spartacus, or another Apple Blossom.

White Shrimp Plant

Pentas need planting out.

Butterflies are showing up now that Azaleas are starting to bloom.

Alternanthera, some rooted in water, some in soil.

Improvisational Planter

Tiny seedlings and rooted pieces take up too much room.

I looked at vertical planters online and wondered if I could improvise some kind of planter. I was thinking of using hardware cloth but how would I hang it and what to line it so soil doesn't wash out.

Hardware cloth fashioned into a half tube and stapled to a 30" x 4" board.

A long piece of oak bark off a dead limb in the materials collection fit on one side.

The other side has pieces of lichen-crusted sticks.

Long fibered sphagnum moss lined the planter to hold soil.

Plants used include rooted Graptopetalum rosettes, Burro Tail Sedum, Mistletoe Cactus, Schlumbergera and a Kalanchoe.

It may not hang vertically, but it holds lots of little pieces whose containers took up room and were not attractive. It might look good as a long table centerpiece. This project used up materials that were taking up storage space while they awaited an inspiration and cost nothing.

Outside for Summer, Line Up for Haircuts

Burro Tails and Mistletoe Cactus. I saw these displayed together on Martha Stewart's blog. Of course her burros have 4 foot tails and the Rhipsalis matches that length and there was a Selloum Philodendron.

My mistletoes would be happier in bigger pots and I will oblidge.

 Last year this was a single Tillandsia cyanea, now three. The stem from the bloom of the original plant is just visible in the center. I gave it a tug; it is firmly attached. I like these Viet Nam pots. I put the Cycad seedling in one that matches this one. It is already outside with the Christmas Cactuses.

I brought over one of the pots of Chlorophytum comosum, Asparagus densiflora 'Myersii' and a white Begonia from the Front Garden. I've had this pot for more than 30 years. The patina is real.

 Purple Heart and Persian Shield have almost outgrown their planter. A haircut will do the Setcreasea good, getting those bare stems off. There are more of these in the greenhouse. Sometimes I get carried away with cuttings.

Another candidate for a haircut: Firecracker Fern. This Rusellia also has split ends. Its graptopetalum companion has some leggy stems, too. If there wasn't a water source very near, I would never have brought all these out so far from the house to seek shade. 

I've far too many plants in pots and lots of them are asking for division or haircuts and rooting the trimmings. I am afraid to pick up any pots of Christmas Cactus -- I know they have roots sticking out of their drainage holes. I bumped up a half dozen that were in really tiny pots.

My immediate goal is to get everything out of the greenhouse before the temperatures get really unbearable.   

Follage Follow Up in the Greenhouse

Let's start outside the door with a broken pot container full of Graptopetalum and Sedum acre. The sedum is blooming vigorously, the Ghost Plant bloomed earlier.

Inside, despite some warm temperatures on sunny days, some foliage plants remain.

From top left, an Agapanthus seedling, far from ready to bloom. Agapanthus outdoors is putting on buds. At the rear are some rose cuttings and a red pot with green dotted garden gloves somebody asked about the other day. Center front are two Mistletoe Cactuses grown for their foliage. They had tiny white blossoms about a month ago. At bottom, Persian Shield and a Bird's Nest Fern.

Burro's Tail sedum

Purple foliage behind is alternanthera growing in the 

greenhouse floor and vining up and over everything.

Staghorn Fern that I suspect would like to go outside

for the summer.

Join Foliage Followup at Pam Peniick's Digging blog

Broken Pot Planter Revised

Broken pot planter when pot laid on its side.

Later when the succulents bloomed, outside.

Today I noticed that most people make their broken pot garden with the pot sitting upright. I took out the little pot of black pebbles that was just holding a place and the smaller broken pot that was holding the front in of the soil in place and turned it right side up.

In the greenhouse, I took the bulb that never made roots out of a 6" pot of white hyacinths and tucked that pot into the bottom of the broken pot. Near the top I removed a pink hyacinth that was pushing itself out of its pot and tucked it into the space there, filling in with soil. Some Graptopetalum that was in the pot with the pink hyacinth filled in other spaces and I broke a big Graptopetalum rosette off somewhere else to place beside the hyacinth. Any empty spaces got soil or pebbles to fill in, and pieces of succulents.

After the next freeze is over, the pot goes back outside where it was before.

When the hyacinths finish blooming, maybe I'll put in a Burro tail Sedum at the top and buy some interesting succulent for the bottom 6" pot.

What interesting succulent would you suggest?

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!

Hyacinths for Christmas

Last year I forced Blue Jacket and Gypsy Queen Hyacinths. This year the choices are White Pearl and Pink Pearl. I've never grown White Pearl.

I saw a blog in which hyacinth pots contained a succulent. 

I just happened to have a tray of Graptopetalums rooted.

I gave each Pink Pearl bulb a companion Ghost Plant. 

Leaves always get broken off Ghost Plants when they're handled. 

I tucked every little leaf into a pot. Pots need some sheet moss to cover the 

soil. I will wait until there's more growth. 

In just a day, a third of the bulbs are showing a green tip.

Most had white roots beginning to sprout in the bag before

I took them out of the refrigerator.

These are 4" pots, room for a single bulb and a companion 

Rosette or two of Graptopetalum.

There were only 21 pots so the last four are potted in a

larger pot. I saw some fine moss growing in front of the

tractor shed that I'll tuck in that pot later.

These were labeled to complete 10 weeks of chill on December 14. I took them out a week early.

There are still 25 White Pearl to be potted. I'll pot them in groups in larger pots since I used up

all the 4: pots. I need to start collecting pots earlier next year.

Wednesday I should receive 3 more Amaryllis bulbs. I've given up Paperwhites. 

Are you forcing any bulbs this winter? They're not only for Christmas. A fragrant bloom mid-January or early February is a spirit raiser. I no longer force in water. I favor soil planting.

Christmas in Denmark

One of the favorite blogs I follow is Claus Dalby of Denmark.  He is featuring Christmas on his blog already in addition to his new book on White Gardens. He also showed his gardeners this week, which verifies why my white garden is not going to look like his, besides the fact that his is in a Scandinavian country. My lack of brawny help does not keep me from enjoying the sights and wonders in the Claus Dalby garden.

 

 Anyhow, Mr. Dalby previewed his Christmas decors and mentions that he will feature a new Nordic Christmas that includes many natural materials. One of the photos he showed was of Graptopetalum, one of my favorite succulents.

 

 

I save every little brittle leaf that breaks off. These are just a few of my

collection of rootlets. Maybe I'll find new uses for these.

 

Graptopetalum combines well with many

other plants, here with Schlumbergera and

a Bromeliad.

 

There were some other materials in  his preview that are in my reach: Spanish Moss among some glass ornaments in blue and aqua; bulbs rooting -- his in water, mine will be in soil.

 

Reading and planning are the best part of Christmas as far as I am concerned.

 

 

Foliage Plants in Purple, Chartreuse and Grey

Tropical Foliage will show up on Seedscatterer blog on Wednesday. Well, these are fairly tropical as well. These plants are easily propagated,

I use much Purple Heart in my plantings. It roots easily, a broken off piece can

just be stuck in the ground and it will root; the same with the Sedum acre at

bottom. Spider plants are usually thought of as container plants. They work 

well in garden plantings and in our climate will return from roots if the tops 

do not survive the winter. Baby spiders send out roots before they reach soil.

Graptopetalum paraguayense -- last year I had 36 plants, each from

a leaf that broke off, rooted in soil. I planted some along the edges 

of these beds that are raised 2 bricks high; excellent drainage here.

More Graptopetalum with an inset pot of Chartreuse Alternanthera.

Alternanthera is easily rooted in soil or water. I usually keep a coffee mug

full over the winter for new starts. Sedum acre peeks out at bottom.

Sedum acre survives with little water but recent rains has made it lush.