2010-02-28 The Gorge

At my parents house, my 17yr old kitty.



Driving home from visiting the parents (happy 40th!). On the way home, we hit 111,111mi!



The sun was shining and the earth was starting to green up.







Some clouds told me something about 555ft, but I don't know what it means.



Love this oak tree. Great bonsai reference.



We stopped at a rest stop, and I wandered off into a forest of really nice looking oak trees and found these little guys: Olsynium douglasii. This is a new species for me and one that I've been looking for for about a year. Very pretty en masse!





All the fruit trees are blooming and I'll try to get around to some pictures by the end of the week.

2010-02-21 Winter Catchup

We're almost back into full swing here. Winter low was 12F in mid December, GH froze a little bit, but 99% of things did fine. January had no freezing temps and February low is 31F. So, winter's over, pretty much.

Viburnum has been blooming since Early January.


Acacia baileyana also been blooming for almost a month.


We spent the rainy-season indoors. Kitty read Twilight the only way you're supposed to: upside down.


We grew some fungus.


And I built the world's smallest transatlantic airplane... get in!


In the sunroom, Rhododendron phaeochitum X laetum.


At the other end of the sunroom, the Macleania has been growing and blooming all winter. It's such a strange flower. It's called a Neotropical Blueberry and forms little berries when pollinated, though I think they're white. The tag says M. insignis, but I think it looks closer to M. ericae or M. pentaptera. Any opinions?


Most excitingly, things have been germinating in the greenhouse for almost 2 months! Paintbrush, Irises, Penstemon, Lilies, other native plants, acorns, Some more South African stuff. Here's two flats of South African Bulbs that finally came up! Just wait 3 more years and they'll be amazing!


I hear if I'm getting tenure in just over a month. Wish me luck.