My New Hat

Spring Show Installation at Phipps

So I signed up to help with the spring show installation at Phipps and forgot since I did not make it an alarm on my phone. Luckily I was up early today, but still not quite early enough to make it there on time! I had to pick up dog food though since I had forgotten to pick it up yesterday and had to decide whether to skip volunteering or not so I decided to see how frozen the dog food was. I did end up going, albeit quite a bit late. I got there slightly before noon and stayed till 2:30-ish. It went pretty quick with so many people helping. I guess I should've taken a pic of our work, but that didn't cross my mind at the time. I did take some pics of some of the other stuff though.

I always have to visit the gift shop every time I volunteer there. They had these white sweatshirt hoodies with the Phipps logo on them, but they were asking $45 for them! Still wasn't worth it after my discount unfortunately. Instead, I got a baseball cap instead. I got khaki. There was a green, which was really nice, but I thought it was too manly and I also already have a dark hat. I didn't want the white one b/c I thought it would get dirty too easily so khaki it was!

More Spikes

The show is in two weeks and I think I will have maybe three plants ready! Found another Phal in spike! Wish some of my paphs would bloom! But it is only about 65˚F in the basement so....not seeing much going on with those guys. Replaced a bulb too that had been out for a long time, but I never got around to changing it till now! I'm sure they'll be MUCH happier now! Paph lowii needs to move along a teensy bit faster!

Carnivorous Plants

Pinguicula 'Aphrodite' blooms

Pinguicula emarginata

Just got these....Drosera lake badgerup
(nitidula ssp. omissa x occidentalis ssp.occidentalis)

Just got these too....Drosera roseana

I didn't realize how TINY pygmy Droseras were until I got these! Of course, they may not be full grown yet b/c my last pygmy was much larger! It's hard to tell how big they are, but they are real small!

Paph. Lowii's Growing Bud

Apologies to the Squirrels

My suet cakes had been disappearing really fast lately as well as the cable ties that keep the door closed on the feeder. I thought the squirrels were getting to it. Afterall...they have before! But the last time, even though the cable ties were gone, the door was still shut! Mysteries! Well I think I have figured it out....bravely I put out another suet cake and it was devoured in no time! These robin sized fat black birds with skinny yellow beaks have been visiting and they are voracious as heck! They are also a bit bossy preventing the other birds from feeding! At least the birds are eating it instead of the squirrels stealing the whole dang thing! Anyway, my aplogies to the squirrels for suspecting them! :)

Paph. lowii in spike in my kitchen window.

Bees & Butterflies

Just finished reading my March/April 2010 Gardening How-To Magazine and there is an article on how to attract bees and butterflies! Bees are something I have been striving to attract and they seem to love my thyme and this other plant.....forget the name! I love watching them go from flower to flower. Turns out that thyme is one of the plants that bees love according to this list!

I'm not sure how I am going to feel about attracting butterflies so they will lay eggs on plants to feed the caterpillars though. I am not familiar with what are good and bad caterpillars. I would hate to accidentally kill the good ones!

Orchid Meeting Flea Market

I brought seven Pinguicula morananesis that were in bloom or in bud and sold them all for $5 each. I also brought a nobile Dendrobium and sold it for $1 as well as some dragonfly clips for $1 also. I brought two books too, but no one wanted them. :\ They're more coffee table type books though, nothing informative, just pretty pictures to look at.

I did pretty well. I only managed to buy one orchid only! A Paph. Delrosi! Had no idea what it would look like, but I love Paphs and at $10 it was the right price! I googled it on my phone and to my surprise it's a really pretty flower! I am definitely excited :D If you don't know what it is, do a search for it. If it were my picture I'd put it up on here, but I don't want to be stealing anyone's images!

Pot Skirts

Tonight I decided to tackle making my pot skirts for the orchid show next month. I had a heck of a time getting the tension right and had to ask for help! I finally got it close to right, except I think I measured the fabric a bit too tight. It will work, but only for the types of pots I use! I will need to make some other sizes too. The elastic proved tricky, but I got the hang of it after a few missed pieces!

Tomorrow is an orchid meeting so I probably won't have time to do more, but I may cut up more fabric so they are ready to be sewn just so I have an excuse to not put away my mess in the livingroom! :) I so need a craft room! Well...I do have a room that I could use for stuff like this, but it's no where near warm enough for me to hang out there for long periods of time! Plus there isn't exactly a table in there that I could use. I could haul one up there, but bringing one up from the basement to that attic room is a bit much! Not sure where I would put it anyhow...if only that bed wasn't there! In the five years we've lived in this house that bed has been used ONCE! So not worth having it in that room!

Master Gardener Re-Certification

Tonight I went to the Phipps Master Gardener Re-Certification Ceremony. It's hard to believe that I was certified back in 2005 and this will be my fifth year doing so!

Our guest speaker was Doug Oster from the Post Gazette. His book was what made going organic so easy for me! He has a new book out called Tomatoes Garlic Basil, which he brought a few copies tonight and signed them for those that bought one, which I did! Those are the three things that I must grow every year! He remembered that I had gone organic a few years back and asked how it was going. I told him that my grass looks great! There are far less bare spots from the dog! Who woulda thunk? He said that the lawn was the hardest for people to do so, but it didn't seem that way for me. It was all or nothing! I chose to go for it all and chose nothing!

I do put down corn gluten meal as a pre-emergent as well as fertilizer, but really nothing else besides that! If I see a weed I don't like I pull it. I have been working on a patch of clover for two years now. Clovers are good actually....they put nitrogen back into the soil, but they sure don't look nice! I did find out a bit of calcium slows their growth!

Anyway...I am awaiting my time to put down some of that corn gluten. I think I'm out...going to have to pick up some! I also just realized the down side to an online gardening journal....I can't really sketch on here. Oh well...

Today was sunny and above freezing so a lot of snow melted! Check out the icicles on the back of my house!

Dendrobium kingianum

I discovered that Dendrobium kingianum is in spike tonight as I
searched my light stand hoping that more of my orchids would spike in
time for next month's show! Hopefully it will bloom in time!

-
Cindi
Rabies Challenge Fund :: www.rabieschallengefund.org

Pinguicula 'Aphrodite'

From Other Plants

This is one of my new butterworts in bloom. One of its parents is Pinguicula morananesis, hence the large pink flower. It's not quite as magenta as its parent flower, but rounder. Pretty eh?

Still No Spikes :(

I keep looking and looking, but there still are no new spikes coming! Of course, the more I look the more likely I'm not going to get them probably. That's the way it goes usually! Paph. lowii's spike is doing well. The Masdevallia with one flower spike is opening now, but that's it! Phal. equestris and Aphrodite are in spike. Hopefully those bloom in time for our display. I have yet to master the timing of orchid blooms! I did give most of them another shot of bloom booster tonight. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Epies Fertilized!

So I'm supposed to start fertilizing my epiphyllums in Feb with a low N, but high P fertilizer. I had none of that type of fertilizer and since I'm trying to go organic I decided to put bone meal into them instead and water with aquarium water to water it in. I wasn't able to put worm castings on unfortunately because I had just added some dry matter and mixed it all up and it needed more time to break down. Hopefully I will get some blooms this year now that I have some guidance!

Moss

Yesterday, I went to the Steel City Reptile Expo. There at a poison dart frog vendor's booth, what caught my eye was the gorgeous lush green live moss in the tank! Not that I didn't notice the cute little frogs, but the moss was AMAZING! I had to pick his brain about how to grow the stuff. I also bought a bag of live moss from him. It was a bit pricey, but for the info he gave me it was worth it. While I have no frogs (yet!) I did plant my moss and hopefully I can grow more of it! Maybe I can add a little frog too later :D

Squirrels

I had outsmarted the squirrels from stealing my suet cakes from my suet feeder by putting a cable tie on the opening since they figured out how to open it to steal the whole thing! Unfortunately, my new suet feeder opens from the bottom unlike my old one that opened from the top. Needless to say...those squirrels maybe smart, but not smart enough to just chew off that cable tie! Instead, they just tried to chew the wires instead. All the plastic that covers the feeder is gone and it is just raw wire now. I'm sure that will rust away soon. Good thing those things aren't that expensive!

I also see some teeth/claw marks on my copper bird feeder. Little bastards! I don't mind sharing, but damnit....don't take it all and don't ruin my feeders!

More Seeds

Yesterday at Lowes I found these beautiful purple pansies with white edging. Bought a packet of seeds so I planted them today as well as my herbs (cilantro, parsley, basil, dill, stevia, oregano) and black cherry tomato seeds. Hopefully, they will all work out as I have no idea when to start each of them. I also bought sunflower seeds, yellow habañero, papaya cream nasturtiums, zuchini, mustard, and arugula seeds, but will start those later as I now those germinate easy or that I don't need them as early. I had wanted to start my sugar snap peas, but my window box that I grow them in is completely frozen at the moment. This winter is refusing to go away!

I did move my pepper seedlings to my light rack in hopes of giving it some adequate light. I left the Bhut Jolokia seedlings in the window sill since it was doing so well there and not leggy. Of course, it is quite the slow growing plant!

Show Planning

Today I went to talk to Dave about our display. Made some plans, but it doesn't look like I will have many if any plants to display at our annual orchid show! My Dendrochilum is starting to bloom. I have one Masdevallia with ONE flower bud, ready to open and my Paph. lowii that is spiking. The lowii might make it if I can time it right, but man I have nothing! Oh, I have a few phals spiking too, but those are meh. Hopefully my Phal. equestris will bloom for the show this year so I can have Tim prove to the judges that it is indeed an equestris! Thank god for knowing the right people in the right places. We will have plants, but I'd like to enter more of my own plants for judging, ya know?

Plants Deer Don't Like

While reading my February 2010 issue of Gardening How-To Magazine, I
came across an article that I am always asked about as a Phipps Master
Gardener..."How do I keep deer from eating my plants?" This is what I
learned:

• If they are hungry enough they will try anything, poisonous or not.

• Cover up new growth, they love tender new shoots!

Plants they are not fond of:

• bee balm
• boxwood
• daffodil
• hellebore
• lamb's ears
• lavender
• ornamental grasses
• peony
• prostrate (creeping) speedwell
• sage
• Siberian iris
• spotted deadnettle

Things deer don't like in plants...spicy, scented, soft or spiky, but
these don't always work depending on your deer. I can't attest to
whether these work or not as I do not have a deer problem.

Sproutin' Peppers

5 out of the 6 types of pepper seeds I planted have sprouted! Hopefully they will grow well. I have no idea where I am going to be growing them all though!

Will Power!

Went to the orchid society meeting today and managed to not come home w/ another orchid...only b/c I only had $12 in cash and credit cards with me and the cheapest plant was $15 haha! Instead, I got to show off my blooming Australian Dendrobium. A fellow member liked it so much she wants a piece of it when I divide it! Worked out perfectly since she bought the plant I wanted...I told her I'll trade her for a piece of her plant :D

There was a lot of show info going on since our show is in two months. I am hoping I will have something in bloom to show! Dave and I are going to attempt our own exhibit this year. They tried to rope me into doing all sorts of volunteer stuff, but luckily I have already promised my time to a vendor!

Came home after the meeting feeling a bit empty w/o a new orchid, but I had to remind myself the show is just around the corner and I will bring home all sorts then even though I am trying to downsize some so I can grow some of my other types of favorite plant....carnivorous plants! I watered all my plants and threw away three orchids. Yes, I THREW AWAY ORCHIDS! They were dead and weren't going to come back so into the trash bucket they went! There are probably an orchid or two left that maybe on its way out too due to neglect or water getting into its crown and whatnot. Oh well...

Update...

Well I got two flowers off my Cymbidium Honey Bunny 'Sugar Candy'. Quite pretty...not quite as yellow as I had expected. Should've maybe gotten the pink instead since the plant is smaller anyhow! I don't think the spike that I broke will bloom either. The buds are all yellow.





My Australian Dendrobium is blooming with two spikes! This isn't the current bloom, but here's a pic of it's bloom last time:



My Paph. lowii is budding! Can't wait...I hope it blooms in time for the show!

The Bhut Jolokia is growing REALLY slow! Just added some vermicompost to them tonight. Hopefully that helps! It doesn't have a very strong root system either so I am hoping that helps too. Otherwise I might give it a blast of rooting hormone too!

I also have a Dendrochilum in spike. That thing blooms so reliably for me each year! I love reliable bloomers!

My Oncidium Twinkle 'Red Fantasy' isn't doing so hot. I need to replant it into bark. It is not happy in semi-hydroponic apparently. I doubt it'll do well in bark again since I didn't do well w/ it in bark before! This might just have to be one of those orchids I have to give up on and enjoy them only when someone else grows it!

Paph. villosum is still going strong, but I suspect it is nearing its end soon as it has been blooming for awhile and they only last about six weeks.

Other than that....need to start planning for spring! I am ready for it!

Blasted!

Ugh, you won't believe it....my pendulous Cymbidum's spike has mostly blasted. Probably all thanks to the in and out activity over the holidays. The new spike was stuck and I went to help it out only to snap the damn thing! I'll be lucky if I get to see a handful of flowers....it should've been about 15 on one and 10 on the other. :(

On another note...I don't know if it's b/c it has been cold or what, but the squirrels haven't figured out my zip tied suet basket yet. YAY! They did eat all the seed out of the lower level of my bird feeder, but the top is full and they can't get to that easily so I will just leave it as is! Been tough keeping the water from freezing out there. Just snowed again last night and ran out of salt. I have re-stocked with two 50 lb. bags!

Seedlings!

Left: Pomagrante seedlings! Right: Bhut Jolokia seedlings!

These seeds were from a store bought Pomegranate. I have no idea how they will turn out. I saved about 10 seeds while I was eating one and planted them all in this container figuring that a lot of them won't sprout. I guess I was right! Two sprouted out of 10! One is above the soil surface and one is below that you can see through the side of the cup.

I honestly did not think these seeds would've sprouted. I traded for them and they did not look very fresh and took quite awhile to sprout. I realize it is not summer and that temperature might've not been high enough, even on a seedling heat mat, but when I saw that my Pomegranate seeds sprouted I checked on my Bhut Jolokia cup that was under another cup for added warmth and there they were! I am excited :D

On another news....my Paph. lowii looks like it might be finally growing a spike after all these years! This was my first plant that I had bought at my first orchid society meeting in 2001. I remember that it was a lot of money for me to spend on a seedling at $20! Boy have I come a long way from loosening the purse strings since LOL Anyway, I suspect that it is a spike because leaves grow alternately, but the up and coming growth is coming out of the same side as the last leaf! Keep your fingers crossed! I have been waiting forever for this beauty to bloom!

Bhut Jolokia Seeds

Wow! Just got more Bhut Jolokia seeds in the mail along with samples of the pepper dried! First off....REALLY fresh seeds! Two....you can smell just how spicy those samples are in the little plastic bag without even opening it! Came with some nice tips too. Can't wait till it is warmer so that I can start the seeds! Already have one seedling growing....would like a few more!

Organic Valley Coupons

http://www.organicvalley.coop/coupons/

Mary Lou's Christmas Cactus

The mother plant of this one shown had belonged to my fiance's grandmother, who had acquired the plant from her own mother, his great-grandmother. It could be at least 100 years old or close to it since Mary Lou was 92 herself! Anyway...my piece of it bloomed on the day of her viewing after she passed away and started wilting today when I got the thank you card from her daughter for the flowers.

Helcia sanguinolenta x Trico suavix 'Megan' AM/AOS

This is fragrant too!

From Orchids

From Orchids

Progression od Paph. villosum Bloom #2

12/13

12/17

Progression of Paph. villosum Bloom #1

12/7

12/8

12/9

12/11

12/17

Oh They Are Too Smart!

It was either yesterday or the day before. I came home to both feeders empty. I thought "WOW! They must've been hungry after that freeze!" When I went out to refill the feeders I noticed why...the squirrels stole it all! Somehow they figured out how to open the suet holder and they took the WHOLE cake! Bastards! So I put in a new one and zip tied the door. No getting out now! Unless they get smart on me and chew off that zip tie, which wouldn't be too far fetched...

They have also figured out how to hang over to eat the bird seed. I really don't mind sharing the seed, but I am getting a bit tired of what pigs they can be about it! I really don't want to put one of those baffles over the feeders. They are so dang ugly! Guess I either have to learn to deal with it or get one.

Paph. villosum Bloom #2

Paph. villosum Bloom #1

Paph. villosum

Bhut Jolokia Seedling

Christmas Cactus

I was given a piece of Xmas cactus by my fianceé's grandmother, whom just recently passed away last Thursday. We are actually about to go to her viewing in a few minutes. This plant had belonged to either her grandmother or great grandmother and had gotten to be quite the big plant. As I went downstairs to my light stand I noticed it was blooming for me! How appropriate that it would be on today. Took some pictures of the one bloom (it only has 2) and will post them later.

My Paph. villosum's other bloom is starting to open up and it looks like it has deeper color too! No petal problems either! Woo!

Keeping the Bird Bath From Freezing

So I don't have the fanciest bird bath on earth, but really, do the birds even care? All I did was buy a sturdy clear plastic drainage dish for plants from Lowes for $3.99 and filled it with warm water so that it would last awhile outside before freezing into a 12" ice puck. It's nice and shallow so it works perfectly for the birds.

I didn't buy the $20 heater for the bird bath because I have no where to plug it in out there and did not want to run an extension cord. So in this weather, I go out several times a day to replace the frozen water, but yesterday, I thought, "Gee...what about those hand warmer packs?" I have a whole box of them and I doubt I would ever be able to use them all before they expire. Not exactly the cheapest way to do it, but one pack last eight hours! While it does not keep the whole bird bath from freezing up it does keep the center from freezing completely. What I do is I activate it and place it under the dish. What works well about this dish is that it has built in feet so it is elevated off the ground...just enough space for a heat pack and for air to get under it to keep it going!

I see why the top of my feeder empties out so quickly....the squirrels! I saw a crow here for the first time. He better leave all the shiny stuff in my yard alone! Some little bird was brave and stayed on the tree while I checked on things. He even let me watch him for a bit flitting around and eating!

Anyhoo....I am getting sleepy...woke up early to go to Handmade Arcade. What a zoo it was! I'm starting to think the early shopper pass wasn't such a bad idea afterall....!

Tomato Catalog

WOW! I got this catalog that is all about tomatoes! AND....they had my favorite! Black Krim! Check it out:

www.totallytomato.com

Tis' the season!

For blooms! A Paph. villosum has started to open for me (wish it would bloom in March instead!), a Dendrobium from Australia is in spike and a Helcia x Trico is opening up for me! It's even fragrant! Exciting times :D the Brassavola nodosa is still working on what I think is a spike. The butterworts are still blooming their heads off!

I did throw away two plants...they just never did well for me and it was time to put them out of theirs and my misery. A Cyd. has gone dormant (no watering! YAY!).

I still have all these Clivias I grew from seed that are getting bigger and bigger every year! I honestly don't have as many plants as I did before, but because they keep getting bigger I am running out of room! I wish they would bloom so I could see whether they are worthy of keeping or not!

BIRDS! And Squirrels....

Wow, I came home today to find that my grey squirrel was sitting IN my bird feeder helping himself! Somehow he had gotten the bird feeder to slide ALL the way down the branch so that the feeder was right up next to the trunk of the tree! You bet I moved that sucker back up to where it was a flimsy branch! I also see a TON of birds feeding and chilling out in the trees above! I found a large ceramic drain dish for plants that I cleaned out and put warm water into also. Maybe they will drink/bathe in it. It's quite noisy in my backyard, but I'm glad they have finally found my feeder! I just hope the city rats don't come....I think I saw what looked like mice/rat poo yesterday :(

Wildlife

I forgot to mention in my last post....my new bird feeder finally got a visitor! I think it's one of these:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3207/3075226789_b170c43e74.jpg

It's a Chipping Sparrow. I also saw a black squirrel at my suet feeder the other day! Never seen a black squirrel in my neighborhood before! I thought I only had a grey squirrel! This guy was quite fun and agile to watch. He would hang off that itty bitty branch the feeder was hanging on by his two hind feet! Then dangled down to the suet feeder to eat. Soon as he got something he'd high tail it back to a safer branch to eat! He didn't eat a whole lot....the suet cake is still out there! Guess he gave up and decided it was more effort than it was worth?!

Garlic is Planted!

Yesterday winter arrived. It dropped down to 23˚F! Moved my Cymbidiums back inside and I almost missed my peppers. Yes, PEPPERS! They were still growing! One was starting to ripen up too, but alas, I had to cut them off. The cold was affecting the leaves and I knew it would not survive the night temperatures in the low 20s. Today, just as I had expected, autumn was over, which only means one thing...time to plant garlic!

The soil had a frozen crust on top, which is exactly perfect for planting garlic! I planted 20-some cloves of Music and the mystery garlic John had sent me. I somehow got them mixed up so I can't tell which is which! I also planted one called German Red, but I'm not sure how well that one is going to grow since it looked a bit shrunken already. Apparently it doesn't keep well! I still have plenty of room to grow tomatoes next year in the same plot (I know I'm not supposed to! But I didn't get the blight this year so it must be working???) as well as maybe a few herbs too! I think I am going to try to grow more herbs so I can dry my own next year! (Thanks Jen!)

Anyhoo....time to study and after that....play with my indoor plants for a few months till spring arrives! Stay warm!

OOPS...

I was a bad gardener the last few weeks....I knew I was due to water my orchids, but I failed to check on them at the very least. I was lacking sleep so I didn't bother.... Today I found two dead plants and one that did not look so good! I watered them all. I'm sure most of them will be ok, but I hope the one that isn't doing so well will bounce back! Found another orchid in spike/bud and ready to bloom! This will be the 3rd time it has ever bloomed for me. Not exactly a show quality flower, but it is quite pretty nonetheless! Will post a picture when it does finally bloom!

Better Pics of Tangerine Orange

Thanksgiving Cactus in Bloom

Right on time! This is Tangerine Orange.

Cymbidium Honey Bunny 'Sweet Bell'

Went to the November orchid society meeting today and George Hatfield was our speaker of Hatfield Orchids from California. He specializes in Cymbidiums and brought pendulous ones for sale. I couldn't help it, but to get one too since I had no luck with the traditional upright Cymbidiums. So this is the one I picked out, Cymbidium Honey Bunny 'Sweet Bell'. You can see a picture of it in bloom at Hatfield Orchids. It is my largest orchid to date I believe! I didn't mean to get one as big as this, but it's hard to get both flowers and plant size sometimes! I didn't want another pink one as I already have a pink one so I picked this yellow one. It has two spikes ready to bloom this winter already! I'm excited :D Below is a pic of how big this plant's leaf span is compared to my fake fireplace and my dog, Samba!

Stargazer Lily Bulbs

I had planted my Stargazer lilies in a rush when I first got them and did not think about how they would look eventually. So I finally got the chance to move them since their foliage has turned yellow. They are easy to snap off! I hope it doesn't hurt them, but they sure have grown! No wonder they were taller than I this year with tons of blooms! I did, however, forget to put some bone meal down when I replanted them. Oh well....I will top dress them later! Here's a few pictures:

The largest bulb...actually it had grown another bulbs and both of them were stuck together! Check it out...the bulb has its own fat roots and then all the tiny roots at the top (closer to my hand) must be what feeds the plant itself.

One of the other larger bulbs....also a multiple with a smaller one. The smaller one was grown next to a honeysuckle. Not sure if it made a difference, but it was definitely a smaller plant this year unlike the other two.

A look at where the stems snapped off when I dug them up. This is the largest one. You can see how big it is compared to my gloved hand! I don't think they were any bigger than a bulb of garlic when I first bought them! They sure as heck weren't yellow either! Not sure what made them that color...

Brassavola nodosa

A few years ago I purchased a flask of Brassavola nodosa seedlings. I sold all of them and kept only one, the biggest strongest one. I should've kept them all and made a specimen plant out of it! Anyway, I was downstairs in the basement this morning and noticed that it is spiking! At least I think it is a spike...it doesn't look like a leaf! I'm pretty excited as this is such a beautiful white orchid and it's fragrant to boot!

Dendrichilium in Bloom

This is Dendrochillum ecalosum x bicalosum.

Masdevallia in Bloom

This is Masdevallia Sun Spot x triangularis.

Oncidium in Bloom

This is Oncidium Moon Shadow 'Tiger Tail'

Meyer Lemon in Bloom

Hand pollinated three blooms today!

Meyer's Lemon

I got a Meyer's lemon a few years ago on sale. It almost died once. I threw it on the side of the house and told it that if it survives it gets to come back inside in the fall. I guess my pep talk worked :) It has given me one lemon a year. I guess that is all it can handle being that it is just a tiny tree. If you haven't tasted this lemon you HAVE to! It's technically a lemon x tangerine. Looks like a lemon, but once you taste it...oh my! It is sweeter than normal lemons, perfect for lemonade! You can totally eat this without making that face! I highly recommend it! They are easy to grow, tolerate abuse well too! They are thorny, which I did not realize when I first bought it, but there are so few spines that you can just cut them off, which is what I did. They are pretty long and jab pretty darn well!

Anyway...it blooms twice a year for me, spring and fall. This fall it is LOADED with flower buds! The first two buds opened today and oh do they smell heavenly! I have one full grown lemon on there right now that I am waiting for to ripen up. The spring bloom gave me another baby growing. Hopefully the bees are still out right now and I will be blessed with more! I may have to play bee here! I'll have to get a picture of it tomorrow.

Pomegranates

Just read an article about growing pomegranates. I never thought about what they grew on. Sure sounded like a weed! Anyhow...it sounds easy to grow, but maybe not here in zone 6a. It would probably have to be potted up for me, but how do you keep a tree small while still bearing fruit of edible size?! Well if you live somewhere where you can grow them it's worth it, I think, since they cost about $2.50 each at the cheapest! Check it out:

http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/archive/pomegranates.html

Also, google for "pomegrante+plant" and you'll see what it looks like!

Fall Activity

In a recent post in my organic gardening group someone mentioned an easy way to turn my clay soil into good soil. Only thing you have to do is plant Daikon radishes! They grow deep and break up the clay. Then when you leave them in the ground over the winter here in zone 6a they freeze and die. Thus, decomposing and enriching the soil. Sounded like a great idea! The only problem is that I have part sun or shade, but I'm going to try it anyway even though they require full sun! I ordered my seeds from Seeds of Change.

I dug up my Dahlia 'Seattle'. I hope I did things right. The clumps have definitely gotten bigger, but whether they will become bigger plants next year remains to be seen! I also dug up some of the "potatoes" from my ornamental sweet potato vines. Going to let the rest of them rot in the soil just like the Daikon radish plan. They don't grow as deep, but something is better than nothing!

Last night for Halloween I got a total of 10 kids only. Two girls, my neighbor's kids, took two full sized bars each! That irked me a bit...greedy kids! I figured there would be more kids this year since Halloween was on a Saturday, but we only got about 1/3 of the kids we normally get. Good thing I didn't buy much candy! All my Halloween decorations are down and the fall door decoration is back up. I did forget to take off that fake spider web stuff though. Will do that later.

It was time change again and we gained an extra hour today. Sure was nice! I'm feeling a bit lazy.... However, I did manage to get myself to vacuum the first floor and clean the bathroom at the very least! More orchids are about to bloom too...!

GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms)

Everything You HAVE TO KNOW about Dangerous Genetically Modified Foods from Jeffrey Smith on Vimeo.

That video was found on this page: http://www.organicconsumers.org/

American Chesnut Trees

Today at the dog park in South Park I noticed a sign.... I've seen these trees before many times, but did not realize what they were or what they were doing in, of all places, a dog park! The sign mentioned something about American Chestnut foundation or something to that degree. So there was my answer finally! Someone had planted American Chestnuts here in this dog park! If you don't know, American Chestnuts are susceptible to a blight that was carried into this country on the Asian Chestnut tree, which is resistant to the blight! But not ours! Ours have been affected by this blight severely. So....check out this site and become a member or volunteer! Save these beautiful trees!

http://www.patacf.org/patacfhome.htm

Paph. villosum

My Paph. villosum grew two new growths after the original growth flowered and eventually withered away, but I am proud to announce that the two new growths look to be growing a bud each! I am hoping against all hopes that it will bloom about 2.5 months later than it did last time so that I can put it in our spring show to be judged! I may have to move it to a cooler room until I want that bud to be opening up! This is what the first bloom looked like:


Last year and the year before I had my Phal. equestris in the show, but both times it was suspected of being a hybrid. Well this last weekend at the Orchid Festival a different vendor (than I got mine from), also had a Phal. equestris....suspiciously like mine! I asked Tim about it....he seemed to be into Phals and whatnot (he specializes in them!) and he agreed that it was Phal. equestris. I told him my story and I knew I had a good plant! It ***IS*** Phal. equestris! He said they come in all different colors and I even showed him my plant, a pic of the flower, and a spent flower and he agreed that I was right! So next time that I show it, I will have to let Tim know and he said he'd bring in a bunch of publications to show the judges. Maybe I will finally get an orchid named after me! One can hope... :)

This is a flower of my Phal. equestris:

Orchid Festival

So Saturday morning I was supposed to do the Heart Walk. Meanwhile, my alarm decided it had other plans for me. Maybe it was a good thing since I was wiped out and needed sleep badly. I woke up a half hour before I was supposed to be there and I could've made it except I had guests over and our one and only bathroom was occupied. So instead, I decided to go back to bed and sleep in! I made it to the Orchid Festival around noon-ish. Ended up purchasing two little Phals, a Masdevallia, and a terrestrial orchid that I can plant outside!

After that was over I went home and skipped the Halloween party we were invited to also because I just did not have the energy to stay up late and socialize and Justin did not feel like it either after his fiasco with the car.

This morning I again got up late, figuring that the Orchid Festival isn't nearly as busy as our spring show and I was right. I found parking right away! I think (hope) that the vendors were pretty happy with their sales. I hope it was worth it for them to come! I couldn't help myself...bought a Cyp. pubescens today as well as 5 double pot hangers for my Epiphyllums.

After coming home, I planted my Betilla striata alba next to my regular pink Betillas. I sunk my wild blackberry into the ground to save it from the winter. I will dig it back out come spring since I planted it pot and all into the ground. I also planted the saffron crocuses that almost washed away during the spring storm. They had all sprouted and was ready to bloom! The only thing I did not sink into the ground was my miniature evergreen. I think I might take my chances and leave it on my enclosed front porch and see. Worst comes to worst I can throw it in the coal cellar where it stays around in the 40s during the winter.

I think I am ready now...waiting for the first hard frost so I can plant my garlic. I am also hoping my mystery peppers will ripen up before the frost hits! Still trying to decide if I should sink a pot of grass into the ground also....probably should as well as the pot of strawberries and succulents. Need to find more space where they won't be mistaken for weeds!

I forgot....I still need to dig up my sweet potato vines once the frost gets them as well as my caladiums. They are getting there! The sweet potato vines are a bit wilty today. I wish I had a greenhouse! It'll be interesting by the time we move out of this house. I am taking my plants with me! Yes, the ones outdoors! The three peonies and all the orchids are coming with me!

I am quickly running out of space indoors....! Help!

I'm Not Ready Yet!

Looks to me like we are going to have our first frost this weekend. :( I am so not ready! All my plants are inside the house so they don't get frozen. My Bulbophyllum bloom is wilting. My Phrag. is about to bloom its second bloom. I have two more orchids in spike! I think they are finally getting the hang of blooming all year round finally :) We finally turned on the heat today! THANK GOD! It was FREEZING in here! 59˚F this morning!

I did my first clinical today, future in-laws are coming in tomorrow afternoon, Heart Walk Saturday morning (I hope it doesn't rain/snow!), Orchid Festival this weekend at Phipps Garden Center on 5th & Shady, and if I can handle it....a Halloween party. I might have to bail on that one! I am lacking in enough sleep as it is already!

Oh yeah, I also cut down my Black Krim tomato plants. :( Unfortunately I do not have any seeds from it saved, but maybe that big large rotten tomato I threw into my vermicompost bin will sprout :) I also moved my lilies back against the garage wall. Just need to pick the last of my unripe peppers and plant my garlic!

Fried Green Tomatoes

So I thought maybe it was just a fluke, but it seems like my green tomatoes were starting to rot. Why I have no idea. So today I cut them all off and trimmed off all the bad parts and made fried green tomatoes for the first time tonight! They sure taste unique! I think I like them though! :) Have enough leftover that I have frozen them for next time!

This just bloomed: Bulb. Sanguineopunctatum x Bulb. annandale

Just got this from Sarracenia Northwest and it was in bud! Look how cute the little flower is! It is Pinguicula emarginata.

This is Phrag. sangentianum 'Candor' x Phrag. besseae 'Candor Fireball'. This time it spiked and bloomed outside and the color seems to be deeper and the flower bigger also! Nature did it well apparently! This flower just fell off. It is a successive bloomer so the second bud is getting ready!

This is some sort of bean vine I saw in bloom while trying to find where they were filming a movie in my neighborhood. It's real pretty!

I thought this was pretty cool....this was taken at the Waterfront Lowes where a bee was eating from one of the Echinacea flowers in bloom. Looke closely...there are pollen stuck to the bee's legs!

Tomato Plants

My tomato plants are well above my head and was blooming like crazy, but lately...the leaves look like they got burnt by a hot exhaust or something. There are a few green tomatoes on there still...one is ripening up. Maybe all the rain last week did the damage?

On a non-tomato note....my Plumeria is in bud, but since I had to move it back inside it is trying to go into dormancy. I don't know if I'll get to see the flowers or not! :( My Paph. & Phrag. are still in bloom! Things are going well....indoor watering is winding up! Been quite chilly here lately...I love fall, but I am certainly not looking forward to winter!