Another Day in the Greenhouse 🪾

 Four little cuttings of quite a rare or at least a quite hard to find plant .

Found nice person selling cuttings at a very reasonable price , very happy me !

 Irresistibly fascinating 🧐. Extraordinarily weird 🥸 - Euphorbia platyclada .

  Madagascar is it's natural habitat . Sub-tropical and tropical dry forests . Perfectly camouflaged to look like dried up vegetation and sticks lying amongst the rocks on the woodland floor .

Anyway .....

I have potted them up in a mixture of potting compost , grit and perlite .

I have no idea how fast or slow growing they might be .

I'll be watching closely for signs of new growth .

They don't have leaves .

They do have tiny ,very simple flowers that are typical of most Euphorbias . I look forward to seeing it in bloom .

👿Also like all Euporbias - it has a poisonous , milky looking , caustic sticky sap and great care should be made in handling it .Wear gloves and do not touch eyes ...if it does come into contact with eyes ...seek medical attention immediately !👿

Apart from that , it just looks like a bunch of dead sticks ! 😀  🪾

Allow cuttings to callous over before potting them up .

Of course it is more commonly known as the Dead Stick Plant  . 

              Please ignore this label !

It is a succulent ,  not a cactus  !   I have to make another label !

So , I am left thinking .....how would I know if these cuttings don't take ? 🤔🤣

             Watch this space ! 😀 

                                   Peace and Love    🕊️🤍

                   Make it a great weekend !  Love Debbie 💐x

                                               🌤️

Several wheelbarrow loads later 🌿

 

In case you were wondering where I'd gone , I had a bit of a nasty old migraine and had to take a break from moving plants , embroidery or even looking at the computer screen .

I'm ok. again now and have pretty much filled the left-hand side of the new greenhouse .

I remembered that I'd left this big Agave utahensis (the truly evil one !😱) outside .

Until the old greenhouse was pulled down , it was kept in the furthest corner under the greenhouse bench , only getting the odd drops of water from when I watered the cacti above . In fact  I don't think I 've actually gone to specifically water it for a couple of years and it looks as though it has really enjoyed the rain and puffed itself up with renewed vigour .

 Into the corner it goes with all the other dangerous beauties !

 I grew this from seed that I bought from the British Cactus and Succulent Society many years ago .

The thing with an Agave is that no matter how big the pot is that you put it in , it will quickly grow into it and then stop . If you don't re-pot it then it will make off-shoots ,which I noticed this one has . I decided that this one was big enough and so I have put it into this pot and there it must stay forever more now as it would be far too dangerous to set it free in my garden .  I already have three or four less dangerous ones in the garden .

Tomorrow I will take a closer look to see if I can separate the off-shoot  . ...and send it to some other botanically insane person to love .

Here we have from left to right Epiphyllum var "Curt Backeberg " A couple of Epie cuttings , a beautiful Aloe that my brother gave me , somewhere in there is a plant label , unfortunately at this time it is swathed in cobwebs and I don't want to put my hand in !  I have already had a few nasty surprises whilst moving all my plants , I had to try and not look as I moved them for fear I'd drop or throw the pot !  

The plant behind the Aloe was sold to me as being Rhipsalis elliptica , although I'm thinking now that it might be Rhipsalis pachyptera .    Can anyone out there identify it for me please ? 

It was looking very sad after having been in the shed over winter and while the new greenhouse was being built .

I re-potted it into a hanging basket and stood it in the lovely terracotta pot ,where it can stay and recover until I fix up another hook to hang it from . It has lovely red phylloclades .... (leaves ) .

 I also need to put a big hook up in the beam from which to hang my lovely old Chinese lantern . 

         Some of the less dangerous Agaves..like Agave americana , Agave salmiana ferox , Agave medio-picta alba . Some of which I have grown from seed , some which were off-shoots .

                   Less dangerous but they still bite !

I brought in some of the Agave pups (offsoots ) and that has made room for my new season vegetable seedlings . The tomatoes are already doing well in their 3"pots and now there will be space to bring down the Sweet Pepper seedlings from my bedroom windowsill .

The sun shone all day ! It was warm . So nice to be able to open the windows  , after all the rain .  

One more pic of the Albuca bracteata ,  more familiarly known as the Pregnant Onion . Here we have a pot full of fast growing babies !

          The rain returns next week  .... and the grass never stops growing in Cornwall .

                                                   🌿💚🌿

🌿Wheelbarrow load of Epies - no 1🌿

                                     So here come the Epies !

                               Wheelbarrow load number one .

I put them in , but I think there was another tray of them that should go in first . 

Stands thinking ...

    they all need repotting and where did I put the other tray of Epies ?  

I have to get all the Epiphyllums in , as they should all be beginning to show flower buds soon .  

I hope they haven't suffered too much from being moved about .  

Dreaming about beautiful Epie flowers , usually about the beginning of May .

                                        Epiphyllum "Marilyn Monroe"    

 Get called in for lunch .  

               🌿🌿💚 🌿🌿 See ya later !  🌿🌿💚🌿🌿

Bowiea volubilis update 14th May 2020

  Someone complained that I hadn't given any updates on this crazy plant  last year . So this is for you Bowiea volubilis geeks wherever you are  ! Lol ! You,ve got to be a bit of a geek to want this extraordinarily weird thing .
   O.k I will give you regular updates !
It is surprising how fast this thing grows ! I found it had grown about 10" over -night and now needed support . I have given it a twiggy branch to wind around .
Increasing the watering now .
                  It's looking happy !     :)

Happiness in my Greenhouse !

Under the trailing arial roots of Hylocereus undatus which I have yet to see in flower , a beautiful Epiphyllum crenatum is blooming . I bought this one many years ago from Mr Pilbeam  of Connoisseur  Cacti  in Kent .
  Many of my larger cacti have also come from Mr Pilbeam .

                       I pulled aside those arial roots to have a better look .

This one is Epiphyllum ackermannii  . I think they are the ones you most commonly see and are used in crossing to get  new varieties .
  There are so many lovely new varieties out there now and they are becoming more and more popular .

 I had quite forgotten all about  my Epies this year with all that's going on in the world right now . I,ve been so busy sowing my veg seeds, pricking out and potting on . It was a lovely surprise to suddenly be greeted by these beauties one morning .

  I will tidy them all up , after they have finished blooming and sort out cuttings to give to anyone who would like to try growing them .

                                       Epiphyllum var. Marilyn Monroe

 I bought her from a friend on Ebay . Beverley , if you're looking in , my friend , she's doing really well ! As you can see , in her lovely pink pot .
I wish I had asked a few more questions about her at the time .
  She is growing a bit differently to my other Epies . Some Epies like to grow quite  upright and others seem to like to scrabble about  .
   As you can see , she is trailing downwards quite dramatically . I think I will find a nice big hanging basket for her .
 Do you grow this Epiphyllum  var . Marilyn Monroe ? Can anyone tell me more about it ?
  I am really looking forward to seeing her lovely flowers !  Pink of course !

         This one is Epiphyllum var. Purple Delight  , one of my favourites !

                                               More still to come !

So the next day ........

                      The sun came out and I pulled my wellie boots on !

 Grabbed the mop and bucket and set to washing the greenhouse and potting shed windows .
I decided to try and do one section from the inside too .

 As the weather was so nice , I was able to take all the plants outside while I did this .  Surely all this stretching and bending will be whittling away my waistline !

            Izzy wizzy , Lets get busy !   Now who was it that used to say that ? :)

What a beautiful day , not the slightest breeze, warm t-shirt weather !

                  I threw lots of rubbish into the incinerator and got it going .

                                           Then , more exercise  !

                                      Sparkling clean windows !

                 More bending and stretching to put the plants back in .

                                                      My peaceful place .

  I sat and watched the smoke curling up into the sky, mesmerising . I took far too many photos of that !

Ran indoors to fetch my two pots of Cucumber seedlings on the windowsill upstairs .

           Time to prick them out and pot them on into the next size pots.

   Other seeds beginning to germinate . It will be good  to have our own salad leaves again in the coming weeks .
No sign of the Tomatoes yet though .

 I tidied up the shed and thought while I,m feeling energetic I,ll take a look at the African Key-hole bed .

I had covered it over through the Winter with cardboard to keep the weeds down.

I will be growing my squashes here this year . Butternuts, courgettes and maybe a Pumpkin or two  .

I had recently prepared a bed for my potatoes , which I am going to plant out next week , depending on the weather.
 The potatoes are presently chitting on the study windowsill .
I lifted the cardboard and put it temporarily onto the new potato bed , just to keep the weeds down .

 The earth under the cardboard is just gorgeous and the Robin flew in and had a feast .

 Potato bed covered with cardboard to keep the weeds down until I come to plant them out .

The keyhole bed looking good again, I just need to re-weave the basket around the watering hole in the middle and make a sun hat to go over it to help prevent evaporation . ( expecting a heat wave any time soon ! )

             On my way in, I pulled a few leeks for Leek and potato soup .

 Also checked on the Redwood Tree seeds . Hmm...is this a Redwood Tree seedling or something else ? We'll have to wait for it's first true leaves to know for sure .

 
Came in and enjoyed a nice cup of tea with a slice of Marie Rayner 's "Family Favourite Banana Nut Bread", spread with Nutella . You must check out Marie's wonderful recipes on this link - https://theenglishkitchen.blogspot.com/
  Mmmmm...yummy ....it was such a good day !  I got a load of washing dry and husband painted the garden table and chairs too . 
   Well , that deserves another slice !  :)

Greenhouse Winter Protection

 I am hearing people saying that it is going to turn very cold during next week . So I pulled down the shade netting running the length of my little 10ft x8ft greenhouse under the rafters so that it will now become windbreak net and give all my plants some protection from the wind as I enter through the door .
  I have hooks around the door to fasten it to and it is easy to step in and refasten the windbreak net quickly as I go in , behind me .

    Here it is pulled into place around the door and if the wind is really wild I can weight the bottom of the netting down with a couple of pots . After locking up , I also plug the keyhole with a piece of polystyrene or cloth to stop the draught and also prevent the lock from freezing up .

        I then use a roll of bubble/foil insulation to roll out over the rafters  .

I just need to fix up the other end of the roll somehow and right now , I cant remember for the life of me , just how I did this last year !  So I need to go and work it out again and I,ll update you on that later on .

       I have put polystyrene sheets under the most tender plants and have newspapers at the ready to throw over the plants , which are mostly Cacti , Succulents and Epiphyllums .  Oh ! and a few Pelargoniums .

I have candles for when we get freezing and frost warnings....which is rare here , but wise to be prepared !
 Winter preparation list - lots of little ,but important , jobs to be done .
 I must find (somewhere in the shed ) and have ready the bubblewrap cover to slip over the water tap .
Bringing in logs for the fire .
New hot water bottles ....and I have already begun using my old stone hot water bottle !
New duvets and blankets for beds and cosy throws to snuggle into on our sofa and chairs .
Cleaning the pathways around the cottage so nobody slips and falls -  we had someone come and do this for us .
Gathering in my beautiful apples and freezing away for pies , crumbles and apple sauce  -  sad as someone came and stole my best apples .
 I planted my trees , watched the bees enjoying the blossom , waited patiently as the apples began to ripen and then just the week before I was going to harvest the best ones . Some very dishonest person stole them right from my back door !
  Little by little the jobs are done .
The rain is lashing down ....
 Are you ready for Winter ?