Hello there! My goodness, this season is off to a spectacular start. Each season the spring symphony of growth and color explodes on the scene. So much vibrancy in effect. Pitchers are inflating and opening while the flood of flowers rolls on. It’s so awe inspiring to witness it all unfold. (Just a few months ago, these babies were all under ice and snow. The fact they can take the cold still amazes me.) Below are a few frames of what’s been going on in the recent days. Gallery images below can be clicked to enlarge. Enjoy!
Darlingtonia flowers are beautifully otherworldly. I removed a petal to share a glimpse of the flower interior. For a closer look, click on photos to enlarge.
Pollinating Darlingtonia is also pretty easy and can be done in the same manner as Sarracenia. In the case of Darlingtonia, pollen falls onto the ovary. I use a brush to collect the pollen by swiping the ovary surface as well as brushing the filaments/anthers. That pollen is then brushed onto the stigma of the receiving flower. Since I’m not too concerned about any specific Darlingtonia cross, I don’t bother bagging the flowers.
Sarracenia “Crown of Thorns” (Parentage:S. ‘Reptilian Rose’ x (flava var. rubricorpora x leucophylla) – clone 10 – Cross by Dr. Travis H. Wyman) has a little funkiness built into the flower. Going under the flower hood, we can see the style (upside down umbrella sac thing) forms irregularly. I guess it comes from the mama, plant, S. ‘Reptilian Rose’. Flowers on Reptilian rose form slightly irregular, with the style tips occasionally folded over inside the flower. In the case of S. “Crown of Thorns”, the style looks like it was pinched. Breeding with it as a pod parent can be a little challenge – but the flower is viable and pollination is well worth that little bit of extra effort. Because of the pinch, the stigmas are located a lot higher and tighter inside the flower than it normally would be on a regular Sarracenia flower. It’s not too difficult to pollinate, just requires a little bit more care to navigate the flower structure to get to the pollen targets.
It’s that time of year – plants are in bloom! The creative potential is growing with each flower opening up. One beautiful thing I enjoy about Sarracenia cultivation: it offers a wonderful creative outlet. My imagination runs wild at the thought of possible plant combinations throughout the year. And at this point in the season – working with the flowers is a fundamental step in making the visions real. After some effort and little wait – intangible ideas manifest into something beautiful, tactile, and living.
Here is a general reference on how I do pollinations. Keep in mind that there are so many ways (and maybe even better ways) to go about doing this. Experiment, have fun, and find what works for you. I’m sharing what works for me and hope this helps you in your creative botanical journey.
ONE Item: Notebook Purpose: Information repository
Some use electronic devices, but I find that it’s more efficient for me to write with pencil/paper. Personally I like to feel the grit of the pencil strokes and the weight of the notebook, vs. tapping pixels. Notes help me to keep ideas and crosses organized. I record potential ideas that I can reflect on, as well as write down the crosses right after I’ve completed them. It’s handy to check the notes in the later years. For example, I can see what worked, what didn’t, and helps with preventing re-makes. Although I admit, some crosses are great to re-create!
TWO Item: Brush Purpose: Collect and deposit pollen
I like to use a brush. It’s has a more artsy feeling for me. I like to think that at each stroke of a brush, creative energy is unleashed. By the way, other items that can be used for pollinating, such as ear-hole paraphernalia. Or simply a finger. What’s needed is a way to collect and deposit pollen. It doesn’t need to be fancy.
Important: To keep crosses as intended, clean the pollination tool before and after pollen use. I simply wash my brushes. When working on multiple crosses, it helps to have multiple brushes on hand.
THREE Item: Bags Purpose: Protection
I use these gift baggie sheer things (flower condoms) to protect the plant after the pollination is done. Pollinators are busy at this time of year going from flower to flower. Covering the flower helps to keeps the cross as intended by keeping unwanted pollinators out. Baggie protection can begin while flower still in bud; before it’s even opened. The bags are light weight and can be easily slipped on or off. Other items that I have seen used include cheese cloth or a lightweight sheer type of fabric, secured by twisty tie or something similar. What is needed is something to keep pollinators out. Once the pollination is successful and receptor nubs are no longer receptive, I remove the bags to be used another year. I usually wait until the pod tilts upward and petals fall off.
FOUR Item: Tags Purpose: Information repository
I use these jewelry tags that are plastic and writable. I tag the flower with the cross listing the pod parent first, an “x” and then the pollen parent. (Sarracenia “Pod Parent” x “Pollen Parent”.) The tags hold up really well outdoors and can handle the Oregon rain and sun. By the way, I use pencil for my tags as pencil won’t fade.
FIVE Item: Pollen Purpose: Pollination
To pollinate, pollen is collected from the pollen parent flower, then placed onto the stigmas (receptor nubs) of the pod parent plant. Well… what if the timing of flowers don’t align for the desired cross? Pollen can be saved for later. That’s what I did here. There’s a little pollen remaining in the flower style (upside-down umbrella sac thingy). Since my desired pod parent plant was going to flower later, I trimmed the pollen parent flowers, stored in a small container, and placed in the fridge for future use.
If timing aligns and both flowers are open – then it’s easier. I would simply collect pollen from one source, then deposit onto the target. Check some of the images below for reference.
Left: Pollen (powdery stuff) drops from the anthers and is deposited onto the style. (Upside down umbrella sac thingy.) Center: The stigma (little receptor nub in the circle) is the pollen target. Typically found on the interior umbrella tip. Right: A pollen loaded brush paints pollen onto receptor nub. [click on photo to enlarge]
When pollinating, I try to get to the flower as soon it opens up. The longer a flower remains open, the greater that chance that some other pollen may have gotten to that receptor nub. Once the pollination is done, all that’s left is to tag it n’ bag it. The pollination is recorded on the tag and then attached to the flower stalk. A bag is slipped on the flower to keep other pollinators out. I also record the cross in the notebook. (Figure one above.) At times, I like to go and re-apply pollen in the days after to make sure the pollination took. Some say re-application helps with getting a better seed set. (We’ll get to the seeds later in the fall. 🙂 )
All pollinated. Tagged n’ bagged. The bag will be removed after flower tilts upwards and petals fall off. The pod will begin to swell up and I’ll harvest seeds in the fall.
I received this S. flava var. atropurpurea from Mike Wang several years ago. What’s interesting about this flava flower is the blush in coloration. Typically, S. flava flowers are yellow. The color is probably due to something else going on back in the lineage. (S. purp genes somewhere in the mix?) Whatever it is, I like it.
Sarracenia flava var. ornata – Bulloch Co, GA – Black Veins This plant was gifted to me a few years ago by friend and fellow grower extraordinaire, Phil Faulisi. This flava has a shorter growth habit and has some great contrast with those veins. I especially like the vertical stripe this clone gets in the middle of the hood. As the season rolls on, the veins darken to black.
On a recent morning, the light was hitting the flowering clogged sink in just the right way. Love how it was illuminated.
The sink was procured years ago from an “as-is” section at a home goods store. I lined the base with plastic, filled with peat moss, and planted the sink up with S. “Defiance” and other carnivores. It has filled in nicely over the years. All those new pitchers are about to open soon!
