Digging RI

I won’t keep you in suspense. The above photo is of my tiny Sophronitis cernua, with a ribbon beside it. So far, anyway, it appears as though I won two second place ribbons and a third at the Cape and Islands Orchid Show. If there’s an update I will post it.

This just in: as often happens, the show results are quite different from the results I have written above:

I won a first (!) and  second for the tiny red Sophronitis cernua in the above photo (don’t know where that blue ribbon got to, because I never saw it), two seconds and a third for my Epidendrum porpax, and a third for the Oncidium Twinkle “pink profusion” displayed in the teapot.

My plants were very very unhappy campers when I got them back yesterday. Shows, with their weird lighting and dry air, are hard on them, to say nothing of drastically reduced waterings. But no permanent damage was done, and I am happy to have them home again.

Here are some photos I took of the different displays and some astounding plants.

This is the display entered by my club, the “Ocean State Orchid Society.” The oncidium in the teapot is mine.

This Cymbidium is pretty amazing, isn’t it?

Black was very popular this year. Not my cup of tea, but that’s why there’s an orchid for every taste.

The big winner, and star of the show was this spectacular Dendrobium. The scent was so strong it was almost overpowering, and would definitely be too much in my house. This one must live in a greenhouse, probably a fancy one.

Here’s a closer look at the hundreds of flowers.

This is a commercial grower’s display. They also compete in the shows. This one features several of my favorites. The cascading white one is an Aerangis, the yellow and red  orchids are Masdevallias and the other red is a Sophronitis coccinea – one I don’t own yet, but covet.

Yes, I did buy plants, two of them, and I also picked up some growing supplies.  I can’t wait to get my “show” plants back home where they belong.

Thanks for all your encouragement. I am such a newbie at this that I am always surprised when I win something.

This strange – looking, but also stunning plant is a miniature orchid, Sophronitis Cernua. I bought it a year ago at an orchid show, and it just started blooming this week. The leaves are unlike anything I have ever seen, more like succulent leaves, I think. Here’s how one person described them:

“apical, thickly coriaceosu, broadly ovate or elliptic-ovate, obtuse or minutely apiculate leaf that blooms on a terminal, erect, 1″ to 2″ [2 to 5 cm] long, few [4 to 10] flowered inflorescence with nodding flowers occuring in the spring.”

I was beside myself with excitement a month ago, (late spring in the southern hemisphere, right?) when I noticed that one of those leaves did look a bit different from the others. I realized that it was a flower bud that would split wide open, kind of like a milk weed pod,  to produce five bright red-orange flowers.

This orchid is native to Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, and grows as an epiphyte in the wild, usually  close to the sea. Mine is not mounted, but potted in a coarse bark mixture (as it was when I bought it) and sits on my east-facing kitchen window ledge, overlooking a salt pond. Close enough, I guess.

So here’s where the luck comes in: I have registered this plant and six others in the Cape and Islands Orchid Show which takes place January 12 – 13. This is the biggest show in our region, and the best place to buy plants directly from the growers (thus saving considerable money) and growing supplies. The plants in the photo are my entries, all packed as carefully as possible for hopefully uneventful transport to the show.

I’ll be sure to tell you how my plants fared with the judges.

I have been using a mattock in the garden for many years, but I recently discovered that it is also a splendid ice-breaker.

My husband spent about an hour yesterday trying to de-ice our front steps. This morning,  the lightbulb went off over my head, and I went to my garden tool bag and took out my mattock.

Nearly done!

The ice just flew off the stairs, and he had so much “man – fun” doing it that he also chipped a lot of the ice off our driveway. A word of caution: wear glasses or other eye protection when chipping ice, because it really flies around.

That brown fabric under the ice is an ice carpet, a holdover from my life in Montreal. People install them on their stairs and it keeps them from getting slippery. They are made of coco fiber and are very inexpensive and durable. This one is three years old. You still have to clear the snow off it, though….

In this post, I am just going to post some photos I took around our house before the paltry one inch of snow fell. Happy New Year everyone!

The tide was coming in, swirling sea foam up onto the sand.

There’s a mallard drake hiding behind that little tussock. It’s hunting season, and we are awakened most mornings by volleys of gunfire on the marsh. Very unpleasant, especially given the recent tragedy in CT. I find the ducks and geese more skittish this time of year. This duck was alone. I wonder if his mate was shot.

I always wonder why someone doesn’t empty this little boat and use it already. It’s been sitting in the marsh for years.

I guess these people really don’t want anyone walking down their little road. What you can’t see is the security camera on the side. One of the locals opened a restaurant across the street, and they’ve been angry about it ever since.

Here’s the wind turbine at the state beach pavilion. It sounds like a freight train when it’s windy, and I’m glad we don’t live near it. I attended a talk on bats by a state biologist a couple of weeks ago, and he told us that these turbines are death traps for bats. Apparently, they’re attracted to them for some reason. So… I guess there really is no such thing as zero impact energy. As you can see, they’re still dealing with the sand deposited by Hurricane Sandy. Despite numerous gales and a hurricane, this oak was clinging to its leaves, which were relatively intact. Stubborn tree.

If I had the means, (think several hundred dollars) I would definitely buy this charming birdbath. It is one of the many holiday temptations at my favorite local garden center.

When my creative reservoir is low, I come here for a jump start. This place (I chose not to name it, lest you think I am giving it a plug, but feel free ask me for details if you wish) will soon close  until spring, but just before the holidays, it’s always bursting with flamboyant evergreen arrangements, cool ornaments and other intriguing stuff – like the birdbath.

At the entrance to one of the greenhouses, there is a mantle with a pine cone wreath and other assorted embellishments.

There are several themed trees. This one is all about birds. I bought the large bird in the center for 75 percent off. It came to less than $3!

They’ve been big on owl ornaments for the past couple of years. I thought this display was particularly cute, and yes, there are a few little owls perched on our own Christmas tree.

This small terrarium arrangement was hanging in a window.

There weren’t many customers on Christmas eve. As always, I felt sorry for the unsold trees. Destined for glory, but turned into mulch. These urns were pretty in the fading December light, though.

Isn’t this cute? It’s my oncidium Twinkle “Pink Profusion.” Aptly named, I think. I put it on a black blanket so you could see the colors better.

This is a small orchid as the name implies. I grow it in the same conditions as my phalaenopsis, and it blooms a couple of times a year.

I think it looks rather festive and Christmas – y, so it will occupy  the place of honor on the coffee table during the holidays.

By the way, I bought it at Trader Joe’s two years ago. These undemanding little orchids are not only charming, but inexpensive and widely available.

It’s been a busy year for me. Returning to work full time has been challenging, rewarding, and exhausting at the same time. There have been times when I have considered putting this blog to bed once and for all, but here I am, still plugging away.

If it were not for you, my dear and loyal readers who take the time to read and comment, I would not be writing this now.

I wish you all a wonderful holiday and great gardens to come.

This is my key lime tree – although it’s really more of a sapling, or perhaps a twig. I have had it for about six months, and it has done absolutely nothing. No growth whatsoever.

It is in a very bright south – facing window, and I have given it a special citrus fertilizer, (Growmore 7-3-3) all for naught.

I will admit that I have never been able to keep a citrus tree happy, except for the grapefruit I grew from seed but had to leave behind when I moved here from Canada. I gave it to my aunt, but it met a sad end when it was blown over in a storm.

Please write in with your tips for growing citrus trees indoors. I am trying to so everything right, but obviously, something is wrong.

This is the last time I will ever buy one, I swear.

Here’s our good friend, HerbDoc, with another interesting post, about (not surprisingly) another herb! 

Caliente Mustard

Over the years visitors to my gardens have wondered aloud why I seem to have little in the way of disease and pest problems and an abundance of pollinators. I always ascribe it to the plethora of herbs that are grown everywhere!

New research has proven that one excellent way to preserve an organic garden and also support disease is to plant mustard. A specific blend called “caliente” when planted as a green manure improves the soil fertility and structure by adding nutrients and organic matter to the soil. It also increases soil biodiversity by stimulating the growth of beneficial microbes while suppressing soil-borne diseases (Verticillium and Schlerotinia) and a range of nematodes! It does this through biofumigation by producing isothiocyanate (ITC), a natural gas released when plant cells are crushed through mowing or clipping.

Note that the research points out that the Caliente 199 Mustard blend is bred specifically to perform specific functions. It isn’t the simple green manure or pickling product that Grandma grew!

In order for the process to work, the Caliente seeds are sown in the late summer and kept moist throughout the growing cycle. Mustard grows vigorously in a short period of time; it will be ready to chop and till into the soil in about 100 days.

Some hints for growing:

• Plant in well-drained soil with a high level of organic matter, 6.0 – 7.5 pH;
• Seed ½” deep, 3” apart in rows one foot apart;
• Grows best in temperature between 32 and 75 degrees;
• Water to maintain soil moisture;
• In order to reap the benefits, cut and chop plants and till into soil. A weed whacker works wonderfully in raised beds.

If gardeners have been suffering through the early and late blight problems with their tomatoes, this might provide a weapon in their arsenal. The seed is relatively inexpensive, and although I haven’t had a blight problem, I plan to use Caliente as a green manure this year. I’m a bit behind the curve this year, but I will plant it early in the spring, as mustard is tolerant of a light frost.

This is my Dendrobium Victoria reginae. I first laid eyes on it during a presentation to our orchid club by a grower who specializes in dendrobiums. When I saw those deep blue, almost purple flowers with their white centers, I was a goner. As luck would have it, the grower had one for sale, and I pounced. I think it cost about $20.

This orchid, as you would expect, was named after Queen Victoria. It is native to the Philippines, where it grows in forests at high elevations. This is not an easy climate to replicate in a house, but I read as much as I could about the plant’s needs, put it in a sunny window, and watered it well at the sink every three days or so. Like my other orchids, “Victoria” also gets “Superthrive” every other week and fertilizer on alternate weeks.

Unlike one of my other dendrobiums that requires a cooling off period before it will flower, this one doesn’t. It also blooms repeatedly on the same cane, while my other one puts out a new cane every year and flowers on new growth only.

You can’t tell from my crummy photos, but there are about 6 buds about to open. They are all clustered at the tip of the cane. This orchid seems to be quite easy to grow, and is quite content living in the same conditions as my phalaenopsis – only with more frequent watering.

One of the best things about having snow on the ground is how animal tracks are suddenly visible. Here are some photos I took of animal tracks on my last hiking trip to New Hampshire.

Many have been made by small, scurrying animals, obviously anxious to get back under cover –  mice, or perhaps voles.

Another small mousey critter, I believe.

Snowshoe hare. Impossible to miss with the huge back feet that come right up level to the smaller front paws.

Red squirrel, judging by the length of the stride.

I had seen some interesting ruffed grouse tracks on the way up the mountain, but by the time we descended, human tracks had obliterated them. I should have phtographed them on the way up, but I was intent on reaching my destination. Lesson learned.