More May Flowers
Sandersonia aurantiaca blooming
I’d first purchased this as a cut flower, then ordered it from Easy to Grow Bulbs so I could try it in a pot. I really love the cantaloupe orange color and lantern-like flowers. So dainty!
Sandersonia aurantiaca
Common names:
Chinese Lantern Lily,
Christmas Bells
Genus: Sandersonia (san-der-SON-ee-uh)
Species: aurantiaca (aw-ran-ti-AYE-kuh)
The treacherous life of a tomato
Of the nine tomato varieties I planted this spring, ‘Lemon Boy’ was slain in a brutal snail attack and yesterday, ‘Copia’ lost half its limbs when a trellis I was moving fell on it like a guillotine. Doh! I hope it recovers.
Who knew the life of a tomato could be so treacherous?
Dead: ‘Lemon Boy’
Wounded: ‘Copia’
Doing fine: ‘Black’, ‘Black from Tula’, ‘Costoluto Genovese’, ‘Sungold’, ‘Sun Sugar’, ‘Celebrity’, ‘Early Girl’
Amy Stewart’s NYT Op-ed Piece on the Cut Flower Industry
Great article and a hint of what’s to come in her new book, Flower Confidential : The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers.
Click here for the New York Times article.
Here’s one ecologically aware florist you might want to try after reading her article:
In-ground tomatoes versus containerized
So far, my containerized tomatoes are winning the growth-rate race. The ones in containers are being spoiled with Black Gold Organic Potting Soil, while the in-ground plants are thinking, “Uh, Angela? When’s the last time you added compost to these beds? Our roots can barely breathe down here! And would it kill you to feed us more regularly? Sheesh!”
Actually, I think the in-ground soil temperature hasn’t caught up with the pots yet. Later in the season, it’ll be trickier keeping the containers watered often enough.
Will the in-ground tomatoes catch up? Which plants will be the healthiest and put out the most tomatoes? The tastiest tomatoes?
Stay tuned!
Hanging strawberries & tomatoes update
What they looked like on planting day, April 27, and today, May 13. Growing nicely.
Angela’s Stock Photography
