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P. schilleriana
AOS Page
IOSPE Page
Make sure you scroll down on each page for the pictures, this plant is stunning! Flowers are fantastic but check out those leaves as well. I think at multiple branching flower spikes up to or exceeding 3' in length the amount of awesome is matched by limited space. This one I think is for the drool over but not likely buy anytime soon category.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
A. biloba fully open + C. wendtii again
All Andrew's Plants has moved to AllAndrewsPlants.wordpress.com
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Aerangis biloba
Aerangis biloba
At night it is fragrant - sort of a generic floral/hyacinth smell. Not bad but I'm generally not a huge fan of hyacinth. I suppose it's nice that it overwhelms rotting meat smell of my second C. wendtii flower (sometimes you wait two years and then you get two flowers almost at the same time I guess).
Cryptocoryne wendtii
I've added a foliage picture to my previous post for comparison. Both were bought as Cryptocoryne wendtii 'green' though I now know that "green" "bronze" "red" and "brown" are all useless as names because they refer to multiple plants and because the same plant could be each of these colours depending on growing conditions. Instead I call the previous C. wendtii 01 and this 02.
C. wendtii
You can find this post here on my new site for the full post and to leave comments.
Aerangis biloba
Aerangis biloba
At night it is fragrant - sort of a generic floral/hyacinth smell. Not bad but I'm generally not a huge fan of hyacinth. I suppose it's nice that it overwhelms rotting meat smell of my second C. wendtii flower (sometimes you wait two years and then you get two flowers almost at the same time I guess).
Cryptocoryne wendtii
I've added a foliage picture to my previous post for comparison. Both were bought as Cryptocoryne wendtii 'green' though I now know that "green" "bronze" "red" and "brown" are all useless as names because they refer to multiple plants and because the same plant could be each of these colours depending on growing conditions. Instead I call the previous C. wendtii 01 and this 02.
C. wendtii
Friday, October 23, 2009
Gesnerids in bloom
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Saintpaulia 'Rebel's Splatter Kake'
Streptocarpus 'Canterbury Surprise seedling'
Streptocarpus 'Silver Dust'
Chirita 'Stardust'
Chirita 'Stardust'
Chirita tamiana
You can find this post here on my new site for the full post and to leave comments.
Saintpaulia 'Rebel's Splatter Kake'
Streptocarpus 'Canterbury Surprise seedling'
Streptocarpus 'Silver Dust'
Chirita 'Stardust'
Chirita 'Stardust'
Chirita tamiana
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Fall highlights
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Mostly the classics here. I may have missed the boat on some of the less common ones which have already dropped their leaves - I'll see what I can do for something more interesting for another post.
Spirea betulifolia 'Thor'
'Thor' Spirea is a fantastic plant. Grows about 24" tall by 24-36" wide, white flowers on moderately large blue green leaves through the summer turning intense orange/red in the fall. Similar but larger is Spiraea x media Snow Storm™ - also has white flowers on blue green leaves but turns slightly more purple in the fall but gets around 3-4' tall, 4' wide. Probably my prefered spirea but with limited space 'Thor' is an easy alternative.
Acer sp.
Honestly haven't taken a close enough look at this tree to figure out what type of maple it is... I'll basically though just use this space to say that if you want a maple it's not a Norway Maple! Here at least they rarely get any fall colour to speak of (sometimes yellow-brown) and are always plagued by Tar Spot. Instead look for a nice Acer rubrum cultivar, Acer x freemanii 'Autumn Blaze' is always stunning, or Acer saccharum for a slower growing but also beautiful tree.
Miscanthus sinensis 'Graziella' & Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'
Miscanthus sinensis 'Huron Sunrise'
Ornamental grasses are not only great in fall but some such as Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' are really nice during the summer as well. Most will look good through the winter as well. My Miscanthus purpurascens did not turn red last year or this year or I'd love to say it's nice but so far it's been a disappointment. Nicest Miscanthus in my books probably goes to 'Graziella' for nicest texture, 'Morning Light' wins for best leaves in general having a similar texture to 'Graziella' but with white margins on the narrow leaf but has been moderatly slow to establish and has not yet flowered this year (the flowers are very nice on it so I wish it would bloom!), 'Huron Sunrise' is my favourite for flower colour, though there are many others with similar colours. Mostly I'm just not a fan of Zebra-type or broad leaved variegated Miscanthus cultivars ('Cabaret' etc).
Sedum
Not sure which one this is. Don't really care. They're generally nice and new varieties are popping up all the time. I use them in landscaping but don't know that I could dedicate that much space to one... Maybe a more dwarf purple leaf one like 'Xenox' (I've grown and really like this one!). Biggest thing I like about them is that unlike some of the fall plants like the hot season grasses Sedum will be one of the first plants growing in the spring.
You can find this post here on my new site for the full post and to leave comments.
Mostly the classics here. I may have missed the boat on some of the less common ones which have already dropped their leaves - I'll see what I can do for something more interesting for another post.
Spirea betulifolia 'Thor'
'Thor' Spirea is a fantastic plant. Grows about 24" tall by 24-36" wide, white flowers on moderately large blue green leaves through the summer turning intense orange/red in the fall. Similar but larger is Spiraea x media Snow Storm™ - also has white flowers on blue green leaves but turns slightly more purple in the fall but gets around 3-4' tall, 4' wide. Probably my prefered spirea but with limited space 'Thor' is an easy alternative.
Acer sp.
Honestly haven't taken a close enough look at this tree to figure out what type of maple it is... I'll basically though just use this space to say that if you want a maple it's not a Norway Maple! Here at least they rarely get any fall colour to speak of (sometimes yellow-brown) and are always plagued by Tar Spot. Instead look for a nice Acer rubrum cultivar, Acer x freemanii 'Autumn Blaze' is always stunning, or Acer saccharum for a slower growing but also beautiful tree.
Miscanthus sinensis 'Graziella' & Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'
Miscanthus sinensis 'Huron Sunrise'
Ornamental grasses are not only great in fall but some such as Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' are really nice during the summer as well. Most will look good through the winter as well. My Miscanthus purpurascens did not turn red last year or this year or I'd love to say it's nice but so far it's been a disappointment. Nicest Miscanthus in my books probably goes to 'Graziella' for nicest texture, 'Morning Light' wins for best leaves in general having a similar texture to 'Graziella' but with white margins on the narrow leaf but has been moderatly slow to establish and has not yet flowered this year (the flowers are very nice on it so I wish it would bloom!), 'Huron Sunrise' is my favourite for flower colour, though there are many others with similar colours. Mostly I'm just not a fan of Zebra-type or broad leaved variegated Miscanthus cultivars ('Cabaret' etc).
Sedum
Not sure which one this is. Don't really care. They're generally nice and new varieties are popping up all the time. I use them in landscaping but don't know that I could dedicate that much space to one... Maybe a more dwarf purple leaf one like 'Xenox' (I've grown and really like this one!). Biggest thing I like about them is that unlike some of the fall plants like the hot season grasses Sedum will be one of the first plants growing in the spring.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Clematis 'Rebecca'
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A new clematis from Raymond Evison this year and my first clematis - could not be more happy with this plant if I tried! I planted it in June and after a brief acclimatization period it has been putting on fantastic new growth and flowering since. It is still flowering, actually, which makes it the only clematis I've seen in weeks still in bloom, and is even more amazing when you consider that we have had frost (it may be slightly sheltered from the worst of it but still!).
Definitely recommending Clematis 'Rebecca' if you're looking for a clematis.
Clematis 'Rebecca'
You can find this post here on my new site for the full post and to leave comments.
A new clematis from Raymond Evison this year and my first clematis - could not be more happy with this plant if I tried! I planted it in June and after a brief acclimatization period it has been putting on fantastic new growth and flowering since. It is still flowering, actually, which makes it the only clematis I've seen in weeks still in bloom, and is even more amazing when you consider that we have had frost (it may be slightly sheltered from the worst of it but still!).
Definitely recommending Clematis 'Rebecca' if you're looking for a clematis.
Clematis 'Rebecca'
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Aerangis biloba flower
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Aerangis biloba, an orchid from Madagascar and member of the interesting subtribe Angraecinae. These orchids generally have white, spurred and fragrant flowers (pollinated by some sort of moth I imagine - the fragrance is usually only noticeable at night for many of these plants).
Aerangis biloba
I bought mine in February at the Southern Ontario Orchid Show and was thrilled to find it in spike in late September. I figured when I bought it that it was too small to be flowering size and am so glad to have been proven wrong. Since I bought it it's also grown four leaves (considerably larger than the older leaves) and several new roots (considerably thicker than the older roots).
Aerangis biloba
I grow mine mounted in a 20 gallon greenhouse (where my Cryptocorynes grow emersed as well) which will need to be larger when it next flowers. Might even need to be larger by the time this thing finishes - at first the spike on the right extended horizontally but has become much more vertical as it developed. I still have a few more inches before the lowest flowers become submerged but I don't really have anywhere else to put it if that happens.
It seems to be tolerant of low light and with my humidity only needs to be watered around once a week (others who I guess have lower humidity water daily, or mist several times daily and soak once or twice a week).
You can find this post here on my new site for the full post and to leave comments.
Aerangis biloba, an orchid from Madagascar and member of the interesting subtribe Angraecinae. These orchids generally have white, spurred and fragrant flowers (pollinated by some sort of moth I imagine - the fragrance is usually only noticeable at night for many of these plants).
Aerangis biloba
I bought mine in February at the Southern Ontario Orchid Show and was thrilled to find it in spike in late September. I figured when I bought it that it was too small to be flowering size and am so glad to have been proven wrong. Since I bought it it's also grown four leaves (considerably larger than the older leaves) and several new roots (considerably thicker than the older roots).
Aerangis biloba
I grow mine mounted in a 20 gallon greenhouse (where my Cryptocorynes grow emersed as well) which will need to be larger when it next flowers. Might even need to be larger by the time this thing finishes - at first the spike on the right extended horizontally but has become much more vertical as it developed. I still have a few more inches before the lowest flowers become submerged but I don't really have anywhere else to put it if that happens.
It seems to be tolerant of low light and with my humidity only needs to be watered around once a week (others who I guess have lower humidity water daily, or mist several times daily and soak once or twice a week).
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Plants I still haven't bought...
All Andrew's Plants has moved to AllAndrewsPlants.wordpress.com
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And yet I have one!
I first met Aglaonema 'Crete' in early August when we got three in at work. They were a little pricey at $25 each but tempting. Ultimately I didn't buy one. A few weeks ago a co-worker lets me know she has left me something in the office and I should have a look. They had been taking apart custom planters and apparently one of these Aglaonemas has made its way into one of these containers - and done very poorly! The poor thing was slightly sunburned and it looked like something slug-like had been eating the leaves. Nothing overly serious but certainly not a plant that could be potted up and sold or even used in a fall custom planter. I was tempted at $25 but free was impossible to refuse!
Aglaonema 'Crete'
The new leaves that have come in since I brought it home have been much more solid green/red rather than green/olive green/red and I must say I'm a big fan of the change. The leaves are also nice and glossy and on the whole the plant looks like it will make a full recovery. I still need to tidy up the old leaves so the plant still looks a little messy but at least you can see what the new growth looks like.
You can find this post here on my new site for the full post and to leave comments.
And yet I have one!
I first met Aglaonema 'Crete' in early August when we got three in at work. They were a little pricey at $25 each but tempting. Ultimately I didn't buy one. A few weeks ago a co-worker lets me know she has left me something in the office and I should have a look. They had been taking apart custom planters and apparently one of these Aglaonemas has made its way into one of these containers - and done very poorly! The poor thing was slightly sunburned and it looked like something slug-like had been eating the leaves. Nothing overly serious but certainly not a plant that could be potted up and sold or even used in a fall custom planter. I was tempted at $25 but free was impossible to refuse!
Aglaonema 'Crete'
The new leaves that have come in since I brought it home have been much more solid green/red rather than green/olive green/red and I must say I'm a big fan of the change. The leaves are also nice and glossy and on the whole the plant looks like it will make a full recovery. I still need to tidy up the old leaves so the plant still looks a little messy but at least you can see what the new growth looks like.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Cryptocoryne wendtii inflorescence
All Andrew's Plants has moved to AllAndrewsPlants.wordpress.com
You can find this post here on my new site for the full post and to leave comments.
C. wendtii, for those not familiar with the species, is a very common, easy to grow aquatic plant. A few years ago I began to grow a number of crypts emersed - in part because I had no room in my fish tank for all the species I had managed to collect and in part because I was interested in seeing the huge range of leaf shapes and colours the species or even an individual morph could have in a range of growing conditions (high light, low light, emersed, submersed, high humidity, low humidity and so on. Many different combinations of these conditions are possible and the same plant can look unrecognizable in each).
Cryptocoryne wendtii
I first potted this plant up on January 18th, 2008 and re-potted on February 22nd this spring into better soil. Finally I have something to show for it!
Cryptocoryne wendtii
Ok so people don't grow it for the amazing flowers but it is interesting! Oh, also it smells like rotting meat.
You can find this post here on my new site for the full post and to leave comments.
C. wendtii, for those not familiar with the species, is a very common, easy to grow aquatic plant. A few years ago I began to grow a number of crypts emersed - in part because I had no room in my fish tank for all the species I had managed to collect and in part because I was interested in seeing the huge range of leaf shapes and colours the species or even an individual morph could have in a range of growing conditions (high light, low light, emersed, submersed, high humidity, low humidity and so on. Many different combinations of these conditions are possible and the same plant can look unrecognizable in each).
Cryptocoryne wendtii
I first potted this plant up on January 18th, 2008 and re-potted on February 22nd this spring into better soil. Finally I have something to show for it!
Cryptocoryne wendtii
Ok so people don't grow it for the amazing flowers but it is interesting! Oh, also it smells like rotting meat.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Welcome!
All Andrew's Plants has moved to AllAndrewsPlants.wordpress.com
You can find this post here on my new site to leave comments.
I have decided after some time away from my previous blog that I just won't have enough to talk about if I only talk about hardy plants. The last several posts at Zone 5 were about houseplants anyway so I figure I should just have one blog where I can talk about anything - inside, outside or anything else related to plants I may think of.
Kohleria 'Peridot's Mango Martini'
I imagine I'll have much much more to talk about and hopefully some of that will be of interest to most of you! I'll be working on a layout and colour scheme over the next few days and should be able to get a post or two as well, even if they're just little picture posts. There are two plants as well I'm waiting for buds to open that I'm not able to wait patiently for much longer so expect pictures of those hopefully soon as well!
All Andrew's Plants has moved to AllAndrewsPlants.wordpress.com
You can find this post here on my new site to leave comments.
You can find this post here on my new site to leave comments.
I have decided after some time away from my previous blog that I just won't have enough to talk about if I only talk about hardy plants. The last several posts at Zone 5 were about houseplants anyway so I figure I should just have one blog where I can talk about anything - inside, outside or anything else related to plants I may think of.
Kohleria 'Peridot's Mango Martini'
I imagine I'll have much much more to talk about and hopefully some of that will be of interest to most of you! I'll be working on a layout and colour scheme over the next few days and should be able to get a post or two as well, even if they're just little picture posts. There are two plants as well I'm waiting for buds to open that I'm not able to wait patiently for much longer so expect pictures of those hopefully soon as well!
All Andrew's Plants has moved to AllAndrewsPlants.wordpress.com
You can find this post here on my new site to leave comments.
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