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.
Persistent Pitchers
March already?! What? Spring and new growth is right around the corner. But for now – it is still grey and cold out here. While most of the collection is looking very dry and crispy, a few persistent pitchers are still lingering from last season. Last season! Mostly S. purpurea and their hybrids seem able to hold a few traps through a PNW winter. I love how hardy these … Read More
Frosty
Mornings have recently been pretty chilly and during this time, days have been starting off with frosted plants. And icy water tables. Warmer days are around the corner, but for now I’m enjoying the haunting beauty of dormancy. Here’s a few frames of frosted foliage. Photos are from 26 Jan 2022.
Darlingtonia Basket
Darlingtonia. In a basket. Hey – why not? I recently planted this basket up in the greenhouse as a test run. Will it work? Let’s find out. It has been a little over a week and the plants in the basket are still alive and throwing out some new growth. Encouraging, yes. But I need to observe long term effects. I decided to test out how they’d grow suspended … Read More
Darlingtonia on the Rocks
Darlingtonia rock planting in the mist – July 2021. Planting in rocks? Radness. I’ve planted rocks in the past, but with succulents. So … it was finally time for a carnivorous one. Sometime ago (maybe late 2019 or early 2020?) I planted a small Darlingtonia in a pumice rock. I had an extra rock (thanks Nina!) and Darlingtonia would be perfect for this. I’ve observed them growing in a … Read More
Inside a Darlingtonia Flower
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 … Read More
Breaking Dormacy 2021
The plants are waking from their slumber and buds are all over the place. It is a truly magical time to see flower buds emerge and burst open. I’ve collected a few clips throughout April of the plants breaking dormancy and compiled into the video below. The shift from winter sleep to the deluge of color now begins. The first bloom of the season was on 23 Apr. This … Read More
Buds
It’s that time of year when plants start to wake up and send up their flowers. Buds are rising! If you’re not using the flowers for breeding, do you snip buds off to promote more vigorous pitcher growth? Or do you leave the buds to enjoy the flowers? I usually leave the flowers on to do their thing. It’s kinda nice to see the vibrant colors all over the … Read More
Cold Plants
A video of some cold plants.Music: moonkiss | toby schay, quickly | album: overgrowth We’ve recently experienced some cooler temperatures here in Pacific Northwest. With this last round, the plants were hit with some sleet, freezing rain, and snow. Tables froze solid. It seems almost difficult to fathom — but these plants are just fine. Even after having the pleasure to grow them for several years in different climates, … Read More
Darlingtonia Repot
I’m trying something different with the Darlingtonia. I recently transplanted a few Darlingonia in Kanuma. I was first introduced to the stuff by fellow carnivorous plant grower extraordinaire, Mark T. Kanuma is this granular sorta spongey-crumbly-clayish thing that is primarily used for acid loving bonsai. With a box of Nepenthes, Mark included a small sampling of Kanuma to plant those new Neps in. (Thanks, Mark!) The Nepenthes seem to … Read More
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