Tag Archives: calla lilies

Ye Olde Garden

A visit to Gunters

I made a stop at Gunter’s greenhouse on my way to work today. I had wanted to see if they had anything unusual to add to my patio garden, but as usual, the orchids are the biggest draw. I stepped into the prehistoric jungle and wended my way among the spectacular blooms. Orchids rock! I recommend the place highly if you are looking for something different in plant life.

I potted up a couple of dark red dianthus with my calla lily/jasmine. I also have 3 planter troughs now, sitting on my patio, waiting for paint to dry. I imagine it won’t take much for me to find something to plant in them. Methinks I’ll be needing another bag of garden soil now. I intend to put a mix of garden and potting soil in each of the troughs, to gently remind them that they will find a home in a real garden some day.

Around the apartment complex where I live, the indian hawthorn are bursting with flowers, and the pink and white salvias are starting to show their colors. I plan on stealing a couple of sprigs of white salvia so that I can grow them on my own.

Now where are my cosmos seeds???

3/20/2009 Orchids at Gunther's (1) 3/20/2009 Orchids at Gunther's (2) 3/20/2009 Orchids at Gunther's (3) 3/20/2009 Orchids at Gunther's (4)

Ye Olde Garden

Bulbs on the Patio

Calla lily bulbs are in! Though I’m somewhat disappointed with the size of the Flame bulbs…scrawny compared to Red Sox. I’m wondering if I should have purchased more Flames. The asahi zuru is leafing out nicely…though I’m seeing more variegation in the leaves that get more sunlight. Must get to a nursery to buy potting soil!

3/18/2009 Callas and maples (1) 3/18/2009 Callas and maples (2) 3/18/2009 Callas and maples (3) 3/18/2009 Callas and maples (4) 3/18/2009 Callas and maples (5) 3/18/2009 Callas and maples (6) 3/18/2009 Callas and maples (7) 3/18/2009 Callas and maples (8) 3/18/2009 Callas and maples (9) 3/18/2009 Callas and maples (10) 3/18/2009 Callas and maples (11) 3/18/2009 Callas and maples (12) 3/18/2009 Callas and maples (13)

Ye Olde Garden

A collection of caladiums and callas

I’ve been thinking about companion plants for callas, and I’m either going with coleus (annuals) or caladiums (perennials). While caladiums don’t boast the same color spectrum as coleus, they may be arguably the more budget-conscious choice, since they can return year after year with the proper care.

Here are the cultivars I’ve been considering:

Red Frill, strap, medium sun-tolerance
Red Ruffles, strap, excellent sun-tolerance
Pink Gem, strap, excellent sun-tolerance
White Wing, strap, excellent sun-tolerance

The Thai variety of caladiums have also recently popped up on the radar, offering bolder colors and variegations than the typical caladiums. I’m unsure of their sun-tolerances, habits, or heights, so I will have to do more research on them. But for now, a good source can be found at AsiaticNursery.com.

Meanwhile, outside of Pacific Callas and ZCallas, I have found a nice selection of Calla lily bulbs to be had at Lakeside Callas and Brent and Becky’s.

Ye Olde Garden

The gardening bug hits again

Well, living in an apartment certainly has not quelled my fancy for gardening. I bought an Asahi Zuru acer palmatum 5-gallon specimen late October 2008 from Forestfarm. In the transport, it went into shock and dropped all its leaves. I potted it and left it in my shady patio, and all winter long I made sure to water it weekly. Of course now that it’s February, and the weather has become pleasant again, I’m filled with dread and anxiety that I am stuck with another skeleton of a Japanese Maple. This weekend I’ll be inspecting the tree for deadwood and will do some careful pruning to hopefully ease the burden on it. I found some very good cultivation and pruning guides at Davidsans and Oregonlive.

I’ve also been shopping around for Calla lilies to try on the patio. Both PacificCallas.com and ZCallas.com appear to possess a good selection of bulbs to try. I’m thinking I’d like to find some red and orange flowering varieties to go with my red salvias. But the blush, pink and white of the japanese maple begs for some calla coordination as well.

Also, another upside to my shady patio: I can now give caladiums a try!

Who would’ve thought I would be resurrecting the gardening section of this site?