Who is beginning to take serious looks at the catalogs now?

Well it does give you all something to get excited about, doesn't it??? I have a Japanese painted fern, it hasn't done well, almost expired I think, but the lily of the valley has surrounded it, I was going to move it to a pot if it is still there. Athyrium niponicum pictum metallicum is the one? It does need a very moist, sheltered position, mine got it, no good. The Athyrium filix-femina above has grown really big, and can take some sun, it is near a Dicentra spectabilis. My Dicentra gets covered by Lespedeza thunbergii after it dies back, that is later and grows at the top of a bank, trailing down. The Dicentra was really big and robust, then after about 5 years some of the old roots seemed to rot away, so possibly could do with a revamp. I have some growing from self set seedlings, they are difficult to get though, strong winds can kill them before they grow, and need to be big enough to transplant to pots. I have 4 plants together, makes a good show.

PrairieG I hope you get those plants, newcomers often just rip the lot out. A shame to let them do that! I would move my ferns here in spring as they are about to grow, then the shock will be less and they will be rearing to go. Autumn is OK if mild, or the fern very hardy, autumn transplanting in mild areas gives them time to grow a few roots, but if ferns going dormant then they can rot if get waterlogged with no root structure.

This is the L thunbergii, the dicentra lives at the bottom where its stems fall

That's really lovely, wallaby- also those apricot flowers at the bottom- are those begonias?

I'm not familiar with a Lonicera thunbergii. There is a Japanese barberry out there that is Berberis thunbergii. I can't see the details on the plant in the photo well enough but that B. thunbergii flowers yellow I think.

Oh my,,,,yes,,,you need to check all day long,,,lol no good getting behind on anything,,,LOL

The apricot one is a carnation, or dianthus hybrid,, it has been there a few years, some have disappeared, this one is just hanging on.

It is Lespedeza thunbergii! Very rarely seen, don't know why as it is easy and lovely!

A member of the pea family, it is in PF, a close up of flowers

Duh, you clearly typed Lespedeza. I must have Lonicera on my brain when I saw the L.

I recently winter sowed some Lespedeza. I forgot which one I've set up so many darn trays.

Is it the same species? I think there is another. (just looked in my book, there are a few, this one has the AGM here) I have never seen seed on mine, but seem to have found a couple of seedlings a few feet away. They could be indigofera I grew a few years back, ungerminated seed from an unknown species, I recycled the compost. That has larger leaves so I think it is this one.

You too! I have to keep juggling, just rejuggled my propogator and filled it up again, should I say squashed it in! Lots more to 'sqeeze' into the greenhouses.

What kind of a propagator do you have? I've just recently decided to purchase one. I've been looking at two models. The EZ-Clone and the RainForest.

It's the standard type made by Sankey, 50 watt, 22" x 15", automatically heated to 68 to 72F. I never switch it off winter or summer, it switches itself off if warm enough, and I ALWAYS have something in it. I could do with about 5 of those now!

It's on a kitchen work top below a south facing window, so gets the sun if we have any! When it seems a bit hot I put some paper over the top, the back gets a bit more shade anyway. I took a pic, will post it later!

Please take a look at the specs on these two models and tell me which one you would like best if you could only have one-

http://www.ezclone.com/#
This is a weird site but rather informative. You have to enter and there is no back button. Watch the demo of the product. Pretty cool.

Here's another type, the RainForest (Aeroponic Propagator)-
http://www.genhydro.com/genhydro_US/rainforest.html

The RainForest is allegedly a replica of the original Ein Gedi System developed in Israel.

I asked if anyone was using either of these in another thread and so far no one has responed.

Don't like the looks of either! These are meant just for rooting cuttings, let me get my pics downloaded and I'll show you what I use.

Cuttings is wht I wanted them for. Is your model more versatile? And if so, please explain why before I drop hundreds of dollars.

You will notice a lot of foil tubs in front, they are what I put my collected seed in and they stay there until I use them! Put them away and they don't come out again.

There are 2 sliding vents on top, I mostly leave one open to let some air curculate. There is a fibrous mat on the bottom which you keep wet for moisture.

Yes it is more versatile, this is just like a big seed tray with a lid, you can put pots with cuttings in as well as seeds, also grow on tender young plants. It keeps them warm and moist, or drier if youwant. the other things didn't have a lid to keep in moisture, and green cuttings need that.

These should also be cheaper, mine costy £40 ($75) about 7 years ago.

Here I thought I was down to selecting from one of the two models I found and now you just threw me a curve ball.

I generally start seed a little differently than you, depending on the seed.

As you say, depending on the seed. I grow those that require that sort of temp. and to be kept moist without drowning. Others wanting less temp. I just put in a window (if I have room), or in a cold greenhouse over winter, or in the greenhouse in spring. All seed require different conditions. i have som Alpinia zerumbet variegata seedlings in there until it warms up, camellia seedlings and seed, strelitzias will grow in these, fuchsia cuttings, some palm seeds, lots of things!

I mostly start temperate species of North American native plants from seed and those I winter sow which is really easy and the major benefit is that the plants don't need hardening off.

The other seeds I start are carnivorous plants and soil temps generally need to get up to 80F for best results. I use seedling mats under the trays to get the soil temps into the desired range. Being that most of these species require constantly moist medium, I start the seed trays in trays of water so the moisture will wick up. Placing all the trays in close proximity creates virtually the perfect amount of ambient humidity.

Interestingly enough, I've chosen to start some North American temperate carnivorous plant seed (Sarracenia) using a considerably smaller store bought version of your seed tray with a lid that is vented. I didn't want that seed freezing so it is out in my garage yet on the other hand, I needed the benefit of a cold/moist strtification period.

For the cuttings I want to attempt to propagate, I think I am going to have to go back to the hydroponic principles with misting until...
I get hooked on trying my hand at more seed than what I dabble in now. I have no doubt that day will come. Propagating is addictive.

That day isn't far away then! You can buy propogators with a higher range of temperature adjustment done manually. I find a lot that need 80F will do OK in this one if at the right time of year, as it gets sun through the window. I do grow palms from seed, and I put them in a dark cupboard next to the central heating pump where it can get quite warm, and those that don't germinate for a year they go out into a propogator in a greenhouse, then back to the cupboard, and they often do germinate. That was they get some stratification too, as they would in nature.

What we don't do for our seed babies!

I've got some double and triple dormancy seeds here that I baby and move all around too. My husband often asks me if anything is ever going to grow in those trays.

I think I've made my decision to go with the Rainforest 318-
http://www.allamericanhydro.com/product_details.php?id=223

I'm going to order the add on humidity dome as well as a few other accessories.

Now I need to start allocating some time to price them out.

Wow it sounds hi-tech! Good luck!

Lauren,
Very Nice.

Now, all I need to do is find one that I can afford. The price range online is incredible.

Hi Lauren,
Did any of the Green Dragon seed I sent you germinate yet?
How about the Toothwort?
Are the Putty Orchids okay?

I hope I did not lose any of the Arisaema you sent me. I placed a couple of them by the creek and it got WAY up and ripped out some ferns, hostas, etc that I put in. Guess I will just have to wait and see if they are still there. I sure hope so. Thank goodness I put some of them in another place.

Hope you are having a great spring. I need to go out looking for squirrel corn; my hepatica is blooming and so are the Dutchman's breeches. See what you have enabled me to do???? I wasn't lusting for that until I stumbled across this thread!

Toxi (Susan)

Hey Toxi!

I winter sowed the Toothwort this past January so it's sitting out in a tray waiting for Mother Nature to do her thing. The Green Dragon made me nervous so I removed the pulp and cold stratified that in the frig right in the container I plan to set outside and germinate it in. That has a longer dormancy requirement than most seeds so my protected babies don't even come out of their temperature controlled environment until April 5th. I checked on the Putty Roots almost daily until the ground froze. I went to go out there but we've had weird weather and I'm going to have to wait until it dries up around here to go looking for them. I heavily protected them with leaves gosh darnitall and now I'm afraid of finding them by accident. That was a real swift move on my behalf. I know the general area in which I planted them but the freeze/thaw cycles heaved my stakes.

I got some Skunk Cabbage as a gift and I am thrilled to death with them.

Toxi... give in to your desires. You want a clone machine. You need a clone machine. Get a clone machine and learn what to do with it together with me. We plantaholics must stick together, one day at a time ya know.

Say, thanks for the Toothwort fix! Mine aren't up yet. You lucky Missourians!

Good to hear back from you, Lauren.
I never cover my Putty root orchids because the single leaf they make in the fall is the only leaf they make all year. I figure that one leaf has to work all winter so the bulb can flower in the summer. Hope yours got some light during the fall....if you find them, you might want to take off the mulch so they can photosynthesize this spring. Actually, the evergreen leaf is the reason I like them.

The picture is of some Dutchman's Breeches, not Toothwort, LOL.
You probably should enlarge it and put on your glasses like I have to do! It is not the best picture, just one I found without going thru all 10,900 pictures I have on my computer now.

The weather here is supposed to get nasty again...cold, snow. I have to go remulch all the hostas, bleeding hearts, etc that have poked up their heads. Looks like the lilacs are gonna freeze...boohoo.

Cloning???? Don't think I better get that crazy. I have enough success propagating every broken or pruned twig, dividing crowded bulbs and perennials, etc. I am constantly giving away plants and yet at the same time I find myself with more and more plants to care for.
But you go for it, Lauren!!

Here is the toothwort, just to refresh your memory...in case some of them sprout:

Truth be known I have macular degeneration (could be worse) and I do have trouble seeing. I have to save everything that I want to get a good look at to my desktop and then I have to enlarge it. Sometimes I get lazy and don't take the time to save and enlarge a photo. Sometimes people post photos that are blurry or don't provide enough detail and I always feel so horrible when I have to ask people to post better photos with more details. Fortunately for me, you always have nice crisp images. I have Dutchman's Breeches here and I know what they look like. Toothwort I don't have... yet... but I've seen it growing at friend's homes and for sale before so I know what it looks like too. Now if mine will just germinate!

I keep my reading glasses around my neck and I always wear sunglasses and have a magnifying glass handy but I have a great trick for you if you don't see well, I use my digital camera. Particularly when trying to identify pests. I have a micro and macro feature and as long as I can get the auto focus to hit the area I want to photograph, I can get an image to blow up to just the right size for me to get a look at what's going on. Thank goodness for automatic focus digital cameras!

Now I am in big trouble though! I am going to go get work clothes on and unearth those Putty Roots IMMEDIATELY because what you just said about them gave me heart failure and I will absolutely puke if something happened to them. Be back!

Ta Da!

And! Here's the other one-

Unfortunately, I had to dig both of those out from under snow and then I had to remove leaf litter. Here's hoping you alerted me to there being a problem in time for me to save them and get them some sun. The bulbs are somewhere in that area so I removed snow and leaves to expose the ground. I sure hope I didn't screw up royally by "protecting" them. I checked on the Toothwort seed. No signs of life yet and I probably won't see any signs of life for another month or so. What do you think the fate of the Putty Roots will be? How badly did I blow it?

Did I mention I put in a bid on a used sterilization chamber? Susan, I put in a bid on a used sterilization chamber! It's decent sized and has enough room to work in and the access area is plenty generous for my arms to reach in. I changed my bid a few times already so now I need to sit back and wait and hope that nobody outbids me. It's a charity deal so it will be a month or so until we find out who the high bidder is but these units go for well over a thousand dollars a piece new and although this one is very old, I still suspect there is interest in it. I keep seeing people hanging around it. Maybe I should bid raise my bid again. I want this unit to play with flasking. Here's the corker- I have no idea where I will set it up if I win. Wasn't I bright?

You're hilarious, Lauren!
Let's hope that I have not screwed up in getting you to dig out the orchids....I did not realize you had snow. They are tough little critters and probably get enough light during fall and spring to get by. They look perky in the pictures. We rarely have the benefit of snow cover here in Missouri, and we do get some really COLD weather from time to time and it never seems to harm them.
Good luck on your bid for the sterilizer....you will make room for it somewhere....don't need that old recliner your DH sits in!

Sorry to hear you have macular degeneration. My MIL has that and it has really messed up her sight in one eye. She takes antioxidants and eats a lot of spinach in hopes that it will not get worse.

I just have regular old age problems....keep glasses in every room in the house and around my neck when out shopping. And I have very dry eyes, which is pretty much a nuisance.

Say whaaaaaaaaa??? Now is not the time to tell me I wasn't supposed to dig them out ;) I spent a few hours locating them out there under the snow. Hind sight is always 20/20 and I guess the white plant markers weren't the brightest idea in the world given the white snow. Then when I finally figured out where they were, I took off my gloves and unburied them by hand... mustn't risk hurting one of the babies!

Ha, the recliner is long gone. We got some sort of a Mission style sectional last year. It's this big L thing that takes up the whole room. There was no room for the recliner any more. But hmmmm, I wonder how attached he is to his dresser? That's about the right size of the chamber. I could just move his dresser complete with all his underwear and socks down to the basement and move in the chamber. He might actually benefit from running down from the second floor to the basement every morning to get his underwear and socks. Susan, you are truly an inspiration to me. Thanks for mentioning hubby didn't need a recliner.

Ya know, that's funny you should mention your MIL eating lots of spinache. My body had been craving spinache for the past 10 years. I've been eating a lot of spinache for a very long time. I think there are times our bodies know what is best for us. My personal girlfriend (a member here) was recently diagnosed with glaucoma. We've decided we're going down together! She who goes blind with the most native plants wins! The way we figure it is that we can get wheeled around and we can sniff and stick our hands out to feel up our plants and be at one with the world and if anyone messes with us... we'll beat em with our red tipped white canes! Would your MIL like to join our exclusive little club?

My poor MIL is raising 3 teenagers that her worthless druggie son left her after he overdosed. She isn't ready to sit around yet....but the red-tipped cane might be just the thing to keep the kids in line!

Gee, I hated learning that you had a grueling experience finding the little orchids....maybe it will all be worth it, though! Maybe they would have perished otherwise....At least you know they are there.

Hey Toxi, my husband and I were foster parents for quite a while until we had issues with his health recently and were afraid to continue forward accepting more little people. I'm really sorry those kids lost their Dad. I'm really grateful grandma was there to pick up the pieces. They said my husband and I were/are great foster parents but over the years I met a man who had been a former police officer and he and his wife successfully raised several biological children then became foster parents in their early 50's. I don't know how many children passed through their doors but after his wife died in her late 60's, he continued on as a foster parent to be in my estimation, the best foster parent I have ever known and I have known quite a few. He takes in teens. He is now in his mid 70's. When I had questions, issues, or concerns, or needed good solid advice; he is who I ran to. God Bless your MIL. God Bless the grandmas and grandpas out there who are raising their grandchildren and other people's children. Without them, this world wouldn't be such a great place.

My experience wasn't grueling, laughable though. I mean think about it. Who in their right mind uses little white plant stakes out in their woods in a zone that gets frequent snow? Must have been yet another one of my out of body experiences. I have a lot of those.

I don't have Out of Body experiences, but I do have a lot of Our of Brain ones. Do those count?

I think we are talking the same thing. Out of Body/Out of Brain... sounds like 6 to 1/half a dozen to the other ;)

Lauren, God Bless you for all your good deeds, too!
I had a great uncle and aunt who took in many, many foster children in their lifetime, and really admired them for it.
My bitterness over my MIL's situation is worsened by the fact that the children's mother is alive...she is disabled a bit, but mostly just irresponsible and totally unfit for raising her 5 children (had 2 by another man...did not raise any of them). She is also a "druggie" and honestly, pretty crazy in the head. It is a sad situation, and my MIL has had the kids most of the time since they were born.

I should let go of my anger on this.

Hey Susan, I'm going to make a few comments that are just something to consider given I have had interactions with the birth parents of children we have provided care for. I think drug addictions are often symptoms of far more severe conditions. I am convinced many of these people deal with demons that you and I couldn't even begin to fathom. They need professional help beyond our wildest imaginations and the odds of them ever getting it are like next to none in my area because of our system of in and out & in and out of institutions. Most unfortunately, it appears drug addictions often go hand in hand with mental illness such as depression, schizophrenia, OC disorder, mania, paranoia, or any combination of a host of "labels". 72 hours isn't nearly enough time for anti-psychotic drugs to begin to hit a therapeutic level in their blood streams and drugs don't work well without counseling and support so they are released to the streets... again... and again... and again. For these reasons and these reasons alone, I find it best for me to separate the birth parent from the behavior and the anger dissipates on its own.

Your MIL is the best thing that ever happened to those 3 kids. So often, kids like this end up in the system through no fault of their own and what's even worse is that siblings are frequently split up. I'm not saying a home like ours would have been inappropriate, but a home with a loving biological relative is always best when possible for many reasons. Claiming of behaviors being top of the list.

OK Ladies and Gentlemen (edited for you branches, really sorry), now who has ordered what in the form of plants for this season. Come on now, don't be shy... share your 12 step programs with us. Remember, this thread started out as Plant Enablers Anonymous somewhere back 50 posts ago or so!



This message was edited Mar 21, 2006 3:32 PM

I'm not a lady, but I will share what I have ordered this winter...by the way, I have been reading this thread on and off (I just skim through the non-plant chatter).

For the more shady areas of my yard Aster divaricatus, A.lateriflorus, A. macrophyllus, Hystrix patula, Elymus virginicus, Gaultheria procumbens, Ilex glabra, Vaccinium corymbosum, and Lobelia cardinalis. The more cold days we have, the more on line shopping I seem to do.