My Bit of Heaven - by Kristl Walek

[Paul T]

Great pics as always Kristl.  Those Liliums are just glorious.  I must get myself this species again, it is just SO beautiful.

The yellow thing is definitely a Utricularia.  Can't recall species, but I grow it (or something very similar) on some of my water bowls here to keep the mossies down.  Very nice little carnivorous plant!!

[fermi de Sousa]

The yellow thing is definitely a Utricularia.  Can't recall species, but I grow it (or something very similar) on some of my water bowls here to keep the mossies down.  Very nice little carnivorous plant!!

Really, Paul?
How transplantable is it?
cheers
fermi

[Staale]

Oh, Kristl, what a lovely safari you let us take part in. I learn a lot (and may have to move my Lilium canadense closer to water)

[Paul T]

Fermi,

I can easily bring some down with me in September.  it doesn't have roots at all, just little green tendrils with tiny little "bladders" on them which trap mosquito larvae.  A small bit soon colonises out.  Fills the water area with a lovely clean green (i.e doesn't look like algae, but looks like a fine plant underwater) and then at certain times of year the flowers come up on stems a few inches above the water.  I find it very useful in those waterbowls etc which don't have enough open water on the top for fish, but still harbour mossies easily (i.e things like Lotus, which I plant directly into water bowls, etc). Not sure what it would do in a large pond..... I'd imagine you'd just need to pull some out periodically to keep it from eventually filling it.  I find this altogether innocuous and not a pest, at least not in the way I'm using it anyway.  Happy to bring some if you'd like it.  Any other water plants you need from me? 

[Kristl Walek]

My office is bulging with seed bags at the moment and there are not enough days in the week to stay on top of all else that needs collecting, cleaning, testing and listing on the web site. The wild collected species are, of course, the most labour intensive, as travel time must be added to the equation. This year that has become more difficult than usual, as it is raining most days.

As for the cleaning, the collected dry seeds can wait, and I gauge the urgency of cleaning the berries by how intact they remain inside their zip locks--cleaning them as things become urgent.

[Kristl Walek]

There is no fast method to clean the Trillium grandiflorum, except pod by pod.

Once the pods have opened, I am at least able to rub the burst pods between my hands to extract them. They are then put through a large-holed sieve.

I try to ensure that the aril is cleaned off during the washing process and always do a weak bleach dip with all Trillium species to avoid the potential of molding/internal infection. Then the seed is moist-packed.

[Kristl Walek]

As I have been zipping around here and there all week there has not been the time to thoroughly photograph any one site---but here are just a few of the species I saw on the run.

The exquisite and tall Lobelia cardinalis --- which I only know in abundance from one site in my area, where it grows in a boggy spot setting the landscape on fire with it's vibrant red.

The well-known Potentilla fructicosa is so much nicer to see in it's native hot and dry haunts here.

Agalinis tenuifolia is a small and pretty annual most commonly found in wet woods here.

Triosteum aurantiacum is too coarse to have in the garden, but it's seed pods are very cute---like tiny lemons that go from green to yellow to orange.

The showy Verbena hastata. These specimens were way above my head.

[Lesley Cox]

I just love all those pictures of piles or bags of seed. Some look good enough to eat. Well, I guess some ARE good enough to eat, like the Morus for instance.

Kristl I meant to ask, and I'm sure Maggi will want to know as well, what is poutine?

[Paddy Tobin]

Kristi,

By any chance have you come on Elliottia racemosa on your seed collecting forays?

I have a friend in Maryland who sends me photographs of the plants in his garden and he just sent me photographs of his Elliottia racemosa which is looking fabulously beautiful in full flower at present. Also, read up on it in Dirr and Cullina and am seriously in need of seed for my garden. Of course, his plant may set seed and these would be available to me but I just wondered if you had come on it.

Paddy

[Kristl Walek]

Kristl I meant to ask, and I'm sure Maggi will want to know as well, what is poutine?

Ah....La Poutine....the quintessential Quebec fast food.

Ready?

This is basic poutine:

French Fries, topped with fresh cheese curds (usually cheddar), covered with brown gravy.
The curds have to be very fresh, so they get soft, but don't melt.

But now the creative chefs out there have improvised on the basic recipe....

Here is a review of the "Best Poutine in Montreal"

http://www.montrealpoutine.com/reviews.html

But normally one grabs it at an outdoor concession stand, while on the road, rather than in a sit-down restaurant.

[Kristl Walek]

By any chance have you come on Elliottia racemosa on your seed collecting forays?

Also known as Georgia (or Southern) Plume. I believe this now ONLY occurs in Georgia (USA) on the coastal plains (and is rare there). It has "threatened" status in that state. If you can get seed from your friend, I'd certainly go for it.

[Afloden]

Kristl,

 Is the Cimicifuga really fragrant? Like what? Those I am used to here in east Tennessee and those out in the Ozarks smell pretty awful. They have a Crataegus-like scent. Some of the other species are nicely fragrant though.

 The Carex grayii is strange. Are you sure it was Carex? It looks like Sparganium americanum. It is strange coincidence that you and I are both out in swamps this week. I'll have to get my pictures downloaded after the next two days of exploration. You probably don't have to deal with poisonous snakes though right?

  I just saw Lilium canadense for the first time in the wild last week, but these were in somewhat dry woodlands at about 800m.

 Aaron Floden
 Knoxville, TN

 

[Kristl Walek]

Is the Cimicifuga really fragrant? Like what? Those I am used to here in east Tennessee and those out in the Ozarks smell pretty awful. They have a Crataegus-like scent. Some of the other species are nicely fragrant though.

The Carex grayii is strange. Are you sure it was Carex? It looks like Sparganium americanum. It is strange coincidence that you and I are both out in swamps this week. I'll have to get my pictures downloaded after the next two days of exploration. You probably don't have to deal with poisonous snakes though right?

I just saw Lilium canadense for the first time in the wild last week, but these were in somewhat dry woodlands at about 800m.

Aaron,
I will try to describe the scent tomorrow when I walk the area again---all I recall now is strong and sweet. What you don't like the smell of Hawthorns?

The Sparganium/Carex error has now been remedied. Both were at the site, I posted Sparganium eurycarpum, instead of the Carex. Now both are there.

Interesting to hear about Lilium canadense in dry woodlands---have never seen it in that sort of a site in eastern Canada.

[Lesley Cox]

Ah....La Poutine....the quintessential Quebec fast food.

Ready?

This is basic poutine:

French Fries, topped with fresh cheese curds (usually cheddar), covered with brown gravy.
The curds have to be very fresh, so they get soft, but don't melt.

Now I wish I hadn't asked!

[johnw]

Now I wish I hadn't asked!
[/quote]

Break out the Simvastatin.

johnw