Roses are in full bloom

The David Austin roses are amazing now. These are Tamara (aprocot colored), Tranquility (not an Austin, this is from Heritage roses, white/pink), Sceptere'd Isle (peach) and Fair Bianca (white). All of the roses responded well to the severe pruning that I gave them earlier this year. That means the pruning was OK.

Repotting a Miltoniopsis hybrid

I bought this Miltoniopsis hybrid a couple of months ago, intending to throw it away when it finished blooming. I sat it on the deck when it was done. It sat there dry and exposed for more than a month.  Yesterday I noted that my only other Miltoniopsis is producing what looks like a flower shoot. That development inspired me to try to rescue this one.

It's not in too bad shape considering what I did to it.

I soaked the roots in rain water for 20 minutes.

The pot is too deep. The manufacture of shards to fill space in the bottom is a precision method. It takes years of experience, a graduate degree, and a hammer.

All done. Planted in orchid bark-based potting mix. It's a little close to the top, but might settle. Then again I might take it back out and remove some medium before it gets too settled.  I watered it in nicely, and now it's in a East facing window.

I'm an odd person.  I like leaving on the old stems.  If the dead flowers stay on, I like that too.  It gives the orchid a "natural" or "botanical" look, like it would be on the tree branch if no humans were around.  Plus, it reminds me that this plant once bloomed, so might again.  I do remove dead leaves.  They can be a source of infection, and generally fall off anyway.

Progress Report: Figs.

There remain a few breba on Vancouver (Probably Magnolia / Dalmation / Brunswick). Most of the fig branch tips are already cut back at 3 or 4 nodes. Today I trimmed back most of the rest. I did not do that treatment for King, which is a Breba-only variety, so I don't see benefit for stimulating new fig embryos. Still not sure about that. Chicago and Petite Negri have many new fig embryos for the fall crop. We'll see if the pinch at 3 leaves results in earlier figs than the pinch at 5 or 5 leaves. Pinching just involves bending the branch tip. They snap off. I also did that with the mulberry today, which is a fig cousin.

The King fig cuttings are growing at the tips. I don't know about roots yet. Last week I pulled one out and there were no signs of root growth yet. No problem, they are no effort and take no room, in the tomato and pepper half-barrels. If they grow, cool.

Petite Negri. Many brebas fell off, not unusual. A significant number remain. All of the new shoots have been snipped off at 3 or 4 leaves. Some are starting to grow embryonic figs, for the fall crop.

King (Desert King): I don't think any have fallen off. This is the best crop ever. Fingers are crossed. I have not been pinching branch tips back, but intend to.

Lemon (White Marseilles, Lattarula): I don't think any have fallen from this one either. I have pinched back branch tips. I missed some earlier, so they are up to 6 nodes, but that's OK.

Progress Report: Citrus

Today I repotted the Meyer Lemon. It was fairly neglected through the winter, then developed some sunburn when I sat it out on the deck. Two weeks ago I pruned it for shape and to remove some dead branches, and started feeding it with a rhododendron plant food for the acidity. Now it's growing and has produced several flower buds. I've repotted it in a somewhat larger container. I hope to have lemons this summer.

Generic citrus trees, grown from seed about 13 years ago. I don't remember what it is - lemon, maybe, but could be orange or grapefruit. It has never bloomed. Probably wont. It also suffered from neglect, but got the same treatment as the Meyer lemon, and is sending out new leaves.

Oncidium progress report.

This is an Oncidium "Gower Ramsey" that I started from a backbulb in 2009. Neither it nor its parent has bloomed since then. Bummer. Plus, I gave away one of the other starts, and the 3rd I accidentally left outside and it froze. The parent is in the sun and got some sunburn, but is growing new sections. I repotted this start yesterday into a larger squat clay pot. I have moved it now to a south window. I think I will just give it bloom food now, low nitrogen.

This is an oncidium-type that I bought as a throw-away last year. After it bloomed, I potted it into a small clay pot and took it to work, where it was in a bright window. I gave it house-plant food as a weak solution roughly weekly. Then I brought it home this Spring, and moved it into a south bathroom window. It bloomed. I was surprised. It's cool! Strange, I thought this was a brown flower... Still, it's cool! Now it's starting a new growth, which is a little wrinkled due to missing some watering, but I think it will be OK.

Oncidium "Twinkle". I didn't think I would buy one of these, but I did. It's been blooming for about 4 months. This flower spike started after the earlier one finished. I potted it into what's become my usual small squat clay pot. It's in a south bathroom window. It's growing a number of new growths so I'm giving it growth food.

I tentatively identified this one as "Stefan Isler". It's been blooming for months. The first 2 spikes are gone, and these are starting to drop flowers. This Oncidium hybrid has been amazing. Really a start performer.