Image of the day - 2012

[cohan]

Cohan - O.serrulata, probably foot and a half tall, is one of those you can keep indoors at room temperature and enough water to keep the soil fairly moist in winter and then either move the whole pot or else plant it outdoors when the weather warms up.  I move it around a bit in the house - when the sun is literally pouring in through the windows by my kitchen sink, that's where it goes so I can gaze at it will doing the dishes -or else it will stay under lights in the living room.  And when it is in flower I move it to a spot where people who come to the house can see and admire.  Haven't had any problem with bugs either - doesn't seem to need a lot of coddling but gives a great deal of satisfaction nonetheless. 

Frances Howey
London, Ontario, Canada
Zone 5b

Thanks for the details! I don't put any houseplants outdoors-- just not reliably warm enough for tender plants to be safe, and even for those that could take it, they'd bring too many bugs  with them...lol Might try it as a full time indoor plant if I run across seed..

[Todd Boland]

Well it seems that spring has hit in some parts of the world (or fall in Fermi's case).  My garden is still well buried under snow...we had another 3" today.

Funny about the comments being made about potted alpines.  I grow several alpines in pots (excluding the troughs).  Lewisia in particular, are all individually pot grown in my garden and overwintered in a frame, sunken in sand.  We alos have an alpine house at work and grow lots of alpines in pots.  I can admit, I actually have just as much difficulty growing them in pots as I do outside.  yes, I can grow some drylanders in the alpine house that can't be grown outside, but overall, I find alpine sin the open are easier...no restricted roots, no watering concerns, etc.  Pot culture is very much an art.  I cannot come close to growing alpines in pots like the UK gardeners do...I am really quite jealous and need to know what I am doing wrong.  I know one problem is that our alpine house freezes solid in winter...that would not be a concern in the UK.  I expect that aspect is my #1 downfall.  I probably do not repot often enough either.

On another topic, I went to a local market today and found potted campanula being sold as a disposable pot plant.  I think it is C. cochlearifolia 'Elizabeth Oliver'.  I picked it up and will plant it in the rockery come May-June.  It's my little piece of spring!

[RickR]

Elizabeth Oliver (or a look-alike) has been sold at our Home Depot now and then for a few years now.  Funny, 'cause usually we in the Midwest are the last to get on board a trend.  Similar to a florist mum, lately they have been selling celosia as an indoor flowering plant!

[cohan]

Well it seems that spring has hit in some parts of the world (or fall in Fermi's case).  My garden is still well buried under snow...we had another 3" today.

Funny about the comments being made about potted alpines.  I grow several alpines in pots (excluding the troughs).  Lewisia in particular, are all individually pot grown in my garden and overwintered in a frame, sunken in sand.  We alos have an alpine house at work and grow lots of alpines in pots.  I can admit, I actually have just as much difficulty growing them in pots as I do outside.  yes, I can grow some drylanders in the alpine house that can't be grown outside, but overall, I find alpine sin the open are easier...no restricted roots, no watering concerns, etc.  Pot culture is very much an art.  I cannot come close to growing alpines in pots like the UK gardeners do...I am really quite jealous and need to know what I am doing wrong.  I know one problem is that our alpine house freezes solid in winter...that would not be a concern in the UK.  I expect that aspect is my #1 downfall.  I probably do not repot often enough either.

On another topic, I went to a local market today and found potted campanula being sold as a disposable pot plant.  I think it is C. cochlearifolia 'Elizabeth Oliver'.  I picked it up and will plant it in the rockery come May-June.  It's my little piece of spring!

I wonder if water quality issues play a part with potted alpines? With potted cacti, for example, its been realised by many in recent years that alkaline tap water long term is very detrimental to the plants' health, so people who do not have rain water are acidifying their water and fertiliser with great results..
Nice to get a little potted spring  I've seen similar small bellflowers at florists here, I haven't looked at the species/variety names... I should check them out to see if they could be hardy..

[Lori S.]

Nice to get a little potted spring  I've seen similar small bellflowers at florists here, I haven't looked at the species/variety names... I should check them out to see if they could be hardy..

Cohan, I've yet to come across a Campanula sp. that isn't hardy here, if that helps! 

[cohan]

Well, that's encouraging, Lori! I'd have to find it close enough to planting out time ....

Speaking of potted spring, here's a couple from this week here....
Gymnocalycium bruchii (6inch pot)
Weingartia sp (3.5inch pot)

[Todd Boland]

What little beauties Cohan!  I never heard of the genus Weingartia, but I do grow a couple of Gynmocaliciums.

In regards to potted alpines, my water is slightly acidic, not alkaline, so I don't think water alkalinity is a problem.  However, I probably could fertilize more.

[RickR]

I wonder if water quality issues play a part with potted alpines?

Ever since Dennis H. (you probably have heard of him, Cohan.  He is well know in cactus circles here.) talked to our group, I've kept that in mind about the water alkalinity.  I've tinkered a little, with white vinegar in the water with my potted collection of alpines, perennials and woody materials, and preliminary results seem to concur.  They all seem to perk up in the same way as when I fertilize when they are in need.

[cohan]

Thanks, Todd; Weingartia is a smallish genus from South America, which some authors have lumped into Rebutia (based on seed characters, I think) along with numerous other genera; others do not agree, of course, and another direction sees Sulcorebutia and Cintia(monotypic, I think) being sunk into Weingartia; also considered close to Gymnocalycium by some.
 In any case, for collectors, its a fun genus and pretty distinctive- most being floriferous with yellow flowers much like mine, though there are oranges, maybe a red or two, and some variations in flower size, lots of variation in spination, and a division into two quite distinct sub-genera (this plant is from the easier of the two sub-genera).. I have about a half dozen, mostly unnamed, with several that flower from early spring through fall..

Rick, I think the whole point of the acidified water (well, at least a major point) is the absorption of nutrients, so your observation would make sense; many growers are also adding ammonium sulfate to their fertilisation regime in addition to the acidified water..

[RickR]

Rick, I think the whole point of the acidified water (well, at least a major point) is the absorption of nutrients, so your observation would make sense; many growers are also adding ammonium sulfate to their fertilisation regime in addition to the acidified water..

So my subtle hint was not lost.  Good pick up on that, Cohan!

I do have one indoor common cactus that put on a fair show last month, despite its obvious bad care that it receives:

              

[cohan]

Rick, I think the whole point of the acidified water (well, at least a major point) is the absorption of nutrients, so your observation would make sense; many growers are also adding ammonium sulfate to their fertilisation regime in addition to the acidified water..

So my subtle hint was not lost.  Good pick up on that, Cohan!

I do have one indoor common cactus that put on a fair show last month, despite its obvious bad care that it receives:

Nice looking Mammillaria, Rick I do like the subtle tone on tone cacti as much as the bright ones (sometimes more, depending...); definitely happy with your care to give you that flowering

[Toole]

Saw this on my travels recently in a friends alpine house--South American Nototriche macleanii--largish flowers for the size of its cushion.
Yummy  

Cheers Dave.

[Todd Boland]

Nototriche is the stuff of dreams!  Love to get my hands on one to give it a try.

Cohan, Rebutia I HAVE heard of...I have one myself.  I guess the cacti are going through the same revisions as many plants with a lot of 'splitting' taking place.

[RickR]

Nototriche, largish flowers, to say the least!  I see so many plants here that I have never heard of before, and they are all so interesting.  It looks as though this one is related to hibiscus, and searching on the web, it is a member of Malvaceae (that includes hibiscus).

From Todd's photo in our Wiki gallery, I see that Nototriche macleanii grows in a Calgary, Aberta garden.  It must be very cold hardy!

[cohan]

Very cool one, Dave! Thanks Rick for looking it up to save me the effort, I was wondering!