Bird of Paradise - rebloom

This year I got 2 blooms on my potted Bird of Paradise. These are photos of the larger one that started to sprout last year at this time. Took a whole year to actually bloom but it was super pretty!





-- Post From My iPhone

Orchid Bloom! 1 of 4...

I've taken the challenge of getting half of my 8 orchids to bloom this year and I am now 1/4 of the way there!

The Neolauchea Pulchella Orchid is one of my favorites because it looks like a weed that has been strapped onto a piece of wood with some moss... well actually, that is what it is. But it's very unique and I keep it hanging on my avocado plant in the windowsill.

Right after I posted my orchid challenge I noticed the tiny bulbous parts of the plant were getting more bulbous and breaking through their papery coverings. I looked closer and realized a little sprout had also come out with a pink bud.

A few of them have bloomed and I think there will be about 8 by the time it's done. I can't explain how tiny they are so look a the picture below...yes, that is the tip of a pencil. How freaking adorable is that?!!

My Orchid Challange

Hello again! It's been a long while. I do apologize for neglecting you like a cactus.

As you may know by now, I have reluctantly become some what of an orchid person. As cataloged by these past orchid posts:
Tolumnia Orchid
Den Jenkinsii Orchid
Neolauchea Pulchella Orchid
Orchid Window
Den Aussie Chip Orchid
Yuri Orchid
Iono Orchid
Another Orchid - Rescued
Space Ship Orchid - Holy Crap It Bloomed!

I am not only accepting my orchid person title but I am setting myself up for a challenge. I hope to get half of my orchids to bloom this season. You heard right. Half! So, I currently have 8of them so I'm aiming to bloom at least 4 of them.

I know they tend to bloom after they have been stressed and I've heard somewhere (probably the orchid show), that if you put them outside every night for a week when it starts getting cold - they bloom!

Tonight is their first outside night and it's supposed to be 45 degrees. I think that should be cold enough.

I'll keep you posted!

And by the way, I have to admit I have had one orchid failure. The Iono Orchid just dried up and died. I watered it the same as the other orchid, but for some reason it just keep getting thinner and drier. There, now you know.

Leopard Orchid Rebloom

The Jenny, Guest Blogger

Just an average leopard-y colored orchid from Trader Joe's. As far as I can tell, it's a Brassia or "spider" orchid. It was just doing it's own dormant thing for the last couple of years (I'm not so adept with them as Scribby). This summer it cropped up with what looked like a skinny stalk of asparagus. The asparagus very very slowly grew into a bloom of four flowers which lasted for over a month. Gotta love orchids. So sculputral and long lasting.

Grandma's Cactus - Part 2

The Jenny, Guest Blogger

Wrote the first time about Grandma's cactus in January. Since then I felt bad for the little thing, repotted it into a larger vessel, and moved it to the bathroom window box. Just look at it now! It got really bulbous at the top. It has almost doubled in size (I placed it's original pot in the picture for reference).

As it got bigger it would wrinkle, droop, then perk back up again at a larger size. Charming, eh? Always wondered how cactus grew. During one of its growth spurts it leaned over so far that it started to grow root type thingies in its middle. Cactus architecture self defense? So weird!

Anyway, cactus is doing great. A fine addition to the succulent window. Maybe Grandma is up there helping it out!

Scale & Flowers - The Ultimate Ick

Oh scale, how do I hate thee, let me count the ways...

Scale has got to be one of the worst bug infestations of all time! For one thing, they are just icky looking and are disgusting to pull off the plant. They look like they are from space and are pretty impossible to kill unless you have a canister of agent orange around somewhere.

I have scale on my very pretty shrubby bush that grows on a lattice and has great pink flowers that the hummingbirds love. It's been there for about 4 years now. Because of the scale it lives a little away from the rest of my plants, and I have had to break down and get some extra strength systemic bug killer that I slather on the plant every few months.

Even with all that, it just keeps it under control. I have had to sacrifice a few plants over the years and throw them away with their scaly infestation, but this one has survived.

I pick off the little buggers when they get big enough to see, but the crawling mobile stage that are white and powdery move around and I can't see them usually. Ick. I hate scale!!!

So, any pearls of wisdom, besides burning my plant? Let's hear them...

Geranium Update

Well here it is again. I wrote about the Geranium plant in January '09. I said then, that I should probably repot it before spring. Yeah, that didn't happen.

So here it is, blazing middle of summer and this darn plant has doubled in size again! The pot is so small compared to the size of the plant, the over 100 degree days have been fierce and it's looking perfectly happy, fresh and lovely! What a rad little plant!

I never expected to like a geranium, but this one has changed my mind. It's awesome!

Succulent Flowers

I got this little succulent back when I first started working at the Zoo so it must be going on 10 years old. I got it from a guy who would sell rare plants out of his backyard - no joke. It loved plants and once a year would sell some off for charity. It was a little square 2" pot when I got it. After a few years I moved it into a 3" pot that it just loved.

He told me they like to be crowded so I never moved the little guy along, until a few years ago. I jumped straight to a 7-8" terra cotta pot that I had laying around. It did pretty well and has grown, once again, to the point where you can't see dirt at all... Just a lot of papery covered, bulbous roots.

It's a totally adorable spotted leaf plant that I love. In the late spring it busts out with a huge amount of flower spikes! It practically doubles the size of the plant for a couple of months. The little spikes are covered in super tiny, bell-shaped blooms that range from soft pink to purple.

Like most of my older plants, I have no idea what it is and have never seen it in a nursery. Oh well, I will enjoy it all the same...even without a name.

JULY 2014 Update: It's a Ledebouria socialis!

Calla Lilies

I planted these Calla Lily bulbs two years ago and this is the first time they have bloomed. They have just sat in their pots acting like I can't see them. Finally, in the heat of Sacramento Spring they came to live.

They have both bloomed a few times now, with each new flower whiter than the last. They started off with this blushing pink thing going and now they are just white. Weird.

They seem like they would really rather be in ground or a larger pot. I may have to move them in together in larger pot over the winter. Until then, I have a nice little flower on the porch.

Another Grass Flower

I wrote about the two grasses that share a pot on my condo porch a while ago. At the time the Acorus was blooming in little green spikes. Well the Black Mondo took a little longer to bloom and just busted out with these adorable little white flowers. I haven't seen it bloom before, so I think it's adorable.

Sweltering Heat in Sacramento!

Oh my god, can the heat stop already! We have had over 100 degrees for a week now and the next week it will dip down to 99 a couple of times then go back up.

It's taking it's toll on the porch ecosphere. Everything has plenty of water, I have a large umbrella to counteract the hottest part of the day but even so, the plants aren't happy. They aren't getting any cool air at night.

Everything is looking a little listless, some are just giving up and dropping their leaves. The lemon tree hasn't started dropping fruit yet, so that's good. Over all, they won't die, but they are going to need some TLC in the fall to get back into shape.

Poor hot plants.

Tolumnia Orchid

So you thought the last orchid was small? Holy cow, this one is down right mini. It must be a 1 inch pot. When I bought it there was one spike of over active yellow spotted flowers that stood about 3 times higher than the plant itself. They lasted for a good couple of months. I have high hopes for forcing this one to bloom.

It is growing lots of roots and leaves and expanding to fill it's tiny, tiny pot. Also adorable - there is moss growing on it.

Must. Stop. Buying. Orchids.

Den Jenkinsii Orchid

AKA - freakishly adorable little orchid! So, another Orchid Show purchase. Do Not invite me to the one next year!!!

I only have a small space on the window sill that likes orchids, so I went looking for something small...oh and this is small! In a two inch pot, it fits just fine. It wasn't blooming but I'm told it has orange blooms. I guess we will see in the winter if I can get it to bloom. I am loving the mini orchids. Just as much fun with some much less space.

Another mini one coming up next time.

Work Plant

I have no idea what this is called, but you always see it in the garden center of your local Target as an indoor houseplant. If you know what it is, tell me!

I bought this little guy about 5 years ago when I was having a shitty day at work. I went to Capital Nursery, right around the corner from the Zoo, and wandered around until I felt better. That included picking up this plant and a nice brown pot for it to live in.

$11 later, and I it lived in my office. It loves to have a little bit of water every couple of days. If you can't remember to water your plants, don't buy this one...it will drop all it's leaves and die on you. I only seem to do well with it cause it lives on my desk and I look at it every day. It usually gets my leftover glass of water at the end of the day.

I recently went on vacation for a few weeks and left the plants in the care of my coworker. Not all of them survived, but this guy hung in there.

I love the little spikes it shoots out every once in while after it's been happy for a good long time. They look like the kind of spikes that come out of a peace lily.

Succulent Window, RIP Tummy

By TheJenny, Guest Blogger

So, I've begun filling in the window box in the bathroom with cacti and succulents. I cannot put any "regular" house plants in the window because one of my cats is very mouthy cat and will chew on everything leafy. So poky spiny things and unchewable succulents it is!

Against all better judgment, I used pretty glass jars and containers for the plants. This is inadvisable because the containers do not have drain holes. So I will need to be extremely careful in the future to not let these small plants get waterlogged and rot. Perhaps I shall water them with an eyedropper. But all the glass is pretty and sparkly and it makes for a nice vignette.

Yet I still sort of hate it too, because it reminds me of what's no longer in the window box. Our cat, Tummy, used to lounge in that window every day, and she passed away earlier this year. The growing things are a remembrance of our sweet cat.

Neolauchea Pulchella Orchid

The only reason I know the name of this orchid is because it has a tag nailed to the back of it! This is yet another plant I picked up at the Sacramento Orchid Show back in the spring. I only have a small area in the window that is orchid friendly, but this one hangs! So, no need for extra space! Yes, I can rationalize with the best of them.

It is currently hanging off a little stump of a branch on the avocado tree that lives in the same windowsill. It loves it there. I run it under cool water ever couple of days, then hang it back up to drip into the avocado - it's a win, win.

I've never had this type of orchid, and it is supposed to grow like a weed. So far, that's true. It just keeps expanding those little weedy stems and shooting out tiny, papery roots. It's great fun to have since it's novel little thing. If I can get it to bloom, I'll post some pictures.

Air Plants!

By TheJenny, Guest Blogger

Meet Gilbert and Ursula, our air plants. We found them at our local Home Depot. I'm not sure why they get names and plants sitting in dirt do not. We'll blame Bob, he started it by naming Gilbert. They live in the fantastic kitchen window, always just outside of the direct sunlight. Once a week the air plants get a 12 hour bath (hence the pictures of them in their orange "hot tubs"). Bob has threatened to take Gilbert to work with him because he is so portable.

When we first got Gilbert, I would find him around the house, wherever Bob had left him, on the table, on the sofa, etc. This stopped fairly quickly as we have a kitty that is quite fond of chewing on all plant life. Air plants are bromeliad tillandsia, and as I have read, if we keep them happy, someday they will bloom for us. Wish us luck!

Gilbert

Ursala

Orchid window

There have been a lot of posts about orchids lately, so I thought I would just show you the orchid windowsill. The only place they are happy. It faces west and gets quite a bit of afternoon. I move them to the side that gets less light throughout the year so they don't fry.

Since they are right up against the window, it gets nice and cold at night in the winter which seems to be the secret to getting them to bloom. There's not a lot of room left there, but I wend to the orchid show with my Mom and ended up with three of the tiniest orchids ever! I am not addicted, I can stop any time.

I'll share the new orchids with you soon.

Thin plant

I have no idea what this plant is. I bought it at the Davis Ace Hardware over 10 years ago because it was so unique looking. (BTW, Davis Ace is one of the best places to buy plants. Pretty affordable and they have a fabulous selection of stuff you don't see at your regular big box nursery. Plus a bonsai section which rocks!).

Back to the plant. So, it must be a bulb plant cause it dies off for a little while in the late fall, early winter then starts growing greenery about a month or two later. It's so damn hearty and I've never repotted it. It just trucks along happy.

The flowers are pretty cute too, clusters of 3 pointed blue flowers that seem to last a good long while. Only down fall is that the cats think it's cat grass and can't resist sometimes.

If anyone knows what it is, please let me know!

Lemon Tree

Meyer lemons are pretty much the perfect fruit ever! They are so much more flavorful than regular Eurekas and seem to ripen nice an quick plus they are delicious in cocktails. I have been wanting a tree for a long time, but with a condo porch, what are you going to do?

Answer: Buy one anyway and try to "sneak" it in the from the garage, up the stairs, across the living room and onto the porch without Ben noticing. He caught me when I was halfway out the porch door. It's been about a year and a half and it has tripled in size!

Last year it had quite a few blooms but nothing was pollinated. I thought it might be because there were no bees around where we are, so I was resigned to not having any lemons this year either. But, the tree was covered in blooms... hundreds on this little porch tree and the bees came!

I have little tiny green balls the size of peas on a bunch of the branches. I am hoping they hang on and turn into lemons.

Bring on the lemon drops!