Monday, September 23, 2013

Can you honestly say it's not cute???

Found this little (well, big) thing sliming along one of my path slabs.

I thought it was cute.

So I took some pics.

Then... rolled it over a leaf and tossed it in the chicken enclosure. I am not sure which one was the lucky one!




Arisaema ringens - End of season

Remember the weird yet beautiful bloom from March?
The plant withstood my balcony conditions until last week when almost all of a sudden the two leaves startewd yellowing and flopping over.
I knew it was time!
I lifted it up, and I saw most of the roots were mushy. I guess I continued watering it long after I should have stopped.
The rhizome itself is much bigger than I remember (at potting time) and I can see 2-3 little offshoots developing, so hopefully next spring I will see more than just two leaves.
I cleaned all the dead roots, leaving only the still-ok ones and moved it to another much smaller pot, without watering.
Won't need water till next spring I THINK!
Would love to try different ones... A. griffithii var pradhanii being probably my favorite but I still yet have to buy seeds/rhizomes.







Podranea ricasoliana - blooming when all is gone!

In a pot, although I am temped to root cuttings and try them in the garden, and see if enything comes back in spring.
An experiment a bit late for this year... but there's always next year.

I overwintered it in a dark and cold room just a bit above freezing, it suffered a lot, cut off all dead parts in spring and just waited.

For a long time nothing happened but then I moved it to a bigger pot.
Not sure whether this helped, or it was just the "right time" coming -  now at the end of September (quite cool nights and even days when it's cloudy)

BUT it's all dressed up in gorgeous pink striped blooms.

I love it!

Well, compared to other pics I see online, and considering it's a VINE, mine's actually of "decent" size but I'd rather have it as it is, then to spend an hour cutting long branches in late fall, when I need to bring it inside.

 Once again... I LOVE IT!