Viewing comments posted by eclayne

Assuming that what I grow is in fact G. murielae, much of the literature underestimates its potential height. Last year was my first growing these, and in full sun and rich sandy loam my plants easily exceeded 4 feet in height. As recommended, I kept the soil constantly moist.
Some, but not all corms, flowered as Crocosmia 'Emberglow' reached its peak bloom. The pure white in the flowers works well with scarlet red. Bloom stalks continued to appear right up to first frost, at which point I cut them down and lifted them for winter storage. As 2013 was my first year growing these, I don't know whether this bloom cycle will occur again this year. As of a few days ago, all corms had overwintered well, stored in a box of peat in the basement. A bonus is the numerous white, pea-sized cormels they produced!

• Peacock Orchid (Gladiolus murielae)
• Uploaded by eclayne

This native of tropical moist forests in Amazonian Venezuela, Brazil, and Peru produces one or two inflorescences prior to growing a new leaf. The peduncle is very short or mostly below ground with a purple spathe. The tuber, which should be planted 4-8 inches deep, will produce numerous tubercles. Tubercles are said to be slow to germinate and should be kept in a slightly moist medium. Time will tell how mine do.

Young plants, from small tubers or tubercles, may be evergreen for several years. Mature plants often go dormant if water is withheld.

Native to the eastern Mediterranean, D. vulgaris grows in limestone soils on the Greek Island of Crete. In some locations the different inflorescence colors are found growing together in one community. Spathe color can vary from dark purple-red to red tinged white to white. Spadix colors vary from a nearly black-purple to yellow.

Sources note providing pH 7.5 will benefit the plant, as will regular feeding. This might explain the mediocre growth I've had with mine. Time to move and amend the soil.

Blooming in late June early July, mine went dormant by the end of July.

Trees are cultivated for their sap, which is used to create Chinese and Japanese lacquerware. Lacquer has been used in China for over 2,000 years as an effective, transparent protective coating as well as for making Cinnabar. The Terracotta Warriors, ca. 210 BC, were painted and then coated with lacquer prior to being buried.

The toxic sap contains urushiol oil, as do other Toxicodendron species such as Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) and Eastern Poison Oak (Toxicodendron pubescens).

Another variety from John Cho's breeding program at the University of Hawaii, this is a small leaved EEar, think Caladium size. The leaves emerge an almost florescent green but quickly turn to a dark coffee brown. By planting several tubers together, you get a nice tight clump, no stolons that I noticed, that reached a bit over 3 feet for me in a sunny location. I've stored most of the tubers dry, in peat, over winter but am growing two on just in case. It was happy being treated to extra water and fertilizer like other Colocasia. I'm guessing this one will be around for quite some time because of its superior color, tight clumping habit, and leaf size, which will make it easier to place in the mid-bed area.

This is another easy Aroid to grow and it's readily available. It's always fun waiting for the inflorescence to pop up, a bizarre thing. The spadices I've seen are up to 18 inches long with the spathe not much shorter. The larger the tuber the larger the inflorescence...and leaf, which emerges several weeks later. This is supposed to be a stinker, which I suppose is correct given the number of flies it attracts. So far I've been growing them in dappled to full shade, as the literature suggests, but will try a few in a sunnier location this year.

The tuber shrinks considerably while producing the inflorescence and leaf and then a "new" tuber is produced. Fertile, well draining soil helps the process along. I add time release granules and occasionally use a water soluble as well. While I mulched several tubers in ground this winter, as usual I lifted most of them for dry storage in the basement. I find removing the loose "skin" on the bottom of the tuber, the left-over of the old tuber, reduces the risk of rot.

Lots of offsets are produced every year which I remove in the spring. I like to do this in the spring to minimize the number of scars on the parent tuber and hopefully the amount of water loss while it's dormant. Occasionally they'll reach flowering size in a single season.

While some growers report them as zone 6 hardy, I continue to lift most of my tubers in the fall. Many of the tubers I've left out overwinter the last few years have done fine however I wouldn't consider them reliably hardy in my climate.

A great little "Elephant Ear" that seems to thrive with little care. Native to dry thorn forest in Peru and N. Argentina, they don't need as consistently moist soil as other Aroids. They do seem to appreciate it, however. I grow them in regular potting soil with added grit and perlite for a well-draining mix. The leaves are cupped and a great glossy green with pale green veins. Here in the northeast I give mine full sun.

This year we had two inflorescence(s), separated by about two weeks, but no viable seed. I've seen no offsets, but the tuber has developed several small growth points around the top. So far the tuber has done well stored dry in the basement.

Edit: Just a note that when cold weather is due, keep the potting mix on the dry side. I left my pot in a water filled saucer which I'm told may have been why the tuber developed a few splits. It's overwintering fine as of Valentine's Day 2014. Rot has developed and I've removed aprox. half of the tuber.

Discovered as a mutation of African Mask (Alocasia 'Amazonica'), at Silver Chrome Gardens, among tissue cultured liners in the 1980's. Shorter petioles, slower growth, and heavier leaf substance led the Rotolantes, owners of Silver Krome Gardens, to believe it was a polyploid form, hence the name 'Polly'. DNA testing indicates it is not polyploid.
http://www.aroid.org/aroidl-ar...

Per the patent document, PP20,947 'Last Dance' is a cross of Ligularia hiberniflora (now a synonym of Farfugium hiberniflorum x Leopard Plant (Farfugium japonicum).

When grown in bright light the leaves of Marie will turn a dark purple/brown. In lower light levels the leaves will be green. Oddities in inflorescence structure, branching, etc. are common. This hybrid Anthurium was bred by Steve and Marie Nocks.

The spathe is usually green and white or purple/brown and white striped with a purple/brown lip. Pseudo-stem, petioles and peduncle vary from green to a dark purple/brown. A once common but now difficult to find form with a green lip and green and white spathe also exists. This form usually has a green pseudo-stem, petioles and peduncle.

This one will produce offsets unlike some of its cousins. Native to Japan, Korea and China.

There at least two different JI being sold by the name 'Fortune'. One has purple standards with white falls and style arms the other has light purple standards, falls and style arms.

While some sellers state a height of 18 inches, in its second year 'Orange Electric' reached well over 36 inches in my garden. Might be a good choice for flowers arrangements because the orange marking are less striking from a distance.

Per the 2003 Cumulative Check List of Japanese Irises, Harmony is a registered name for a TB by Dykes, 1923. Kemp used the name for one of his sdlgs. 'Albopurpurea' is a laevigata. Our database entries for these Iris. , Species Iris (Iris laevigata 'Albopurpurea')

Xanthosomas were recently revised in The Commonly Cultivated Species of Xanthosoma Schott (Araceae), including Four New Species, Eduardo G. Goncalves, Aroideana, volume 34, 2011. A few of the Xanthosomas listed are of particular interest for their ornamental value in the garden.

• Arrow Leaf Elephant's Ear (Xanthosoma sagittifolium)
• Uploaded by OldGardener

• Arrow Leaf Elephant's Ear (Xanthosoma sagittifolium)
• Uploaded by Bubbles

• Arrow Leaf Elephant's Ear (Xanthosoma sagittifolium)
• Uploaded by eclayne

Described as a dwarf selection of Tree Philodendron (Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum 'Hope').

Possibly a Tree Philodendron (Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum) hybrid cross. Reported root hardy to zone 7b.

Formerly x Hohenelia. Renamed due to reclassification of Hohenbergia disjuncta (seed parent) as a synonym of Aechmea disjuncta. Bromeliad (Aechmea disjuncta)

x Cryptbergia is now treated as x Biltanthus which was validly published on an earlier date (see Bromeliad Society International - Bromeliad Cultivar Registry, x Cryptbergia and x Biltanthus).

Good information on habit and cultivation of I. tridentata: Observations on Habit, Ecology, and Cultivation of the Savannah Iris, Iris tridentata.