The Beautiful Unknown

[Photo: Sarracenia "H2"]

I’m just coming back from a wonderful mini vacation from the beautiful Napa Valley of California. I had a chance to just relax and recharge away from the daily grind and think about some of  the “unknowns” that happen in life.  And some of these unknowns that we all face are the things that make life as beautiful as it is. It was the unknown that was the inspiration for this post.

In my collection there are a few plants with “unknown” parentage.  I do know a few growers that will just toss ‘em into the compost heap because they are just that – unknown.  That’s all good -  I respect these growers for their strict discipline. I know where they are coming from and the rigid guidelines they adhere to – and I hold them in high regard for what they do.

With my collection though, I’m one of these guys though who will take care of the orphans, and appreciate their beauty even though there is no record of the parents. Yes, I also try to be strict in my own records, however — I won’t turn a good plant down just because I don’t know what it is. Instead, I welcome the mystery and the beauty that it has to offer.

A little background on the plant above and the “H” hybrids:
The plant in the photo above was received from Mr. Bob Ziemer in March of 2008. This photo was taken July 20, 2010.   Mr. Ziemer’s “H” Hybrids are the surviving remnants of a bunch of complex crosses from Mr. Bob Hanrahan that were given to Mr. Ziemer in the late 60′s or early 70′s.  Mr. Ziemer then moved away to various locations over several years and upon returning to where the plants were, he found only a few had survived.  The survivors were the ones that endured years of neglect by various house sitters – and of course, the labels were all lost by then.  The plants that survived were not wimps – having been subjected to freezing, no water for weeks and all other sorts of extended neglect.  Roughly about 20 years ago, Mr. Ziemer put them all in individual pots and bestowed upon them the numbered “H” designations.