Signs of Spring

It has been a cold, dreary beginning of April, and the weather report suggests that there is no relief in sight.  But cold or not, snow or not, nature is giving tiny glimpses of what is to come.

Iris reticulata cultivar

Another Iris reticulata

Crocuses

Of course, my houseplants can usually be counted on to help chase away the "where the heck is spring already?" blues. Below are a few plants in bloom that make a cheery contrast with the grayness outdoors.

Phalaenopsis Bella TN324 (That's what the tag says)

Columnea variety

Ludisia discolor in bloom, along with the Phalaenopsis from the photo above

Hoya carnosa inflorescence

Hippeastrum 'Red Lion' with a NoId Hippeastrum on the left

Anthurium NoId

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana

So where the heck is spring already?

From the CBG, September and October 2010

Although it is open all year round, I tend not to visit the Chicago Botanic Garden from late fall until the early spring. For one, it is more than an hour's drive away from my home, and I don't care much for driving, even in the best of weather. (As anyone who has experienced one knows, Chicagoland winters do not fall into the category of "the best of weather.")

So these will probably be my last photographs from the CBG for a while.

Views from the Arid Greenhouse, which has been looking very nice lately. They have been sprucing the place up and adding new plants in the last several months.


Here is one of the new plants. The tag reads: Kalanchoe thryrisifolia 'Fantastic.' I really like the white variegation.

On to the Tropical Greenhouse. I have to admit, I'm not a big Cordyline fan. I like pink plants, I like purple plants. But something about the coloration of many of the Cordyline fruticosa varieties I've seen just seems discordant to my eyes. Not this one:

Cordyline fruticosa 'Bolero Bicolor.' This just about took my breath away.

I also like this one. Unfortunately I couldn't fine the identification tag, but I definitely recognize it as a Cordyline.

On to the outdoors. I like Dahlia flowers a lot, but I seldom plant any in my garden, because they seem to be earwig magnets. But I like admiring them elsewhere, and I thought this was both unusual and beautiful:

Dahlia 'Juul's Allstar.' I love the curled petals.

I often end my CBG posts with a picture of some of the ducks that frequent the water garden areas. Here is a something a bit bigger:

Trumpeter swan, (Cygnus buccinator.) The Garden has two pair of these, who apparently live there year round.

This picture is an example of the magic of both zooming and cropping. Though I wasn't very far away, this close would have been too close for comfort. I like my wildlife, especially really large, potentially foul-tempered fowl, at a bit of a distance.

In Praise of Succulents: Kalanchoe/Bryophyllum Edition

What can I say about the related genera Kalanchoe and Bryophyllum that I haven't already said about succulents in general? They are attractive, easy to care for, and come in a variety of shapes, colors and forms. These plants will put up with less-than-ideal indoor lighting better, than say, Echeveria. They seem equally happy under fluorescent lights, or in my south window during their winter indoors. Their only downside is a tendency to drop leaves and get leggy over time, which is not uncommon among succulents. A leggy Kalanchoe tends to look like a peculiar palm tree, with a notched stem and a small crown of leaves up top. Even that has a simple remedy: Take cuttings and start anew. The cuttings root quickly, and the stumps that are left behind will usually sprout new growth.

On the downside, they are quicker to sunburn than some other plants. They are also not the best plants if you want consistent flowering indoors (except of course for the ubiquitous Kalanchoe blossefeldiana.) I have, however, been treated to Bryophyllum flowers now and again.

Here is a selection of most of the plants of this group that I'm growing at the present:

Two Kalanchoe beharensis flank a Kalanchoe orgyalis. The plant on the left sprouted from the stumps left behind when I took the cuttings that resulted in the plant on the right. More detail can be seen if this photo is clicked for the larger version.

Closer view of K. orgyalis. I do find this a bit more difficult to grow than my other Kalanchoes, but I keep trying because those coppery leaves are worth it.

Rooted K. orgyalis cuttings in a 2.5 inch pot

K. beharensis 'Napoleon's Hat' This was one of those with a small crown of leaves on a tall stem, so I cut it back about three weeks ago. It has already rooted.

Kalanchoe tomentosa varieties. I believe that might be K. tomentosa 'Chocolate Soldier' on the right.

Kalanchoe luciae

Two different pots of Kalanchoe beharensis 'Nudum.' This one has also been a bit difficult for me. I started out with a couple of large cuttings in 2005, which was slow to root, and then never flourished. But I was able to salvage some leaves, which produced the two smallish plants seen here.

Kalanchoe millotii

NoId Bryophyllum variety

Bryophyllum tubiflorum, one of the Mother-of-Thousands species. You can see the plantlets on the leaf tips, ready to drop and cause mayhem. I really don't mind having these pop up in my other plants from time to time, but I can see how they can cause problems for other growers, and become invasive in the wild.

A petite Bryophyllum NoId. Another eager propagator.

Here are some Kalanchoe pictures from the Chicago Botanic Garden from this year and last. They seem to be favorites in the Sensory Garden outdoors, where plants with different textures are often featured.

Kalanchoe beharensis 'Fang' from this year. The little protrusions on the bottoms of the leaves, which give this variety its name, can be seen in the larger view.

Also from this year, in the greenhouse. This is identified only as Kalanchoe beharensis cvv.

Same variety, outdoor in the Sensory Garden last year. Though it looks smooth, it actually has a velvety texture. Though, to speak in fabric terms, the "nap" isn't as thick as the Kalanchoe beharensis varieties that I grow.

Previously posted picture of Kalanchoe thrysiflora, from last year's Sensory Garden.

You Oughta be in Pictures--Succulent Edition

I suppose it is a bit trite at this point to say how much rosette succulents look like flowers. So I won't say it. I'll just share a few favorite pictures of some of mine, which I took outdoors late this summer: (All photos open much larger when clicked.)

Echeveria pulidonis



Aeonium 'Zwartkop'



NOID Echeveria



Echeveria agavoides cultivar

Kalanchoe luciae



Echeveria nodulosa



Another NOID Echeveria



Aloe brevifolia, colored up from the sun. More of a star shape, perhaps



Echeveria 'Lilacina', I think



Echeveria 'Black Prince'

This last plant isn't one of mine. I took the picture that follows at the Chicago Botanic Gardens in August. It wasn't in their Cactus & Succulent Greenhouse, but rather in the Sensory Garden outdoors, where they display plants with interesting textures, colors, and aromas. They had it labeled as Kalanchoe 'Warty.' When I saw it I thought, "No way. That's an Echeveria with carunculations." I did some searching at the time, and the only reference to Kalanchoe 'Warty' I could find on the web was a photograph in someone's personal online photo album, also taken at CBG. I'm thinking that it is an E. gibbiflora hybrid. Anyway, it is a very interesting plant that I had to share:

NOID Echeveria, labeled as a Kalanchoe at the Chicago Botanic Gardens

I'd welcome any input on any of the NOIDs in this post.

Edit 5/15/10: Comments for this entry have been turned off, as it seems to have become a magnet for spam.

Feel free to use the e-mail in my profile if you have relevant comments.