Greenhouse update

I’m taking a break from Plant-A-Day postings to capture some thoughts on the greenhouse activity and how this year has gone.

I spent a few hours yesterday moving clivia and cymbidium pots into the greenhouse for their six- or seven-month stay. There are about fifty clivias and eight cymbidiums. Happily, the plants seem to have done well in the new place I summered them, on the west side of the new native plant garden. Because I took the time to clean them up, top-dress them and fertilize them with Jobe’s organic fertilizer spikes in the spring, all of the plants looked healthy and robust.

The clivias produced about 25 flower spikes in 2020. I’m hoping for more in 2021, given how healthy they appear right now and that more of the seedlings are approaching blooming size.

I was having stern thoughts about the cymbidiums as I moved them into the greenhouse. They take up a lot of space! And last year, they didn’t bloom at all. But as I looked them over, I saw a flower spike forming at the base of one of the plants, which is great! I will get them some diluted orchid food and see if I can’t coax more of them to bloom. The ones that don’t bloom will be given away in the spring.

The more tropical seedlings were moved into the house today, too. I have some palm seedlings and three coral bean plants that won’t survive a winter down to 40 degrees. I moved them into a window with LED lights–hopefully, that will be warm enough for them. The coral beans are looking weak and sad. I am hoping this is due to low temperatures and they’ll add more growth while back in the house.

Some highlights in the greenhouse this year:

Orchid blooms, including Pleione, Coelogyne, and Masdevallia.