New Things For Spring

It's not quite spring here yet, but it will be soon, as spring starts early in the subtropics. So I am traying something new. No, that's not a typo....

I'm really trying a tray!  This is a garden-starter. It comes with compressed, dehydrated sterile soil in little nylon pouches. I add clean water to the pouches, open the tops, add my seeds of choice, pop the top on the tray, put it in a spot with medium heat and medium light, and wait. So this will be my herb garden of smelly plants, particularly peppermint, dill, and lime basil.  We'll see how it works.

I've got my usual stem cutting from my humongous scented geranium going:

They take about 2 weeks to grow strong roots. Then they can be planted outdoors in the garden, or in a pot.
And the Tillies are pupping like mad. Here's an adorable baby T. magnusiana (the fluffball Tillie):

I like T. magnusiana as single specimens, so when this pup has doubled its size, I'll separate it from the mother plant. The more magnusianas, the merrier, right? What's springing up in your neck of the woods? I think with the strange weather, more gardeners will be starting their plants indoors this year.

Tales o' the Pups, Part 2 (Tillandsias)

Here's Part 1 in case you missed it:

http://mylifeamongthelithops.blogspot.com/2013/10/tales-o-pups-tillandsia-pups-that-is.html

My Tillies continue to pup like there's no tomorrow. Last time I wrote about Tillies that pup at the base. This week, I've got some hidden and subtle pups to show. Here are three of them. It's hard to find images of Tillandsias and their pups, so I hope this will add to our global photo album of Tillandsias.

Tillandsia magnusiana with pup, MR, 2013

My favorite fuzzy Tillies, T. magnusiana, are as close to  airplant pets as it gets. They're soft, fluffy silver balls that fit nicely in the hand. I swear they'd purr if they could. The sacred Tillie of the Maya has equally cute pups. They grow quite hidden at the base for a month or so, then suddenly, a lower leaf will lurch away from its fellows, and there you'll see the pup, only about 1cm in diameter.

Tillandsia caliginosa with pup, MR, 2013

Tillandsia caliginosa has a cleverly disguised pup branching off from the base, approximately two leaves up on the mother plant.

Tillandsia filifolia with pup, MR, 2013

T. filifolia pups at the base, but the pup grows in a direction perpendicular to the mother plant. It's very hard to spot at first. This pup has been growing for several months and is now clearly visible. You can see the central rosette of the pup clearly in the lower right corner. It's darker than the mother plant.

Well, that's enough pupping for now! Have a wonderful weekend and happy gardening.