{"id":4931,"date":"2019-02-19T00:02:23","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T00:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/?p=4931"},"modified":"2019-02-19T00:02:30","modified_gmt":"2019-02-19T00:02:30","slug":"the-big-snow-and-plants-and-seedling-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/2019\/02\/19\/the-big-snow-and-plants-and-seedling-update\/","title":{"rendered":"The Big Snow and Plants and Seedling Update"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We had a winter storm, or what I like to call \u201cwinter.\u201d Since snow doesn\u2019t fall in significant amounts in Seattle very often, it causes quite a stir and messes up traffic and work schedules\u2013and gardening plans!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It started innocently enough, as an inch or so on one day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rhododendrons out our front window with a dusting of snow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The next day, the snow got a little more serious. We ended up with about eleven inches of snow over the course of a week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
Here\u2019s the front of the house viewed from the street<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
View looking toward Burke Ave from a few streets away. The way the snow clung to the trees was especially beautiful, thanks to the very cold weather.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
Leon\u2019s \u201cPod\u201d sculpture laced with snow
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
The rose at the end of the driveway is often a nuisance due to its long canes, but they are fully forgiven after the snow show they provided<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
This arbor vitae has been on the back patio in a pot for years. It just happened to have landed right under a drip point for the patio cover, and it filled up with icicles\u2013an incredible sight!

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
I was worried about how this might impact the tree, but it has since thawed out and looks fine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
I ended up at the office every day, even when it was closed, so I felt less guilty playing with my plants there and making plans for more of them. The miniature African violet is doing well. It keeps sending up flower spikes, but they don\u2019t open properly. I assume it is too cold, so I cut the spikes all off, but within a week, it is sending up more\u2013you can see one at about 11:00 on the photo below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
This is a miniature African violet from the Violet Barn\u2013purchased in 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The African violet\u2019s flowers have been disappointing, as they don\u2019t open widely\u2013just to a cup shape, but never a saucer. On the other hand, the Sinningia \u201cFreckles\u201d from the Violet Barn, purchased at the same time, has gorgeous flowers that last for weeks at a time. It has three buds coming on it, so I should have flowers on my desk for a month, at least. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
Sinningia \u201cFreckles\u201d on my desk at work\u2013from the Violet Barn in 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
I also have a Primulina tamiana, the Vietnamese Violet, on my desk that appears to be growing well. There is also a Parlor Palm, Chamaedorea elegans, that has only three fronds, but seems to be doing well. I have a terrarium with some strongly growing Polka Dot Plants, Hypoestes phyllostachya and a Euphorbia that is struggling with some mildew or something, and a tiny Senecio succulent cutting from a co-worker. The big plant in my office is a hand-me-down sad-looking Pachira aquatica that is about four feet tall. It is braided and needs a good repot and reboot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My plans for the office are to move the Hypoestes to pots of their own and put something tiny and delicate in the terrarium\u2013maybe a dwarf gensneriad. I have another couple of containers at home to maybe make into terrariums for my desk, as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
Braided or plaited trunk of Pachira aquatica\u2013it has belonged to my boss, another director, and now me.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
A little sad-looking, but it has potential!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Since this photo, I have taken cuttings from two of the stems, trimmed out the old dead stumps from the middle and removed a zip tie that was holding the braids together, but strangling the plant. I started to regularly water and feed it, too. My biggest concern is that the old wood may not leaf back out, so I\u2019m waiting nervously until some buds start to swell on the trunks from which the cuttings were cut. The stems are interestingly hollow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the home front, I was worried about the greenhouse denizens when the temperatures dipped down into the teens one week. The worst feeling hit me when I went out BEFORE the really cold weather to check all the systems and there was frost all over the inside of the greenhouse door and it was frozen shut! But once Leon helped me break inside, I was relieved to find the temperature was fine and the heater and fans were working well. I did bump the thermostat up to 50 degrees to be sure the whole inside stayed above freezing through the cold snap. Luckily, we never lost power and everything appears to have survived, including the newly transplanted Australian seedlings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And speaking of those, here are some seedling updates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
Acacia redolens prostrata seedlings\u2013almost all of these appear to be germinating. Very cute little plants that I\u2019m hoping will make good greenhouse bonsai specimens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
Not Australia\u2013these are Oriental poppy seedlings I have this cup full of \u201cTutti Frutti\u201d seeds from Pinetree and a tray full of \u201cGarden Cultivars Mixed\u201d from Chilterns.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
The seeds were labeled Uniola latifolia, but the plant has been renamed Chasmanthium latifolia, or Sea Oats. It is a graceful grass that will look good in patio containers. It appears I didn\u2019t spread the seeds out very well, which is ridiculous\u2013there were only ten seeds!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
Acacia baileyana purpurea seedlings under LED lights. At first, only two seedlings appeared, then two more after a month, and now two more after another month, which is great, as I\u2019m hoping to be able to select the most purple one or two to keep and share the rest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We had a winter storm, or what I like to call \u201cwinter.\u201d Since snow doesn\u2019t fall in significant amounts in Seattle very often, it causes quite a stir and messes up traffic and work schedules\u2013and gardening plans! It started innocently enough, as an inch or so on one day. The next day, the snow got … Continue reading The Big Snow and Plants and Seedling Update<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4931"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4931\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4953,"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4931\/revisions\/4953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Rhododendrons out our front window with a dusting of snow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The next day, the snow got a little more serious. We ended up with about eleven inches of snow over the course of a week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
Here\u2019s the front of the house viewed from the street<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
View looking toward Burke Ave from a few streets away. The way the snow clung to the trees was especially beautiful, thanks to the very cold weather.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
Leon\u2019s \u201cPod\u201d sculpture laced with snow
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
The rose at the end of the driveway is often a nuisance due to its long canes, but they are fully forgiven after the snow show they provided<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
This arbor vitae has been on the back patio in a pot for years. It just happened to have landed right under a drip point for the patio cover, and it filled up with icicles\u2013an incredible sight!

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
I was worried about how this might impact the tree, but it has since thawed out and looks fine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
I ended up at the office every day, even when it was closed, so I felt less guilty playing with my plants there and making plans for more of them. The miniature African violet is doing well. It keeps sending up flower spikes, but they don\u2019t open properly. I assume it is too cold, so I cut the spikes all off, but within a week, it is sending up more\u2013you can see one at about 11:00 on the photo below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
This is a miniature African violet from the Violet Barn\u2013purchased in 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The African violet\u2019s flowers have been disappointing, as they don\u2019t open widely\u2013just to a cup shape, but never a saucer. On the other hand, the Sinningia \u201cFreckles\u201d from the Violet Barn, purchased at the same time, has gorgeous flowers that last for weeks at a time. It has three buds coming on it, so I should have flowers on my desk for a month, at least. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
Sinningia \u201cFreckles\u201d on my desk at work\u2013from the Violet Barn in 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
I also have a Primulina tamiana, the Vietnamese Violet, on my desk that appears to be growing well. There is also a Parlor Palm, Chamaedorea elegans, that has only three fronds, but seems to be doing well. I have a terrarium with some strongly growing Polka Dot Plants, Hypoestes phyllostachya and a Euphorbia that is struggling with some mildew or something, and a tiny Senecio succulent cutting from a co-worker. The big plant in my office is a hand-me-down sad-looking Pachira aquatica that is about four feet tall. It is braided and needs a good repot and reboot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My plans for the office are to move the Hypoestes to pots of their own and put something tiny and delicate in the terrarium\u2013maybe a dwarf gensneriad. I have another couple of containers at home to maybe make into terrariums for my desk, as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
Braided or plaited trunk of Pachira aquatica\u2013it has belonged to my boss, another director, and now me.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
A little sad-looking, but it has potential!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Since this photo, I have taken cuttings from two of the stems, trimmed out the old dead stumps from the middle and removed a zip tie that was holding the braids together, but strangling the plant. I started to regularly water and feed it, too. My biggest concern is that the old wood may not leaf back out, so I\u2019m waiting nervously until some buds start to swell on the trunks from which the cuttings were cut. The stems are interestingly hollow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the home front, I was worried about the greenhouse denizens when the temperatures dipped down into the teens one week. The worst feeling hit me when I went out BEFORE the really cold weather to check all the systems and there was frost all over the inside of the greenhouse door and it was frozen shut! But once Leon helped me break inside, I was relieved to find the temperature was fine and the heater and fans were working well. I did bump the thermostat up to 50 degrees to be sure the whole inside stayed above freezing through the cold snap. Luckily, we never lost power and everything appears to have survived, including the newly transplanted Australian seedlings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And speaking of those, here are some seedling updates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
Acacia redolens prostrata seedlings\u2013almost all of these appear to be germinating. Very cute little plants that I\u2019m hoping will make good greenhouse bonsai specimens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
Not Australia\u2013these are Oriental poppy seedlings I have this cup full of \u201cTutti Frutti\u201d seeds from Pinetree and a tray full of \u201cGarden Cultivars Mixed\u201d from Chilterns.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
The seeds were labeled Uniola latifolia, but the plant has been renamed Chasmanthium latifolia, or Sea Oats. It is a graceful grass that will look good in patio containers. It appears I didn\u2019t spread the seeds out very well, which is ridiculous\u2013there were only ten seeds!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
Acacia baileyana purpurea seedlings under LED lights. At first, only two seedlings appeared, then two more after a month, and now two more after another month, which is great, as I\u2019m hoping to be able to select the most purple one or two to keep and share the rest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We had a winter storm, or what I like to call \u201cwinter.\u201d Since snow doesn\u2019t fall in significant amounts in Seattle very often, it causes quite a stir and messes up traffic and work schedules\u2013and gardening plans! It started innocently enough, as an inch or so on one day. The next day, the snow got … Continue reading The Big Snow and Plants and Seedling Update<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4931"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4931\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4953,"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4931\/revisions\/4953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gardenescapades.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}