Horticulture Club Spring Plant Sale 2013!

The Horticulture Club has three sales each school year. The Spring Plant Sale is the last, and it started yesterday and ends today. I'm posting to report on the action.

Unfortunately, when I arrived on the scene to work the sale at 5 PM, there were already a lot of varieties sold out. Specifically, we started out with five varieties of tomatoes, but there were only two when I got there. We had a good selection, though. Here are a few shots of our general setup.

The marigolds are not selling as much as expected. They're also on the floor.

These are some of the specific crops we have. You'll notice we were running low on a lot of them.

We're mostly selling heirloom varieties. A lot of people have been really into that aspect of the sale, though some try to avoid heirloom tomatoes because of their lack of disease resistance.

Everything at our sale is a dollar. It's pretty awesome that we're able to do that. It probably encourages a lot of people to try growing things they wouldn't ordinarily try.

The Cuties were for workers, not for sale, sadly.

I wish my Swiss chard looked like this. I still maintain that it will take off if I can keep it alive long enough to get outside. And I can do another crop in the fall when I have a balcony.

You might be wondering, did I buy anything? Of course I did! So...

Next post: what I harvested from this sale.

More Flowering Trees + Bulbs!

Today I bring you more blooms from my redbud walk the other day, though none of these include redbuds.

First is a clump of anyonymous trees with fluffy white blooms. These are not as sophisticated as the magnolia flowers in my previous posts, but they're still pretty heavenly on the eyes.

Some closer views:

The new growth on these trees, as you can probably see, is a rusty red color. I think that complements the white-green flowers perfectly.

Next is a spring bulb I can't identify. It doesn't look like a daffodil, hyacinth, tulip, or crocus, and that's about the scope of my knowledge on the topic. However, they are nice little flowers, though this particular plant does not seem to have bloomed very prolifically.

This picture is more detailed.

Finally, something I can identify! This tulip, partially because it is so oddly isolated, really catches the eye. If this was anywhere near a road, it would be a driving hazard.

I don't guess I've ever looked inside a tulip before. For those of you in the same unfortunate situation, here's what it looks like!

And this is a more traditional view.

That's all from this mid-April flower walk. What do you think is the ideal way to fit a striking plant (like a tulip) into a landscape? Do you enjoy seeing flowers from new perspectives? What are your favorite spring-flowering trees?

Next post: the Spring 2013 Vegetable Sale (Part 1)!

Flowering Trees are the Best

Trees are wonderful. Period. They give us so many resources that it's impossible not to take them for granted sometimes.

But spring allows us to appreciate them, probably because their blossoms are transient. Redbuds (Cersis canadensis) stimulate our eyes two weeks out of every fifty-two, so they never lose their luster.

Speaking of redbuds, they're the focus of my post today! There are a few really nice, big ones around where I live, so I'm going to show them off while I have the chance.

First is the one right next to my building. Most wild redbuds I see are not this tall, so that's impressive. This tree doesn't have a ton of flowers, but it still adds a nice contrast to the building and sky. It also distracts the eye from all the construction going on (see fence left).

This shot had too much backlighting for the color to be very apparent, but this angle does provide insight on the shape of redbud blooms, and this is an oft-overlooked aspect of the plant. There's a lot to interest the eye even without the bright hues.

Next are a couple of trees in the green space around which the natural resources building wraps (it's built in a C-shape around this mini-park). This first one is an average-sized specimen that seems to be flowering heavily for its size.

But here's the real king of this show. This tree is the largest (though not necessarily tallest) redbud I've ever seen. About half of its branches are done flowering, but this must have been spectacular a week ago.

Notice the grace in the curves of its trunk. I could definitely sit in this tree and read (and I would have done so today, were it not for the awful stink of the Bradford pears in this park, not pictured out of shame). This tree must be more than 25 years old. It looks healthy from what I can tell, too.

While the left side of the tree still has blooms, the rest of the branches are bearing fruit! Apparently these pods can become a nuisance, but I don't mind them.

Another interesting thing about these trees is that they can grow flowers directly from their trunks. The little, bumpy clusters of flowers are cute beyond compare, when it comes to trees. The colors of the blooms, the bark, the lichens, and the moss on this tree are lovely together as well.

What do you think when you see a redbud tree in a forest or a landscape? Do you consider its seed pods nuisances? Have you ever seen one this large (I know it's hard to determine scale from a photograph)?

Next post: other flowering trees, with a bonus of bulbs!

Crop Updates

Note: I am having difficulties locating my camera's memory card, so bear with the phone pictures.

Today I bring you some loooong-awaited news: some of my Swiss chard is actually forming true leaves!

I didn't think this would happen. These leaves very well may not reach an edible size, but these plants have gotten enough energy to start, at least. And yes, two out of five is kind of shabby. I'm happy regardless.

Also of note: my thyme is getting a lot of leaves! I am fairly confident that these seedlings will hold out until I move and then take off once they're hardened off and outside.

On the not-so-good side, I'm going to give up on my wheat. It was just biding its time anyway, and the soil has stopped accepting water because I can only water in certain spots to avoid getting my windowsill messy. That's alright. It looked nice for a while, and that's more than I was told it would do.

Have you ever gotten really excited over a small, plant-related victory? Have you ever had a happy goodbye with a plant?

Next post: probably a report from the redbud district.

Plant Collection: Scott's House Part 2

I take a lot of pictures when it comes to plants, so I've broken down my trip to Scott's house into two posts to keep my post sizes reasonable. This is the second edition of plants owned by Scott's parents.

This is a foliage plant with which I am not familiar. It seems to be going crazy on its perch, which is good to see.

Let it look deep into your soul.

Next is some variety of arrowhead vine (possibly Syngonium podophyllum). Fun fact: this plant is poisonous to marsupials. Keep your wallabies away!

This big guy is a rubber plant (Ficus elastica: yes, that ficus). I had one of these when I was little. They make good additions to one's home, as long as one has room. Variegated varieties are fun too.

The blue ribbon suggests that this plant has had some balancing problems. It looks like it might topple over at any minute. Luckily, rubber plants can be pruned easily and at any time of year. (Maybe I should offer to prune this baby for Scott's parents and take a cutting...)

 

 After I photographed the rubber plant, I went outside. When I did so, I was sad to see a Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana) in the yard. while the plant does have decorative flowers, they smell horrible, and this tree is so invasive that citizens are prohibited from planting it. At least it's nice to look at.

 

 

For happier news, look no further than the redbud tree, which is also flowering about this time. These are Missouri natives, and sometimes you drive through forests that look entirely pink because of them. Unfortunately, most redbuds only live 20-25 years because of disease problems (although the university has one that's at least twice that age). That said, there were some great-looking ones around Scott's neighborhood.

 

 

Here's another redbud tree! Note: this is not Scott's house. It's just nearby. Also, you can see in this picture the pods that these trees produce. Yes, they are legumes. Hooray for nitrogen fixation!

 

 

These trees are just beginning to bloom--they get much fuller as the days go on, though the blooms only last a week or two each year. Here's a close-up on those flowers.

 

 

That's it for my spring adventures at Scott's place! Are Bradford pears a problem where you live? Do you enjoy the short-lived bliss of redbud season? What kinds of houseplants do you enjoy?

 

Next post: green glory from around the grounds.

Plant Collection: Scott's House Part 1

This weekend I went to Scott's house for some R&R. His parents like having plants around, and they have quite a few (so many that they will consume two posts). They have a lot of windows, which helps. I photographed them to show them off. You'll even get to see an old friend!

The first plants to catch my eye were these aloes (seemingly Aloe vera). These plants are young, but they look great. Maybe you can see the window setup in some of the pictures--the kitchen has a 3-sided window, which makes this a very plant-friendly spot.

Next was one of the few flowering plants in the house, an African violet (genus Saintpaulia). We have these at the greenhouse. They're a pain to water, and they don't look very good (they're intensely fragile). This one seems to be thriving, though. Apparently the family has had this one for something like ten years, which is impressive. I would lose my patience with this plant, though it is pretty.

This plant caught my eye because it used to be mine! Sadly, the day this picture was taken was its last, as moving it inside managed to snap the stem. At least it spent its last few days outside, and at least I got to see it one last time. Also, note the flower buds forming. It did a lot better than I ever expected.

The biggest plant enjoying this kitchen window was a nice, big schefflera. I'm no schefflera identification expert, but if I had to guess, I'd say this is Schefflera arboricola because of its smallish, spread out leaflets. Personally, I like that form better than some of the larger-leaved species.

What houseplant collection would be complete without some devil's ivy (Epipremnum aureum)? This particular individual has striking variegation, which I like. I'm not normally into devil's ivy (also known as golden pothos, for some reason), but the whitish leaves are nice. I would be willing to care for a variegated specimen like this. As this is ivy, it will climb up the walls and vine around your belongings. I have mixed feelings about this, but if it became a problem, I could just cut it back.

Also on this (sizeable) countertop was a small ficus tree. These do fairly well at the greenhouse, but it's apparent that this one gets a little more love.

Moving on to another windowsill, here's a plant that I cannot even begin to identify. It is a spineless succulent, maybe a cactus. That's about all I have determined, so I haven't narrowed down much of anything. It's nice to look at, though.

Now here's something you don't see every day in the Midwest--columnar cacti. These little dudes look like they're faring very well. I would like some cacti of this general type someday (for more details, see my post on my dream succulents and cacti).

Next is another cactus: the Christmas cactus (I believe this one is Schlumbergera bridgesii). These are always nice plants to have around. We had one of these when I was small.

And here's another one, only in bloom! This cactus might be Epiphyllum x buckleyi. It seems odd, but Christmas cacti can belong to three different species in two genera. I've never seen such a peach-colored blossom on a Christmas cactus. It's a nice change of pace.

What are your thoughts on finnicky plants? Which of these kinds of plants would you take in, if given the chance?

Next post: the rest of the plants in and around Scott's house.