I was out poking around in my two protected cold frames today: its been so steadily cold this season that not much is happening in the frames or in the garden. In the garden, some snow drops are up above ground but not really in bloom.
That the cold frames are so quiet is surprising. There is lots of leafy growth on the various Arum and other winter growing aroids, little odds and ends such as Scilla greilhuberi and S. lingulata ciliolata are in growth as are various winter foliaged Lycoris. But there is good news of a different sort: Tropaeolum azureum is finally up and growing, This was planted into the frame in the autumn of 2008; it did not appear above ground in 2009, and in 2010 it made only a brief appearance above ground. Today I saw two sprouts about three inches out of the ground. These are such frail, tiny things that they are hard to see. It would be great if they continued to grow well and eventually flower. Tropaeolum azureum is one of horticultures holy grails for me, and I have not yet attained it. Another species, T. brachyceras, bloomed in this frame last year. It is not yet up above ground unless the sprouts that Im calling T. azureum are of that species (they are close together). A third species, T. hookerianum, also planted in the autumn of 2008, has yet to appear above ground at all. A finger poke check a few months ago suggested that all are still sound and of good size they are just taking their time. And here are some things which might surprise some of you: in these same frames Im wintering three hybrid Paphiopedilum so far, so good. There is also a plant of Zamia pumila. Sinningia leucotricha in that frame is still in full leaf. Crinum x powellii is in full leaf, so much so that I had to rip much of its coarse foliage out today. There are also two Kalenchoë in one of the frames. Since I cant get these to flower when grown as house plants, I wondered if the changes in the natural day length might induce flowering. So far, no sign of bloom, but the plants seem fine. There is also a home-rooted cutting of Laurus nobilis. This plant has a well deserved reputation for being difficult to root from cuttings. I started with maybe eight fresh cuttings, and only one rooted (all were given the same treatment; I did not use rooting hormones). Fruit is ripening (bright red) on Gardenia Shooting Star in one of the frames. Im really getting into the cold frame thing. Jim McKenney [email protected] Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, USDA zone 7 My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com BLOG! http://mcwort.blogspot.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org
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