A blog of my botanical misdeeds and potentially interesting floral photos. All Photos Copyright Ross Kouzes

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This is a blog dedicated to interesting flora and the yard projects I undertake to make their cultivation possible.

2009/06/30

2009-06-30 Mt Hood

Found myself driving up to the mountain with a single minded purpose: find Drosera anglica. Also, enjoy a hike. So, not so singleminded.

Fortunately for me, I had my ulterior motive because I failed to find a single plant! Next time.

First stop: Government camp bog.

Castilleja
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Platanthera
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Next stop, Mirror Lake. This is the trail head along Hwy26 just before Government Camp that is always packed, no matter what the day of the week or time of day. I'd never been to see what all the fuss was about!

It turns out that after an easy <2mi climb, there's a lake!
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A different Castilleja
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Beargrass
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Blue butterfly
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Rhododendron macrophyllum
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2009/06/28

2009 Late June

A couple random pictures from around the yard.

The largest of the 100 Darlintonia seedlings I have from seed in Fall 2005. Finally big enough to catch flies! Slowly getting filled :-) Schnell says that the first pitchers are the largest (definitely true with these) and that the first two pitchers orient N/S and the second two pitchers out orient E/W. I wouldn't know since I've moved the pots so many times. He also said that it takes the plants a year to figure out their own orientation...
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Paphiopedilum rothschildianum.
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Paphiopedilum philippinense var roebelenii
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Neofinetia falcata Onami Seikai.
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The kitty. Don't let the angle fool you, she's 97% fluff.
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My South African seedlings from seeds sown in April :-) This is the Protea end of the flats. Closest are compacta, then two rows of cynaroides then eximia then lacticolor then magnifica then nerifolia then pudens then sulphurea then... I forget. Lots had good germination (75%+), many had sporadic germination (~30%) and the only one that didn't come up was P. sulphurea. In the middle are the Erica flats that look like there's nothing in them... because there is nothing in them. The Erica didn't come up at all (except maybe 5 tiny things that are impossible to discern from weeds). I'm hoping that they'll come up in Fall. The soil for all the ZA seeds is the same: 3 parts quarter-minus gravel, 2 parts pumice, 2 parts perlite, 2 parts bark, 1 park turface. I don't trust sand after a bad batch killed just about everything I put into it, including a ton of Cyp seedlings! Grrrrr.
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This is the Aulax/Leucadendron/Leucospermum end. One of the 2 Aulax species germinated, A. cancellata. The Ld. had good germination in general, with only a a few species that had low germination, and Ld. tinctum was the only one that didn't come up. Ls. are always hard to germinate! I'm very lucky if I get 30% germination... I soaked the seeds in H202, I pulled off the soft shell, I smoke primed them, I scratched them, I even split some of the hard shells... I don't know what the problem is :-P I got one or two of each, which is probably enough. Ls. conocarpodendron is definitely the most reliable germinator and the easiest to keep alive, for me at least.
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2009/06/19

2009-06-19 Columbia Gorge

Friends still in town, we intrepidly ventured down the gorge. Well, some of us were intrepid ;-)

It was a bit cloudy, which was very welcome. Nothing better than a summer day that you can wear a sweatshirt on a hike! :-)
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Lilium columbianum.
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Orobanche minor.
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Castilleja.
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A light rain had fallen.
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Spot the pika-chu.
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Wall of Delphinium (nuttalii?).
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Oneida Gorge atop the log jam.
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2009/06/18

2009-06-18 Mt Hood

Friends were visiting so we went up to Mt Hood. Threw some snowballs.
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Then went for a leisurely walk around Trillium Lake.

Mary Spotted this Morel.
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How does one confuse a Morel with a False Morel?
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Couple of orchids. Lots of little Listera cordata.
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Platanthera aquilonius
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Strayed out into the bogs looking for interestingness and found it:
Dodecatheon jeffreyi
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Across the bog, I could see hundreds of Dodecatheon.
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NOID? If anyone has an ID for this, plz let me know.
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I had never seen a Drosera in the wild before! Thrilled to find these tiny Drosera rotundifolia.
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There were many.
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Found this little guy on a Skunk Cabbage.
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Overall, a very pretty trip.
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Back in Portland, we visited Bovees Nursery. Mid-summer is their non-blooming season in general, but they still had quite a few things blooming.

A Rhodie.
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Hardy Rhodie out front.
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Their Cornus kousa out front is one of the best I've seen.
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Found this guy in their greenhouse. Macleania insignis, supposedly. Weird flower = desperately need one.
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