The tall stuff was all together in a nice tall box, and wrapped like mummies...
....there! Not only safe and sound, but barely a wrinkled leaf!
This is dwarf red buckeye, and when I opened up the plastic bag to see if it was dry, I found this cool mesh planter...
....interesting! I've never seen anything shipped in one of these before, but I like it! Lighter to keep costs down, but very sturdy.
Bentley is impressed with the sheets of paper...
..."Mmmm, tasty!" Gizmo was cuckoo for the shredded paper, so I guess all three of us are happy with this nursery.
This is a bald cypress, and look what a nice-sized whip they sent me....
.....I think the bark is really cool.
This shade-loving climbing fern is pretty small, but I'm hoping it's just emerging and will show more progress soon enough.
Guess what's in this box? Oh yea, more ladyslippers!
These are babies, called "pips", and are grown from tissue culture and not wild collected. I got Kentucky ladyslipper, and the all-white version of the Showy ladyslipper . These are small bags...
....huh! Looks like worms...this should be interesting.
Luckily they enclosed detailed cultural information, because I've never grown baby ladyslippers before.
The smaller plants were packed nicely too...
....this is eastern sand cherry, and I think it will grow nicely near my nanking cherry bushes. (Plus more fruit for the birds to enjoy.)
This is swamp dewberry, rubus hispidus and it grows low with prickly stems, producing "sour berries".
I ordered a few grasses too, this is prairie switchgrass 'Shenandoah'. I've wanted this for some time, because japanese blood grass doesn't survive my winter. (And any self-respecting grass collector needs a red one! ;-)
This grass is hella cool too, it's 'Blue Satin' sedge, carex platyphylla and it's for shade!
"Whatever. As far as I'm concerned this paper is the best part!" Enjoy it while you can Bentley, cuz' that mess will be gone soon!
Another nice tall specimen, apple serviceberry (amelanchier grandiflora)....
....from the "forest floor" look of the soil, I think this will acclimate nicely!
I decided to plant the ladyslippers right away, and this tiny thing kinda scares me...
....yes, definately intimidating...
....but the obvious signs of growth are reassuring. I was tempted to pot them up and baby them for a few months, but I'd read that these resent transplanting...
.....so I just planted them in the ground near my other happy ladyslippers.
As for the rest, they'll have to relax until the holiday weekend to be assigned their permanant homes. Check out the red on these stems!
Okay, if they can tolerate my cold night temps we may have some content newcomers.
Hang in there, kids!
6 comments:
Well that just proves that only good things come outa Kentucky! ;>)
Nice plants. But damn, those lady slipper were intimidating! Good thing they had a tiny bit of new growth so you could see which end was up, so to speak. :)
Looks like you've got a fun wkend ahead. Enjoy!
Hey! I have carex platyphylla and I love it! It did start looking raggedy for me in the late winter, though, so I cut it back... maybe in early April or late March... and the fresh new growth is wonderful. Got mine from High Country Gardens.
Your bald cypress rocks. Can't wait to see pics of that growing!
Ah ha! Your Shooting Star order was delivered. I was a bit dismayed at what tiny plants those ladyslipper orchids are. I knew they were very cheap for ladyslippers but those are too tiny. I chickened out and didn't order them and glad I didn't now that I've seen yours. It may take many years for them to bloom. I hope they grow for you.
The plants I did buy from them last year are all coming up including the meadow beauty Rhexia so I guess they know what they're doing. The other plants look really great.
Vonne-Oh yes, Kentucky produces MANY good things! ;-) You're right about those ladyslippers, I sure would have a hard time finding which way is up without that tiny green stem...sure hope they're as happy as my others. You have a great weekend yourself!
Kim-I didn't realize that High Country sells that carex too...glad to hear your experience has been good with it. Sure hope the cypress will be happy here, I'm having a hard time deciding exactly where to put it since it gets so big. Probably by the riverbank, but I don't want to obscure too much of my view.
Ki-I'm with you, these tiny ladyslippers are very scary! If I didn't already sucessfully grow larger ones, I'd have chickened out, too. Plus, when you consider that I paid $45 for my showy orchis 2 years ago but it bloomed the first year, and these were $10 and $17 but won't bloom for several years, then $45 doesn't sound all that bad. But hey, I like a challenge. ;-) Glad to hear the stuff you got is doing well, I will definately order from them again!
Damn, those are big plants!
Climbing fern? Me want.
You couldn't just throw them ladyslippers in the ground and let them find their own way up, huh? Those little threads make me think of parasitic worms. That's why I was scared.
You have perfected the anti-herbivory plant protector with the white edging fencing + chickenwire. Patent it!
That climbing fern I bought is the eastern native variety, but it has a cousin that's tropical which would be happy in your climate. One caveat: It's considered invasive in Florida, so be careful...:) As for the ladyslippers, they probably would find their way okay, but they're so tiny I'm compelled to be extra careful. Heh, I thought "tape worm" when I saw them also! I'm glad you like my cage invention, it does work very well. Patent you say? Hmmm....
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