Pandemic-era Updates

I was working in the garden and greenhouse today to help destress from the pandemic that has landed in our midst.

I know that spring is almost here every year when I take some time to rearrange the greenhouse plants in order that the Clivias and Cymbidiums that are spiking are front and center for my viewing enjoyment. Today was that day for me.

The Cymbidiums are pretty much a complete bust this year from a flowering standpoint. I don’t know what is different or wrong with them, but only one of them has a flower spike and that appears to not be very healthy. The plants themselves seem healthier than they have been in the past, but no flower spikes have come forth. Even the huge orchid from the recently deceased Karl Huffbauer has no spikes–it had four or five last year! I may divest myself of most of the cymbidiums and just keep a couple of them that mean something to me. The others are just a waste of space.

The Clivias are a different story. I counted about 20 spikes this year from 15 or so plants. Many of the spikes are on young plants that haven’t bloomed before, so it will be fun to see what they look like.

I did a little clean up in the garden today. I clipped back the Korean chrysanthemum from brother Tim and each stalk I cut had a living tip, so I took cuttings. I ended up with five pots of three cuttings each–hopefully, some will take and they can go in the garden or pots or maybe be sold off.

Some bulbs in the memory bed are blooming.

I planted some foxglove seedlings from last summer around this area today, as well–they should help fill in after the bulbs fade away. I thought the Cammassias were not coming back, but I saw them poking through the mulch today. I read recently that they have contractile roots that pull the bulbs deeper and deeper over time, so maybe that is why their appearance was delayed.

The plum tree is in full in the orchard bed.