An Under Glass Event

Not as exciting as today's announcement of mankind's first ever
image of a Black Hole and yet to a gardener my own observation
creates an adrenaline induced observation.

 New life and a new promise for tomorrow.

There are always risks when putting cuttings among other variations of plant
life under glass. While a new shoot develops, the last remaining leaf is in
stages of rot. All the while the original cutting tries to develope a supporting
root system.

So the cycle of life continues.

Tie 'Em Up If You Have To

Just after a nice mid dry season rain to spruce up the yard. So why not add a
new welcomed specimen to a near crowded yard and better take
advantage of this plants clinging ability, but not without an assist. This ten
year old Crape Myrtle should work out ideally.

This heirloom Cereus cactus spends a lot of it's time of it's life as a non-terrestrial.
As it grows roots to help attach it's self to whatever it finds it's self growing next to
to help steer it to the right growing conditions that it needs. Let a lone, securing it to
a life elevated.

There's to telling how old the original specimen is that I spotted in a friends yard. These
fairly new cuttings will give it a new lease on life here in my backyard Florida paradise.

Flower Power Meets Day Of The Dead That Welcomes The 60's Hippy Culture

What do beads and gardening have to do with each other, your ask?

My brother sent me this cut glass medallion and asked me to wrap it in copper,
which I did. This is my first pass and already have a better design in mind.

My brother and I share the same passion for plants as did both our parents, but
we don't share much else and not that close in summation.

So if plants don't make us closer, perhaps my ability to design and bead may be
bring us in closer.

He sent me these beads of his liking and adding some of my own along with his expectations.

Here are my first attempts and without giving too much away, this started my journey down

this means of sowing the seeds of sprouting what family means.

 With the potential for wearable art and expression.

Ionopsis utricularioides - Update5

It's been about eight months since last update and last bloom from
this specimen was last acquired.

Well to my surprise and like these surprises. What do I spot?

Look here, screams the orange arrow.

This is last years growth that did not bloom last fall, which tells me
that this specimen is capable of blooming at least twice a year.

I have since gotten two more new sprouts also, which may take until this fall to
bloom, which still leaves a mystery to as when this current sprout with a new bloom
first sprouted. Yes, gardening can bring some detective work and may require
lots of patience.

Another angle and no distracting orange arrow to detour your gaze from this
native Florida orchid.

Cacoa Tree Gets A Health Screening

Changing out the soil and checking out root ball for good health.
It's hard to find manufactured soil that is not in Miracle Grow's monopoly
of most brick n mortar stores. Alas, in our relatively Florida small town I was
able to find a Canadian brand soil without the manmade chemical based, sand
laden stuff that passes as soil these days. People, if you can't lift a bag of packaged
soil with one hand, don't waste your hard earned dollars. On top of all our manmade
plastics that pollute the Earth, lets not add plastic base moisture retention additives
that are passing as soil amendments.

Stepping off my soapbox.

My composted soil that I'm brewing is far a way
from a finished product. So I will have to make due
with this store bought product shown at left that
appears to be a decent product, but not without
adding some supplements of my own to help with
the health and well being
of my captured Cacao tree.

What better placed to start is the health of this specimen's root ball.
Removing the plant from it's two year confinement, roots look
well developed and without crowding. Was no easy task. Root ball soil
looks a bit compressed and natural for a two year old root base. No indication
of rot or spoilage as you might examine and smell leftovers kept in your
refrigerator. Any loose soil than can be removed from the old root ball and
without disturbing the roots, in order to minimize any unnecessary shock.

Adding some Orchid mix and Charcoal bits for some coarse aeration.
Rock dust for some diverse minerals. This tree will think it died and gone
to the green house in the sky. Not pictured is another additive, the stinkiest organic
fertilizer that I recently found and had some great results as an organic fertilizer.
too lazy and to fetch for a photo op, let alone it being quite odorous.

You noticed that I'm doing this gardening task in my kitchen.

What better place to provided good health and nourishment not only for my plants
as I would for myself.

Same pot after being scrub and a fresh supply of soil. What spent soil I was able to
salvage from this original root ball will go as top dressing in my potted vegetable
garden outdoors. That gratefully salvaged top dressing will be richer than anything
it has seen since it got a fresh pot of compost.

Once in place in it's home away from home and a good drenching of some stored
rain water. With hope that there will be no more temperatures below sixty. Although
with due diligence in the monitoring of temperatures. I look forward to another year of
good health and growth.

This plants health screening coincided with my own health screening this year. Trust
me when I say that I take just as good as my health as I do this plant.

So, here's to good health!

Good health is nothing that is a given, but something that has to be actively pursued
and achieved.

Plant Swap Tuesday - Spread The Green

I traded my Bald Cypress volunteer seedling (shown above) for some North
American native Blue-eyed grass - Sisyrinchium angustifolium (not shown) with
a fellow yogi and master gardener today.

Spread the Green!

I Have A Neighbor Whom Both Are Plant Collectors Like My Self

My neighbor gave me stalk of this heirloom white begonia.

I thought I would capture this cutting under a glass dome and watch the magic begin.