Happy Halloween

I'd just like to wish everyone a happy Halloween!  Make sure to have fun with whatever you have planned for the weekend!

Pineapple Flower (Eucomis autumnalis)

This is an interesting plant that I hadn't noticed until a few days ago.  A lot of people will bring plants to the greenhouses for the winter and I think this may be one of the 'vacationers'.  These plants only grow to a height of 60cm to the top of the flower spike.  They are an easy to grow bulb and the flowers last a long time if cut for arrangements.  Unfortunately their not hardy in my zone.  For anyone that lives in zone 9 these would look great along a border and I'm really jealous!

Dwarf Pomegranate (Punica granatum var nana)

The Dwarf Pomegranate is one of our really unassuming plants.  The tallest plant is only about 60cm (2'), has small leaves and can easily be overlooked.  However when conditions are right, you will be rewarded with beautiful orange-pink blooms (often red).  These will eventually turn into little pomegranates.  I've opened one up and it was filled with seeds.  There was very little fruit so they appear to be inedible (even though they supposedly are).  They are however a very beautiful plant for a small but visible place.

 These pomegranates are hardy from zone 7b - 11.  They grow well in full sun but partial shade will also work (with less blooms).  They are very drought tolerant and perfect for container gardening if you often forget to water.  The seeds are apparently fertile so I might try and start some this spring.  Otherwise they can also be propagated by cuttings and air layering.

Coleus

I love coleus!  I learned the hard way that they really do not like full sun.  Over the summer I got a hold of about a dozen plants.  A lot of plants with colourful leaves tend to like full sun.  So I decided to put them in a location with full sun.  Within a few days the leaves and plants in general looked awful.  I assumed it was just the move to a new location.  They grew over the next few weeks but looked horrible.  I finally decided to look them up and was surprised that they like partial sun.  I didn't end up moving them and they suffered all summer (I always felt bad, but had no space in the shade to move them to).

Inside the UWO Greenhouses they use coleus for some of the science labs.  There are several different varieties and they look just fantastic together.  All of these are cuttings that we made in the summer and after only about three months they've grown to their current size.  Next year I'll make sure to plant them somewhere with a little less sun so I can enjoy plants like these all summer!

Pods of Fall

Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera)



Chinese Lantern (Physalis alkekengi)



Datura

Through the Leaves

More Stanhopea Photos!

I know I've been uploaded a lot of pictures from these plants but I absolutely love them.  This is the last time,  I promise!

 

 

Toad

Miniature Orange & Passion Fruit

In one of the greenhouses we have several varieties of citrus plants.  I was surprised by the strength of the flower's scent.  You can easily smell the tiny little flowers from several feet away.  The plants are constantly in bloom and as a result always covered with fruit.  The fruit of the Citrus mitis looks very good but it is EXTREMELY sour.  By no means should anyone consider this food edible.  This is honestly one of the most sour things I have ever tried to eat.  I recommend trying it so that you can see what the most sour thing is you can eat without permanently damaging your taste buds.

These plants are mainly grown for their decorative value.  They are very interesting with their thin, delicate looking branches and 'large' fruit.  Unfortunately these plants tend to have a lot of die back.  When the dead growth is removed they then decide to die back even more, so we tend to leave it on.  Below you can see a picture of the one with the most fruit.  We also have dwarf pomegranates but they have an insect infestation right now.



I also noticed that one of our Passion Fruits (Passiflora) has actually developed a fruit.  Most of these are sterile hybrids so this was quite the surprise.  I think the fruit is still sterile because it felt a little deflated when I touched it, but I'm surprised it developed nonetheless.

Lantana & Mandevilla

This is the most variety I've seen in the colouration of any of the greenhouse Lantana.



Apparently we have pink, yellow and white Mandevilla.

Spinning World

I just added one of those spinning world hit counter things.  I absolutely love them!  I like the lists that say where everyone is arriving from but it's much more interesting to see the hits on a dynamic globe.  This one is the small version so you can't spin it by clicking on the application.  I didn't want to slow down the page too much.  If you would like one of your own just click here and follow the instructions.

Hibiscus Blooms

Just some of the latest double Hibiscus blooms.  The double varieties are by far my favourite!



 

Dried Plants

The main greenhouse potting room is filled with the dried stocks and seeds of various plants.  In the pictures you can see Thistles, Wheat, Amaranths, Barley, etc.  It looks nice but we often get mice or chipmunks in the room and they chew through their favourite.  We no longer have any dried corn...

The pictures below really don't do it justice.  It looks fantastic lined up around 3 sides of the room.  The last picture turned out best.  It almost looks like a desktop background (my standards aren't low, their relative)!

Stanhopea Blooms

Another one of the greenhouse Stanhopea plants has begun to bloom.  There are several more but none of their flowers have opened yet.  They are very interesting and I would like to have a few plants of my own one day.  The smell ranges from a milk chocolate to vanilla.  It's very strong and fills the room.






 One of the Cymbidium (Orchid) hybrids is also be blooming soon!

 

First Snow

I woke up this morning and was greeted by a thin layer of snow.  It's really early to be getting snow here but fortunately I had already brought in all the tender plants.  I'm hoping that I'll hate winter a little less this year now that I'm working in a greenhouse.  Fortunately the snow was gone by around noon and it's currently about 7C out.

I worked this morning so I made sure to take a bunch of pictures so I can update over the weekend!

Seedling Update

Just a quick update on some of the seeds I started this summer.  Some really need to be transplanted so I might have to buy a new grow light to make room.

Chinese Evergreen - bottom-left (looks like a green spike), Clivia - bottom-middle, Ginger - bright green, Coffee - right

Fall Seed Collecting

Over the last week or so I've been harvesting seeds from various plants that I have or would like to grow next year.  My collection so far includes some Morning Glory (top), Castor Beans (right), Magnolia (left), and Aesculus (I don't remember the name but it looks like a shrub version of a Chestnut).

I harvested the Castor Beans from two different locations.  I'm pretty sure that they are different species but I'm surprised by how small the one set of seeds is.  They came from a dark red variety and all the seed pods looked relatively small.  The big ones are from a lighter red and are not fully dry which helps to explain some of the difference in size.  I'm a little paranoid so I might test the smaller ones just to make sure they're fertile.  Does anyone know of any other wonderful Castor Bean or Datura (I'm thinking double purple for next year) varieties?

The Magnolia and Aesculus should be planted fresh.  I tried to get some Aesculus last year but left them in the basement and they completely shriveled up.  Needless to say, none of them sprouted.  I know the Magnolia could take up to 20 years to get the first bloom, but I would still like to try and grow them.  Has anyone tried sprouting them before?

Happy thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians!  I'd also like to wish the best to everyone that is attending the National Equality March in the US!


I don't expect the little Aesculus seeds to sprout but I couldn't throw them out for some reason.  You never know...

Adenium arabicum Update I (94 Days)

A few weeks ago I transplanted the Adenium arabicum when they started to get a bit big.  Until this point they had been growing rapidly with no sign of slowing down.  After the transplant the growth unfortunately slowed to a stop.  I found this to be very discouraging because these plants can supposedly take a lot of abuse (as long as they're not standing in water).

However I've since learned that although they are difficult to kill, they can be very finicky.  Other people growing this plant have had similar experiences.  It may be something as simple as a temperature change or moving the plant from inside to out.  Growth stops immediately and the plants tend to drop their leaves.  They nearly always grow back as long as the stems don't become mushy, but it's really frustrating.  If they had continued growing at their previous rate, these plants may have been two or three times the size they are now.
I decided to upload a picture so you can see what this 'delightful' event looks like.  Most of the seedlings have lost at least a few leaves but I figure the remaining ones have stayed because they are so young.  These leaves have many yellow patches and I'm not sure if they'll stay until new leaves are formed or just drop off.  I've reduced watering in an effort to prevent rotting but I am worried that they'll try and go dormant.  I don't know what the survival rate would be for two month old seedlings (the size of one month olds).

If anyone has and tips or suggestions I would really appreciate it.  It almost looks like some of the leaves have an insect infestation (which is apparently also a problem when there is low humidity) but I've inspected and don't think there are any.  I haven't seen anything suggesting new growth.  Could they also be putting out new roots?

Update

Hey everyone, I just decided to do a quick post to let you know I'm still here. I'm hoping to update a few times this weekend. I've been really busy with classes and have already begun my career search. I've completely redone my resume, references, and cover letter template. I've also already applied to a company to work in May 2010 (I had no idea the deadlines would be this early). It's almost unbelievable how much time it takes to research companies and apply.

I've got a large number of projects, assignments and quizzes but I'll try my best to keep up with the posting. It's also been cloudy and raining for over a week and I would prefer not to upload dozens of grey-day pictures.

Spring Seedlings!

For anyone else that lives in the Northern Hemisphere and is devastated by the thought of the approaching winter, I figured I would upload this beam of light. Many of the labs require vegetables. As a result we've started literally thousands of peas, beans and tomato plants.

So I've uploaded a photo of the bean and pea sprouts so you can pretend it's spring too (maybe if we all believe just enough it will really happen... or maybe not). The colour is a little weird because it's been raining for the last week and the artificial lights are on. I learned in my risk analysis and decision making class that London, Ontario actually gets more rain than Dublin. Who would have thought.

I think I might ask if I can start some of my own vegetable seeds so I can harvest some fresh ones in the middle of the winter! First I need to try and get my Moringa, Musa basjoo, Adansonia digitata (Baobab), Hippeastrum (amaryllis), etc. plants in. I think I may just have to ask for a small bench. Better yet why not an entire greenhouse? Wish me luck!

Bougainvillea Colours!

I think I have fallen in love with Bougainvillea. They are simply gorgeous! On either side of the entrance to the lower greenhouse there are about three Bougainvillea in several different colours. They really helps to brighten even the drabbest of days.

I thought that maybe with the summer coming to a close so would the flowering. However the opposite seems to have happened. They are covered with more blossoms than they have every had before. We've also started about 30 other cuttings from the pink variety which themselves are beginning to flower. Some of them are only twigs.

Below you can see some of the nicest plants. I hope they help to brighten your Wednesday!

Laburnum watereri (76 Days) Update

The Laburnum watereri (Golden Chain Tree) sprouts have been growing well but relatively slowly. They are already starting to branch. I don't think I want to leave them outside this winter. They are just too young and I don't want to risk loosing them. I really should have started the seeds in the spring instead of late summer.

The old leaves are a little sun burnt (I put them right into full sun which I don't recommend), but the plants still look adorable to me. I'm probably the only person in the world that thinks that but I'm alright with that. I just won't tell anyone so I don't have to face public ridicule. Oh wait, it's too late for that and there's no going back...

Kalanchoe beharensis (Elephant Ear) Plantlets

Prior to my working in the greenhouses I had no idea that Kalanchoe beharensis (Elephant Ear) existed. I have grown to love the plants and have been looking for an opportunity to get some of my own. A few days ago I noticed that one of the less than stellar specimens had finished flower and was covered with little plantlets.

They fell off very easily when touched so I grabbed several dozen and tossed them in a bag in my back pack. When I got home I left them in the bag for about two days (busy week). I then added water and let them sit for another three days (very busy week). They managed to suck up all of the initial water and I had to add more.

They had little roots when I picked them and they have grown substantially. The plantlets now look stretched with with large leaves on the bottom (which would be on the soil surface) then a thin about 1cm in length stem with two small leaves at the top.

Musa basjoo

UPDATE:  My Musa basjoo is a lot happier in the greenhouse.  The size of each leaf has doubled!


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It started to get a bit cool here so I'm bringing in some of the more tender plants. The first to come in is a Musa basjoo. Supposedly it's cold tolerant and would survive winters here. The stem would die but it should resprout from the rhizomes in the spring (with a little protection). Unfortunately I'm not yet ready to tempt fate. There are now four young pups at the base so I figure I'll be willing to risk some next year.

I've had this plant for about a year and a half. For the first summer I kept it in a small pot and it didn't end up growing very much. I brought it in for the winter and it put out a few leaves but barely grew. In the spring I decided to stick it in the ground and it has done very well. The summer was really cool but it's now about 1.5m tall and the stem thickness has quadrupled.

I'm hoping to bring it into the greenhouses for the winter so it continues to grow. I'll probably offer one of the pups as payment. I'm sure they won't care either way but I figure if I'm using space/water/fertilizer the least I can do is supply a new specimen.

I was very surprised to find that the root ball was relatively small. It was out of the ground in under a minute. I thought about removing the two largest pups but I figure it's best to wait until spring. It's already been though a shock so I shouldn't tempt fate.

If anyone has succesfully overwintered basjoo in zone 5/6 i would really appreciate hearing about your methods. Then I can refer back to them next winter.

I love bananas, even with damaged leaves! They are just so tropical looking.

New Hibiscus

I thought I had seen all of our varieties of Hibiscus but yesterday I found out I was wrong. This one is located in the tropical room underneath a mango tree. It's the only one I know of in the UWO collection that has a distinct two tone colour. It has a very tropical and simple look.

Epiphyllum Bloom

Another one of our Epiphyllum began blooming this week. It's beautiful, but not as nice as this bright pink one from several weeks ago. The flowers don't seem to open completely until there is full sun.