Baby Papaya Trees, Lemongrass, Amaryllis, Clivia, and a Warm Start to November
Two new amaryllis bulbs
planted up: Elvas is a double petal pink and white, and Black Pearl is the
deepest single petal red.
The lemongrass stalks have
rooted nicely, and were potted up this weekend.
A Martha Washington
geranium that my mom was going to compost is now living in a sunny window in
our house. Here it is getting a drink in the sink.
Two
cybister amaryllis are scheduled to arrive today from California. That will be
it for new amaryllis bulbs this season. I always buy a few too many. I just get
so stoked about amaryllis. I’ve potted up an amaryllis for my mom, and one for
my mother-in-law. This is an annual tradition. They both enjoy watching the
bulbs sprout and eventually bloom.
I’ve
also planted two very large amaryllis together in a basket. Elvas is a double
petal pink and white, and Black Pearl is the deepest single petal red. I hope
they grow simultaneously and bloom near or at the same time. I plan to
pollinate them to each other and collect the seeds.
The
New Hope Clivia went into the garage this weekend to go dormant. It will get no
water, warmth, or light now. In eight weeks, I’ll pull it out, place it in a
bright, warm window, and give it a deep watering and a feeding of a balanced
fertilizer. A scape should emerge, and this beauty should bloom. An orange
clivia is coming from Ohio soon. I’m so glad to be back cultivating clivia. Why
did I stay away for so long?
The
lemongrass stalks rooted nicely in water, and I planted them up in small pots.
And a gorgeous pink Martha Washington geranium that my mom was going to toss
away is now in a sunny window in our home. It was in full bloom and very
healthy when she said it was time to compost it. I wasted no time in taking it
in.
Interestingly,
some of the papaya seeds have germinated. I just tossed them in some soil and
placed the pot under the grow lights. I really didn’t expect anything, then
yesterday, I found two seedlings had popped up.
My
husband noticed yesterday that the Meyer lemon tree is looking pretty sad. I’m
going to fight to the death to keep it viable until next summer. I absolutely
don’t want to lose this beautiful tree. My mom gave it to me and that makes it even
more special to my heart. I’m doing all the right things, but it’s still
petering out.
We
have a couple of 70-degree days in the forecast this week! Tomorrow is November
1. I’ll take Indian summer all November. Or all winter if you please.
Live
in peace.