Cymbidium for Christmas

Today, a few days before Christmas, the weather turned very cold. The high today is expected to be -6F. Like other fool-hardy Minnesotans I ventured out to the greenhouse to fulfill my appointed duties. However, when I arrived there, only Curator J.. was in the building. He asked if I would stay and do a bit of sweeping, which I did for about two hours. There wasn’t a lot of debris under the benches, but every bench had a little bit. So the benches in all four collection rooms needed attention. I also swept the workroom.

I have to state the floors of the greenhouse look much tidier since J’s arrival, thanks in part to a leaf blower recently introduced to the greenhouse. He has made a significant effort to get pots up off of the floors onto low benches. The floors clearly are being washed more frequently compared to before his arrival. It is important for the greenhouse because it reduces the biomass on the floor for the proliferation of pests and fungus, which then spread to the plants in the collection, particularly if their pot is sitting directly on the floor.

Next week, I’ll contact A...to ensure there is enough for me to do on the 29th.

A plant that was particularly beautiful today was a cymbidium orchid in full bloom. The plant was approximately 4 feet in diameter and height. There were several flower spikes, each bearing half-dozen open blossoms, and as many buds. The blossoms were each 2 inches in size, with pale green petals bearing reddish-brown spots. The blossoms were not particularly showy, blending into the background foliage. But they were perfectly formed on closer inspection. Gorgeous!

Comments

I celebrate learning this about cycad plants

I didn't know that the cardboard palm - Zamia furfuracea - is a cycad. It isn't a palm tree (don't judge me, I'm not a botanist). But it also doesn't look like the other more familiar types of cycads with their fluted upright palm-like fronds. I didn't know it is said to be the second most commonly cultivated cycad, after Cycas revoluta . I didn't know this plant is unrelated to the common ZZ plant - Zamioculcas zamifolia - although they have a similar appearance. Before today I didn't know any of these things, but now I am happy to have learned them. From the parking lot I walked to the U of M Conservatory greenhouse in near-zero F weather. Stepping into the tropical spaces was a joy of its own. But being able to learn new information and experience new procedures was a compounding factor. Joy squared. During my 3-hour volunteer shift, my initial task was to clean the parasite critters (mealybugs and scale) from the stems and leaves of the cycad, Zami...

Another routine spectacular day in the greenhouse

It has been a sincere pleasure for me to volunteer a few hours a week at the University of Minnesota Botanical Conservatory. After many visits over the last few years, exactly none of those days have felt ordinary or repetitive. If there is a routine , it is that the botanic diversity of the collection - with over 3000 species - is displayed in a spectacular way each day. The Conservatory is located on the St. Paul campus, and is free of charge and open to the public during typical weekday hours. For instance, today most of my allotted time was spent in just one of eight rooms, the room that houses the tropical collection. The chores included pruning, re-potting, spraying, sweeping, etc. As I moved through the room, in every direction, there seemed to be a stunning plant pleading to be admired. After the chores were complete, I had the opportunity to go back and photograph some of the beauties that surrounded me while working. Dendrobium tangerinum , Papua New Guinea Dendr...

Botanical Garden of Prickly Plants in Palm Springs

This adobe wall and gate are part of the original hotel in Palm Springs, California. In 1938 the old adobe hotel was purchased by Chester Moorten, who had previously been a stunt man in early Hollywood working on films including the Keystone Cops movies. He and his botanist wife Patricia, lived and operated a desert garden center out of the old hotel. Locally he was known as "Cactus Slim" for his ability to maintain desert plants. Chester's son, Clark, carried on the business and became a noted expert in desert plants. Clark Moorten still owns and operates the Moorten Botanical Garden which is open to the public (except on Wednesdays, which I discovered the hard way). Original adobe wall of the old hotel, now Moorten family home Layout of the botanical garden Compared to other botanical gardens, this one is limited to one acre. However, what it lacks in size it compensates with variety and quality. There are specimens in this garden that would be difficult to find in the ...

City Gardener

Search This Blog