http://plants.zachandchristie.com a weblog for all things plants Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:02:23 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Sorry for my unplanned hiatus over the last couple of weeks.  Life has been very busy! As Spring approaches. more blooms are appearing - inside my greenhouse and outdoors.  I've gotten a couple of Gerbera daisy plants as gifts over the last 3 years or so.  Usually they were blooming when ... http://plants.zachandchristie.com/2010/03/08/blooming-in-and-out/ Some of my plants have been surprising me with blooms lately.  I figured the lower sun angle would be enough to trigger dormancy in some plants, even in the 65 degree temperatures of the greenhouse.  But none of my plants are going dormant and some of them are blooming for ... http://plants.zachandchristie.com/2010/02/19/new-blooms-in-the-greenhouse/ Last week I spent two days at the Myriad Botanical Gardens as a volunteer, and it was great.  There's really not a better working environment than to be surrounded by tropical plants all day long. The first day I spent working with the Education Coordinator, who is also in charge of ... http://plants.zachandchristie.com/2010/02/08/bonsai-pruning/ The Carrion Plant (Stapelia gigantea) is a rather inconspicuous plant when not in bloom.  This lanky, hanging succulent thrives in dry conditions. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="The Carrion Plant (Stapelia gigantea)"][/caption] However, the large bud that forms on a happy plant will alert you that something is about to happen. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" ... http://plants.zachandchristie.com/2010/02/05/the-carrion-flower/ We have received more than our normal share of winter precipitation this year.  I have spent my whole life in the same town, and I don't really recall having more than 1 decent snow storm each winter.  This winter, we received a pretty good snowfall on Christmas Eve, measuring 8 ... http://plants.zachandchristie.com/2010/02/03/winter-weather-and-hardiness-zones/