MucknMire

Interesting article

2009-02-04T03:25:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've posted...I had nothing interesting and found myself repeating things from previous years.

Here's an interesting article I ran across from Wired entitled "Amazing Chemicals Invented by Nature, Rebuilt in Lab".
An excerpt:

Natural substances can treat cancer, prolong life and trigger amazing hallucinations.

But although nature can make a remarkably wide variety of chemicals — far more than the best molecule-making robots — it does not always deliver them in bulk. Drug companies and medical researchers often turn to organic chemists when they need something that is too rare or too difficult to harvest from the wild.

Click on the thumbnails at the bottom right of the article and you'll come across things like,

"The substance used to make the drug, shikimic acid, is found in Chinese star anise and was in short supply."

My favorite was on the Death Cap mushroom (not as cool a name as the "Destroying Angel A. virosa, but...), Amanita phalloides. "Eat a deathcap mushroom, and your next stop is the morgue. It contains a chemical called amantin, which destroys the liver and kidneys."

(Here's the interesting part) "But that's not all. It has another poison, called phalloidin, that sticks to the scaffolding of cells. That substance is less deadly and has a useful purpose: By attaching the toxin to a fluorescent dye, researchers can study the inner workings of cells, and watch how they divide. Those observations can shed some light on how cancer works and the way tissues grow."

So, check out the article.

Interesting mushroom, Rounded Earthstar and ramblings about the dearth of acorns

2008-12-03T09:21:00.000-08:00

I spotted these unique looking mushrooms growing under a Colorado Blue Spruce while on the dog walk. Last year I noticed a dry husk of the same mushroom on the sidewalk where the current crop is growing. At first I thought the dry husk was some kind of dry flower like Woodrose, Merremia tuberosa but it was spongy and leathery rather than brittle like the woodrose so I thought it must be some kind of fungus.

I looked it up in my Audubon mushroom guide and found it is Geastrum saccatum the Rounded earthstar. Here's a nice website on Geastrum saccatum. It's supposed to be a common mushroom but I have only seen it once, twice now under this particular blue spruce. The fruiting body resembles an acorn - which speaking of is very scarce around these parts this year. We had a bumper crop of acorns 2 years ago and a lot last year too but nada this year, not a single one to be found on any oak tree. I heard an NPR interview with a Northeast naturalist and she also mentioned the scarcity of acorns this year. I wonder what's up??

Color too nice not to post

2008-11-30T16:25:00.000-08:00

These are old photos taken earlier this fall. I've been so busy I haven't had the time to post them until now. The colors this fall was exceptional and long lasting.

Service berry, Shadblow, Amelanchier laevis?

Blueberry, Vaccinium. This particular bush planted right outside our backdoor produced a load of berries and this colorful sight in the fall.

Witch hazel, Hammamelis × intermedia - yellow flower variety.

Burning bush, Euonymus alatus.

Witch hazel, Hammamelis × intermedia - red flower variety.

Witch alder, Fothergilla gardenii.

Christmas cactus blooming and Bhut Jolokia pepper taste test

2008-11-24T16:42:00.001-08:00

The so called "Christmas cactus" is in full bloom before Thanksgiving. We put it outdoors last summer shaded from the afternoon hot sun by a maple tree and despite the pale looking plant parts it obviously has thrived. This is the most blooms it has produced since we first bought it several years ago.

The long awaited Bhut Jolokia Taste Test.

Well, I finally worked up the courage to give the world's hottest pepper a taste. I was cutting the peppers in half this weekend to speed the drying and cut a small sliver the size of 1/2 a grain of long grain rice. I popped it into my mouth and almost immediately spit it out as I could feel the burn happening. The burn continued to migrate to every part of the mouth so I'm glad I didn't try a larger piece or kept it in longer. The burn lasted a good 10-15 minutes. I made sure I cut the piece out of the wall of the pepper and not the placental membrane to which the seeds are attached - purported to be the hottest part of the pepper.

So it lives up to its reputation even when grown in less than ideal conditions in New Jersey. I would guess that smaller than grain of rice piece of Bhut Jolokia was the equivalent of a whole tiny round chilipiquin pepper. It also tastes much like a Habanero.

Interestingly, although the NMSU The Chili Pepper Institute mentions that the Bhut Jolokia pepper produce only very few seeds, but the peppers I grew have about 30 seeds in each pod. I expected about 5 seeds for each pod after reading the TCPI article.

Bhut Jolokia (world's hottest pepper) update

2008-11-17T06:50:00.000-08:00

I got tired bringing in the Bhut Jolokia pepper plants for the cold nights and taking them out on sunny days. My original intention was to see if I could overwinter the peppers indoors but the aphids infested the plants despite three sprayings of neem and insecticidal soap. The aphids hid under the leaves so it was difficult to knock them off with a blast of water from the hose and they seem to survive in enough numbers after the insecticidal spray and came back in ever greater numbers.

So, I picked the peppers. Hopefully there will be seeds to plant next year. The Bhut Jolokia peppers are purported to have only very few seeds in each pod so we'll see when I get enough courage to open one up for a taste. I only grew this variety of pepper this year so the plants should breed true.

Surprisingly there were a good many decent sized peppers on the little bush. The leaves hid many so I didn't realize 30+ peppers were growing on the bush. I'll let you know how hot those devils are. I don't think we have enough hot sunny days in New Jersey to develop the maximum hotness. At least that has been our experience growing Jalapenos, Tepin, Piquin, Thai, Cayenne peppers in previous years.

Fall colors of Japanese maple, Acer palmatum 'Sango kaku'

2008-11-08T18:14:00.000-08:00

Acer palmatum, 'Sango kaku' 3 weeks ago. Leaves have a slight greenish tint.

'Sango kaku' one week ago - peak color.

Sango kaku today, Saturday November 08, 2008 - past peak but still nice. .

Another of the coral bark Japanese maples - 'Beni kawa', literally, red skin or bark.

The Japanese maple, Acer palmatum, 'Sango kaku' was nicely turning color just before I left on a trip to Seattle 2 weeks ago. I am amazed that almost all the leaves on the tree will turn at the same time with the exception of new branches that put on a growth spurt in late summer. When I got back from the trip, the tree was almost past peak and a week later definitely past it's prime but still quite nice to look at. We've had a mild fall so far and that accounts for the still good color.

This was a tree I almost gave up on. I planted it in a north western exposure where the winter winds blasted it unmercifully. After three years of no growth, I finally moved it to a sheltered place in the backyard and the tree immediately put on a growth spurt. When I bought the tree it was about 4 feet tall. It is now about 10 feet tall, more than double it's original size in 3 years.

If you plant but one Japanese maple, this cultivar would be my recommendation. Even after the leaves drop the red branches provide some color in an otherwise drab winter scene.

Camellia sasanqua

2008-10-31T04:20:00.000-07:00

Returned from my trip to Seattle but unfortunately no pictures because I didn't take my camera - my free time was very limited and I didn't think I would see much to photograph. I did see a couple of interesting plants which I couldn't identify. One looked like a very attractive weed with dark green leaves and purple stem with small yellow flowers on stalks.

There were also many varieties of Japanese maples starting to turn. We lived in Seattle about 10 years ago and noticed the many Japanese maples planted in peoples yard but I didn't realize there were so many varieties - I just lumped them into one "Japanese maple" category. But even with the limited exposure to the Japanese maples I had this time, I noticed several different kinds by the leaf patterns.

Anyway, I'm back at home now and the Camellia sasanqua 'Marti' is in full bloom. It started blooming sporadically about 3 weeks ago. The Camellia japonica 'Spring's Promise' is full of buds too but has not bloomed yet.

I took these photos before I went on the trip.

The Tiarella I planted in late summer bloomed for the first time. I like this plant more and more.

The Corydalis 'Blackberry Wine Red' has been blooming quite a while now and seems to be unfazed by the frosty mornings we've experienced for the past week.

Flowers of the Italian basil. I find these small flowers quite charming though they usually remain unnoticed when the larger and more colorful, decorative flowers are in their full glory.

Thai basil flowers. I think these are even more attractive than the Italian basil.

Spring in Autumn?

2008-10-17T18:06:00.001-07:00

We bought an end of season flowering cherry in mid-summer to replace a crab apple severely affected by cedar apple rust. Since we have many more cedar trees than crab apples it was easier to eliminate two rather than a dozen trees even if one of them was the cherished tree marking the grave of our much beloved cat, Wily. We planted the cherry to replace the crab apple marking the grave. I thought our cat wouldn't mind.

Surprisingly, the tree is blooming now! I take this as a sign Wily approves of the choice.

The mild fall we've been experiencing has the plants a bit confused. Bulbs are sprouting but not flowering in our yard. But I did see some crocus blooming in someone's yard today. The Golden Chain tree is also blooming but it has done that for a couple of years now.

The cherry tree is a Prunus ‘Accolade’ a hybrid cross between P. sargentii and P. subhirtella. We bought the tree without knowing what the flowers looked like because it didn't have a picture tag but with a name like accolade, I thought we couldn't miss and I was right. It has beautiful flowers.

Of the 5 different kinds of cherries growing in our yard, Kwanzan, Yoshino, weeping Higan Cherry?, purple-leafed Kwanzan and now Accolade, I am leaning toward the Accolade as my favorite. I think the very dark green leaves make a perfect backdrop for the semi double flowers. I can hardly wait for the real Spring to see it covered with flowers.

None of the other cherries have flowers or buds.

Anemones and Tricyrtis

2008-10-13T17:58:00.000-07:00

Two Anemones I bought a couple of years ago are finally blooming. The first photo is Anemone Japonica 'Mont Rose'. Quite a lovely tall flower. It is a mystery that not many nurseries online offer this variety for sale.

The second Anemone may be A. 'Pamina' but I can't be sure. I received a very small plant and the leaves shriveled within a month so I thought it was dead and lost the name tag. But it sprouted again late next spring but it didn't flower. I thought it died again but it produced three small flowers this year so hopefully the plant will become more robust in a few years.

Anemone Japonica 'Mont Rose'.

Anemone hupehensis var. japonica 'Pamina'

More of the Tricyrtis we bought in late summer are blooming.
** Update. Well I really botched the identification of the Tricyrtis. The first one is actually T. lasiocarpa 'Amethystina' and it really is a beauty.

Tricyrtis lasiocarpa 'Amethystina'. In my opinion, a very beautiful toad lily. I've corrected the names of the other Tricyrtis too.

Two photos of Tricyrtis formosana 'Sinome'

Tricyrtis variegata

Tricyrtis formosana 'Dark Beauty'

Wordless Wednesday? Not quite ...

2008-10-08T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hydrangea paniculata 'Quick Fire'. Quick Fire is quick. It blooms about a month before Hydrangea paniculata floribunda or H. paniculata 'Lime Light'. I am a bit disappointed that the color isn't redder. The picture on the label was distinctly bright red. The plant has grown and filled out quite a lot, producing many more flowers as a result.

Hydrangea paniculata floribunda under mackerel skies. This is a prolific bloomer and surprisingly the flowers are a deeper dusky pink than the above H. paniculata 'Quick Fire'. Our favorite H. paniculata.

Deciduous Holly, Ilex verticillata 'Winter Gold' Winterberry.

Geranium 'Rozanne' still blooming.

Volunteer Ageratum. We planted Ageratum last year, but none this year. This one came up very late and is only blooming now. I wonder why it took so long for the seed to germinate? No other plant has appeared.

Black Cohosh.

Tricyrtis 'Togen'.

Tricyrtis formosana 'Gilt Edge'.

A Mystery Anemone and Others

2008-10-05T06:24:00.000-07:00

This mysterious Anemone appeared as a volunteer. It doesn't resemble any of the other Anemones we have and I suspect it may be a cross between A. Tomentosa Robustissima and A. Victor Jones or perhaps a cross between the white Anemone, A. Honorine Jobert and the A. Tomentosa Robustissima. I do like the single, whitish petals outlined with pink and it bloomed the first year from seed. It is quite a nice entirely free addition to our collection of Anemones.

ANEMONE japonica Margarette

Anemone hybrida 'Party Dress' continues to exasperate. The tall thin stems are too weak to support the heavy double flowers so they fall over. The flowers are very lovely so I hope they will improve the breed to have stronger stems.

Anenome Japonica 'Whirlwind'

Anemone japonica 'Honorine Jobert'

Anemone japonica 'Max Vogel'?

Anemone Robustissima and Honorine Jobert together.

Anemone 'Honorine Jobert' grows very nicely in its favored location with afternoon sun.

Giant Brunnera leaf (Siberian Bugloss) and other miscellaneous fall photos

2008-09-26T09:43:00.000-07:00

The Brunnera macrophylla was aptly named - macrophylla = large or big leaves. Some of the leaves are bigger than my hand. The B. 'Jack Frost' variegated leaves were never that big so I was surprised to see how large the plain green ones became. The leaves look like a much bigger version of the wild violets we have growing in our lawn - same dark green color and heart shaped leaves.

Actaea racemosa, formerly Cimicifuga racemosa - Black cohosh, Black bugbane, Black snakeroot or Fairy candle. Last year the plant put all it's growth into one stem. Consequently it grew very tall but produced one main flower spike and several smaller spikes off of the main flower stem. This year it put up several stems with the resultant increase in number of flower spikes but they are about a foot shorter than last year's spike. A very pretty plant with dark purple almost black stems.

Unknown Tricyrtis. We bought both the white and spotted plants as tiny seedlings many years ago. I really like the white variety but unfortunately it was planted under some trees and shrubs and has all but disappeared. A tiny seedling grew just far enough out of the heavy shade and just produced these flowers for the first time. The spotted ones were placed in a location with better light and is thriving, though some azaleas and rhododendrons will threaten it in a few years.

Rose 'Honey Perfume' with the morning dew lining the tips of the petals.

Growing the World's hottest pepper. Bhut Jolokia, update.

2008-09-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

What a difference a month makes. Time and the right growing conditions created an explosion of growth. See the before and after photos below.

Before: August 18, 2008

After: September 20, 2008

So... what I have learned about Bhut Jolokia culture:
1. Plant seeds when the temperatures are consistently in the high 60's to low 70's.
2. Keep soil moist until the plant germinates.
3. As soon as the seeds germinate place the plant in partial shade - the seedlings don't like full sun, especially direct overhead sun.
4. When several of the true leaves are evident, place the plant where it will receive morning and late afternoon sun.
5. Someone mentioned that peppers are heavy feeders and I can vouch for that. I feed my plants daily with a dilute liquid fish fertilizer. I also planted the seeds in a commercial garden soil mix. I don't like potting soil because it dries out too readily.

Some of the mornings are pretty cool these days, high 50's are quite common. I've left the pepper plants outdoors and they seem unfazed by the coolness. I'll bring the plants indoors when the temperatures go below the mid fifties.

Before: August 18, 2008

After: September 20, 2008

The plant given to me by the owner of the nursery we frequent has grown quite a bit too but mostly sideways. I guess it is putting most of its energy in producing fruit.

The numerous pods (approx. 18 with more flowers and tiny pods appearing) are growing nicely. Each pepper is about 2 1/2 inches long and 1" wide. Two are just starting to turn the bright orange characteristic of the mature pepper pod.

Fall Anemones

2008-09-15T06:24:00.000-07:00

The fall anemones are starting to bloom. We bought about 11 different ones and two which haven't bloomed previously have set buds so I'm anxiously awaiting to see what the flowers look like. I'll post pictures as soon as they bloom. In the meantime here's what's blooming now.

There seems to be few blooms this year but the colored ones are much more vivid with saturated deep hues.

A. x hybrida 'Honorine Jobert'

A. x hybrida 'Whirlwind'

Unknown anemone. It looks like A. Robustissima tomentosa but blooms a month later. The bumblebees sure love it!

Anemone hupensis

Anemone 'Prince Henry'

A. 'Victor Jones'?

A. x hybrida 'Party Dress'

Seven Sons Tree and other late season flowers

2008-09-10T04:23:00.000-07:00

Seven Sons tree in bloom.

Heptacodium miconioides, syn. H. jasminoides Family: Caprifoliaceae.

From the Spring Meadow Nursery website: "Native to the Zhejiang Province of China, Heptacodium was first introduced to the west by the famous plant explorer E. H. Wilson. For some reason the plant remained obscure until 1980 when the plant was reintroduced from China and promoted to the nursery trade by the Arnold Arboretum. In a relatively short period of time the nursery community has embraced this plant and has now made it available to the public. While Heptacodium may still be hard to find in the Midwest, it has become all the rage in the East and enthusiasm for the plant is spreading west. I have seen stunning mature plants in Massachusetts, Ohio and Minnesota but only in botanical gardens. As for the trade, I have seen smaller plants in some of the more progressive nurseries, but it is still hard to find mature plants outside the East Coast. I am pleased to say that I found two progressive growers listing Heptacodium in the MNLA buyers guide: Huggett Sod Farm and Ray Weigand's Nursery. The availability of Heptacodium will follow demand as more people are fortunate enough to see this plant in its prime and discover this little know treasure."

From the Rare Find Nursery.com site: "First collected in 1907 by E.H. Wilson in Hupei Province, China and then forgotten, it was introduced to the U. S. by the Arnold Arboretum. H. miconioides is rare in China, with few if any now growing in the wild."

From the Garden Gal, The Southern Great Lakes Gardener site: "Each flower stalk blooms with seven flowers, hence the name, Seven Sons Tree or Seven Sons Flower."

From the Rainyside Gardeners site:
"Geographic Origin: China.
Plant Group: Shrub.
Hardiness: Sunset zones: 2b-6, 14-17. USDA zones: 5-8.
Mature size: Height: 20 feet (6 m). Width: 8-10 feet (2.5-3 m).
Flowering period: Late summer to late autumn.
Flowering attributes: Clusters of fragrant, creamy white flowers born in clusters of seven, followed by clusters of showy purple fruit with bright purple-red calyxes.
Leaf attributes: Four-inch long, ovate, deciduous, green leaves that turn purple-bronze in autumn.
Light: Full sun to light, dappled shade.
Soil: Fertile, well-drained soil.
Feeding: Side dress with compost and a complete organic fertilizer in the spring.
Propagation Methods: Sow seed as soon as ripe. | Softwood cuttings in spring.
Pruning Methods: In late winter or early spring prune out crossed branches or branches too tall, to maintain good shape."

If you'd like to try growing the Seven Sons tree, Park Seed Company has it for a very reasonable $12.95 + shipping. I have no affiliation with Park Seed.

Petasites japonicum/japonicus variegata, giganteum. Here's an interesting site on this plant.

And a discussion group with photos about this plant from the Dave's Garden Community Forums.

Corydalis 'Berry Exciting'.

Anemone tomentosa 'Robustissima'.

Allium tuberosum, Garlic Chives

.

Rosa 'Honey Perfume'

Rosa 'Hot Cocoa'.

Spent late blooming flower of the Magnolia virginiana, aka sweet bay magnolia.

More Anemones.

One of the new colored Delphiniums.

Cornus controversa 'Variegata', Giant Dogwood. I bought this plant as a tiny foot tall tree. It has grown to 4 feet tall in a year. I fear I may have planted it in too crowded a location.

Unknown Anemones.

Hydrangea paniculata, Peegee?, Grandiflora?

Anemone tomentosa 'Robustissima'.

Oriental lily 'Dizzy'.

Variegated Liriope.

Heucheras (coral bells) and kin

2008-09-05T05:33:00.000-07:00

Our trees and shrubs have grown considerably and consequently we have lots of shade now. Our once barren yard is mostly shaded and many of the struggling, wan, sun loving plants need to be replaced. Luckily we found the wholesale nursery which has a good selection of shade loving plants. We bought many Brunnera, Dicentra, Ligularia, Tricyrtis, and now Huecheras. The picture above shows our recent haul. I hadn't looked at Huecheras for many years and didn't realize they had so many great varieties now with many different leaf colors.

It will be a busy weekend of planting but I hope we get some rain from Hanna. We haven't had a real rain for about 2 months - the earth is parched and bone dry.

H. 'Georgia Peach'

Heucherella 'Alabama Sunrise'

H. x villosa, 'Encore'

H. 'Crimson Curls'

H. 'Tiramisu'

H. 'Christa'

H. 'Ginger Ale'

H. 'Caramel'

H. 'Citronelle'

Tiarella, Allegheny Foam Flower, 'Wherryi'

Tiarella are related to Huechera. The look-a-like's are both in the Saxifrage family but the Tiarella blooms in spring and Huechera in summmer.

Interestingly Huechera and Tiarella are crossed, producing the hybrid Heucherella. The 'Alabama Sunrise' in the third photo from the top is an example of this cross breeding. It will be interesting to see whether it blooms in spring or summer.

Here's an interesting University of Arkansas website with lots of information about Huecherella and a great explanation of the x in hybrid notation. Here's an excerpt:

"The "x" is a universal symbol used to denote a plant hybrid. The placement of the symbol is important. If it’s placed between the two names of a plant, that tells us that the hybrid is a cross between two species within a genus, as was the case of Dragonwing begonia we discussed last week. These are called interspecific hybrids."

"But when the "x" comes before the plant name, that tells us we are dealing with an intergeneric hybrid - a cross between two different plant genera. Because the symbol seems to dangle in the stream of a sentence, non-plant people involved in editing copy do all sorts of things with the pesky "x", most often omitting it all together."

Now you know - I didn't.

Kirengeshoma palmatum, Yellow Wax Bells and other late season flowers

2008-09-03T04:55:00.000-07:00

I wanted to obtain a plant after seeing an interesting collector's article about Kirengeshoma palmatum in Horitculture. I first tried seeds. The instructions for growing it was daunting, with a long period of cold stratification and up to 4 months for germination. Not one of the 5 seeds I received germinated. Fortunately I was able to buy a growing specimen and it has just started blooming.

Kirengeshoma palmatum.

The evergreen Singapore Plumeria only produced one stalk of flowers this year. We had at least 5 last year. However, the flowers are very fragrant this year...a result of maturity?... which makes up for the small amount. The flowers in previous years were not very fragrant.

The variegated Eupatorium fortunei, 'Pink Elegance' in bud form.

Tricyrtis Hirta, 'Gilt Edge'. After 6 years, our shrubs and trees have grown luxuriously. We now have lots of shade, too much in fact so we are looking for part shade/shade, understory plants. We purchased a number of different Tricyrtis, Heuchera Coral Bells, Brunnera and Dicentra Bleeding Heart to fill in the now empty areas, exposed after some heavy pruning.

And another common Zinnia - because it looked so nice with the dappled light playing on the flower.

Daphne 'Carol Mackie' and other flowers

2008-08-30T05:10:00.000-07:00

The Daphne is blooming again. It caught me by surprise - I thought Daphnes bloomed in the spring. The flowers don't have very much perfume and I had to stick my nose up to the flowers to smell anything but the beautifully variegated leaves more than make up for the lack of scent. I guess I'll have to buy D. odorata or D. odora if I want one with perfume but I don't think it will survive our winters.

Daphne x burkwoodii 'Carol Mackie'

Interestingly colored Zinnia. I love the dusky orange with hint of pink at the base of the petals.

Eupatorium coelestinum, Mist Flower, Hardy Ageratum

I'm a bit confused about the name of this Geranium. I thought it was Roxanne but I keep seeing references to Rozanne; Geranium 'Rozanne', The 2008 Perennial Plant of the Year. The flower looks different than the pictures I've seen of Rozanne but articles I've seen say Roxanne is a typo. ???

Floribunda Rose, Rosa 'Angel Face'

Late summer flowers

2008-08-24T18:40:00.001-07:00

Trumpet lily.

Penstemon

Great Blue Lobelia, Lobelia siphilitica with crown of buds an interesting feature in its own right.

Callirhoe involucrata, Purple poppy mallow, Winecup, a native wildflower.

Several types of Helenium.

Tricyrtis (Toad Lily) 'Togen'

Ligularia dentata 'Othello'.

Pink version of the Lobelia

500th blog post & World's Hottest Pepper, Bhut Jolokia update

2008-08-19T04:23:00.000-07:00

This is my 500th post for this blog. A milestone of some sorts I guess.

Last weekend we went back to the wholesale nursery because they were having a dollar sale. Of course the dollar plants were not the ones we wanted so we ended up spending a lot of green again. As I went to pay for our largess, I saw a hot pepper poster which did not include the world's hottest pepper the Bhut Jolokia. I mentioned to the owner that I was trying to grow some from seed. He was skeptical and asked me where I obtained my seeds. I said I got them from the The Chile Pepper Institute in New Mexico (NMSU) so he was convinced that I was actually growing the authentic Bhut Jolokia and not something else.

I told him that my pepper plants were doing poorly only recently producing secondary leaves after two months. I said I moved the plants to a shadier location and the plants responded positively. He said he planted the seeds directly into the garden and his plants similarly languished. He dug all the plants and potted them, placing the pots where it received only half day (morning 'til noon) sun and they began to thrive. He then showed me a potted plant that was about a foot tall with several peppers forming. I was comforted to know that a professional propagator was having difficulty growing this pepper too.

The tiny pepper plants in the large pot are mine. The large plant is the one given to me by the nursery owner.

I thought all plants in the nightshade (Solanaceae) family needed full sun. We always planted our various varieties of hot peppers in full sun but the Bhut Jolokia apparently requires part shade.

I wanted to buy the plant but he said it wasn't for sale. As we were packing the plants to leave, he gave me the pepper plant and wouldn't take any payment. I guess having bought many (52) plants made him realize we were fairly serious gardeners and would take care of the precious pepper plant. The fact that I even knew the pepper existed possibly made him change his mind. We promised to bring him some pepper jelly if we harvested any peppers.

So now I have at least a fair chance of seeing a fully mature Bhut Jolokia pepper pod before the cold weather sets in. I will bring all the plants indoors in fall but peppers may be tough to grow inside - I hate to admit defeat and my tiny plants seem to be thriving now. After all, I hope I can look forward to turning all shades of purple after chomping on a Bhut Jolokia. I just hope I don't have a heart attack. Will keep you posted.

Wood Poppy Stylophorum diphyllum, Ligularia, Brunnera macrophylla and more photos of Silene uniflora 'Robin Whitebreast'

2008-08-11T05:13:00.000-07:00

Wood poppy.

Ligularia.

Brunnera macrophylla Alkanet, Siberian Bugloss and 'Jack Frost'

Silene uniflora 'Robin Whitebreast'.

Another interesting fungus, Tapioca Slime Brefeldia maxima? and Wild Petunia, Ruellia nudiflora

2008-08-08T05:09:00.000-07:00

I looked through my Audubon Society mushroom book but was unsure about the identification of this fungus. My best guess is the Tapioca Slime, Brefeldia maxima but the color shown in the book was white rather than the yellow in my photos.

It looked like yellow cake batter when I first saw it. Upon closer inspection the mass was actually made up of tiny balls which looks like tapioca.

I spotted this fungus on the same small decaying tree stump as the chocolate tube slime I saw in July. I find it interesting another fungus can occupy the same spot so soon. I thought the mycelia of the previous chocolate tube slime would still be present and ward off the newcomer - the decaying process continues.

UPDATE: What a difference a day makes. This is what the tapioca slime looks like a day later. It appears the round tapioca like balls structures were supported on stalks which has a passing resemblance to the Chocolate Tube slime below.

The previous occupant, Stemonitis splendens; Chocolate Tube Slime

This is Ruellia nudiflora, a native wildflower - the Common wild petunia also known as the Violet wild petunia, Violet ruellia, or Wild petunia. It is in the Acanthaceae Family. It is not related to the commonly grown petunias which belongs to the potato family, Solanaceae.

Midsummer Flowers and Pale, Sad, Cricket

2008-08-04T18:39:00.000-07:00

The crepe myrtle "Dynamite" continues to bloom well and the crimson red color seems to become more brilliant as it ages.

We made another trip to the new wholesale nursery and I discovered they had an extensive collection of geraniums. This one I couldn't resist. The name was too intriguing - "Little Monster".

The giant pagoda dogwood Cornus controversa variegata I bought from Heronswood grows strangely in a sprawling manner. I guess that's how it achieves it's layered look that I like but it looks as if it will be a spreader which we don't have room for. Mental note: get the pruners sharpened.

I understand the quick part of this Hydrangea paniculata "Quickfire" - it blooms about 2-3 weeks earlier than our regular H. paniculata but the fire part escapes me. The panicles were a bright red in the picture on the tag but our plant only becomes a dusky pink. Quite a disappointment. Another mislabeled plant?

Strange looking but highly colored daylily.

I believe I wrote about my appreciation of common zinnias in a past post. We planted some wildflower seeds and these zinnias were included. In the past I didn't like zinnias because most of the ones available were the orange pompom ones and that image stuck in my mind. I do like the single petaled ones more than the elaborate ones but I still don't like the orange ones. Even the past bloom flowers - actually way past bloom - are interesting as they reveal their structure.

A wild cucumber or melon flower. It doesn't seem to produce any fruit so I can't tell what it is but the flower is quite pretty.

Lots of the Hostas are blooming now. This is a giant leafed one with rounded leaves more than a foot in diameter.

I wouldn't normally post a picture of a Marigold but this one especially caught my eye. The fiery Rococco quality was hard to miss.

It is difficult to believe that this is a California poppy. Eschscholzia californica Mission Bells.

The first of the early blooming anemones, ANEMONE tomentosa robustissima is starting to flower. The hairy dark stems and green leaves make a nice contrast to the pink flowers.

I saw this cricket on the covering of the water barrel. The ones I usually see are black colored so this was an unusual find. The drooping eyes seem quite sad but as soon as its long antennae (at least 5 times it's body length) dectected the camera the eye shape seemed to change or it could be that a different tilt to the head made the eyes a more normal round shape.

The Magnolia Sieboldii is starting its second flush of flowers. There seems to be as many flower buds as in the spring. I only wish the flowers were upfacing so you could easily see the dark pink inner parts of the flower.

Rose "Honey Perfume".

One of the new hybrid Delphiniums.

What's blooming now?

2008-07-28T06:47:00.001-07:00

California Poppies, Eschscholzia californica and Big Beige Beetle

2008-07-23T05:44:00.000-07:00

Of all the flowering seeds I planted this year, the California Poppies are my favorite. The colorful and numerous flowers are just what we need during the hot months of summer. I thought I bought "Thai Silk" but surprisingly I was able to dig up my old order and found I actually bought "Mission Bells".

Only the normal single petaled common orange ones were the first to bloom so I was quite disappointed and thought the seed company sent me just the plain old regular ones but several weeks later the first of the other colors started to appear. This turned out to be a great selection because the texture of the flowers differ as well as size. The largest ones are almost 2" across and the smallest about an inch.

I get the feeling of deja vu as if I've written this before...oh well, the flowers are new and the plants are blooming well now.

These are photos of the Grapevine Beetle, Pelidnota punctata also known as Spotted June Beetle. This large beetle about an inch long was in the house crawling on the curtains. It is probably a female. The males tend to have a darker orangish color and are smaller.