Meanwhile, Out in the Laboratory...

Time to update the greenhouse experiments but first, I'm delighted to once again have Cardiocrinum giganteum in bloom in my garden!  It takes them a few years from the time the bublets from the parent plant are planted in the ground until they bloom.

The begonia experiment which you can read about here is coming along nicely.  So far, the grocery store begonias are holding their own; in fact, they have some of the largest foliage so far.  The Blackmore and Langdons are looking healthy and the tubers from Brecks, having been planted later are a bit smaller.  However the Brecks and Fred Meyer hanging varieties (started in the baskets and hanging above these are farther along.  Higher equals warmer and more sun so maybe that's the reason.

The ones that are farthest along are those that I've saved from year to year in their pots.  This wins for the largest leaves (over a foot long) is this pink American Hybrid from Wells Medina about 10 years ago.  Two thirds of them have been potted up into the terra cotta pots where they'll spend the rest of the summer.  The thing emerging from the ground at the bottom of the picture is Amorphophallus konjac which I'd forgotten about.  Must label those pots better.

Speaking of begonias with large (and furry) leaves, Begonia 'San Miguel' 

Begonia aff. Sizemorea from Vietnam came home with me from a March plant sale.  I left it and a couple of other begonias outside. The others didn't mind but this guy decided to loose it's one leaf.  It much prefers life inside the greenhouse and has produced  prodigious  new growth.

The tomatoes started from seed have now been transplanted from four inch pots into one gallon pots and will soon go into five gallon pots.

From this

To this

They're scattered around everrywhere!

From a packet of random heritage varieties came this pretty variegated plant. 

The two plants that I got in one gallon pots at the hardware store are in five gallon pots and have green fruit on them.  This is Early Girl.  Sungold has a a fruit that is almost ready to pick!   

Citrus have set fruit.  

Interesting but the plants aren't that great looking in pots, the bloom time is fairly brief and it's a lot of work for a few lemons or tangerines.  Do you grow citrus inside?

The tropical pitcher plants are putting out more pitchers and leaves so they must be happy.

These both have botanical names but their tags didn't mention them and I'm too lazy to look them up right now.

Solanum pseudocapsicum or Jerusalem Cherry that came home around December.  I thought it would be sort of a seasonal interest thing that would go to the compost heap but it kept growing, is now blooming and making more fruit to adorn itself.  

Some of the older dried fruits fell on the soil beneath and they're sprouting. Maybe I'll grow these on and give them away next Christmas.  Sounds like too much to fuss with right now.

Sedum morganianum or Burro's Tail Sedum is blooming. 

So is the grocery store gardenia.

While there's lots more fun stuff out there, you're probably bored by now so  I'll end with a couple of Neoregelias that came from the Rare Plant Research open house earlier this month. 

Happy gardening!