The rest of the mess

[hcarlton]

Since I have enough other weird things that aren't carnivores or aroids, probably should have their own thread
Iris verna by Hawken Carlton, on FlickrIris verna by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Iris verna by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Iris by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
This was the first of the US native irises I started growing, and special since it's a very local locality
Iris missouriensis "Hohnholz lakes" by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Iris missouriensis "Hohnholz lakes" by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Starting to get seeds galore off of this guy too
Aristolochia fimbriata by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

 

[hcarlton]

A new annual wildflower that's taken off for me; one plant, dozens (maybe over a hundred!) flower heads
Madia elegans by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And Lilium that has given me a ton of little bulbils on the leaf axils that I've begun propagating. I shall have an army of tiger lilies...
Lilium lancifolium by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Lilium lancifolium by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

 

[hcarlton]

Madia elegans by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Calopogon tuberosus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Rhexia virginica by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Mentzelia laevicaulis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Nicotania attenuata by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

 

[hcarlton]

Something glorious bloomed recently
Lilium catesbaei by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Lilium catesbaei by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Lilium catesbaei by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Lilium catesbaei by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And I even managed to get a video put together for it (for whatever reason, not as popular as most of my other vids; I know it's short, but still...)

Triggerplants have been in bloom constantly for about 8 months now...
Stylidium debile by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And these beauties are back...and beginning to multiply!
Scadoxus multiflorus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Almost the end of the run for these (but I have plenty of seeds to start them up again now)
Mentzelia laevicaulis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Hibiscus trionum by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

 

[hcarlton]

From the one flower I got this past season, at least 17 new sprouts...
Lilium catesbaei by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Also, decided to try something absolutely harebrained...
Forastero by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Forastero by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Forastero by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Yes, these are cacao seeds! The regular pods gave me 99 of them, and for a while, it looked like I might have upwards of 97% germination success from them:
Forastero by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Forastero by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
But it would seem that a combination of the fairly cool conditions around here, my poor planting methods once they germinated, and attempts to kill off mold using the recommended peroxide and/or light alcohol applications is lethal. None have survived. Those that died off early though, will soon be roasted to use for making a semi-chocolate...
But was I deterred? No! I decided to be even crazier, and ordered a pod of the even rarer Criollo form (accounts for about 2% of chocolate production, only slightly more than the Nacional genetic cluster)
Criollo by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
These also started with nearly 90% germination, and while the cold and dry here still isn't great (lesson learned, wait until summer to try again), there is some hope
Criollo by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
They're a different color than the Forastero, though that could just be due to the development stage of the seeds, and there looks to be at least a few that are likely to survive. I'm hoping for enough to at least try selling a few, but we'll see...

 

[hcarlton]

After asking around I had it confirmed: a clump of Sphagnum on an orchid mount is sporulating:
Sporulating sphagnum by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And I know it's hard to see here, but apparently if you accidentally knock the bulbil pieces off a Lilium catesbaei bulb, they will sprout:
Lilium catesbaei by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Also a new nutty endeavor: I'm growing true Ceylon cinnamon
Cinnamomum verum by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

 

[hcarlton]

Out of nearly 200 sprouting seeds...looks like I'll be lucky to end up with 3, maybe 4 Criollo cacao....
Criollo cacao by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
The violets are in bloom among the Sarracenia again:
Viola lanceolata by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And after 2 failed attempts to grow galangal from rhizomes ordered online (first for a recipe, second time just to grow), the failures drove me to just order an already growing plant as I think that first source does something to make theirs not grow.
Alpinia officinarum by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Also got a variegated shell ginger to go with; typically just grown as ornamental but the leaves are edible!
Alpinia zerumbet "Variegated" by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And...after 2 years, I finally convinced this glorious thing to flower!
G. radians by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
G. radians by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
G. radians by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

 

[bluemax]

Clearly I'm behind on this thread. Wow, you grow Mentzelia! I love this plant - thorns and all. Have you seen them attracting hawk moths in the moonlight? Amazing.

Well done on the Geissorhiza. I have been watching your efforts with the cacao with interest.

 

[hcarlton]

No thorns on Mentzelia, just acts like velcro. I've never seen flowers open at night (never really gone out to the back at night though), and there are a lot of other things in the yard that the hawkmoths also like (such as the Nicotiana) so I wouldn't know if they are actually attracting them.
And the cacao has been mostly heartbreak, obviously, but I'm strongly tempted to try again over the summer to see if I can't get better establishment in warmer temperatures (if my intentions of traveling around to try getting more documentary videos going doesn't prevent that; need more patrons to really support those trips though).

 

[hcarlton]

My 104 year old Hoya is blooming once more...
Hoya carnosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And the first of...several, Alocasia arrived a little while back. Hasn't grown a whit since it got here though
Alocasia 'Mandalay' by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
These are though. Lots of lovely red-flushed new leaves popping up
Cinnamomum verum by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Somewhat relatedly, the 2 actually surviving Cacao seedlings I have (might be a third, but I'm not banking on it), finally got big enough I had to move them with the rest of the indoor jungle
Also had a couple of these again:
Iris verna by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
No seedpods again though, sadly
Iris verna by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Still have a ton of seeds off this thing too; I did not pollinate this flower, but it went and made a pod anyway.
Aristolochia fimbriata by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And the first of several new widlflower species began blooming while still indoors...and it has seeds developing now.
Phacelia campanularia by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

 

[hcarlton]

Rocky Mountain Iris were giving a show this year
Iris missouriensis "Hohnholz" by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Iris missouriensis "Hohnholz" by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
The Grand Mesa Penstemon that we had lost for a couple years and then resprouted in a new location:
Penstemon mensarum by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And an Iris that I have forgotten the species of...
Iris sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

 

[hcarlton]

Nemophila maculata by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Nemophila maculata by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Nemophila maculata by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Sadly, the dry spell took all the flowers on this thing...
Chilean guava 'Burbank' by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Chilean guava 'Burbank' by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And the accursed spider mites that the pink Brugmansia brought in won't leave these and a few other things alone, but they're still managing (if anyone has systemic suggestions I'm all ears, because oils just aren't killing them permanently like they need to).
Colocasia by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Colocasia by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
The dry almost took these out too, but they've hung on
Solanum sisymbriifolium by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Solanum sisymbriifolium by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
There is a problem with them getting blown over due to their height though, and trying to pick them up is a hassle, because:
Solanum sisymbriifolium by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Solanum sisymbriifolium by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
These lovely blooms are starting to develop fruit now though. Now I just need the tomatoes to hurry up so I can try crossing...
Solanum sisymbriifolium by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Phacelia campanularia by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Also not shown: I've just recently acquired a jackfruit seedling, and jaboticaba!

 

[hcarlton]

Fruits appearing, seed collection underway (from those not just straight eaten; they are very much like an extremely sweet tomato)
Solanum sisymbriifolium by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Solanum sisymbriifolium by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And, ever had a carrot that's straight purple all the way to the core?
Pura asita carrot by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Pura asita carrot by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
'Black Coral' Colocasia by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
This flower ended up outdone by the massive head the other put up...which for some reason I did not photograph
Scadoxus multiflorus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Collinsia heterophylla by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Plinia cauliflora by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Ecballium elaterium by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Ecballium elaterium by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Mentzelia laevicaulis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Mentzelia laevicaulis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Datura metel "Double Yellow" by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Datura metel "Double Yellow" by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Datura metel "Double Purple" by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Datura metel "Double Purple" by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Datura metel "Double Purple" by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Datura metel "Double Purple" by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Had to repot a monster...and it probably needs more space than was given as is
Casimiroa edulis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And, the biggest seedlings from the latest flux of tropical things I was dumb enough to try and take on: Black Sapote!
Diospyros nigra by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Also aqcuired, but still in growth progress: Inga edulis, Inga spectabilis, Psophocarpus tetragonolobus, Musa velutina, musa itinerans, Bunchoia armeniaca, Sizygium malaccense, Forastero and White Cacao, Annona squamosa, Citrus x limon 'Eureka Pink Variegated,' Citrus x microcarpa, Synsepalum dulcificum, Eugenia uniflora, Panax ginseng, Randia formosa, Clitoria terneata, Psidium guajava, Citrus australasica, and Pimenta dioica (I might have missed a couple on the list).

 

[bluemax]

'Really like your nightshade family plants. I keep saying I'm going to try Datura in my garden. 'Hard to beat those huge flowers!

 

[hcarlton]

Took my first Kiwano melon off the vine; they're not ripe yet but I heard they're edible either way and have different flavor at this stage:
Cucumis metuliferus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And, a bit smaller but had another pine lily bloom
Lilum catesbaei by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Lilium catesbaei by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Also as always getting this year's crop of evil spiny pods going
Proboscidea louisianica by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
I actually harvested all but the ones already splitting and tried cooking the younger ones; turns out I should try taking them off even younger, or just eat the outer skins otherwise as the centers had already hardened.
Proboscidea louisianica by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And getting my first tomatoes; this I actually crossed with Solanum sisymbriifolium. Unfortunately, the one fruit I had maybe with the reverse cross...was the one fruit that something found and destroyed this morning!!!!!
'Black Strawberry' tomato by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And I have extra Cacao seedlings that need to move elsewhere..
Theobroma cacao 'Forastero' by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And two different Ice Cream Bean species too:
Inga spectabilis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Lastly, found out this scrambing thing that I thought was jsut a grass is actually a dayflower relative; sadly, missed the first blooms amongst the rain we had yesterday
Murdannia nudiflora by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Murdannia nudiflora by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

 

[bluemax]

'Good stuff, Hawken! One does not live by c. plants alone.

 

[hcarlton]

Took right up until days before the first frost to convince hyacinth bean it should flower....
Lablab purpureus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
So, no beans (and I forgot to try eating the actual plant shoots...), but the couple spikes of these I got were nice
Lablab purpureus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Finally got a pair of dwarf moringa going...can at least try eating these over winter
Moringa oleifera by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Everything else falling asleep...my mom wanted to pull this out, I insisted no. Now that I've harvested sumac spice from it and it's looking like this, she's starting to understand why I said don't kill it.
Rhus typhina by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And the only kiwano melon that ripened on the vine...others are now ripening in the bag though
Cucumis metuliferus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Cucumis metuliferus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

 

[hcarlton]

Second season with these...they need to go in a bigger pot now
Ponthieva racemosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
First getting flowers on this though
Brugmansia by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
3 blooms so far, and they were potent enough to fill the (fairly large) new living room with perfume. At least 4 more buds on the way
Brugmansia by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
100% germination of Lechuguilla:
Agave lechuguilla by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And beautiful flowers on a new veggie that I'll be trying (for now) to grow inside. The actual beans it produces are beyond weird too, but the entire plant is edible
Psophocarpus tetragonolobus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Psophocarpus tetragonolobus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
First season with this:
Geissorhiza barkerae by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Geissorhiza barkerae by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And the thing absolutely loead itself with flowers. I tried crossing a couple with one of the G. radians blooms (in the POTM thread) as well as selfing, but don't think it quite worked
Geissorhiza barkerae by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Also, happened to be trying to use a couple Devil's Claw pods sitting on a couple pots of soil to ward off a mouse several months ago...the increase moisture in said pots apparently triggered some of the seeds still lodged inside to start growing.
Proboscidea louisianica by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And lastly: I had 100% germination, 80% survival of a batch of Joshua trees!
Yucca brevifolia by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Yucca brevifolia by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

 

[hcarlton]

Aronia melanocarpa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Aronia melanocarpa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Went to Arizona with a side trip into California recently, saw the full-sized giant versions of this (and vids will be on YouTube):
Phacelia campanularia by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Also a handful of orchids are cooperating with me
Pleurothallis hemirhoda by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Pleurothallis hemirhoda by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Pleurothallis hemirhoda by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Tolumnia variegata by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Tolumnia variegata by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Tolumnia variegata by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And I've got an 8 inch tall key lime deciding to flower
Key Lime by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

 

[hcarlton]

The new yard is loaded with fun things...
Aquilegia canadensis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
In particular, a huge patch of these spectacular Penstemon
Penstemon angustifolium by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Hail killed most of the buds, but I got to see at least one bloom on this guy
Iris virginica by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Starting also to get regular flowers on my borage which I've stuck in the garden...and I like eating the flowers more than the leaves
Borago officinalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Borago officinalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Other things that grow wild in the yard
Wild Legume sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Wild Phlox by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
I've also seen some sort of aster, we have wild Tradescantia everywhere, there's rhubarb in the garden as well as curly dock, lupines, and so many other things that haven't quite shown themselves properly yet...