Tag Archives: vision

Winter

Posted on December 28, 2010 | 3 comments

Ah, how  do I miss Christmas already. Presents are all unwrapped. Leftovers consumed.  Lights and ornaments going down to be put away to make an appearance next year. The flurry of the holidays have come and gone and once again I find myself…now here — facing winter. I want to go hibernate.

Winter.  Although it is mild here in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Sarracenia  are all asleep in their winter dormancy. In this quiet time, there is much gardening going in my mind, potting and thinking ahead for the oncoming seasons. I still do have some work to do trimming pitchers, and repotting some plants, but for now I admire their slumber.

I took a few quick video shots of my plants and wanted to share this with you.  (Sorry – pardon the jerky-ness. I do not have a steadycam for this sorta thing and this was a spur of the moment shoot…)  It’s a video of much dead foliage.  I just look past that and envision the blooms, pitchers, and the crosses I’ll be making next season. The dead foliage will give way to life soon…

Without further adieu — may I present, Winter.

Music: Winter Song by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson

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Sarracenia rubra ssp. gulfensis "black" x "Bug Bat"

Posted on September 17, 2010 | 3 comments

Happy Friday! Happy weekend indeed! YEAH! So here’s another intriguing cross I did last year.  Again, the seedling is putting up some pitchers that are showing some character now. I was out in the yard the other morning and found this particular plant pretty durn interesting as the morning sun was hitting the pitchers.  It’s exhibiting the characteristic color of it’s S. rubra ssp. gulfensis “black” parent and the very interesting Sarracenia “Bug Bat”.

(Ok – side note for all you Sarracenia-heads: there has been some question regarding the pod parent – there is speculation that it is not a pure S. rubra ssp. gulfensis and could have some S. alata mixed into it.  However, from what I am told – this particular S. rubra hails from the Yellow River area of  Florida, and it is doubtful that S. alatas grow that far east.)

Sarracenia rubra "black" x "Bug Bat"[Sarracenia rubra ssp. gulfensis “Black” x “Bug Bat”]

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Sproutage!

Posted on August 5, 2010 | 2 comments

Howdy y’all!  I was out checking some seeds that I started this year and to my delight, saw one sprouting!  I did this cross early on this year, harvested seed roughly a month ago, put through about 2 weeks cold stratification in the fridge and… viola!

Reptilian Rose x Adrian Slack

By the way…I did this same cross last year and only had a few seeds from that pod.  A few of those germinated but none survived. (Don’t ask…) I was so torn… anyway, hope to have better success this year.

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A Young Moorei

Posted on July 31, 2010 | 1 comment

Howdy y’all! So as I was thinning out some of the S. leucophylla x flava seedlings pots a few days ago, I stumbled across this one interestin’ lil’ fella.  This was from a batch of seeds that a buddy of mine sent in 2008.  Most definately, this is one of the kids that I’ll be watching in this group. This is the first juvenile pitcher showing these characteristics. The new pitchers that are coming up will be opening in a few days are exhibiting the same qualities – predominately white upper pitchers with nice green veins. Dude, you never really know what you’ll get with those lil’ seeds – and that’s part of what makes this breeding thing so fun! 🙂  Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Sarracenia leucophylla x flava

Sarracenia leucophylla x flava

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Ares, unfolding…

Posted on July 27, 2010 | Leave a comment

Sarracenia "Ares" unfolding[Sarracenia “Ares”]

I’m standing somewhat at the threshold of my own “hybridization journey” since I’ve only recently started breeding a couple of years ago.  A lot of ideas have already taken root and put up those “seedling” pitchers.  Some plants are a couple years old and are showing a lot of promise as young juveniles.  And yet, some ideas are still locked away in seed pods waiting to be harvested.  This journey has just begun.  As I watch my own path open up before me,  I savor and enjoy the moment as it all unfolds before me.

Now, watching things unfold before you is pretty awesome.  Here’s Sarracenia “Ares” opening a brand spankin’ new pitcher!

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Sarracenia “Ares” is a plant that was created by a very good friend who has motivated me much in this Sarracenia creation madness/obsession/addiction – Jerry Addington. (Jerry – Thank you!) Countless hybridization ideas have been bounced off each other, and hopefully soon you’ll be able to see some of those things take life! Be sure to check out Jerry’s website: http://courtingfrogs.com/

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One. [Lost and … found?]

Posted on July 13, 2010 | 3 comments

one

Photo: [Sarracenia courtii AF x leucophylla AF]

Hey everyone, hope you’re having a good week so far!

Yesterday I harvested a seed pod in where I thought there would be no seed at all. Turns out there was only ONE seed. The pod parent was a recent acquisition this year – another clone of an anthocyanin free courtii. Being that it was a recent division and I let it flower this year, it was too stressed to actually properly set seed. The pollen I used was already a few months old as well. It was worth the shot anyway to cross the two plants. I decided it would be a worthwhile photograph to capture the ONE seed in the entire pod.

How much more value I place on that one seed, and the high hopes I have for it. Undoubtedly I will cross the two plants again next year if the opportunity arises. For now, this is what I have to work with for this cross. Just one.  There is a high percentage that it could also of been selfed, which would still yield an anthocyanin free plant, but anyway — I am hopeful. I want that leuco represented in this cross.

So – whats up with the “lost and found” that I referenced in the title??

After I photographed this pod on one desk I moved it back to another desk to prepare to take the seed. When I arrived at the other desk, >DOH!!!< the seed was GONE! I frantically began to scour the floor in between the two desks with a flashlight knowing full well it would be close to impossible to locate the one seed.  I then managed to find a seed under my keyboard.  Is the seed I found the seed? I won’t know until a few months from now. That’s another project to pursue that I am sure you will be reading about in the future.

I wouldn’t have a problem say if 2 or 3 seeds formed of this cross this year, but ONE?  Egads!  Oh well, there’s always next year…

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Behind the Shell

Posted on July 5, 2010 | Leave a comment

Sarracenia Seed Pod: Behind the Shell

Hey everyone! I’m still stuck on this beginnings/seeds thread — so, before we embark further on our hybrid journey, I just wanted to show you what lies behind that shell. I took this photo in September of 2009.  This particular cross is Sarracenia (oreophila x willisii) x “Green Frog”.   This is a first glance of this cross in its seed/behind the shell form. I carefully stripped away the shell and left the seeds attached. Each one of those seeds has the potential to become some pretty interesting plant. Each will be different. Some will be stronger than others, some will appear to be more like one parent, and some will look more like the other. Some will clearly have characteristics of both. Each will be different; but for now as you can see – they all begin pretty much looking the same.   All of these great plants we see around us start off the same. Lil’ small things. Yet, the potential inside each of those small things is inexplicably unfathomable.

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