Flowering orchid

This epidendrum ibaguense has been in a pot for over twenty years and all I saw in that time is more stalks and leaves growing and sprawling, without a sign of a flowering bud.  When I inherited the pot of orchid the plant was thin and scragly.  Most likely I kept adding compost and water it with seaweed solution.  I gave up expecting it to flower.  The leaves look very healthy and sometimes a stem will break off and I would stick in in another pot.  I was complaining to my friend Carol about my non flowering orchid when I saw hers in bloom.  A few weeks later I saw a bit of red amongst the stems and foliage. There it was, flowers blossoming forth from the peduncle!  The orchid, because it was scrambling all over the place has been assigned to the side of the house, seldom visited.  It sits between the house and the fence and gets the rising sun.  I water it when I water the ferns but I gave up looking for flowers.  I am thrilled and will perhaps stick a few stems amongst the staghorns and elks.  I may be surprised by flowers sprouting from amongst the ferns one day.

The pineapple lily, Eucomis comosa, flowers in autumn but from late summer it sends out long stems bearing greenish flowers, tinged with mauve.  At the top of the flower stalk sits a tuft of leaves, looking very much like the top of a pineapple.  I have some growing in a large pot which has not been touched for about ten years.  I have been meaning to find a spot for it when I moved to this garden but somehow that chore has yet to be performed.  The plant prefers full sun and the bulbs are supposed to be planted in early spring for autumn flowering.  Perhaps this is one job I cannot put off next spring as the clump is looking overcrowded in the pot. It is time I look for a spot, or two, in the garden, close to the agapanthus, to provide a show when the agapanthus season ends.

ginger and turmeric

About four months ago I planted a piece of ginger, with a bit of shoot, a piece of fresh turmeric root, also with a couple of nascent shoots, a chunk of galangal, with the promise of growth and the root end of a lemon grass.  The lemon grass showed a bit of life after a month but nothing else was promising new life.  The pot was in a protected area, getting enough sun but not too much to dry out the soil and the precious contents.  About a month ago I saw green shoots appearing.  The top picture shows a rather tall ginger plant, (see its shadow), and down low, the turmeric.  The lemon grass is there but not clearly shown.  The pot at the back has a small clump of lemon grass thriving.  The second picture shows clearly the turmeric leaf.  I am sure when the cold weather settles in I will lose the ginger and turmeric, but I shall do my best to keep the pot in a warm and sunny position.  It would be exciting to harvest my own ginger and turmeric, but I am not too hopeful.  However, if I could get a few turmeric leaves during the growing season I shall be thrilled.  Turmeric leaf is used in Malay cooking for its aroma.  It is added to rendang and gulai.  Here's hoping to a few more leaves on the turmeric.  I have given up on the galangal but will try again next spring.  No point trying now when we are heading towards the cooler weather.

Rhubarb

I am finally having some success with growing rhubarb.  For many years I would be lucky to get a few stalks during the growing season, until finally the plant disappeared completely and I gave up rhubarb.  I moved into this garden in spring and I noticed a few leaves of the rhubarb sprouting up from a small crown.  The plant did not do well so I moved it to another spot where, for a year it looked more dead than alive.  I decided to enrich the soil in its original spot, with compost and sheep manure and returned the crown into a slightly raised mound.  I have been rewarded for my effort and since late spring I have been pulling off good sized stalks to stew with apples.  I have seen better looking clumps of rhubarb but for the moment I am happy that I am not forking out a fortune for rhubarbs from the market.

Damaging storms and sunflowers

I found the stem of this sunflower, broken, this morning.  The seeds on one flower head are developing and there are a few buds waiting to open.  I have this broken stem sitting in a vase on the porch to enjoy the sun and maybe even allow the seeds to mature.  I am surprised the strong wind and rain of the last couple of days have not caused more damage.  Friday night was harrowing with the wind gust breaking twigs from the big gum in the front.  I hope it has strong roots to hold it fast for I don't like to imagine what damage it can do. 

I don't know how many varieties of sunflowers there are available.  I enjoy them, even if their season is short.  Their golden or orangy brightness can lift the spirit.  This year I don't have as many of them but they are in different parts of the garden, some tall, over two metres, and those planted too closely and crowded in by other bushes, remain low growing, but still manage to produce brilliant flowers.  I still have some sunflower seeds which I will sow soon.  They may come into flower in late autumn and may not grow to a big size, but they will still be a joy to behold.  The cockatoos are waiting for the flower heads to turn into fat seeds to feast on.  A few weeks ago a flock of them swooped down on my neighbour's newly opened sunflowers and ate one up.  I have covered a couple of the flower heads with netting, which allows the bees to do their jobs but may deter the cockatoos.