Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - March 2012

What is Garden Bloggers Bloom Day? Well I'm glad you asked. On the 15th of each month, writers of gardening blogs post photos of what is blooming in their garden. I've known about it for a while, but this is my first post for GBBD. And this year we actually have things blooming on March 15th! We have been enjoying a glorious week of 70*F / 21*C temperatures. That doesn't happen very often. But even with the warm weather, my blooming list is going to be pretty short.

So, here we go.

First is our Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum). It just opened today.

Second (and last for the outdoor plants this month) is the American Pussy Willow (Salix discolor). It's been blooming for almost a week already, but the warm weather has opened them up some more.

Sadly, the warm weather has brought the bugs, too. Oh well.

Houseplants count for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, don't they? Good, because my Christmas Cactus is still blooming....since December.

Here's a (really bad) photo of what the cactus looks like
from the other side of the window. (sorry, the lighting was awful.)

Spring is in the Air

The calendar may not say so, but I say Spring has officially sprung in Minnesota!

The thermometer reads 69*F / 21*C,

YAY!!! [happy dance]

the pussy willow (Salix discolor) has popped,

and the pussy cats are in Sunshine Heaven.

Oliver, Relaxer Extraordinaire

Puddy, the Sunshine Diva, surveys her domain.

That Voodoo that YooDoo so Well

While on my recent trip to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum I also stopped in their little conservatory attached to the main building. It is full of all sorts of tropicals, and is a real pick-me-up when Minnesota is trying to decide if it will be winter or spring.

I forgot how wonderfully humid the conservatory is; it was almost a shock to the system. The above photo was taken at the door to the conservatory. If you look closely you'll see a bench half-way down the path on the left. I didn't even make it that far before my coat became unbearable.

There are many fun plants in this conservatory that I will talk about, but I want to focus on one particular plant for this post. Because on this Arboretum visit I met a Voodoo Bulb.

I was wandering about the room, blissfully snapping pictures, when I smelled it. "Ug, what smells?" It was a very unpleasant odor, like week-old roadkill. It was quite strong so I knew it was nearby. There were two ladies in the conservatory as well, and they also wondered what stunk. One lady, in fact, couldn't stand anywhere near the area. I was among various cacti and agave, which are not the likely suspects. Which plant is it? Then I saw it.

"Typhonium venosum - Voodoo Bulb"

That has to be it. And, being the plant geek that I am, what do I do? Lean down, stick my nose in the center of the thing and take a whiff. Yep, *cough* this is it! The weird thing is, the plant is across from the bench where I stopped to take off my coat. I had to walk by it when I came in. I never saw noticed smelled it until now. Weird.

So, now that the source of the smell has been located, time to admire it. In addition to being bizarre, this plant is really quite beautiful - the vase shape of the bulb, the gracefully-arching spadix, the deep purple, and especially the color of the spathe.

Too bad it has to smell like a dead animal. That fact put a thought in my head; I know of only one plant that smells like rotting flesh: the Corpse Flower. The Como Zoo Conservatory has one, but I've never seen it. Hmm, interesting thought.

As I moved around the table taking pictures of the bulb, the smell suddenly got worse. Then I saw that I was directly at the end of the spadix, which must be where the pollen - and source of the smell - is. Nasty.

Just then the caretaker of the conservatory came in. He saw I was studying the Voodoo Bulb and we started chatting. The first topic, naturally, was the smell. So I asked him if it was possibly related to the Corpse Flower. He affirmed that oh yes, all plants that smell like this are in the same family (Araceae) as the Corpse Flower. That got me thinking; if this little bulb (12 inches / 30.5 cm high) can put off such a strong odor, how much more pungent is a 5-foot / 1.5 meter tall Corpse Flower?! I'm not so sure I want to know anymore. (What am I saying? Of course I do!)

The Como Zoo's Corpse Flower.
This photo is from Thanland. Click the link the check out
the article, more photos, and a video.

The gentleman also said that he personally has two Voodoo Bulbs. Ah, a fellow plant geek! He also explained that the Voodoo Bulb (and all of its relatives) bloom for only one day out of the whole year, and that this particular bulb just opened that morning.

Well, wasn't it my lucky day?

A Touch of Whimsy

I recently made a trip to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, Minnesota. They always have a variety of rotating displays and exhibits throughout the year. I specifically wanted to see the display of fairy gardens, and was lucky to discover they extended the run of the exhibit a week.

This particular exhibit was presented by the folks at Tonkadale Greenhouse, based in nearby Minnetonka. (I realize I am endorsing my competition, but I believe in giving credit where credit is due). The diminutive gardens are very creative and full of charming whimsy.

Not all the fairy gardens were made by Tonkadale. Various Arboretum members and staff also displayed their creations. These are two of my favorites.

"Cabin by the Lake"
by Chad Sypnieski - Arboretum Member

untitled
by Sandy Seha - Arboretum Staff

I believe this was made so that kids could play with it.

Christmas Cactus - Update #2

If you remember from Update #1, our Christmas Cactus had a second flush of flowers.

Second set of flowers. Taken February 2, 2012.

Those have faded and been removed. At the time we could clearly see there were more buds forming, and most of them would go on to flower.

Third (!) set of flower buds forming. Taken February 2, 2012

I've been casually and randomly checking on the new flower buds and watching them slowly get bigger. This morning I found these:

  

A third set of flowers? Somewhere around a dozen. This thing just won't quit! I am (im)patiently waiting for it to stop blooming so that I can prune and repot it, which is supposed to happen one month after it has stopped blooming. At the rate this plant is going, I won't be able to do anything with it until May!

~~~~~~~

(But I have finally figured out how to get the best angle to take pictures of this Christmas cactus, since it's hanging over the sink and pressed against the window. I have to sit on the counter, lean over the sink and hold the camera parallel with the window and hope I don't fall off the counter or into the sink.)

The things I do for the sake of a horticulture blog. :)