Back on 18 Aug 2013, Jay Lechtman came by to visit me at the greenhouse. He came bearing a plant that I’ve been looking to grow for quite some time: a veinless form of S. rosea! SO freakin’ awesome. (Jay: THANK YOU so much!) It’s been a couple months since I first received the plant from Jay and it appears to have acclimated just fine here. It has a few new pitchers and looks pretty happy!
On top of the whole anthocyanin free thing that I’m so into, I am also enamored by the veinless plants. At initial glance, they may look like AF plants, but upon a closer inspection it is clear that they are not. For me, veinless plants have this elegant porcelain-like look to them. The new growth comes up with a faint blush of color indicating the presence of anthocyanin. As the pitchers mature, the blush fades away. Don’t let the dainty soft coloration fool you, though. These plants are still lethal…with a pretty pastel color scheme.
Back on 11 October 2013, I had the privilege of being able to check out some Darlingtonia growing in situ with fellow carnie-bro, Mike Wang. (By the way – if you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to stop by the Sarracenia forum and take a look Mike’s amazing photos in his Darlingtonia posts!) As I mentioned in my last post, this would be the first time I ever saw carnivorous plants growing in their natural habitat. Hey, better late than never right? It was a phenomenal experience. Now I have an even deeper appreciation for these magnificent plants. I can’t say enough about what I saw and experienced during this trip. The overstimulation of seeing these majestic plants growing at all the various sites was pure botanical overload. And yes, I savored every second of it. We only had a few short hours of sunlight to explore by on our first day up there. By the time we arrived it was already late afternoon. We tried to see as much as we could and make the most of the fading light. It turned out to be great timing – the lighting at this time of day hit the plants in such a way to give them an otherworldly glow. Here’s a video and a few photos capturing moments from day one of this fantastic Darlingtonia excursion. Stay tuned – video and photos from day 2 to follow!
Road trip cuisine at it’s finest. Making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the road.
Oh joy, oh rapture! The first clump of Darlingtonia I saw growing in situ!
Darlingtonia californica – Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Del Norte Co., CA
Shooting Darlingtonia – Forest marsh site – Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Forest marsh site, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Forest marsh site, Del Norte Co., CA
Mike admires the scenery. Forest marsh site – Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Forest marsh site, Del Norte Co., CA
Mike and I at the forest marsh site, Del Norte Co., CA
Alpine Farms site – Del Norte Co., CA
Mike doin’ his thing. Alpine Farms site – Del Norte Co., CA
Alpine Farms site – Del Norte Co., CA
Alpine Farms site – Del Norte Co., CA
Alpine Farms site – Del Norte Co., CA
Roadside site – Del Norte Co., CA
We were in the Alpine Farms area a little bit after sundown and stopped for a few mins. I took the opportunity to do some light painting using the flashlight on my iPhone.
Last weekend, carnie-bro Mike Wang and I went on an epic trip to see Darlingtonia growing in their natural habitat. Ironically, this would be my very first time seeing carnivorous plants in situ. Hey, better late then never, right? Anyway, in the past eight or nine years of me consistently growing carnivorous plants, I’ve only known and witnessed them in cultivation. Seeing their habitat and the way they grow there gives me a greater appreciation for these fantastic plants.
Below are a couple shots of the first clump of Darlingtonia that I saw growing in situ. It felt like my mind blew a gasket seeing just this one clump! It really was love at first sight. At this first site. After seeing this, I told Mike that I felt as if my trip was already complete. Little did I know what was in store in those hours ahead. Needless to say, I took “quite a few” photos and videos. Sorry for the delay, but it has been quite a week for me. I’m catching up with a few other projects and I’m just starting to get to this Darlingtonia project now. I’ll be sorting through the photos and videos so please stay tuned for more Darlingtonia goodness!
I recently had my good friends Don Elkins of Mesa Exotics and Phil Faulisi over. They are both phenomenal growers that share this mad Sarracenia passion with me. Although the collection is starting to look pretty crappy at the moment (yeah, it’s that time of year, please pardon the crispy foliage), it was still pretty great geeking out over plants… and bacon ice cream with these guys. 🙂
Yes, blooms on Sarracenia can happen at times during the fall for reasons that are unknown to me. Often times the flowers during this time of season are on a shorter stalk . One plant that recently sent up a bloom was Sarracenia “Legacy”, a cross done by Brooks Garcia between S. ‘Leah Wilkerson’ and S. ‘Adrian Slack’. I’m not so sure it will bloom in the spring now that it’s bloomed now. Crud. Oh well, fingers crossed! In any event, I wanted to share this photo of the flower now that S. “Legacy” has bloomed… even if it’s kinda off season for this sorta thing.
I recently had the pleasure of meeting up with fellow Sarracenia addict-bro-dude-legend, Phil Faulisi. As always, my mind was blown by all of the fantastic specimens that I witnessed. Phil is an extraordinary and phenomenal grower, and has such an impact with my breeding efforts. Here’s a short video I put together as well as a slideshow from my visit over at Phil’s spot. And… uh, don’t mind the Bourbon. With Phil, it obviously has a profound effect on his creative process when he thinks about Sarracenia breeding. (Phil – just kiddin’ bro! Or maybe not? Heh Heh! Whatever you’re doing to come up with all of these wonderfully insane plants, keep it up!)
I can’t adequately put into words all of the fantastic-ness that I saw there… so I won’t even try to explain. Here are a few photos for your carnivorous plant viewing pleasure!
Phil – thanks again for everything bro! Thank you for your hospitality and your generosity. You ROCK! BACON. Josette – great meeting you as well! Nice car, but better watch out ‘cuz Phil may want to turn it into a planter, Hah!
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Blog warning: I am not a plant expert. No freekin' way. I just love growing these plants and sharing what may or may not work for me. I consider myself a student - always learning, and always growing, sharing what I learn along the way!
The plant material I distribute is propagated by me. I have not, and do not collect field specimens for propagation, for sale, or for any other purpose. I do not sell plants or seeds that have been field collected by me or my contacts to fill plant orders.
Sarracenia “Blood Moon”
Back on 11 October 2013, I had the privilege of being able to check out some Darlingtonia growing in situ with fellow carnie-bro, Mike Wang. (By the way – if you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to stop by the Sarracenia forum and take a look 
