Do you charge by the hour or the project? Either way, head over here when you're done organizing!

I got a bag of dirt does that count? LOL

I am so far behind in my plant projects that it worries me. I have many Gesneriad seedlings to pot up as well as Petrocosmea babies to deal with. Some African and South American bulbs to pot up and many seeds to sow. I think I will need to get another propagation dome before I can get started with my seeds because the other domes are filled with Gesneriads now.
I had better get moving or my other seedlings will still be tiny by planting time. I had also hoped to raise some native plants and shrubs from seed to donate to a plant sale our environmental society is hosting at work.
I usually try to raise as many interesting hummingbird plants as possible so I have started with Ipomopsis rubra and hopefully my Kohlerias will still be blooming strong because I want to try some of those outside in pots as well.

Mike

Oh, hummingbird plants! Used to have a mimomosa tree in my yard and had hummingbirds galore! The tree passed and I've since put up feeders with no luck. Mike, what plants do you find hummingbirds prefer the most?

For me it's Ipomopsis rubra because of the bright red flowers, Sage species with bright flowers, Impatiens glandulifera which is an introduced species. You can use red to lure the hummers in, ribbon works well and once they know there is food they will come back often. Cypress vine or cardinal creeper Impomea are also a good one to grow.
I am doing a germination trial right now with the Ipomopsis but I have ton of seed so let me know if you want some.

Mike

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- started seeds

Hey people, you know I'm feeling out of control when I start making lists. Some people get off on making lists, I know, but when I do it it's a definite sign of hysteria. xP

90% of what I need to get done I should have done this winter, so I'm definitely not a service you want to hire. (Although, that would be a totally fun job!) I mean, seriously. Winter lasts a million years here, but I didn't think to order pots and labels and hoops and crap then, did I? Noooooooo I wait until the last minute and then flap my hands in anxiety every time I look at my plants. It's at times like this I'm so thankful that I don't live somewhere like FL where plants actually grow.

Mike, that is very cool that you are going to grow native plants and shrubs for the plant sale. Is that a theme everyone is doing or is the environmental society plant sale themed more like: plants = good?

I hadn't thought to put Kohlerias outside, but that's actually a good idea. I've got a bunch of babies that could probably go crazy out there. Did you grow your Petrocosmeas from seed? I have a swarm of teeny menglingensis I grew from a parent leaf in lowish light so they aren't very compact at the moment and I can't for the life of me figure out how to disentangle them. It's like trying to separate a ball of daddy longlegs.

GG the sun loving species Kohlerias will love it outside but the shade lovers like amabilis and it's hybrids will need protection from the sun. I have some seedlings of Kohleria allenii coming up and I can't wait to move them out into a big planter come summer. I don't really have room for such a big sun loving plant unless I grow it outside and then store the rhizomes during as much of the off season as possible.

I think I will try to get some seed sowing done this weekend. The native plants are just something I am interested in and we are trying to increae the number of native sp we grow on campus. I am going to offer some Gesneriads as well in case there are any house plant lovers that come by our sale. We are raising money for a tree fund so that we can plant some more trees around campus. We have many Elms that are soon going to be dead because of Dutch Elm disease so we have to raise money to get large trees vs smaller nursery sized trees.

Mike

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- created spreadsheet of supplies, quantities, and the best vendors
- purchased supplies... finally!

I hear what you're saying about Kohleria and space issues. I initially avoided them for this very reason. But, then I got sucked into their velvety comic cuteness. Right, so most of mine take up about the same amount of a Hoya, so that's alright I guess. But, one of the reasons I found your outdoor proposition interesting is b/c I'd like to see (a.) how fast they grow out there and (b.) whether the space between nodes decreases.

Oh, and I'd like to say here that it tickles me that you have so many plants that you have to store some of them away for the winter, like summer clothes.

Good on you for being part of such a good cause. I'm sure your native plants idea will go over big. It's a cunning plan.