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.

Dog Days in and out of the Greenhouse

There's not a lot to peek at in the greenhouse this time of year.

Water from the misting apparatus collecting on the bench below grew some interesting fungi.

A rooting rate of 75% for Lantana cuttings taken a couple weeks ago. I had to remove 3 that never came out of a wilt. I always need a few more chartreuse alternanthera. Two of three Duranta look as if they'll root. Duranta is a good blooming greenhouse plant for winter, so one or two small are good to have.

Outside, Schlumbergera, Rhipsalidopsis, Kalanchoe and Calla Lilies are in light shade on a little patio with a little morning sun. Some are on makeshift benches.  

Cycad seedling

Epiphyllum oxypetalum has buds. There's been some bud

drop but we'll have open buds soon if I can keep the 

watering schedule. 

I potted up a single tomato plant for the greenhouse, grown from a tiny sucker off a Better Boy plant before it was planted in the garden. I didn't take a picture; maybe when it has little tomatoes I will.

We spent much time late yesterday finding tomato worms that were eating my tomatoes outside. I know they grow into a lovely large moth, but they strip the plants in a very short time and have to be removed in a no-spray patch. Some fat larvae were four inches long and very green, easily hidden by arranging themselves along stems. One that had eaten nearly half of a small tomato was a little fellow slightly more than an inch long and still brown. Imagine how many leaves and tomatoes he would eat before he reached 4 inches long.

I'm watering the beds on either side of the greenhouse. I hope by next year they'll be mature enough to show off in the manner of Claus Dalby's greenhouse beds with white flowers, my inspiration. 

Bloom Day in the January Greenhouse

Angel Wing Begonia

Wax Leaf Begonia

Another red begonia in front of budded Hyacinths.

White Pearl Hyacinths, promising.

Last of the Schlumbergeras.

Kalanchoes. I think I'll buy a red one.

Tall leggy Kalanchoes starting to bloom.

White Shrimp Plant, rooted and 

blooming in a jar of water.

To see what's blooming outside, go here.

Bloom Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Linked to Tootsie Time Flower Flaunt

We Are in that Time when Plants Want to Go Outside

Late yesterday I planted all but one of the Gerbera Daisies That you see

lined up along the timber to the back of this bed behind Sweet Williams.

Pentas on the ground are ready for planting as some in the garden return from

roots. I can never be positive they will return, so I always have cuttings.

Some things moved out, some wait. Bird's nest fern will go in the house.

 

Datura seed in yogurt cups. Only Purple have a set of true leaves.

Datura likes hot weather.

 

 

Kalancoe cuttings needing a spot outside or pots.

 

Persian Shield cuttings, ready for a shady location. 

White Shrimp Plant putting on blooms, finally.

Red Shrimp plant outside is blooming like crazy. 

 

                                                                                  

Chartreuse alternanthera cuttings.

Alternanthera in the garden is emerging from its roots in spots, some failed.

Alternanthera blooms in winter, insignificant white blossoms.

 

It is the time of year when I am fearful of putting plants into cool soil, fearful of a late frost, sure that Spring has sprung because I see new growth, overwhelmed at all the tasks ahead knowing that hot weather will be here soon when I'll need to stay inside where it's cool and the permanent greenhouse tropical plants will spend the summer out under trees in partial shade.

 

Are you ready for Spring?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bloom Day in the March Greenhouse

In the house so you can see the orchid that came into bloom after years of sitting in a glass cyclinder once its first flush was over. It is surrounded by orchids I took courage to buy this winter when I realized the first one had buds forming.

You can see He-who-mows working on the greenhouse doors outside.

Let's join him outside and peek into the greenhouse.

 

 

Appleblossom has a sweet fragrance, noticeable when you walk inside. This is the second year of bloom for Appleblossom. I was hoping for Christmas bloom. My timing was a little off.

 'Nymph' Hippeastrum is new this season. It bloomed for Christmas and again, and now a third time.

Kalanchoe, a great winter houseplant. The next year, I take new cuttings.

 

Photo from earlier in the week before 'Nymph' opened.

 

Happy Bloom Day!

 

Another Look at 'Appleblossom' Amaryllis

Two of the three blooms are now fully open. The fragrance is sweet, one of the few Hippeastrums I've seen with a scent.

 

 

I bought this bulb in 2011; it bloomed in 2012.

I was delighted to be able to bring it back to bloom in 2013.

 

The buds on the right belong to Nymph, new this year, this its third bloom.

The white flowers are Kalanchoe, a good succulent winter houseplant.

 

Appleblossom

The Termperature Takes a Downturn, not Spring after All

Just when everything was budded out and starting to burst into bloom and we're talking 'early spring' the wind shifts to the north and cold blows in. We expect 25ºF tonight and 27º tomorrow night with a high tomorrow of 52º which may seem balmy to some but is uncomfortable in the South.

I even wrapped little volunteer tomatoes with improvised row cover. Tommies Toes will be such a treat for salad if I can keep them going and since they are there....

When the sun peeked out today the greenhouse warmed to the seventies and I transplanted some rootbound Pentas.

I went ahead and tucked a Neoreglia bromeliad into this pot of Wax Begonias.

Now to find a use for a tray of Kalanchoe cuttings and many Spider plants.

 

The bromeliad I used is a little sister to this one.

 



 

I made a big mistake today. I had a packet of Nigella seeds so I sowed them in an 18 cell tray of planting mix. Wait! Nigella dislike transplanting and beside that, should have been direct sowed last November. I knew that. I'm wavering between trying to transplant before the taproot gets very big and scooping the tops off the cells and sprinkling them in the bed with all those volunteer petunias. Nigella would probably be most happy there.

 

I dragged the pepper plants I cut back and the two eggplant plants with blooms back into the greenhouse. They'd been enjoying the air outside until it got so cold.

 

I have a little list of seeds to order off for. Black Pearl Peppers, White Madagascar periwinkles and some Geraniums. Last year I intended to buy a geranium plant and never did. I saw somebody's blog -- maybe it was Tootsie's -- where geranium seeds have sprouted and I decided.... No one vendor I've looked at have all three kinds of seeds. Does anybody know one who does?

 

 

 

 

Bloom Day in the Greenhouse February, 2013

Remember that this is a hobby greenhouse, inexpensive but affordable as compared to the better quality structures usually seen on blogs. Ten by 12 feet; a greenhouse is never big enough.

Gipsy Queen Hyacinths are nearing the end of bloom.

Hyacinths outside are blooming now. Forced in pots of soil,

these can go into the ground when they fade, to bloom again next year.

Heated by two small electric heaters set to come on low fan speed when the temperature dips below 37 degrees in a climate where prolonged freezes are rare, plants are grown for pleasure.

Pentas cuttings, not as happy as they would be in a warmer season, will

go outside for the delight of butterflies when the weather warms.

In the blue pot on the shelf above them, Neoregelia bromeliad.

 

Pots of Pineapple Sage with a branch of Russelia

equisetiformis hanging over them with similar blooms.

 

Persian Shield cuttings are blooming, blossoms usually only seen in winter.

Strobilanthes dyerianus is used in the summer garden for purple foliage.

 

Kalanchoe in bloom at left, cuttings in near view beginning to bloom.

Behind is a pot of pink Begonias.

I'm thinking of taking out some Begonias and putting a Neoregelia  bromeliad in

the pot with Begonias, an idea suggested by Steve Asbell of Rainforest Gardens

 

When warm weather comes I may combine Kalanchoes with Graptopetalum.

 

Thank you for visiting my greenhouse.

 

We're celebrating February Bloom Day with Carol of May Dreams Gardens.

 

My outdoor blooms are on Secrets of a Seedscatterer. February Gold is the theme.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Butterflies in February?

After last night's freeze, I didn't expect to see butterflies in the greenhouse this morning. At one time there were 3 American Painted Ladies. I wonder where they spent the night?

These look like the same butterflies I see out front on Lantana.

They've been quite shy about having their picture taken.

In the greenhouse, they were so busy they didn't mind when I got close.

One of them was fairly tattered. I wonder if a bird almost got him?

They were very attracted to the Hyacinths.

Side view of the closed wings.

 

Gipsy Queen Hyacinths are breaking color.

Those butterflies ignored them.

 

White Kalanchoe in bloom. Behind are 'Victoria' Salvia and

Lantana cuttings. At the front is an eggplant plant, no fruit. 

My favoritea right now are begonias. Those are tomatoes in front, even a ripe one at far left.

A last look as I go out the door.