Lidless S. x Catesbaei

RobBlog, Lidless, Sarracenia

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. montana and S. flava var. ornata – lidless. I would wonder -what would a lidless catesbaei look like? This was back when lidless plants were starting to get attention. Most types I’ve seen were upright such as flava and leuco. I haven’t seen a lidless semi upright or squat type. At least, not yet.

That first cross yielded plants that were not lidless. It was a step in the right direction though. The plants from that first cross still have an interesting unique form. Hoods formed upright and pinched. The veining patterns, strong in both parents, added some nice visual texture in the progeny. (An example of one of those is to the left.) The fun thing is that these carry a hidden gem waiting to be unlocked! Hidden “sleeper” lidless genes. To unlock – a cross containing a lidless or lidless recessive gene is needed. A percentage of the resulting offspring will have that characteristic expressed. A few photos of that first cross can be found here and here.

In 2022, the first flower to bloom for the season was one from this lidless recessive catesbaei group. The bloom was self-pollinated. The cross was successful and seeds were harvested then stratified. After a few weeks, the seeds were placed under lights and seedlings emerged.

Some of the seedlings looked very catesbaei-esque in this F2 generation. But some seedlings appeared to develop shorter than usual hoods. Totally stoked. As seedlings matured, the lidless characteristic became more apparent on some of them. This season, the lidless seedlings were separated and moved outdoors. They’re adjusting to life outside. One of the seedlings adjusted quickly and has shown surprising vigor; it’s growth outpacing the rest of the siblings. That one is photographed below. Others seedlings are still adjusting and have similar overall appearance. Some are slightly different. More photos on those later.

So here it is. It took a few years and a couple of crosses but that idea has been made manifest. What was once a curious concept has been embodied in the form of this strange Sarracenia. Where it goes from here? Who knows. Stay curious my friends!

Lidless Moorei: S. ‘Bris’ x flava “Lidless Giant”

RobBlog, Lidless, Sarracenia

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 some characteristics worth noting. So far, it appears that one has that lidless flava influence. The “nub” doesn’t have pronounced undulations, like S. ‘Bris.’ It also looks like it’s keeping the interior dark coloration on the neck, while taking on white markings from the lidless leucophylla. The other pretty small, but showing some similar signs. Exciting stuff. These are still young plants but I’m fascinated by what I’m witnessing so far!

Sarracenia ‘Bris’ x flava “lidless giant”
Cross done on 26 May 2021, seed pod harvested 30 Sep 2021.

Apoc Gets Faded

RobBlog, Sarracenia

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. Sometimes that moss grows a bit too well and becomes an overgrown living mullet. Trimming Apoc up not only tidies him up – this process also doubles as moss propagation. The living moss trimmings are then tossed back into the garden where the moss continues to grow. Enjoy a few clips of Apoc getting faded.

Shout out to Jenn at Garden Apothecary for the clippers – my absolute favorite clippers! (Thanks Jenn!) You can pick a pair up here. And a very special thank you to my wife, Dahlia, for the beautiful camerawork in this video! 🙂

Happy growing! 🌱

Thank You, Dr. M.

RobBlog, Sarracenia

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 Sarracenia thing – so it was only natural to seek out one of the greatest legends in the game. Dr. M. Although his reputation and work is highly regarded all over the globe – he was so patient and kind to this kid. I had so many questions. I am thankful he was willing to share his knowledge. He also encouraged my curiosity in Sarracenia and plants. His passion for the natural world is contagious. I am grateful for the connection, and I appreciate the times and conversations we shared.

Last year, I was able to spend a few moments with Larry, his wife Audrey, and friends Jeff and Carson in the garden. (Carson/Jeff – thank you for making that happen.) It was truly an honor and I am so thankful for that experience.

Larry, thank you for everything. I know that generations to come will continue to be inspired by you. Thank you. You are greatly missed. Until again.

Hail Yeah

RobBlog

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

RobBlog, Sarracenia

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 flows for me. I keep a grateful attitude recalling how much I’ve enjoyed seeing those traps grow and develop in seasons past. Now I’m creating the space for it to happen all over again.

Clips from Dec 2021 – Apr 2022 and set to Sunflower by Jakub Zytecki.

Nepenthes Pollen Collection

RobBlog, Nepenthes

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. In cultivation, there seem to be mostly male Nepenthes plants. Female plants are given extra attention and value by those who breed Nepenthes. In order to have a successful cross, a blooming male/female pair is needed. Sometimes that can be a challenge as these plants have their own (seemingly sporadic) flowering cycles. Ideally you’d want a pair blooming at the same time to get the deed done. So, sometimes growers collaborate with each other and create some really fantastic crosses. This process can call for collecting, storing, and sending Nepenthes pollen to the grower(s) with the female plant(s). Fun stuff! Yes – there are other methods of collecting Nepenthes pollen, but for now I’m sharing the method I am currently using.

I gotta mention that an earlier first batch of stored pollen did not work out too well. The collected blooms from the first round still had lingering moisture. At that time, I used an old handful of silica gel packets – but that didn’t have enough oomph to draw out all the moisture from the blooms. DOH! So, I went to a local craft hobby shop and picked up a fresh jar of silica gel. (Safety first! Use precautions to avoid silica dust inhalation!) As you’ll see in the video – using plenty of fresh silica gel is important to get those flowers completely dry.

I’m hoping that the efforts with this pollen set will work out! A huge thank you to Drew (web: http://www.carnivero.com | IG: @carnivero) and Jeff (ig: @nepenthesgod) for these pollen collection tips!