LeafVibe

I just got back from my trip to the Aroid Show & Sale at Fairchild Gardens. It was the first time I had been there, and I have to say although I was expecting a bit more than that (probably half of what was at the Mango Festival), it was still a nice time. I even got to speak to a few experts who helped reassure that how I was growing my collection was correct.

As usual I bought a few species of plants that I was looking for and a few I wasn’t (two of which are unidentified species). My mother also happen to get some plants that I thought were pretty interesting. The pictures of the event are below, with the last ones being the ones I obtained for my collection. View the images to get more information of the items pictured.

Tags: amorphophallus, atroviridis, paeoniifolius, pygmaeus, unidentified species
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So after about two weeks of waiting, I finally got an order for seeds of another species I was looking for: Amorphophallus hewittii. I bought twenty seeds (at a cost of $20 flat, which is a great rate I think). Nine of them have already been potted, and the rest I will either grow and sell, or attempt to sell the seeds. Hopefully within a week or so there will be some sign of germination; I did notice some seeds already with what appeared to be grown points forming and because of that, I planted them with the would-be points facing up.

While we’re on the topic of seeds, I now have three out of five A.titanum seeds that have germinated (as indicated in the last three pictures). They’re growing very well; the only odd one would be the third, as it is growing out of the side of the seeds rather than the top. Hopefully a leaf will appear on the first one in the next two weeks. I’m actually quite curious to know the length it time it takes between germination and leaf growth.

Oh, and only five more days until the Aroid Show and Sale!

Tags: amorphophallus, hewittii, seeds, titanum
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Over the weekend I found a place that sold the plant I was looking for close by. Although I could’ve ordered them from overseas, the minimum cost of purchase alone (I’ve found them to be over $150) already deters me, and then the requirement of phytosanitary certificates also cost quite a bit; all this is even before you even get around to shipping and handling.

It’s not that they’re super rare, it’s just that the main reason I couldn’t find them was because most of them are all in active growth and because of that, no one ships them. Due to this, I figured I’d keep a wandering eye out but not actively search until the fall and winter when they were dormant. Well, it just so happen when I wasn’t looking for it, I found them. A Florida-based company called Gardino Nursery had what I was looking for: Amorphophallus Paeoniifolius. More importantly they had it in stock for shipping. So today the mailman rang the doorbell and here they are:

Side note: The last picture above is the Amorphophallus titanum who’s leaf was developing here. It’s grown quite a bit since then; just decided to slide it into this entry while I was taking pictures of the other plants.

Tags: amorphophallus, paeoniifolius, titanum
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Today while running another errand, a friend and I decided to take a detour and by visiting Fairchild Tropcial Botanic Gardens. The pictures are of the Windows to the Tropics, Richard H. Simons Rainforest, Butterfly Garden, and a few other areas and contain dozens of plants that one could walk right up to if you choose to. This is only a small (very small) view of the gardens.

Tags: amorphophallus, Fairchild, paeoniifolius, palm, titanum, tree
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We all know people have to start somewhere no matter what you’re doing, and usually that’s the beginning. So where did I start? A plant named Mr. Stinky.

If you haven’t heard of him before, he’s located at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens here in South Florida in the Windows to the Tropics Conservatory. If you do some searching you’ll most likely come across news reports and pictures of this amazing plant (like this) but you won’t find much since it has been some time since his last bloom. You’ll find more pictures under the following name: Amorphophallus Titanum.

Although I was not there for the first bloom, I did go for the second and third but sadly never at the true peak of his bloom. After seeing the massive size and smelling the stench of something that shouldn’t be alive, it was enough though to spark an interest in this particular genus; an interest that really didn’t take off until a few months ago.

Shortly thereafter I obtained my first two species: Amorphophallus Bulbifer and an Amorphophallus Carneus, both of which had flowered and, just like their giant relative, smelled “unique” but not as potent. I guess the description I could match it up with is some old eggs and some rotten milk with a hint of garbage. Since that time I lost them (I might get into that in a future entry), but it was enough to keep me hooked. Fast forward a couple of years to where I am now and my current collection, all of which I will go into detail when I get the chance.

• Amorphophallus decus-silvae (1)
• Amorphophallus konjac (3; 12 others which have yet to be potted or come out of dormancy)
• Amorphophallus titanum (11; +5 seeds, 2 which have started germination so far)

Although the variety is somewhat small, I’m hoping to expand it a bit more during the Aroid Show and Sale (I will definitely post about that when and if it happens depending on Hurricane Ike). I would say that the above are my prize possessions but they’re not the only thing I grow. I also have a couple blond[e] flamethrower palms, a queen palm, a coconut tree, three champion mango seedlings, red and white passionflower vine, three hibiscus plants, a mango tree from Egypt if I remember right (the name escapes me at the moment), a gladiolus bulb, and a platycodon.

I think that’s quite a bit for now. So for closing, I’ll leave you with pictures of some of my collection currently living in the garage until enough money is saved up for a proper greenhouse.

Tags: amorphophallus, decus-silvae, Fairchild, hibiscus, konjac, mango, palm, titanum, tree
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This is the start of my blog; an actual one that I’m going to update frequently (at least try to). What exactly is this blog dedicated to? Well if you haven’t correctly guessed by looking at the domain, it’s main focus will be that of plants… in particular, what I’m currently growing. What I’m growing will be saved for another time due to the mere fact it will take some explaining (it’ll be interesting, I promise), but suffice to say that there is plenty to write about.

The reason I decided to start this blog was mainly for two reasons. The first comes from my general interest on the subject—something in which I will get into further in later entries—while the second comes from not only wanting my own space to talk about the plants I grow, but sharing the frustration and enjoyment that often comes with gardening of any kind. In the long run I’m hoping that this will also serve as a source of information for others, and while I admit I’m still learning (who isn’t?), perhaps my experience would help someone in the future get started into the field.

I think that’s all for now. Hopefully in the next few days I’ll start to customize this blog to better suit my needs and the topic on-hand, and definitely have something more interesting to read. See you then!

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