3/5/08

A few pictures from the garden

The cymbidium orchid flowers began to open a few days ago.

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This morning I was looking at them wondering, "Who pollinates you?" The next flower down the raceme had a moth in it.

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I would never have bought this plant for myself, but it was a gift and I enjoy having it in my garden very much. It's perfect under the tree fern. And it's quite striking when the flowers open up all the way. Which probably will not happen by Bloom Day.

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The Fuchsia boliviana I grew from seed has a big cluster of buds. It's always a thrill to see a plant you grew from seed flower for the first time. The morning dew beading on the leaf margins is a sweet touch.

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And the Echium wildprettii...it looks like a Christmas tree in the bright morning light.

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I will miss having this plant in my garden when it dies.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Spectacular garden and photos. What a climate. What a beautiful sense of things.

Randy said...

Your garden makes me long for Spring, Chuck. I can't hardly wait for it to get here.

gintoino said...

Nice orchid photos. I'm quite curious to see the Fuchsia flowers. And that Echium...did you grow it from seed? Is it an easy germinator?

chuck b. said...

Gintonio, I believe this Echium is from your part of the world, and yes, it's very easy to grow from seed. In fact it self sows in California so after this one dies, I'll have volunteers if I want to keep them. They form a taproot and cannot be moved after a little while.

chuck b. said...

Randy and Jamie, Spring is very close!

Clerk, thank you!

Frances, said...

Stunning cymbidium! You are able to keep it outside in the ground all year? I'll bet it is open by bloom day, it has already started opening. How many buds?

Frances at Faire Garden

Aunt Debbi/kurts mom said...

Very nice pictures

Christopher C. NC said...

The Echium wildprettii is really going to town getting ready to bloom. Didn't you have two of those at one point?

JvA said...

Those orchid photos make me want to plant flowers.

chuck b. said...

Don't jinx me, Frances! And, yep, they stay outside all year. I actually have two. Technically, they're not in the ground--they're in pots because orchid pseudobulbs like to be jammed tight together in order to bloom.

AKDM, thank you!

Christopher, I had *four* planted out at one point. I do have two. The other one is starting to rise to, but not as dramatically, and it gets afternoon light, not morning light.

JvA, do it!

chuck b. said...

whoops--I meant ADKM.

lisa said...

Beautiful pictures! Man, I think I'm gonna go BUY some flowers for in the house! I mean, I like winter, but this post makes me really miss my flowers!

JvA said...

If I take a picture of my front yard, will you tell me what to plant and where?

chuck b. said...

I doubt that would work. For one thing, it would be hard to communicate.

Anonymous said...

I love the Fuschia! I have not seen one like it before this picture! Good job!

Lori said...

I just wanted to say that I'm wildly envious that I can't grow Echium wildprettii in my own garden. It looks so cool in yours, especially in the shots looking down on the garden.

JvA said...

OK, you'll just have to come over then.

Tira said...

The pics of the orchid are lovely. I am going to try to grow fucshia again, and I definitely wan that Echium! Where do you get the seeds? I don't think gardeners here know about this plant.

chuck b. said...

Nicole, I got the seeds from JL Hudson in my links. Very easy to grow.

Tira said...

Thanks, Chuck Will try them.