Sarracenia flava
New growth

When I stared down this Sarracenia path, one of the very first plants I bought was this Sarracenia flava. It was a single point rhizome years back. Now it’s grown into a multi-crown plant and sending up new growth. It’s also the first of the flavas this year with a pitcher! I’ve left much of the dead foliage on as you can kind of see in the background but all of that will be chopped off soon.

Oooooh… now this is pretty interesting! Well, for me at least. I know there were a couple of freak early flowers that opened up last month – but seeing buds start to pop up like this always is exciting. Many more buds are on the way and The Asylum should soon soon be flooded in bud breaking badass-ery. Here’s a few AF (anthocyanin free) buds for your viewing pleasure.  Oh, the potential!

Sarracenia purpurea ssp. venosa var. burkii f. luteola

Sarracenia mitchelliana, AF clone

Sarracenia courtii, AF clone x “Green Monster”

Hey everyone, hope your having a good week so far! Here’s a few more photos of some plants that are awake and are standing out among their (slowly waking) siblings. Enjoy!

Sarracenia moorei, Yellow River x [((purpurea x flava) x flava) x minor]
A cross I did around 2008.

Sarracenia ‘Godzuki’ x ((rubra x oreophila) x flava var. rugelii)
Cross I did around 2008.

Sarracenia readii x ‘Leah Wilkerson’
Cross by Wes Buckner

Sarracenia “Redman” F2 x rosea
A cross by Jerry Addington
An older pitcher that formed late last season, but it’s colored up quite nicely.

S. ‘Judith Hindle’ x ‘Adrian Slack’
A pretty nice clone of a cross done by Mike Wang

Hey everybody! I’m BAAA-AAACK! Thawed out and alive. I know, it’s been a while since I’ve posted as I’ve been up in the frozen awesomeness of Alaska. You can view a slideshow of a few shots here, or check out the gallery here. It was my first time travelling without my fam, but their constant calls/photos/facetimin’ kept me warm through it all. Just wanted to say thank you to my wife, Dahlia, for watering and taking care of the plants while I was away. She would send me photos from the garden and keep me updated on all the plants. Thanks baby!

I have a new revelation of what “cold” is… I’ve been accustomed to wearing SPF 50 sunblock and working in 80F temperatures on the regular. I went from that and into consistent -20′s and with lows dipping to -36F. And yes. For me, it was AWESOME. I was doing some night photography in -30F temperatures and the Gatorade in my bag froze solid within minutes.

In the middle of this frozen phenomenal-ness, there’s an oasis of botanical beauty. And guess what?! It was filled with carnivorous plants!! Well, kinda… TOMATOES! According to studies done a few years ago, scientists have found that tomatoes, as well as a few other plants, have the ability to “eat insects.” Before I start posting about our regularly featured carnivores, I wanted to share a few photos from the geothermal powered (yes, geothermal powered!) greenhouses at Chena Hot Springs located in the North Star Borough of Pleasant Valley, Fairbanks, Alaska.

This green oasis was a refreshing change of climate. Dude, this makes me wish I was on some geothermal power back at my place! Special thanks to Vanessa for showing us around the place!

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Killer tomatoes grown on a pulley system! Once the tomatoes reach a certain height, the pulleys lower the vines down so that they can continue to climb, vine, and grow. So fresh.

Tomato cutting/grafting action.

Beware of the killer tomatoes.

Pointsettias grown under LEDs.

Being so remote, they’re using geothermal power here to grow their own food and be self sustaining. Fresh veggies in the winter while everything else outside is frozen. Love it!

Lt. Benton II, Vanessa, and me.
Thanks Vanessa for showing us around the place! And Jameson, nice meeting you too – it’s always great to run into other horticultural minded folks!

Meanwhile, outside – a frigid yet beautiful scene…

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Another thing I might as well share on this post are a few photos from the road trip back to Mark’s place. After leaving Chena and driving for a little bit, I noticed something lighting up the sky along the horizon. Lo and behold it was the Aurora! It was my final evening in Alaska and I am so glad to have been able to witness the amazing phenomenon. Mark quickly veered off the highway; we ended going down a random street and finally ending up in a driveway. Sandy, the owner of the property asked us if we were lost, in which Mark replied “Oh no, just wanting to see the Aurora.” Dude, I was sitting there all freakin’ like a little kid itching to see the lights. Sandy was so awesome and kind enough to let us shoot a few frames from her driveway. They told me this was a rather mild occurrence. (WHAT?!) Sandy also mentioned that if I thought this was cool, then I should see it when it’s intense and blazin’ overhead. Man, I gotta come back for that! Thanks again Sandy for letting us shoot from your driveway!

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Last but not least, I wanted to express my gratitude to 1Lt. Andrew Chung and my bro 1Lt. Mark Benton II for their hospitality and boundless generosity. It was truly a blessing to catch up and experience all I did up there. Mark, dude — thank you for everything bro! Mos’ def’ I will be back!

Me, Mark, and Andrew – on the road in Denali National Park, Alaska.

There’s no place like home. Like I mentioned in my last post, I deeply enjoyed my visit up north (thanks again Mark!), but it feels great to be back home and with the plants again. Below are some photos from my first day back in the Asylum. A few traps here and there… as well as a few blooms, and a few buds that I’m really excited to work with! Enjoy!

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The Asylum. It’s great to be home. 

Pinguicula doggy-piggy-bank planter, sending up a bloom!

Sarracenia ‘Leah Wilkerson’ x minor var. okefenokeensis
Sown last year and growing quickly.

Sarracenia alata x rubra ssp. wherryi, MBRS clone.

Sarracenia ((rubra x oreophila) x flava v. rugelii) x ‘Adrian Slack’
-Select Clone-
The pitchers from very late last season are still holding color well.

Sarracenia (leucophylla “red” x minor var. okefenokeensis) x (leucophylla x psittacina)  – cross by Dr. Travis H. Wyman.

S. ‘Godzuki’ x ((rubra x oreophila) x flava v. rugelii)

Sarracenia flava “Heavy Veined” flower breaking open.

Sarracenia ‘Adrian Slack’
FINALLY, a BUD! After 2 years with no bloom, I finally get one this year!
Hope it survives and actually blooms for me though…

Ok, I know. It’s a freak. S. purpurea “Smurf” has a bud.
This should be interesting.

Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii f. luteola
Got another one with a bud! I wonder if I should cross with the Smurf? Hmm…

Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x leucophylla “Pale” – clone 1
Cross by Dr. Travis H. Wyman

Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x leucophylla “Pale” – clone 7
Cross by Dr. Travis H. Wyman

Minor var. okefenokeensis?

I grew the above plant from a seed batch that Brooks Garcia did in either 2008 or 2009. He crossed S. minor var. okefenokeensis with S. ‘Golden Red Jubilee’ and most of the plants look similar to the above photo. Only a couple from the batch look like the photo to the left (photo from 2011, a sibling plant) in where you can see just a tad bit more of the influence of S. ‘Golden Red Jubilee’, yet it’s S. minor that dominates the look. The plant above looks to be mostly minor, which leads me to assume that most of the plants could be selfed. I also have to mention that the pitchers in the photo above formed late-late-late fall. (Yes… some plants are confused from all this moving and I fear it could be another year before things settle back down to a more normal routine.) Form and color have held well since then. I’m really looking forward to seeing it flower and at that time will know better if any of the S. ‘Golden Red Jubilee’ genes made their way into this mix. S. minor flowers are yellow, while S. ‘Golden Red Jubilee’ flowers are a dark red/maroon. I am not sure if the above plant will flower this year, but if not – I hope it will next year. Just another example of the pretty awesome surprises you find when growing plants out from seed. I also like the windows that appear on the side and all the way to the front of the pitcher. It could be a useful characteristic in more breeding projects in the future. Anyway, I’ll photograph and update more of the siblings when a new flush of pitchers come up this year.

I would usually do all my work in the greenhouse while the sun would shine, but I’ve recently installed some lights to work by! No longer limited by daylight hours, I can get a little bit more work done after hours. Sweet!

Light it up.

Sarracenia flava v. cuprea unfolding.

Sarracenia leucophylla “Purple Lips” x flava v. ornata

Sarracenia areolata x ‘Dana’s Delight’ flowers
Cross by Dr. Travis H. Wyman
(Here’s the plant back in October.)

It’s that time of year again! Blooms are forming fast and rising over the mass of last years foliage wreckage! This year promises to be a much better year than last in many aspects. The first two crosses of the season were done yesterday, 5 March 2013, and the crosses were S. (rosea “Big Mama” x flava ornata) x flava “Heavy Veined” and S. (areolata x ‘Dana’s Delight’) x flava “Heavy Veined.” Good stuff! In this post, I wanted to share a few photos of how I collected pollen a few nights ago. (Now that I have the lights set up, my work hours in The Asylum aren’t limited by the daylight.) See, the plants will bloom at different times depending on species or parentage; storing pollen offers up more flexibility and more options become available in possible crosses. I am not sure how long pollen can last, but some have said that if it is stored in the freezer, it can last much longer. I think I heard 6 months but not entirely sure about that. Our subject (photographed above) is S. flava “Heavy Veined.” The plant develops a wonderful deep dark solid interior color underneath the hood with a very nice stocky shape to the pitcher. I hope to use this influence in future crosses. Since nothing else is really in bloom that I want to use it on just yet, I save the pollen just for that purpose.

HAWT! We dropin’ pollen. Makin’ it rain all up in here…

In past years I’ve used empty paint canisters, or used plastic shot glasses to store pollen. This year I just went down to a local restaurant supply store and picked up those little containers they use for condiments for pollen storage use. Now keep in mind, many others have various different ways and styles of collecting and storing pollen. I’m simply sharing what I do that works for me.

Sexy! Sexy pollen!

I wait for the pollen to drop into the style (see illustration of flower parts in this post) to harvest it. I try to do this as early as possible to ensure fresh pollen collection. Also, right before collecting, I’ll also give it light tap on top of the flower to encourage more pollen to drop out of the anthers. Next, I will carefully tilt the flower, then gently give it a light gentle shake so that the pollen slides into the container. One can even tilt the entire pot with the plant to minimize flower aggravation. Again, it’s important to do this early enough when pollen freshly drops and it makes it easier to slide the pollen out of there between the stigmas. I find it easier to do this with the larger flowers that have the stigmas located higher up away from the pollen. If you’re careful enough not to get any pollen on the stigmas, the flower can also be used as a pollen recipient. If you are only after the pollen of said plant, you can just freakin’ chop the entire flower off, rip that style off, dump the pollen in a container, then discard flower in compost. Alternatively, you can cut the flower off at the base, stick in a small vase of water, then place the entire thing in the fridge. I know others who do this too. Again, lots of different ways to do this.

Label yo’ stuff.

Next – and very importantly, LABEL the container! I took a fine sharpie and wrote it on the lid AND on the side of the container to make sure there’s no mix up. Finally, I put the container in the fridge to store. I didn’t get a photo of it, but finally got a fridge for the greenhouse!! YEAH! (Thanks again Dez n’ June!) In the past I’ve gotten use out of the pollen for about a month or two. I don’t know to what extent the pollen can be stored and still be viable as I’ve never had to really go outside of 1-2 months for crosses. Hope that you found this post helpful! Looking forward to seeing what this year will bring and what everyone else will be working on. Now get out there and get crossing!

Cheers everyone!

The form of new pitchers rising are blade-like in appearance. These swords and spears cut and pierce their way into spring; they slice past the wreck of last year’s foliage. Soon they will inflate and morph into the cylindrical savage beauty that I am so enamored by.

Sarracenia oreophila

Sarracenia ‘Ladies in Waiting’ x ‘Leah Wilkerson’

Sarracenia ‘Schnell’s Ghost’ x ‘Adrian Slack’

Sarracenia ‘Leah Wilkerson’ x ‘Adrian Slack’

A few shots from around The Asylum. Enjoy!

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Sarracenia alata and flava section, buds rising.

Sarracenia rosea “Big Mama” x flava v. ornata
Cross by Phil Faulisi

Seeds sown last year of S. ‘Leah Wilkerson’ x minor var. okefenokeensis. Seedlings growing quickly.

New pitchers of Sarracenia flava var. cuprea

Sarracenia leucophylla ‘Tarnok’ bud forming.
I’ll attempt to do crosses yet again with this plant… stay tuned!

Of course, can’t forget the up-cycled doggy bank with her first bloom! Check her out back in October…

Sarracenia leucophylla “Purple Lips” x flava v. ornata, Select Clone
Cross by Phil Faulisi 

A sink bog. I’ve been soo itching to make one of these things. It all started after seeing Jerrod Crawford’s super awesome Carnivorous sink at Flora Grubb Gardens. Eventually I would want to do a whole crazy tub garden just like the one that Sarracenia Northwest put together. (Check this video out!) And speaking of bathroom fixtures, I still want to see Paul’s “very VERY bad idea” come to fruition. Heh heh! Anyway, last month I picked up an old sink that was left over from my uncle’s bathroom remodeling project. It was a perfect fit for this little bog I’ve been wanting to put together. Dude, it’s always fun up-cycling/re-purposing things.

The sink is placed on these empty crates for now. I may end up switching the crates out for something else, but for now this will do.

I didn’t have a stopper to plug the sink, so instead I grabbed some left over greenhouse plastic and used that to partially line and kind of clog up the bottom of the sink. A rock or screen would of probably worked too, however I wanted this container to be able to retain more water so that I wouldn’t have to water it that much.

Before I fill in the sink with the potting media, I made sure to plug up the sink’s side overflow drainage hole with a little bit of sphagnum moss. A screen would also work here. I then fill the sink up with my media of choice. I use a rough 1:1 mix of peat/perlite. Sometimes peat/sand. Use whatever you’re comfortable with. If you notice, around the perimeter of the sink (photo, top right) I have a little bit of sphagnum moss. I don’t think this step is necessary but I had some left over moss from another potting project I wanted to use up, so I figured that I could use it here. Also was thinking that it would prevent the peat from running all over the place when I water the thing later. In the photo upper right, you can see some of plants I’m using for the project. I had another container full of random mixed plants that needed some serious repotting, so I decided to repot them into my new bog.

Above, you can see the plants being planted up in their new place! You can see some of their new growth coming up (as well as the old foliage that I still gotta trim off.) I have to make a note that it would of been better to do all this repotting and moving about right before the plants broke dormancy, but they’re resilient things and I’m sure they’ll adjust just fine. I arrange the plants placing the ones with the taller growth habit in the center and back, while shorter plants will be located around the sides and front. It ensures that the plants get the light that they need, and it just looks better this way.

  

Planting some live sphagnum heads in the new sink bog. By the end of the season, this should form a nice thick carpet. 

I’ll post more close up photographs later of a few other plants I planted around the edge of the sink. I threw in some Dionaea (Venus Fly Traps), Pinguicula (Butterworts… more specifically I used P. moranensis), and various Droseras (Sundews). Also added were a few rocks for some minor hardscaping. After everything was planted, I simply took the hose and gave the new bog a good drench, as well as wash away the mess I made around the sink.

Finally, the sink bog is complete. Well, for now anyway. I’ll post updates as the sink bog garden grows!

Sink bog!

Sink bog!

Happy Friday everyone! Here’s a few shots of Friday flower buds & fresh foliage to kick off the weekend. Enjoy!

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Sarracenia alata – Covington Co. AL

Sarracenia leucophylla “Juju Lips”

Sarracenia leucophylla ‘Tarnok’

Sarracenia flava var. cuprea – MW Best Clone

Sarracenia mitchelliana, anthocyanin free clone

Sarracenia leucophylla – Franklin Co., FL

Sarracenia (leucophylla x oreophila) Oudean Clone x ‘Adrian Slack’

Sarracenia flava var. ornata – Bulloch Co., GA x oreophila – AL
Cross by Mike Wang

Sarracenia ‘Schnell’s Ghost’ x ‘Adrian Slack’

Sarracenia “Tapestry Sister” x (flava x willisii – Triffid Park Clone)

Sarracenia ‘Godzuki’ x ((rubra x oreophila) x flava var. rugelii)

Sarracenia oreophila

Sarracenia leucophylla – anthocyanin free clone

A couple weeks ago I received some incredible Nepenthes from the horticultural force himself, Paul Barden. The plants have been doing well in the Nepenthes dome. It’s slowly filling up, and am very thankful for the generous additions from Nitrogenseekers! Nepenthes is a genus that fascinates me and I can see why it’s so addicting. Here’s a few photos of the new babies that have made their home under the dome. Thanks again, Paul!

Under The Dome

Nepenthes singalana X (sibuyanensis X ventricosa)

Nepenthes poi dog – maxima hybrid

Nepenthes elgantine

Nepenthes hybrid – exact pedigree unknown.
Possible N. splendiana hybrid.

As I was working in the greenhouse yesterday, I came across something pretty unique. For a while I’ve been eagerly awaiting S. “Smurf” to bloom so that I could see how those weird genetics would play out with some of the other plants. I know that some think it’s a plant for the compost heap. After all, it is a freak. I, on the other hand, kind of like this plant’s odd character. (See photos here for example.)

At first glance, I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. However, I noticed something different as I began to harvest the pollen. Not only is this plant an oddball in foliage – it’s a bit of an anomaly when it comes to the flowers too. Smurf’s flower has six petals. It also has six stigmas. Furthermore, the style is funk-tified with grooves and slight frills on the edges. Sarracenia flowers typically only have five petals. (See flower chart for parts reference, here.) Time will tell if the flower and pollen prove fertile.

I do not know if this is petal count consistent with the other Smurfs that are out there, or if I just have a Smurf that had some sort of identity crisis and decided to do it’s own thing this year. Of course, there is a possibility that this is a one off occurrence and that it could grow a “normal” flower next year. My other S. “Smurf” divisions have no bloom this year, but it would be very interesting to compare if I had more blooms next year. If anyone else has a S. “Smurf” in bloom, please let me know your findings; would love to hear from you!

Sarracenia “Smurf” – 18 March 2013
Upon my initial observation, I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. When I went to harvest pollen, that’s when I noticed the flower was a bit different.

Sarracenia “Smurf” flower - 18 March 2013

Sarracenia “Smurf” flower – 18 March 2013
This plant truly has a unique style. Yeah, double entendre intended.

A rising legacy has begun to unfold. This is the select clone of S. ‘Leah Wilkerson’ x ‘Adrian Slack’ – a cross that Brooks Garcia created in 2008.

The word “legacy” can refer to a gift, or something of value passed on from one generation to another. For now I am calling this plant Sarracenia “Legacy” and the name is derived from a combination of factors. S. “Legacy” commemorates the individuals for which the parent plants are named after, as well as their work with the furtherance and cultivation of this majestic genus. ”Legacy” also pays homage to the influence that the parent plants have, and will continue to have, on Sarracenia cultivation for generations to come. On a more  personal note, the name also pays tribute to those who have inspired my botanical endeavors. I’ve learned so much from so many – and I am deeply thankful for the botanical vision that has been passed into my life.

As the season progresses, the hood and upper portion of the pitchers will fade to white. This creates an intense and vibrant contrast with the throat splotch that darkens to a deep red as the pitchers mature. Below are a couple of photos capturing the S. “Legacy” unfolding.

Sarracenia “Legacy”
S. ‘Leah Wilkerson’ x ‘Adrian Slack’ – Select Clone
Cross by Brooks Garcia

Sarracenia “Legacy”
S. ‘Leah Wilkerson’ x ‘Adrian Slack’ – Select Clone
Cross by Brooks Garcia

Hello there, here’s a few Sarracenia buds and blooms to brighten your day. Have an awesome weekend everyone!

Sarracenia Blooms

Sarracenia (purpurea heterophylla x rubra ssp. jonesii)
x (leucophylla x rubra ssp. gulfensis)
Anthocyanin Free Clone

Sarracenia flava “Big Mouth”

Sarracenia leucophylla ‘Tarnok’

Sarracenia “Smurf”

Sarracenia ‘Jessica’

Sarracenia “Pink  Eye”

Sarracenia “Lemon”

Sarracenia leucophylla “Purple Lips” x flava var. ornata – clone 1

Sarracenia leucophylla – Alabama Clone
Double buds!

Earlier this season, I organized the various S. ‘Reptilian Rose’ hybrids that were created by Dr. Travis H. Wyman. I numbered each unique seed grown plant in order to catalog them. For now, here are a few various S. ‘Reptilian Rose’ hybrids with some fresh foliage/flower activity. The other clones should be opening up pretty soon and I’ll get those photos up in a future post.

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Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x leucophylla “pale” – clone 1

Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x leucophylla “pale” – clone 1

Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x leucophylla “pale” – clone 2

Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x leucophylla “pale” – clone 8

Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x leucophylla “pale” – clone 12

Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x leucophylla “Purple Lips” – clone 1

Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x leucophylla “Purple Lips” – clone 1

Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x leucophylla “Purple Lips” – clone 3

S. ‘Adrian Slack’

It’s been a couple of years now that my S. ‘Adrian Slack’ has been bloom-less. After a 2 year silence, there is a bloom once again. FINALLY.

Various S. oreophila clones startin’ to party…

Sarracenia oreophila

Sarracenia oreophila

Sarracenia oreophila