Vine pruning and support

I arrived by bicycle again today. The weather was cool - low 60s F- and almost drizzling. But, the bike ride was pleasant enough to enjoy.

Al... was the only person in the workroom when I arrived at 10a. She had finished watering all of the rooms. She suggested I could work on vine maintenance in room 3c, which I did.

I first inspected the low table holding the vining plants in 3C. I decided what tools I’d need, and returned to the workroom to gather the supplies: pail, clippers, green tape, latex gloves, bucket of soapy water.

I started by cleaning the soot from a “scrambling” hydrangea (Hydrangea obtusifolia, scrambling shrub, native of China) sitting next to a small wood trellis. Next, I selected the longest tendrils on the hydrangea plant and attached them to the trellis using the green stretchy tape. I was careful to attach the vine tendrils on one side of the trellis only because there was another different vining on the opposite side of the trellis. Later, I read the plant is not considered a climbing hydrangea, but rather a scrambling hydrangea. The two most common species of climbing hydrangeas are H. integrifolia and H. serratifolia (both are evergreen). H. seemannii is a climber, but not evergreen.

Having finished the side with the hydrangea, I went to the opposite side of the trellis to take down and reattach the Delavay honeysuckle (Lonicera similis, from Asia). The vine had a fragrant and showy spray of white and yellow tubular blossoms at the end of one of the main branches. As I left the building for the day I told Curator J... what I had done to the hydrangea and honeysuckle vines. He is doubtful the hydrangea will act like a climbing plant. He is likely correct.

Finally, I washed sooty mold off the leaves of 3 other vining plants on the same bench as the two vines mentioned already.

B... introduced me to Intern D..., who is a new intern at the Greenhouse.

September 7th, 2023 (photos above)

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...

Mobile indoor green wall

Finally, after three years... my plant vines have grown and spread to be green wall that I had hoped for. I'm not sure it would have taken as long if the plants were in a more humid, sunny climate, et cetera. But given our indoor Minnesota location - even with a southwest exposure - the vines have needed that amount of time to climb the six feet from the base to the top rungs of the metal grid supporting them. The result has been worth the effort. And to be honest, I didn't have to wait three years to begin enjoying the green wall. The vines were already attractive when only half way up the trellis. A metal grid is filled with mix of Epipremnum aureum cultivar "Marble Queen", Epipremnum aureum aka golden pothos, and Philodendron Brasil . Architecture of the green wall The initial intent of the project was to grow a green wall, in an apartment, that could be moved around to be able to clean underneath, and also to provide a mobile room divider for our open-plan loft....

Strung out in the greenhouse

The assignment for my four-hour volunteer shift at the University of Minnesota Conservatory greenhouse was clearly listed on a whiteboard, with my name attached. Since most of the tasks involved working with strings of overhead cables or air tubing, much of my shift was spent at the top of a ladder. Vining plants are limited to only a few of the many benches in the greenhouse. Steel cables are strung above the benches to support their growth. Because many plants grow in a small space, part of the challenge is to untangle and separate the vines so that they don't strangle each other. Not many of the vines are blooming at the moment, as it is winter. However, Thunbergia grandiflora is producing a few lovely blue flowers (its tendrils grow clockwise, hence the common name Bengal clockvine). It's a popular houseplant, but it has become an invasive weed in parts of the world, like Australia, especially around waterways. Thunbergia grandiflora; notice small brown scale insects sucki...

City Gardener

Search This Blog