Here are some photos of what's in bud or in flower in my home :) I love that i have a large variety of orchids now. It seems like there is something always in bloom :) That makes me VERY happy :)
Psychopsis papilio - Butterfly Orchid
Pumeria - Not sure of the variety
Zygopetalum Orchid in spike
Another photo of the Zygopetalum
Mexican Butterwort has been flowering non stop for months..
One of the Mini Phal's in bloom. it's living with 2 of his best friends in a group planting :)
My Fragrant Phal is starting to spike again! YAY this plant always seems to want to bloom... this was a lucky 5 dollar find
This Anthurium stays in bloom for a very long time. usually this plants bloom will last 3-5 months before they fade and die. this flower is about 2 months old, notice the dust.
Another Phal that really likes to bloom. I has been in bloom for about 6 months. it's imperfectly perfect :)
I really wanted to share with you a few photos of my new seedlings of Drosera capensis. If you have followed me for a while you'll know that i have been trying REALLY hard to propagate carnivorous plants seeds for a while with no success, UNTIL NOW! :) I was given these seeds from a friend and he guaranteed me that they would grow. I thought that was a big guarantee considering my track record. but i planted them as per his instruction. Sprinkling them over some wet peat moss and making a little greenhouse for them. Then i waited..... and waited...after about 3 weeks i started to see life :) WOOHOO SUCCESS! So here are some photos of what they look like now :) They are just starting to get the traps on the leaves :)
These are in a small 4"pot zoomed in they just look like moss on the surface of the soil until you zoom in :)
You can see the tiny leaves with the trap hairs on them :) They are so cute :)
Growing seeds can be a lot of fun. Seeing the new life emerging from the seed is exciting and rewarding, But on occasion your little babies fall and shrivel up :( causing lots of heartache. Today we'll plant some Plumeria seeds. They are a plant that I've grown and fallen in love with over the past few years. I have never grown them from seed but I've been assured that it's very easy. The only down side is that it will take a few years for the plant to grow and mature enough to flower. Well Lets get to it :)
First lets look at what a Plumeria looks like.
These are some of the Plumerias that I'm currently growing in my garden
Picture of this Plumeria flower was Taken by Francisco
Picture of this Plumeria flower was Taken by Francisco
Pictures of these Plumeria flowers was Taken by Francisco
Now to the good stuff :) Planting the seeds :)
Materials we need:
Plumeria Seeds
A Seed starting Tray with humidity cover
Soil (use your favourite brand of well draining soil)
Water
Step 1.
Fill your seed tray full of soil (Make sure to break up any large clumps)
Step 2.
Figure out what end is up with your seed :) The seed resemble those of maple trees. for all of you fish lovers out there they also remind me of a Bata Fish :) Check it out!
when your planting the seed you want to grab the "fish" by the tail.... Like this :)
And then you want to ram its head into the soil...lol.. still leaving the tail sticking out :) Like this.
be gentle but firm. try not to break the tail :)
as you can see I have a few planted now.
Step 3.
Watering!
Water in your seeds. They want to be constantly moist but not soggy. check on them regularly so they never dry out.
Step 4
Cover the seeds to keep in some humidity and place them in a warm spot with bright indirect light until they sprout. growth can start in as little as one week but usually its a little longer. Be patient :) Here's a photo of my happy seeds in their little greenhouse :)
I will keep you updated as to when these little guys sprout :) I will check them daily.
I would love to hear some of your seed sprouting stories :)
It has been a very long time since I posted anything. I hope not to leave it so long next time. I wanted to share some photos of my newest flowers in my garden :) I bought this spider lily last year but I didn't get any blooms. It was dug up in the fall and stored in the basement in a paper bag over winter. about 1 month after planting it outside i was given the gift of these beautiful flowers :) I hope you enjoy them as much as I do :)
These are 2 new sets of leaves coming out.
New leaves come out from the sides
This I think is a new leaf pair coming
from older wood
I have not posted anything in a while. I've been really busy recently but I'm back now.. :) I bought a Medinilla Magnifica sometime before Christmas 2011. It's a new plant in Canada so the care information is limited so I've been playing with it, trying to see how it grows best. It seems to really like a bright indirect location. room temperature is treating it well (my home is between 17 C - 21 C. and it seems to like drying out somewhat between watering's. That said.. It doesn't like to dry out completely. I've let it dry out completely a few times and the growth at that time show signs of stress, they are twisted and stunted. as long as they dry somewhat between watering's you get nice full beautiful leaves. Right now it is putting out new leaves and flower buds. :) Check out some photos :)
So I have a new addiction :) This family of plants is very interesting and quirky. They come in many shapes and sizes, usually on the smaller side than what I'm used to growing. I think that's why I'm so interested :) I can grow many in a small space.
They are really easy to care for as long as you can follow these few simple rules:
1. Well lit location. They prefer not to be in full afternoon sun. They would rather be in a bright indirect location.
2. Even though they don't grow in soil you still need to water them. I find it easiest to toss them into my aquarium for 24 hours every week or 2. You can mist them regularly or spray them with the hose when you water your other plants.
3. Make sure to provide high humidity. You can do this by misting them regularly or resting them on a pebble tray like you might do for ferns, orchids or any other high humidity loving plants.
I will post some photos of my Plants.. They are still new to me but I will keep you posted as they grow. I am not good with their names so if your an expert I would love some assistance in identifying them. Please leave the names in the comments section :)
This is one of my Favorite plants right now! My Mexican Butterwort has been a power house in my war against Fungus gnats over the winter in my home. This particular Butterwort is a tropical variety and doesn't need a cold dormancy period and that really makes my life a whole lot easier.
This is my Butterwort when I first bought it
Notice the black specks on it :) Those are the
Pesky Gnats.
The Butterwort has done such an Amazing job that I wanted to propagate it. I have been reading that they grow VERY easily from leaf cuttings :) Well I'll be the judge of that..lol.. we will try this together. I have taken lots of photos so you can follow along with me.
What you'll need:
1 butterwort Plant
Peat Moss without fertilizer added
Ziploc bag
Distilled water
I've filled my pot full of Peat moss
Carefully pinch off healthy looking lower leaves from your plant. It was easier to do than I thought. You might need some scissors or a knife. try not to damage the crown of the plant. They should snap off like your taking a leaf off your African Violet. As you can see I removed 3 leaves for this experiment :)
Then you want to poke the tips of the "stem" into the soil. This is very similar to propagating African Violets. Make sure to support the leaf. In this case I've used the edge of the pot. If you were doing lots you might be able to use small stones.
Then water your plant with distilled water. I'm using rain water (actually melted snow.. It's winter here right now). make sure that the soil is well watered.
Then put your finished cuttings in a Ziploc bag to hold in that humidity. I also put a small amount of water in the bag to keep the soil from drying out. Put them in a warm well lit spot out of direct sun. Check back from time to time to see if the soil needs more moisture.
When these start to sprout I will have an update for you.. I think it will about a month for things to start showing signs of life.. but stay tuned :)
Check out my latest update video on my Butterwort plant and other carnivorous plant seedlings
