Happy New Years, everyone!
One of my main goals this year is to get far more organized so I'm not overloaded with work and I'm allowing myself time to fully rest and not sacrifice sleep so much.
Since I was little, I've always been sort of a night owl. And when the internet entered our lives, heck, I PRAYED that I didn't need to sleep because of the new world of information and visual stimulation I couldn't get anywhere else. There was also the mentality of being in top of everything (ie, new plants, most recent discoveries and methods, etc.). Snooze you loose, right?!
I'll keep my late night plant web-surfing to a minimum, but new online catalogs are being updated and there are more exciting things to share!
So, Logee's Greenhouse's catalog arrived a few days ago and I am always thrilled to see the newest selection of houseplants (and some hardy garden selections) they offer. While I don't have the luxury of a warm, heated, greenhouse of my own to grow a lot of the fancy favorites I've highlighted, that doesn't stop me from learning about them.
Here are a few selections:
On the cover is this fabulous Sweet Olive: Osmanthus fragrans 'Fu Ding Zhu"
This selection I've read about before and it looks to be an exceptional clone and a tad bit hardier than the straight species, which really requires a warm protected spot or against a stone wall to grow and flower consistently.
Here's a discussion on this and other Osmanthus I found interesting. Oh, the FRAGRANCE is sure to be remarkable! Like Apricots!!
Another plant that's not really new on the market, but sure getting a lot of press is the popular Goji Berry (Lycium barbarum). Known for its nutrient content and antioxidant properties, it is much sought after and in this new gardening generation, it's totally worth growing!!
Now for some tropical favorites that have caught my attention:
Now, I'm not sure if I'm willing to shell out 30 bucks on a rooted cutting of a easy to propagate Angels' Trumpet (Brugmansia), but this one is quite a unique breeding breakthrough. This is Brugmansia 'Angel's Summer Dream', a DWARF form.
Night Blooming Cereus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum)is a plant that seems to follow the generations as cuttings of this so called "Orchid Cactus" have been passed around through the years in our family. While the plant looks quite boring and kind of pathetic looking, getting a mature plant to come into bloom is quite a spectacular site. People will love the whole "thrives on neglect" deal, but in my option, you have to be pretty tolerant of this spindly and unattractive plant. You've also got to be there at night to fully experience the blooms.
There are so many more I can rave about, but I really need to get to bed!
R
Hi Riz~~ It's really bad when you have to get up early the following morning. I always have this resolve to log off right after Leno is over. Before I know it, Conan is on...
ReplyDeleteI can vouch for Lycium. It's a rapid grower, with more of a vine-like habit than shrub, although the canes have no tendrils [thorns!] and must be tied. I planted mine in too much shade, thanks to my neighbor's burgeoning Birch trees. Because of this, I've harvested very little fruit. I grew Osmathus fragrans [species] for several years and the fragrance is delicious. Mine usually began blooming in late August. Your photo of 'Fu Ding Zhu' is causing all kinds of fluttering. What a beauty!! Thanks for sharing. Good night.
Thanks for reading, Grace!
ReplyDeleteI should hook you up with Osmanthus x fortunei. It's a cross between fragrans and heterophyllus. It's far hardier than straight fragrans and the flower power is remarkable! Oh and, of course, it's exceedingly fragrant!