No more plant research for me!
Now all I have to do is buy plants with QR codes on the tags.
Scan the code with my QR Code Reader App.
Then type in the plants’ name…
VOILA! Instant information.
Now that I have shown you the tag, I will let you see the irresistible flowers.
Who could resist that tiny purple face?
What lovely little buds!
It is not cold hardy. You know what that means? Another plant in the house all winter. Hooray!
FLOWER has a flower fetish.
Frost is a four letter word to a gardener. (Ok. Not really, but you know what I mean.)
There are many tender plants that need to be lifted BEFORE frost.
There are also plants that must be “bitten” by frost,
and then taken inside AFTER the first frost.
This count-down is not quite as dramatic as the “Countdown to 32″/freezing
that I blogged about last fall, but it is an important time for bulbs, corms, rhizomes or tubers.
I finally wrote a BEFORE and an AFTER list inside the cover of my gardening journal.
Here is my ‘rule of thumb”. (Gold Nugget is what this was called when I taught biology.)
If mostly water (turgor) holds up the plant, it needs to be bitten and wilted down by Mr. Frost.
Also: Does the plant look “done” for the season? Did it bloom weeks ago and is the foliage wilting down? DONE.
I know this is too simplistic. What it means is, if you cut down plants with juicy stems you will be hauling in a lot of water. The plant needs to bring in nutrients and drain its own water out to start dormancy.
Also, frost seals the tissues to prevent rot. Think of it as a “cold cauterizing.”
When the time is right . Dig up the bulbs, corms, tubers or rhizomes.
Clean off the soil, wash, dry and store in labeled bags with dry peat moss.
Here are MY lists for ZONE 7.
BEFORE: Callas/Zantedeschias (Hot Chocolate can stay out, but bring one in as your stock plant just in case), Acidantheras, Glodiolas ( babies and mamas)
AFTER: Elephant Ears/Calocasias, Dahlias, Tuberoses (babies only)
Your lists will be different based on your HARDINESS ZONE.
I always err on the side of caution and bring in some of each of my special plants to use as stock plants.
Wet winters can be as bad as cold ones because roots rot.
POP QUIZ
1. Before or After?
2. Before or After?
3. Before or After?
4. Before or After?
(Answers =1 dahlias/after , 2 callas/before, 3 glads/before, 4 elephant ears/after)
FOLLOW the FLOWER to FROST.
This is a rather large and lovely fruiting body of a fungus.
Although I was happy to find it, it is a bad sign for the oak on which it resides.
It is also referred to as root rot or butt rot.
This part of the fungi is called a basidocarp. These can get several feet wide and over half a foot tall.
The top is a mixture of oranges, browns and whites. The top is hard and leathery or rubbery. The underside is white with tiny pores.
These two were found around the base of my neighbors’ oak. This is twice as bad as finding one because it means the decay is more severe. (Sorry M & N.)
I also spotted the one below downtown, which I plan to report to our local arborist.
The Conk is lovely but a deadly delight.
FLOWER
I have posted on another Mother-of-Thousands,
This one is also called Mother-of-Millions, Alligator Plant and Mexican Hat Plant.
It also goes by several scientific/genus names; Bryophyllum, Crassulaceae or Kolanchoe.
Even the species/specific epithet may change from daigremontiana to pinnata.
No wonder it had no label when I purchased it from a greenhouse.
The leaflets on the mama leaves are held by tiny pink “spoons” along the edges.
Some grow roots before they drop off, but most do not.
They do not get far from the mama plant.
Cute, but crowded.
FLOWER
I was thrilled to discover my first Red Passion flower bloom last week.
When I checked on it the second day, it had all ready closed.
Upon closer examination, I discovered it was covered with tiny ants.
These ants were busily scurrying between tiny green discs on the outer edges of the sepals/calyx.
I at first thought these green discs to be aphids,
but they were too uniformily spaced.
I had to do a little research to discover their identity.
They are tiny nectaries, produced by the plant to feed the ants.
These ants in residence provide services in return.
They guard the plants against aphids and caterpillars.
If you have been following the FLOWER, you have seen my caterpillar photos,
many of which were taken on my wild Passion flower vines.
I have not seen one caterpillar on this Red Passion flower vine.
So the Red Passion plant has pet ants.
Who knew?
FLOWER
I started this post yesterday as Red October.
Today, as I finish it, I wonder if its title should be Wet October.
I can finally stop watering thanks to hurricane Matthew.
My thoughts are with my friends closer to the action. (ShrubQueen)
For all of us who are safe, but not dry, here are some colorful photos for this dreary day.
This last one is a picture of a dogwood sprig thrown down to me by a thoughtful squirrel. What a nice little bouquet.
Hang in there folks. This is no Hugo, or is it?
FLOWER
I had to divide and conquer some Mojito Elephant Ear plants/ Calocasia esculenta.
They had grown so many roots that they filled up the filter basin for the Koi pond.
Instead of water flowing back into the pond, it was flowing out onto the ground.
I am so glad I was outside working and heard the top pump sucking air.
When I arrived at the pond, it was half empty.
A massive fish kill was diverted. Whew!
OK, back to the Mojitos.
The plants were as tall as I am, so to handle them for re-potting,
I had to remove some foliage and blooms.
I brought the blooms inside for a closer look.
This form of flower is referred to as a spathe and spadix.
It has a male part at the apex and a female part at the base.
I peeled away the outer sheath/spathe to expose the floral parts.
Then I sliced into the darkly spotted female part covered in florets/fruits.
Under the microscope I smashed these little florets/fruits to release some seeds.
I sliced off part of the yellow outer layer of the male floret part.
The yellow powder/ pollen has an interesting shape.
I must say the spathe and spadix makes an ugly flower, but its components are beautiful under a microscope.
FLORET
Success for Mama Green Lynx/ Peucetia viridans.
She has not left the eggs sac for weeks.
Today is has been ripped open and dozens of tiny spiderlings are out.
She seems to have woven a web-playpen for the babies.
She moves around the cluster of young ones tapping them with her lovely spiky legs.
I feel privileged to have witnessed this.
FLOWER is a happy grandma.
I found its first bloom this morning.
It is as lovely as I had hoped.
What a complex flower.
I will see if the hummers find it, too.
FLOWER
