Greenhouse tropicals and tomatoes

My Plumeria cutting with first leaves

Have you ever grown Plumeria (aka Frangipani)?  I did so several years ago while in Saskatchewan and got a good sized flowering plant.  I don't know what I did with it eventually, since I didn't have it for a long time.  Anyhow, I decided to try it again here, growing it from a cutting purchased online.  I got this one in October and it finally produced leaves this past week!    That is 6 months to go from an inch-wide, foot-long stick to a rooted and leafed out stick.  This one is called "Benz" and should be a nice pink and yellow.  I did have two cuttings, though the other one died of root rot.  I should have used a more airy potting mix, by adding more perlite and sand and watering less.  I did realize the problem quickly though, and left the other cutting more dry.  Success!  Now to wait for flowers.  Gardening does build patience. 

  

A flowering Plumeria

(By Kerina yin at ms.wikipedia - Own workTransferred from ms.wikipedia, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15693443)

Even more exciting for me is the germination of a handful of Blue Passion flower (Passiflora caerulea).  I have always had failure with germination of passion flowers in the past so I took one last try at it after reading online advice to get good fresh seed and then soak them before planting.  The recommendations were for soaking for 1 day, but I got side-tracked by life and left them to soak for 3 days.  I put them in regular potting mix and about 2-3 weeks later, got a nice bunch of seedlings!  I am pricking them out now to grow bigger, though have no idea what I am going to do with these very tall-growing tropical flowering vines.  If I get a single flower though, I will be very happy.   

 Passion flowers are the most ornate flowers I have ever seen.  It's hard to imagine such intricate designs just occurring spontaneously in nature!  They are native to South America and can grow 9 meters tall, but of course, mine will be limited to the size of the sunny bathroom in the house, or my sunroom/greenhouse. 

On the non-tropical theme, my 9 varieties of tomatoes and 2 varieties of tomatilloes are up and growing.  I am trying a few of the new compact indeterminate varieties (e.g. "Better Bush"), which produce throughout the season but do not grow tall and need staking.  These will work much better in my raised beds than the 10 foot varieties I put in last year and then had to climb into the clouds to harvest.  Those tall kinds can go in the ground this year (and risk the hazards of the crazy new puppy). 

In the front row is "Indigo Rose", which I wanted to grow after seeing other gardens with darker cherry tomatoes than my "Black Cherry".  I just had to have these anti-oxidant-filled black tomatoes (same anti-oxidants as in blueberries).  I threw in one Roma "Pomodora" just to have a few sauce tomatoes, "Black Plum" because made the sweetest dried tomatoes, some yellow pear shape for pretty salads, "Manitoba" because my mom wants a [boring] round plain red tomato, "Cherry Falls" for short but wide plants for the raised beds, "Conestoga" for tasty big hamburger slice tomatoes on tall vines...and  a few more for good measure.   

Color Gems of the April Garden

It has been a rather warm and pleasant spring (so far) and the sights and smells of wild and cultivated flowers are amazing.  The wild oregon grape (Mahonia) shrubs are in bloom here and the Saskatoon bushes are just finishing.  My narcissus and daffodils started a few weeks ago.  Every fall, I plant more, but our landscaping is so sprawling that I would need quite a few more for good effect.  I plant a variety of shapes and colors just to enjoy the variations. 

Narcissus "White Lion" in front of some Lavender "Hidcote superior" (not in bloom) and a blue oat grass

My "rock garden" includes samplings of all my favourite compact plants, looking like a quilt of color now.  My "Black Lace" Elderberry is at the left in the foreground. 

Purple flowers on the right are Aubrieta (Rock Cress)

White flowers on Iberis "Snow Cone" with a tiny yellow Draba bruniifolia in the background. 

Aubrieta, variegated red

I have many little hummocks of purple and pink flowering Aubrieta (Rock Cress) at the edges of the rock garden.  The variegated leaf one is absolutely stunning.  I have been so impressed by the aubrieta that I have started a tray of "Cascade blue" from seed.  They are quite easy to grow from seed.

I did try Aubrieta in Saskatchewan, but they were not hardy there.  There certainly grow well here.  I always think of the wild ones growing in cracks of rock faces above the highways on Vancouver Island.  Amazing!  These make quite a dense groundcover, so I am thinking about combining them with other low-growing flowering plants like Alyssum saxatile and covering some of the edges of the mulch-covered areas to prevent weeds seeds from taking over.

Muscari latifolium with low lilac-colored Phlox

Muscari latifolium are distinguished from the common muscari by their wider strap-like leaves and two-toned flowers

  Muscari are a great bulb because they naturalize in an area, multiplying each year for bigger and brighter shows.  They make a nice contrast for other flowering plants at this time of year.  I have some Bergenia (Elephant's ears) flowering pink next to the muscari, making a great combination.  

Blue Muscari armeniacum (left), Primulas at center, and white mat of Arabis caucasica

April in Summerland, BC

Arrowleaf balsamroot and Saskatoon berries (white shrubs) in bloom, April 7, 2016

The appearance of April-blooming wildflowers is a sure sign of spring in the Okanagan.  The sunflower-like blooms of the arrowleaf balsamroot are appearing everywhere in wild areas, among the grass, sagebrush and ponderosa pine.  They were of great value to native peoples of the area, who used nearly every part of the plant.  They bloom at the same time as the Saskatoon berry shrubs, providing a short but beautiful show this time of year.

I purchased a dozen of the arrowleaf balsamroot plants at a native plant nursery in Oliver recently.  I had been meaning to get to Sagebrush nursery for the last 2 years, and finally got myself there after an impulse to drive somewhere on a sunny morning.  If you had any ideas about transplanting these from the wild, just abandon that thought.  Like many dryland plants, these have very long taproots and therefore don't transplant well (and there's also the disturbance that digging in wild areas will cause).  Mine were fairly small plants and as such, seem to be doing well after being planted in my yard.  They are the ultimate in drought-tolerant plants and will not being needing additional water once established.  They dry up to little crisps in the summer, so I think that planting other things around them will be a good idea, much like disguising the dying foliage of spring bulbs with other perennials.  We have predominantly sandy soil, which this plant likes.  Also, I am planting them on slopes, which seems to be consistent with where they like to be in the wild. 

Did you know the arrowleaf balsamroot is not destroyed by fire, and may actually increase due to fire?  The top part of the plant is burned, but the deep taproot (up to 8 feet) survives unscathed to grow again the next year. 

Looking north from Sumac Ridge, Summerland

 

 

 

 

 

We have had nice sunny and warm weather here in Summerland so far this April, excellent for all the tourists we see cruising by (we see those cameras).  For all the prairie people, you should know people have been golfing here for a couple of months already!  The grass is green and lovely.  

While they may be hated as pests by the fruit-growers, we like to watch the yellow-bellied marmots hanging out on their stack of old logs.  Otherwise, they are often seen sunning themselves on the top of concrete barriers at the sides of highways.

Poles going in for new apple orchard

Back on our property, we ripped out a couple acres of old red delicious apple trees (economically worthless variety) and are replacing them with a high-density Ambrosia apple orchard.  The trees are not quite all planted yet.  This is a LOT of work and we will be very happy to see all the trees settled in with their watering system soon.  In the meanwhile, our new puppy dog is miserably residing in a large pen during the day (rather than roaming the property), away from all the heavy equipment.  He too will be happy to see the end of the re-plant. 

Lovely Spring Bulbs

Primula denticulata

The crocuses are finished now, so my designated "rock garden" is now being colored by the early spring flowers, like this solitary drumstick primula (Primula denticulata).  I bought it last year as a fading specimen at the garden store and it seems to have done well over the winter and even flowered for me!  I fell in love with these after seeing masses of them at Victoria's Butchart Gardens.  There were amazing, and their "drumsticks" much taller than mine.  The hot dry Okanagan doesn't really seem like the most suitable climate for a primula, but bark mulch and part shade seems to help them withstand the summers. 

 Among the blue-flowering spring flowers, Chionodoxa planted in clusters look like sparkling gems.  I looked at my few this spring and have concluded that I need to order masses of them in the fall.  They are lovely and deserve more of a show. 

Chionodoxa

 The mini narcissus are looking lovely, though it seems only Tete-a-Tete has bloomed so far.  I am waiting for a few others.  These are a good bulb when rodents and deer are a problem, as they are not so attractive to animals, as they are poisonous to eat.  Blue Scilla is seen in the background. 

Narcissus Tete-a-Tete

I see that the Summerland Gardens are open for the season, but I have yet to visit this year.  I enjoyed the spring primulas there last year, mainly growing around the historic house.  I encourage anyone to visit.  It is a great place to admire the plants and the view of Trout Creek Canyon and the train trestle.

I plan to start my tomato seeds this week - including lots of varieties!  I can't wait to see all the colors.

Early Spring Flowers in the Okanagan

It's time to get excited about the garden and plans for the yard!  The snow crocuses and large flowering crocuses have looked great in our yard this past week.  They are complemented by the violas and dwarf irises.

As I took photos of my lovely snow crocuses, I accidentally directed our new puppy's attention to the little purple flowers and he granted me this lovely action shot of him eating the flowers.  He likes to be involved in the action.  If I pull weeds, he enthusiastically digs an adjacent hole in a show of solidarity.

Oreo the crocus-munching dog

The dog and family hiked up Giant's Head Mountain here in Summerland this week.  This is a view from one of the little trails that winds around the mountain.  I just kept telling myself that the snakes aren't out yet and the bears aren't eating berries yet.  If it comes down to it, the puppy is a Karelian bear dog and it would give him an exciting experience, but I'd rather not participate.

View from Giant's Head Mountain, looking northeast

There were several of the sagebrush buttercups blooming on the mountain, this one alongside a flower bulb that is just coming up.  I'm not sure what the bulb is, but surely want to find out.  The sagebrush buttercup, like the rest of the buttercup family, is poisonous.  This feature was known to local native groups, who used it as poison on their arrowheads when they were hunting.  I advised the kids not to touch it.  

 

 

The early dwarf irises are blooming in my yard -- my first time growing this kind in BC.  The blue are "Cantab" and the white...I am not sure about.  The label reads something that sounds like a French word I accidentally transcribed from the package that had nothing to do with the flower.  

 

Dendrobium Orchid Blooms

I love Dendrobiums, mostly because they are the orchid that I have finally figured out.  I can get them to bloom, or at least the Dendrobium nobile types.  Since moving to British Columbia, I have had better access to orchid vendors and have collected a couple more varieties of Dendrobium and am hoping for more success.

Essentially, these orchids needs regular water and orchid fertilizer all spring and summer, with very limited water and no fertilizer after October.  I put little signs on my orchids to remind myself of this.  "Don't water me".  It also helps to have the plants in a cooler location for a month in the fall season.  Mine are in a heated greenhouse, where temperatures drop to 14 degrees C (57 degrees F) at night.  I previously have had success placing them near a large and poorly-sealed window in an older house.  A bay window or sunroom might work for this purpose.  

Within a few months, small round buds appear along the length of the stems.  If you fertilize at this point, the buds grow into tiny plants, complete with roots, if you leave them long enough.  These are keikis and can sliced off the mother plant and be potted up as new plants.

Keiki on my Dendrobium

However, if you don't fertilize, these buds grow into flowers.  Once the flower buds appear, you can give the usual regular watering, so that they flower buds don't dry up and die (I have made that mistake before too).

Dendrobium nobile "Angel Smile" in bloom, February 23, 2016

I keep one plant (a smaller one that would not make a great deal of blooms anyhow) to make the keikis, thus generating around 3 to 4 new baby plants each year.  This lends itself to distributing new plants to any interested friends.

This orchid likes bright light and tolerates cool to quite warm temperatures in the greenhouse.  I give mine supplemental pinkish LED light in the greenhouse (which makes up for our short winter days).  However, I have grown these before in a bright sunny indoor spot too, so you don't need a greenhouse.  Generally, I think this orchid is quite easy to grow.  It is a pity they are not often sold at local garden stores. 

This website also has more detailed care instructions: http://www.akatsukaorchid.com/store/pg/29-Dendrobium-Nobile-Care.aspx

Winter Growing: LEDs, orchids, and tomatoes

Macintosh apple trees in the orchard

The apple orchard is sleeping for the winter, though we made a new sledding hill by removing around

half of the trees!  The Red Delicious apples are not really economically viable anymore and does anyone really like them, with all the better apple options around these days?  As a result, those old red apples were forcibly removed and will be replaced with Ambrosia apples in the spring.  

My greenhouse room, with orchids on the left rack

Otherwise, growing is still happening indoors, with vegetables and my collection of perennial seedlings, pelargonium cuttings, and orchids.  I tried the first tomato today (a Red Robin) and admit its flavour wasn't stellar - not really sweet and more acidic.  However, the texture of a fresh juicy tomato in winter was nice.  These were grown in Pro-mix soil-less mix, but recently were topped up with finished worm compost.  Maybe the compost will enrich the flavour over time?

My greenhouse room is kept between temperatures of 14-20 degrees, with the higher temperatures brought by sunny days shining on the windows.  Humidity averages 55%.  It feels lovely in there.  

Dendrobium nobile orchid with flower buds

The orchids seem to love it.  I have by trial and error figured out that some orchids resent the heat of summer or cool of winter -- particularly Oncidum "Twinkle".  That plant will stay indoors at human comfort temperatures year-round.  However, Dendrobium nobile, Cymbidiums, Catteleya, Miltonia/Miltoniopsis (not sure which it is), Phaelenopsis and a Paphiopedilum are doing well in there now.  The Phals are indoors in the summer, as they don't like getting up to 30+degrees C or getting sun-burned. 

In contrast to the tomatoes, I really loved the flavour of the "Piccolino" cucumber.  I got the seeds from West Coast Seeds.  This plant bears only female flowers that don't require pollination, so it is perfect greenhouse plant.  I have a few yellow spots on the leaves, but then it did dry out occasionally, so I potted it in a bigger pot full of worm compost.  It is good to go now. 

Ripening "Red Robin" cherry tomatoes in the greenhouse

Chicken brooder fixture with plant LED light

There is sunlight in the greenhouse, of course, but I supplement with LED lights.   I've got a variety which I've been trying.  The cheapest option for small areas are these bulbs with E27 bases (standard light base) that screw into a cheap clip-on fixture that you can buy at the hardware store (or a chick brooder lamp fixture).  I buy them on ebay, mostly from overseas.  They provide the pinky light that includes the spectrum that plants need to grow and flower.  As it is dark from 3-4 pm in winter, the lights lengthen the day greatly. 

Giant's Head Mountain - Summerland BC