Thursday, July 29, 2010

Geranium seeds

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Geranium sanguineum 'Max Frei' seeds
Geranium sanguineum 'Max Frei' seeds


I was doing some planting a few days ago and happened to glance over at my Geranium and saw these really cool seeds. I've never noticed these before but they sure are cool.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

New Plant: Heuchera 'Cinnabar Silver'

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I got a new Heuchera the other day. Love this one so much!


Heuchera 'Cinnabar Silver'
Heuchera 'Cinnabar Silver'


Would love to have a small massing of this one. Maybe near some Miscanthus 'Morning Light' for some nice silvery colour and contrasting texture. For now though I think it will live near my Miscanthus 'Little Kitten.' Maybe with Sempervivum 'Belladonna.'

Monday, July 26, 2010

Garden Shelving?

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I'm looking at options for an attractive shelf setup I can install on my fence to give me a little more space and so I can use my table again. I absolutely love the setup Julie at We're Going to Need A Bigger Pot has installed. Many older pictures no longer show up but you can catch a glimpse in the last picture in the most recent post. The colour is a fantastic touch as well.

Here's another simpler solution that would be easier for a not-so-handy man (Maybe I could manage something else? I don't really have any tools... makes it hard to try...) like myself.

Have you seen any really great solutions for building upwards? I'd love to see them!

I'm also thinking of a Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata' for a bit of height in a shady corner. Anyone have any experience with them? Most of my reading seems to claim they are not winter hardy in zone 5 but I swear there's one growing at the Toronto Botanical Gardens?

Streptocarpus 'Laura' flowering

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Streptocarpus 'Laura'
Streptocarpus 'Laura'


At the Toronto Gesneriad Society Show this spring I picked up this Streptocarpus. Until this one most Streps in our collection have a only a few large flowers. I've seen some amazing pictures of Streps with masses of smaller flowers that looks amazing so I'd been on the lookout for something like this.

The picture on the tag was not great so I'm very happy with the colour and pattern on the flowers, and just look at how many more buds there are to open on that stem! There's a second flower stalk starting to develop.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Bougainvillea in bud

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A customer bought this plant in May, then let it get hit by some overnight cold and bam, returned. When I brought it home it looked absolutely terrible! few (if any) leaves, most that were on the plant were damaged from the cold. I pruned it back hard to a few inches (It's been grown as a short standard, so that's a few inches from where it starts branching) where I could see healthy buds. I've been keeping it watered and even fertilizing it a little bit since then and I will finally be rewarded.



Bougainvillea in bud
Bougainvillea


The colour looks nice enough so far but it is still a little ways off from being fully open.

Unfortunately this year I was poorly prepared and did not train the branches at all so it has grown far outward. If I winter this plant (I become afraid when I think about all the plants that will have to come inside this winter! I am turning more and more to tender perennials that will be living over the winter in my garage. As far as I'm aware though that will be too cold for the Bougainvillea so the only likely option will be to prune it back to a stick and Espalier the new growth that starts over the winter (or prune it over and over again).

If I do this and all goes well I will grow it up against the wall alongside my Clematis. Poor thing bloomed itself out in early summer and has only been giving the odd flower since. I think the companionship of a Bougainvillea to dress up that wall for the rest of the summer would be a welcome addition. The colours look like they'll go nicely as well.

And taking up less space by growing vertically will be a definite improvement over this years sprawling mess. The silly looking trunk will be hidden as well (By a large Bay tree (shrub), while giving it enough height to get up to my trellis right from the start. And as they say, when you have limited space, go up.

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Don't you sometimes wish you could start over? Brand new garden with no plants, nothing you need to hold onto, just a blank slate? I'm feeling a little bit like that right now. A lot of my normally well behaved plants are getting a little bit floppy and tired looking, and I'm getting tired of looking at them. And while I'm at it I could stand being somewhere other than zone 5, or maybe if I had some more space (I swear I really have nothing against mass plantings and planting in 3s/5s/+...), and maybe if my neighbours weren't all growing invasive plants then maybe everything would be ok. And now back to trying to re-claim some of my garden from the Violas so I can get some plants I don't really have room for in the ground... *sigh*

Saturday, July 24, 2010

New Sempervivum 'Oddity'

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Much like 'Cobweb,' 'Oddity' is a must have in any Sempervivum collection.


Sempervivum 'Oddity'
Sempervivum 'Oddity'

Friday, July 23, 2010

New Sempervivum 'Belladonna'

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This is officially my favourite Sempervivum and I think I can say that with no hesitation. Gorgeous silvery colour, velvety texture, thick leaves and compact rounded rosettes. Pictures online show an attractive red winter colour as well.


Sempervivum 'Belladonna'
Sempervivum 'Belladonna'


It was pricey at $8 (around a 5" pot and beautifully grown so actually not a bad price) but I got a great deal (40% off) on this and another $5 Sempervivum (which "officially" "completes" my collection) I'll post pictures of once I get some pictures that actually make it look good. It's a bit of an Oddity.

Sauromatum venosum (Arum cornutum) update

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My new Sauromatum venosum recently started turning yellow (I think in this case a good sign, as it should indicate that the plant is pulling what nutrients it can out of the leaf for dormancy) and collapsing. Well, normally I'd be pretty annoyed by this but I dug up the corm today now that the leaf had completely collapsed and was a little surprised by the size. And the number of offsets from the there were (7)! The corm was also good and firm with no sign of any rot or any other problems even though I should probably have taken it out of the soil a few days ago before some recent rain.


Sauromatum venosum (Arum cornutum) Corm
Sauromatum venosum (Arum cornutum) Corm


It needs to dry a little bit so I can get the soil off and get it all cleaned up properly. I think I can see what might be a new growth point on the top of the main tuber but I'll be able to get a better idea once it's clean.

Should I try dividing one or more of the corms? I'm thinking yes. I'm thinking the largest and/or the two in the spot where there are two growing one above the other so that the remaining corms are evenly spaced around the main one. I'm thinking that doing it while dry and allowing the wound to heal while dry will be the safest approach.

I'm also not 100% sure what will be the best approach for storage until it's growing again but I guess I've got some time to read while I wait for it to dry a little.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Plant ID - No idea what this is

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Do you?


Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket


Two different plants, one with the pink, one without. Leaves are smooth and fairly thick and somewhat rubbery. The stems become woody towards the base of the cuttings. Flowers are insignificant (you can see them in the second picture). Apparently grows fast in bright light and responds well to pruning.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Quick post - Honeysuckle berries

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Shot these berries on what I suspect might be a honeysuckle of some sort. The whole area was fairly well shaded right then but a small sliver of sun light these berries up beautifully.


Honeysuckle Berries

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, July 2010

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Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day! Short and Sweet, lots of pictures not so many words.

Apparently July is a month for hot pink!


Achillea cv. (Yarrow)
Achillea cv. (Yarrow) is tolerated because I'm not allowed to get rid of it. I just wish it didn't flop so much.

Floribunda Rose 'Sexy Rexy'
Floribunda Rose 'Sexy Rexy' is not quite hot pink, it's fairly hard to describe really but I think the picture captures it well. Lots of depth to the colour.

Alcea rosea 'Fiesta Time'
Alcea rosea 'Fiesta Time' is only passing through my yard. I have no space and this will live in my sister's yard until I might be able to get a seedling of my own from it.


And because there's more to the garden than pink here are a few extras:


Agastache 'Black Adder'
Agastache 'Black Adder' - I think I might prefer 'Blue Fortune' but I've only just moved this to a place it should be happier so I'll reserve judgment on it.

Hydrangea 'Kyushu'
Hydrangea 'Kyushu' is putting on a good show in my front yard as a standard.

Cherry Tomato
This is an orange cherry Tomato I'm growing this year.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Brief hiatus (apparently)

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My apologies for not posting much recently (or for the next few days I imagine). My supervisor has gone on holidays and it's left me with a lot of extra work I wouldn't normally have to even think about. It's interesting and fun enough work but it does leave me very tired. My days off have been very busy as well but I am hoping to get some pictures taken and posts pre-written on Saturday for the next week. July's Bloom Day post will likely have few words, mostly pictures.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Fun at work - Baby Duck

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Our resident duck at work (has been making nests with us for at least 2 years now) has finally had success with her first duckling. Here are some pictures I took today, it hatched sometime last night after a month in the nest. We have several ponds around the property that attract a lot of wildlife - this must be the most adorable though by far!


Ducks

Duckling

Ducks

Ducks

Friday, July 9, 2010

New Haworthia & Maybe an Aloe descoingii x Aloe haworthioides

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Haworthia ID
Likely Haworthia minima?


Haworthia ID
Possibly Aloe descoingsii x Aloe haworthioides


The second is a tiny plant, forming a decent looking clump in a 2.5" pot. Small hooks on the edges of the leaves and in a single row down the center of the leaf on the top surface and slightly offset from center on the bottom. Tubercles are fairly evenly distributed on the rest of the leaf surface.

I think it might be Aloe descoingsii x Aloe haworthioides. I assume it would prefer higher light than you can get away with with many Haworthia species?

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Pistia stratiotes (Water Lettuce) Flowers

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Pistia stratiotes (Water Lettuce) Flowers
Pistia stratiotes (Water Lettuce) Flowers


Odds are if you have a pond you've had water lettuce. It's almost certainly flowered for you too, but unless you're looking you can miss it completely.

You can also see that it's a member of the Araceae family with the familiar spathe/spadix flower structure.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Succulent ID

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This was found at Ikea. Aloe x ?


Aloe hybrid

Aloe hybrid


Any ideas?

Monday, July 5, 2010

Hot!

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Hopefully everyone else out there is keeping cool and don't forget your plants outside!

With the humidity it was supposed to feel like 43 degrees (109F) and I'd believe it. Lots of water for the plants and alternating the hose on myself then back to the plants. Can't wait for this heatwave to end it can't be soon enough.


Campanula carpatica 'White Clips'
Campanula carpatica 'White Clips'


This is my better behaved Campanula. I only planted it last year so I can't really comment on how well it will perform over the summer. I planted three and so far one's gotten larger, the second is around the same size as last year and the third is barely alive at all so so far its not winning any major points with me.

And finally the orchid I brought home has a name now: Enc. cordigera x Epi. floribundum 'Chief.' Yay!

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Daisies and Black Eyed Susans

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Summer is the season of the Daisy-like flowers of the Aster family. I only have three of these (I think) - Leucanthemum 'Becky' and Rudbeckia hirta 'Prairie Sun' (and plain Rudbeckia hirta).


Leucanthemum 'Becky'
Leucanthemum 'Becky' - I'll likely always have at least one of these. A classic and it couldn't be easier to grow.

Rudbeckia hirta 'Prairie Sun'
Rudbeckia hirta 'Prairie Sun' - I bought this a few years ago.

Rudbeckia hirta
Rudbeckia hirta - but now half the plant's flowering like this.


There's not much more summery than the flowers of the Aster family. From now until fall these (more-so the Rudbeckia) will fill gardens everywhere with colour.

Friday, July 2, 2010

New Plants!

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Had a fantastic day today - Visited a friend's nursery* and wow. It may be a small (tiny) nursery compared to where I work be there was just so much that was so exciting and generally just all around different from what I'm used to seeing day to day that I may have gotten carried away.

* When I started out and only really knew that there were annuals and perennials and one of them came back and the other didn't he was my... not exactly supervisor but basically. I'd say I can blame my love of plants on him so it's only fitting I can count on him to carry plants that can still excite me even though I'm surrounded by thousands of interesting plants on a daily basis.

My goal was to find, and purchase, maybe 3 blanket flowers of some sort, one of the compact varieties like 'Arizona Sun.'

Here was the first thing I found that I needed to have:


Arum cornutum

Arum cornutum

Arum cornutum
Arum cornutum


I had to have this. Now I have one. I never would have expected to just stumble on it like I did. So happy. He also had a very exotic looking Arisaema I'd have gotten (if the Arum hadn't been there). Maybe next year.

The next plant I needed with no questions asked was this stunning Euphorbia 'First Blush' that I will underplant with Sedum spathulifolium 'Cape Blanco.'

Euphorbia 'First Blush'
Euphorbia 'First Blush'


Sedum spathulifolium 'Cape Blanco'
Sedum spathulifolium 'Cape Blanco'


I also ended up with a Hosta 'Frosted Mouse Ears,' Tiarella 'Happy Trails,' and two Echeveria (It's not my fault, they were on sale!).

Hosta 'Frosted Mouse Ears'
Hosta 'Frosted Mouse Ears'

Tiarella 'Happy Trails'
Tiarella 'Happy Trails' - I'm counting on this for a terrible dry shady corner where nothing else will grow.

Echeveria cv.

Echeveria cv.


And if you're wondering, no. No blanket flowers came home with me. I have terrible luck with them anyway and at best make it 2-3 years for me I do love them though and they perfectly pick up the yellows and reds in my Opuntia (which is also flowering right now) but really I can get them anytime. Not so much with Arum cornutum & Euphorbia 'First Blush.'

I even get tomorrow off to plant everything. I wonder where it'll all go...

Streptocarpus 'Spin Art'

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Streptocarpus 'Spin Art'
Streptocarpus 'Spin Art'


First blooming of Streptocarpus 'Spin Art' - variable blue and yellow striping on a red flower make this a really unusual Streptocarpus. Not my thing (I'd take 'Purple Pepper' over 'Spin Art' any day) but actually pretty cool.

Also my new orchid (likely almost certainly a hybrid like Epicyclia) smells identical to blistex Medicated Lip Ointment. It smells strongest between sunrise and early afternoon and has variably smelled like roses, tea and medication. It's an unusual smell in an orchid but I like it. A co-worker ("Orchids are boring") bought one and thinks hers had a tag so maybe I'll get an ID? Otherwise NOID Epicyclia will be as far as I can get.

Hope everyone had a great Canada Day yesterday!