Daffodils

After a winter of searching on Daffseek and trying to find open source photos of Daffodils, everything is finally starting to bloom and is coming up in full.

I'm very pleased that the job decided to include my daffodil sheets.  It took a while to gather some of that information so I'm just glad that we've made this more of an educational display rather than just an astoundingly large number of  bulbs.

At one point I was trying to get a head start on these by taking some photos at the philly flower show. I remember there being a million daffodils on display in previous years and somehow that wasn't the case this year. I wonder if its actually just a process of perception. I hadn't really been aware of the number of cultivars of daffodils before this fall. They're all yellow and white and they've never interested me enough to be able to distinguish between varieties. I can't say that I'm interested still. I put in more research into these flowers in hopes of finding them interesting, and while the mythology and the story of Narcissus is interesting, the flowers themselves are not varied enough to hold my attention.

In any case here are some Daffodils on display from the flower show. Expect many pictures of Daffodils over the next two months.

Aeonium and Echeveria

Look at these beautiful Aeonium and Echeveria from the flower show. I've never really liked Aeoniums but that Aeonium tabuliforme has been rather tempting. Landcraft Environments has that one for sale this year.. hmm..

Aeonium decorum

Aeonium tabuliforme

 Aeonium 'Velour'

 Echeveria agavoides hybrid

 Echeveria 'Curly Locks'

Echeveria derenbergii

Echeveria setosa

Echeveria unguiculata

 Echeveria 'Sunburst'

That time of year again...

The Philly flower show just seemed so much more manageable this year. Navigation was improved and there were plenty of beautiful plants on display. I can't say I paid as much attention to the staged displays this year. The British theme was very flexible in letting a good variety of plants creep into the gardens but I guess I'm just more interested in the plants these days then the staging.

I was reintroduced to Galium odoratum. I kinda forgot about that one. Cute woodland plant.

Anyway here were some of the awesome Mamillaria on display. I'll admit, cacti and succulents were my main focus this year.

 Mammillaria carmenae 

 Mammillaria elongata

 Mammillaria glassii

 Mammillaria bombycina

 Mammillaria hahniana

 Mammillaria parkinsonii

 Mammillaria prolifera

 Mammillaria rhoda

 Mammillaria rhodantha

Mammillaria sciedeana

Urban Trees

Oh next time you walk under a tree in the city, just think about what's inside it.

 

Chances are...not too much.

And just think, these aren't even the uncared for street trees.

Still want to plant a million trees on a crowded island?

Edema

People in the cactus society always ask about cactus scabbing. Cacti naturally become corky as they age but environmental factors can help accelerate the process.

Edema (oedema, corky scab) is a common, noninfectious disease of many herbaceous and woody plants. Edemaresults when the plant takes up more water through the roots than the leaves can transpire through the stomates. The excess water accumulates in the leaf cells, causing them to enlarge and often burst.

Symptoms vary depending upon the plant species or cultivar affected. Bumps, blisters, or water-soaked swellings may form on the underside of leaves, petioles, or stems. These blisters are at first small, about 1 to 2 mm in diameter. They then turn tan or brown and become corky. Severely affected leaves turn yellow and drop from the plant. On cacti and other plants, pale yellowish green spots form on the shoots. These spots may remain smooth, greenish white, or watersoaked. However, these spots often result in irregular corky or rusty areas that may later become sunken.The edema generally do little damage to plants, but detract considerably from the appearance plants.

Edema is best prevented by increasing the temperature and ventilation around the plant to increase moisture loss through the stomates. A rise in temperature of the air surrounding the plant will increase the rate of transpiration and thus help prevent engorged cells and blisters from forming. Increased ventilation also hastens transpiration by lowering the humidity at the leaf surface. Avoid cold drafts. Plants that are overwatered as well as plants that are properly watered but located in low light or cool areas are highly susceptible to this problem.