A Few Orchids That Bloomed Last Year

I hadn't gotten around to posting all the orchids that bloomed late summer through December 2015, so here are some that I remembered to photograph now!

This nice species Oncidium ampliatum decided to bloom, rather largely for being a 2 pseudobulb plant at the time.

Maxillaria tenuifolia had it's best bloom year ever.

Then  in December, this Cattleya lawrenceana I've had for 2 years finally bloomed. (Species cross with color forms 'El Hatillo' x 'Manantial') Hey, you think this one needs a repot yet?  ;)

There were so many that bloomed that I forgot to photo or was too busy to notice until they were fading. That was disappointing, but sometimes life gets gets in the way and I'll have to remind myself this year to stop and smell the orchids, or roses, or whatever.

Nepenthes Bio-Dome 'Lady Luck'

These Borneo Exotics Bio-domes started showing up at a few local garden centers here. I had been wanting to order a 'Lady Luck' from one of the various online retailers, so finding these down the street from my house before I had a chance to do that was an awesome surprise. I hope the wholesaler that picked these up continues to do so with all the bio-dome cultivars, (so I bought a few for myself and a friend to encourage and support this.) Plus, impulse buying a Nepenthes in person is one of the best things ever.

OOPS. Didn't read instructions.

Just kidding, mine was already busting out of the dome, not that I need it's help growing it here anyway. However, the Bio-dome system is actually pretty cool and really inventive for people that don't already know how to grow Nepenthes. Knowing next to nothing about Nepenthes, you could still grow one of these in a window or on a desk with good enough light for quite some time before having to eventually pot them up. It's fairly fool proof easy too, there's instructions all over the packaging and Borneo Exotics have also set up a FAQ website for the newer growers too. It's a very cool way to spread growing Nepenthes to the masses!

Now for those of us that have established preferences in regards to media, location, etc. maybe you'll break it out of the dome like I did as soon as you get one too. 

Only tiny pitchers at the moment to show, but larger ones will come.

Oh, and the one I bought for a friend that wanted just a single plant comes in the most adorable packaging ever.

There's a bow on that one excited looking cartoon pitcher. The mean looking one that's been Borneo Exotics' "mascot" for a long time looks like something currently alive is stuck inside it, which I've always thought of as funny, in more of a macabre kind of way. Adorable packaging, love it.

Anyone else growing one of these? Now that they're available online in the USA, and reaching local stores I figure there's got to be quite a few of you out there. I'll be growing mine in more lowland conditions, and that should be just fine for it. I'd also be interested to see if it will grow just as well in a wide range of growing conditions as claimed though, and can't experiment here unfortunately.

Edited: Catopsis morreniana (Originally Catopsis berteroniana )

Edit: Unfortunately this is a Catopsis morreniana. I'll leave the rest of the post as is, but wanted to put this at the top for people coming across this post. I purchased this from California Carnivores, summer 2015, if you've purchased yours around the same place same time, this note is for you. Catopsis berteroniana only produces one pup at a time, mine currently is working on it's 3rd from the same mother plant. Catopsis berteroniana also has larger flowers and it much larger at maturity, with a variety of other minor difference irrelevant at this point for a positive ID.

Thanks to a tip last spring from Natch Grayes, I got a hold of a Catopsis berteroniana. This is one of the few Bromeliads thought to be carnivorous. I decided I needed one when I learned part of it's natural range includes Southern Florida. So although I may have to bring it inside as the weather is starting to get cooler now, it should do very well here outside the rest of the year.

I totally forgot to post pictures of it blooming this summer. I've been so busy with other things, I haven't posted pictures of much of anything for a while :(

The flowers aren't particularly exciting, but the fact that it flowered is great because...

We've got pups! Only two so far, not sure if that's typical for these, but I'm just happy that it's happy.

Now that I'm forced to bring more cold sensitive plants inside for "winter" I'm reminded to take pictures, so more to come as I have quite a few things I'm excited to share. Happy New Year, hope you all are well and your plants grow spectacularly in 2016!

Garden Odds and Ends

An errant seed found it's way into the yard. I have no clue where this watermelon came from, but once I recognized what it was, I've been trying to keep it growing. It's producing quite a few little melons, so we'll see if they're any good or if the squirrels get to them first.

Canna Topicanna Black has been flowering non stop since I got it into the ground, (watermelon vine in the background.) I know these were heavily cultivated to have larger than normal blooms, but my one complaint about this cultivar is that the flowers occasionally get so large they become top heavy and bend the whole stalk to the ground. The humming birds, dragonfly, and occasional butterfly do love these Canna flowers though.

Still potted because I plan on overwintering this bananna plant inside this winter, Musa acuminata ss. Java Blue, aka "Ice Cream" banana. I bought this guy as a tiny little start from Wellspring Gardens and in the spring and it has done remarkably well this season. So far, at least quadrupling in size the past few months. I just left it in the middle of the sunniest spots in the yard, watered and fertilized it heavily. Next spring it'll go in the ground somewhere, in the mean time, I'm now realizing what I thought was overpotting it, turned out not enough. Needs another repot already!

I picked this banana specifically, as being in zone 9, if I grow bananas that flower early in the summer they have a chance to set fruit before it starts to get cold here. I've also read that much of the tissue cultured Blue Java is actually Namwah. Either way, both banana's fruit is said to be delicious, and both are fairly cold tolerant varieties, so I don't much care as long as it fruits. I'm just having trouble finding out when the Namwah flowers, and if it might be the dwarf or tall variety.

After flowering, I thought I killed my Sauromatum venosum "Voodoo Lily." I stuck the pot in the corner of the garden bed I haven't dealt with yet, thinking I'd dump the soil another day. I should have read, because then I would've known after flowering it dies back to the bulb and shoots up about a month later with leaves. Neat leaves.

Glad I didn't throw it out now, as it's a pretty cool looking plant, not in bloom.

Mid-Summer Temperate Carnivores

 As you can see, my husband is in the process of putting together something nice to display the temperate carnivores in the yard. Pics to come when it's all finished. In the mean time, while we were out there I took some photos of some of the carnivores outdoors that felt like being photogenic today.

S. leucophylla 'Tarnok'

S. rosea f. luteola

S. rosea, Mobile Co., AL, Clone K

D. filiformis var. tracyi

S. leucophylla Hurricaine Creek White, clone E x F, juvenile pitcher

S. purpurea ssp. venosa var. montana (F1, Transylvania Co., NC.)

Here's two I received from Rob Co of The Pitcher Plant Project as freebie seedlings added to an order I made 2 years ago that are starting to look good. Very interesting lids on both so far. I'm curious to see what they'll look like this fall with cooler weather.

S. Black Widow x flava rubricorpora

S. catesbaei "Grande" x Bud Wilkerson

 The plants I received from Mike King are all doing well.

S. leucophylla f. viridescens, Perdido, AL (MK-L46C)

The rest of the smaller seedlings from Mike King

This unidentified Drosera must've hitchhiked it's way into the collection as it doesn't resemble anything I've ever grown before.

Unidentified Sundew hitchiker

S. rosea 'Fat Chance'

VFT B52. Not a lot of color right now, but some huge traps.

Here's one I picked up from the local Hardware store. Too young to ID, but I'm guessing maybe 'Judith Hindle' or 'Daina's Delight?'

Hope all of your plants are doing well too!

Encyclia Care & Some Blooming Encyclia Pictures

As you may have noticed I went through a bit of an Encyclia phase last year, scooping up any new species I came across, along with some hybrids. I've learned a few things about caring for them since. If you've got some tips to grow these beauties to share too, let me know below!

Encyclia maderoi

Encyclias like to dry out between waterings, a lot like growing Cattleya orchids. Encyclia are native to South Florida, the Caribbean, Mexico, and down through South America and in their natural environment they experience a dry season, but the humidity stays on the high side year round. Water heavily, then let it dry out completely before watering again in the spring, summer, and fall.

Rot is always the enemy here in Florida. Although we experience less extreme wet and dry seasons here, during our rainy season it would make sense for the weatherman to just say 50/50 chance of rain, at some point in the day, every day. So I make a point to keep good air movement,have nothing blocking the wind for them. I leave them totally dry through much of the winter months when it gets cooler here. I'm heavily considering mounting them for the future. As long as the lead pseudobulb isn't shriveled, you're watering enough. More people kill these through over-watering than under, which is why I'm leading with this care tip.

Encyclia guadalupeae

Encyclias like high light. I let mine get direct sun for hours a day, a few in the morning, a few in the afternoon, only somewhat protected from midday sun. If your Encyclia isn't blooming, try giving it more light. Adjust it to higher light slowly though, as just like with any other plant, it can burn with direct sun if it isn't used to it.

Encyclia cordigera

These are some of the easiest species I've cared for so far. Nothing is easier than to just find a good spot for them outdoors when the weather is warm and for the most part, leave them alone.

Encyclia tampensis