Anthurium Madness

This has been a great year for Anthuriums here on The Edge.  Early in the year I visited a LGC [Local Garden Center] that is a bit further away and so is only visited about once a year.

'Otazu!'  They had this spectacular plant with very dark burgundy flowers.  Sexy!

I brought him home and found out that at least three of his blooms had been fertilized.

Look at those bulges on his spadix!

I harvested one to start myself (which I will post about in the future unless ALL the seeds get fungus [can you guess how it's going so far?]) and I mailed one to Mr. Subjunctive over at PATSP.  He's much better at seeds than I am.  If he has time between routine care for his over 1000 house plants.  [and people say I have too many plants!  Ha!]

Then, during July, The Husband and I went down to Connecticut for a weekend get a way.

No trip to Connecticut is complete without a trip to Logee's.  This is a houseplant fanatic's wet dream.  Well, at least humid dream.  Their greenhouses are packed with plants.  Benches contain plants in pots for sale but planted right in the ground are the show pieces (and probably stock plants).  Huge, gorgeous houseplants fill the space.  You often have to turn sideways to get past them.  

And there, tucked in the back, a PURPLE ANTHURIUM.

This plant has been on my desperately want list since I saw one in a garden in Panama.  I'd gotten to the point I was considering ordering one from Hawaii (or Florida if I could find a mail order place there that actually had them in stock) and pay the outrageous shipping.

I wish this one had come fertilized.  Maybe I can try to fertilize it myself....  

At this point I thought my life was complete.  I had my dream Purple Anthurium.

Then I visited another LGC that isn't so L.  What did they have?

ORANGE!

Wow!

Now what am I going to lust after?

Oh, yeah.

Tacca chantieri image by Pismire via Wikimedia Commons

TAAACCCCCAAAAA.

I think I might need more plant room though.

Fall, when a gardener's fancy turns to...

PLANTING!!!

I learned  how to garden in The South and down there it makes sense to put things in now.  There will be a long fall for them to get established, followed by a mild winter and a nice spring before new plants have to deal with the hardest Southern Season - Summer!  When it's HOT and, often, dry.

Aster x dumosus 'Alert' [is Aster a valid genus still/ again?]

Here in New England most gardeners put up their shovels in June (or July) and don't pick them back up until the following Spring.  

Chasmanthium latifolium var. $5!!!! [Sea Oats, or River Oats if you don't live near the ocean]

Not me.  I know we'll still have a nice, long, cool fall before the Worst Season (winter - brrr!) and because garden centers don't want to care for plants for another year, and no one else buys them, all the plants are ON SALE!!!

Gaura unk but the flowers have both white AND pink.  I hope they continue this way.

Unfortunately at this time of year selection is limited and labels are often missing or wrong.

Agastache hopeitsurvivesthewinter [I lost a few to the wet spring and a few more to my over-zealous neighbor's string trimmer.  Really.  There is a brick border on his side but he overseeds the property line into my perennial beds so he "can't tell" where the line is.  I may have to do something about that.  Next  year.]

Coreopsis found with the perennial Coreopsis varieties but I'm suspicious it's an annual.  Still, it was on sale.  I guess we'll see in the spring.

Still, new plants, dirt under fingernails, and I'm adding to the garden, not taking away.  Which is nice to do at this time of the year.  Just have to hope for a mild winter.

Is an early spring to much to ask for???