Mushroom Hike

I'm straying off my usual path where I blog about plants I grow...or kill.

But this hike is so full of good plants, I just can't help myself. Stebbins Cold Canyon hike located outside of Winters, CA and is about 4.75 miles long with a 1,600 foot elevation change. You usually go up the canyon, up the to the ridge, up and down the ridge and back down to complete the loop.

It has some great views of Lake Berryessa and more mushrooms than I have seen in years! Go in the winter after a couple of nice rains and you won't be disappointed.

You can see the highest point in the picture below, the ridge in the far distance. Good stuff!

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...