Pensive Tuesday: How Are We Changing Them?

It's hard to believe this little guy is the direct descendant of the mighty wolf. Grrr....

(photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Yorkies are everywhere here. In my neck of the woods, even Yorkies have pet Yorkies. They are absolutely adorable, from the human standpoint. I have no idea what wolves think of them, if they think of them at all.

Now many of us are "domesticating" our favorite plant species as well. Think of roses old and new. How have they changed? Here's the current state of a domesticated Lithops:

As we grow and develop our Lithops and other favorite plants, how are we changing them to make them more desirable and attractive to ourselves (humans)? I do think they are becoming more tolerant of excess water. That's because the only ones to survive from the nursery to the big box store to our houses are usually capable of dealing with a lot of excess watering. The others all rot away before they can be sold. And of course, a lot of them are well-watered once they get to a home as well. So those of us who cultivate Lithops from seeds from our own collections may be encouraging the more water-tolerant versions. Who knows?

And I know I love colors and patterns! I notice Lithops growers have grown some amazing cultivars with beautiful colors and new, unusual patterns. This has happened with most of the plant species we domesticate. Think tulips. New colors and more variegation, that's what we generally go for as we domesticate.

(watercolor "Seashore Abstract" MR 2012)

So my guess for Lithops would be, 50 years from now, we'll see more water-tolerant, colorfully patterned Lithops than what we see now. New colors not seen in nature. And of course, I'm not even getting near the topic of Genetic Engineering in the Cozy Home Garage Lab-- I'm just not there yet.... What do you all think?

A Monstrose By Any Other Name....

Introducing the Ming Thing! Cereus forbesii monstrose to be precise.

Why is this cactus so weird-looking? According to the Cactus and Succulent Society of America, monstrose growth is caused by a mutation (genetic, viral, or bacterial) that causes every growth tip to think it's the dominant one. So instead of slowly growing into a nice barrel or cylinder, it just...grows everywhere. Fast.

In Cereus, the mutation happened quite a long time ago, in nature, and now it's deliberately cultivated. It didn't escape from some lab in West Texas. That's a relief.

Monstrose cacti can be a little more rot-prone, but can also be propagated by cuttings, which is a big plus.

So what do you think of the Ming Thing? Fabulously freaky or just URGH?

Rootbound!

Just before I went on vacation, I purchased this lovely Senecio. Whenever I buy a plant, I go through the same routine...I inspect the roots for health and pests, get rid of as much old soil as I safely can, then repot in cactus/succulent mix in one of my ceramic pots. This fellow was a little rootbound, huh? It's now safely repotted with lots of nice new soil, resting and healing its roots before a watering next week. I'll show it again when it blooms, since it had a few buds growing.

What's your typical routine for taking care of new plants? Do you immediately repot? Change soil? Dust with rooting powder or anything else? How long after repotting do you wait to water? So many questions....

(Very) Short Hiatus

I'm visiting some art museums and botanical gardens this week. Some are very well known to me, visited annually, others are new. There's lots of inspiration in gardens, isn't there? And this very hot summer, lots of perspiration, too! See you all again this weekend, hope you're having a good week.
PS: Bought a "Ming Thing" cactus (Cereus forbesii monstrose), couldn't help it, it's just so gorgeously weird....

Pensive Tuesday: What Fascinates You?

So what has been fascinating, charming, or mystifying you lately? For me, it has certainly been the Lithops seedlings. Their progress is something to observe (photos next week, I'm trying to improve my macrophotography). They are larger, some have different colors from the others (it's a mixed lot of species) and they are developing clear fissures. Just amazing how they can grow so quickly from something that is practically invisible, and appears lifeless, into such unique denizens of the plant world.
(painting, "The Seedlings" by me, 2012, mixed media)

Beauty in What is Old

The flower is now old and decomposing, becoming a seed pod. Still so much beauty! The entire lifecycle from bud to seed pod is enthralling, when you really look at it....

Babytoes Blooms!

I really love Fenestraria. It's a much tougher plant than its lookalike, Frithia, much easier to care for, and has a beautiful flower as well (though it's not showy magenta, like Frithia's). It's a monotypic genus, all out there alone. The subspecies aurantiaca has yellow flowers. They hail from South Africa and Namibia. They are known as "Babytoes" here and are very popular; new shipments usually sell out in a couple of days at the local nurseries. Do any of you like or grow Fenestraria?