The evolution of an intangible concept into something tactile is fascinating. Sarracenia provide a wonderful canvas to observe the growth and advancement of something that may have started out in reverie. This is an update on one of those daydreams. I had this strange notion and in 2016 was able to take the first successful steps on this journey. I did a cross between S. purpurea ssp. venosa var. … Read More
Lidless Moorei: S. ‘Bris’ x flava “Lidless Giant”
Update to this. In May of 2021 I did a cross between two lidless plants – S. leucophylla ‘Bris’ x S. flava “lidless giant”. It’s a pretty interesting primary lidless cross. Seeds harvested in Sep of that year. Five seeds were harvested. Three germinated. Two survived. And I am sure glad those did. I had them growing outdoors this year. They’ve developed slowly but steadily. One is now showing … Read More
January 2023
January 2023 – dormancy in effect.
Apoc Gets Faded
Apoc (short for Apocalypse) gets faded up! This wonderful creature was first spawned in September, 2020. It is comprised of custom concrete horns, glass eyes, sphagnum moss, and the fantastically strange S. purpurea “Smurf”. The gnarled and twisted pitchers of S. “Smurf” fit perfectly as the crest. Live sphagnum moss was used as a top dressing in this creation. As the moss grew in, it secured everything into place. … Read More
Thank You, Dr. M.
I am saddened by the news of the recent passing of the great Dr. Larry Mellichamp. My deepest and sincere condolences go out to all his loved ones. “Dr. M.” has been, and continues to be such an legendary inspiration. Larry and I were in first in contact back in 2009 when I was really getting into Sarracenia cultivation and breeding. I had a lot of questions about this … Read More
Hail Yeah
Oregon spring weather has been interesting latey. Last week temps reached a high of 79°F. And then later that week was snow. Yes, snow. Yesterday hail happened. Yay. Fun stuff right? Here’s a few clips of hail from yesterday, 14 Apr 2022.
Spring Cleaning 2022
Spring cleaning is in full effect in the garden. Each season, once the deep freeze danger passes, I remove the dormant pitchers that once served as winter insulation. I typically wield the clippers (these specifically are my favorites for the job – thanks Jenn!) but occasionally other methods such as a sword or fire could be involved. As mentioned previously, trimming is one of those meditative and therapeutic work … Read More
Nepenthes Pollen Collection
Hello! One of my nepenthes recently bloomed – exciting stuff! In the past, I’ve snipped those flower spikes off – but this time, I’ll be attempting some Nepenthes crosses in collaboration with other growers. This is my actually very first time collecting Nepenthes pollen and wanted to document and share what I’m learning. Unlike Sarracenia, Nepenthes are dioecious. This means plants produce flowers that are either female or male. … Read More
Sarracenia Clean Up ASMR
Enjoy the soothing sounds of Sarracenia pitchers burning. With the impending growth right around the corner, it is now time to clean up the grow area. My usual method of tidying the Sarracenia up is trimming. (See Trim 2021 here.) This season, I decided to commence cleaning with a little bit of burning. In the 90 second Sarracenia burn ASMR video, the flames consume the dormant pitcher canopy allowing … Read More