tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45758110416998636242024-02-07T02:57:40.877-08:00illahe Rare Bulbsmark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.comBlogger417125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-20888973277352378312022-08-01T18:12:00.002-07:002022-08-01T18:12:42.654-07:00The 2022 Summer Catalog is online now!<p> Please visit:<span style="font-size: x-large;"> <a href="http://www.illaherareplants.com">www.illaherareplants.com </a> </span> to see the new catalog!</p><p><br /></p><p>We are phasing out this old blog server so you need to go visit the new website to access the catalog</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfM_ULW7LvInR0f-cGzRkW1ihPXA54cNqUWNLoYMCV7q0o_7tT7yFSYFkjimUR9zhvBgPlEHGdEOHw6w52q1cmXUHIdxxCppir4tMBWo_l3crdtLqvMeQ0JA4Ud7BhI84db6HdgRXC_owXqcrM9saMJeN0yKvFmoneRS8iXSyyUyly5qm_MUYJu7j2kQ/s900/IllaheRarePlant_Sticker_01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="900" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfM_ULW7LvInR0f-cGzRkW1ihPXA54cNqUWNLoYMCV7q0o_7tT7yFSYFkjimUR9zhvBgPlEHGdEOHw6w52q1cmXUHIdxxCppir4tMBWo_l3crdtLqvMeQ0JA4Ud7BhI84db6HdgRXC_owXqcrM9saMJeN0yKvFmoneRS8iXSyyUyly5qm_MUYJu7j2kQ/s320/IllaheRarePlant_Sticker_01.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Click here to see the new catalog: <a href="http://www.illaherareplants.com" style="font-size: xx-large;">www.illaherareplants.com</a></p><p><br /></p><p>This will be the end of the line for the old blog server so please so go over to:</p><p><br /></p><p> <a href="http://www.illaherareplants.com"><span style="font-size: x-large;">www.illaherareplants.com</span></a></p><p><br /></p><p>See you at the new website!</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-29951285795749963662022-07-07T09:33:00.003-07:002022-07-07T09:34:59.536-07:00The New Website and summer availability list: www.illaherareplants.com<p> Hi all, </p><p>This is a momentous occasion that has only been about 15 years in the making. illahe finally has a website! This will be the end of the blogspot blog. You can access the past blog posts and follow the new one at:</p><p><a href="http://www.illaherareplants.com">www.illaherareplants.com</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Be sure to book mark it and follow the new blog since I will be posting up the bulb and rock garden plant catalog at<a href="http://www.illaherareplants.com" target="_blank"> illaherareplants.com</a> from now on. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Arrn-4NDEcRq-j05VlcUlOntWGRi0sGV_CK2iyhTTNdFPOQtj35lvy3CJ_M0NrgPtT9-RErSBsnYUVGhGcO38LfrZe8-OVxSyyokfPbhWcgCb8R3zm-OM60GELYndsJIJepF8w_bc0jtw3NNIGuBispCpx2FmQEwqBclNOWFzvTkELVkj33Nmm8_1Q/s6000/DSC04263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Arrn-4NDEcRq-j05VlcUlOntWGRi0sGV_CK2iyhTTNdFPOQtj35lvy3CJ_M0NrgPtT9-RErSBsnYUVGhGcO38LfrZe8-OVxSyyokfPbhWcgCb8R3zm-OM60GELYndsJIJepF8w_bc0jtw3NNIGuBispCpx2FmQEwqBclNOWFzvTkELVkj33Nmm8_1Q/s320/DSC04263.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of exciting plants will be on the summer availability list. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Remember to sign up for the new blog so you can get all the updates at: <a href="http://illaherareplants.com">illaherareplants.com</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks to all the loyal customers who made this nursery dream become a reality, for a lot of years this was a toil of epic proportions after working a full time job and coming home to run a nursery business. I know the blog wasn't an ideal format but it let me get a lot of plants out to a lot of people at a lower cost. I'm excited to be dedicating my time to growing plants of exceptional quality and rarity for your gardens and super excited to see where the future takes illahe rare plants. The summer catalog is being drafted now and I hope to have it out by the end of July!</p><p>See you on the new format!</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark</p><p><a href="http://www.illaherareplants.com">www.illaherareplants.com</a></p><p><br /></p>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-6559646889756400532022-06-24T17:16:00.000-07:002022-06-24T17:16:11.640-07:00Texas<p> "If I owned both hell and Texas I would live in hell and rent out Texas"</p><p><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> Mark Twain</span><br /></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just a quick photo journal from a jaunt to Texas to visit my sister. I had never been and I love going places I have never been. Could have asked for better weather as it was 104 most days on this trip. But it was great to see family and celebrate my nephews birthday in new territory to me. </div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWSCtvSCfVSeMiDE7m7WOCcM35VVgUN_bhTbdubjjoPy0ECZLH-Bc42Q1T-C1Uaw-99wfYx5_ymnc24CZ9BeopD3MajWtJ6dm-ScR9bSNnj8nRj3RWicDj_XCC4lfwvMqwXM9H8IKqPSLn1_gvxApuxz4_sB4pJY_XQb1UcWtnbosmuFJk4LbphV7mA/s6000/DSC04571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWSCtvSCfVSeMiDE7m7WOCcM35VVgUN_bhTbdubjjoPy0ECZLH-Bc42Q1T-C1Uaw-99wfYx5_ymnc24CZ9BeopD3MajWtJ6dm-ScR9bSNnj8nRj3RWicDj_XCC4lfwvMqwXM9H8IKqPSLn1_gvxApuxz4_sB4pJY_XQb1UcWtnbosmuFJk4LbphV7mA/s320/DSC04571.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The state capitol adorned with some flower bulbs. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fPgukljNUz_0Ozc4B9_t0gU7h2ubkP3UoZsOFGGLJRyOHkXhymzbzP4OaTSd-i8VknMArQKBplzXqB0LGOwThq-uT4c2f6zhBmKv-1nigFzo2DocQnA9ewBaVP6KHYHbzV1zqo46PvTIWQVtVloX4rhJOeQFmqjVlazCl2IePKTnv5GjPWR-DkPjsA/s6000/DSC04595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fPgukljNUz_0Ozc4B9_t0gU7h2ubkP3UoZsOFGGLJRyOHkXhymzbzP4OaTSd-i8VknMArQKBplzXqB0LGOwThq-uT4c2f6zhBmKv-1nigFzo2DocQnA9ewBaVP6KHYHbzV1zqo46PvTIWQVtVloX4rhJOeQFmqjVlazCl2IePKTnv5GjPWR-DkPjsA/s320/DSC04595.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hymenocallis were quite prevalent wherever the water was. This was a turtle pond at UT Austin. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLjBphAteLphIL3sAwOHzZyYos9fVhysdS8MDpe9Xrs1nFUHtAMt-YetPMCFAp2ncIC92WloP7vxhWXYiPzflgbrJg9mDiYiaJ5IZr7NJDzAUMwORO104RGqmo2yaLtBcx5bV-9vVBoqxTugDp-OPiWy_MI4D635c1-pi8mnT9VNzesdhWEWo-uW3Pg/s6000/DSC04614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLjBphAteLphIL3sAwOHzZyYos9fVhysdS8MDpe9Xrs1nFUHtAMt-YetPMCFAp2ncIC92WloP7vxhWXYiPzflgbrJg9mDiYiaJ5IZr7NJDzAUMwORO104RGqmo2yaLtBcx5bV-9vVBoqxTugDp-OPiWy_MI4D635c1-pi8mnT9VNzesdhWEWo-uW3Pg/s320/DSC04614.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caught at least one cactus in bloom and thought I would see more, but the Hill country where my sister lives looks kinda like Africa. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaS73FY4j1Kf_QscSK4Sze1l3ggyoXfKZOy9xnpGIcKEcMd9yVJ9cFI7YCuaDrefLDkOA3ztJAQgFICqHMImLhZxdbqhEz-VfZ9NQpWMyrQTKV1zwzELgWGJleVbuL1IAgUOcSkUKlqZ4RjKDpzmBxfwjTCxqWZNfTuBzMlPazHtjFg66ebkW-B8HK8A/s6000/DSC04664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaS73FY4j1Kf_QscSK4Sze1l3ggyoXfKZOy9xnpGIcKEcMd9yVJ9cFI7YCuaDrefLDkOA3ztJAQgFICqHMImLhZxdbqhEz-VfZ9NQpWMyrQTKV1zwzELgWGJleVbuL1IAgUOcSkUKlqZ4RjKDpzmBxfwjTCxqWZNfTuBzMlPazHtjFg66ebkW-B8HK8A/s320/DSC04664.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lady bird Johnson wildflower center was a cool place, after talking to one of the curators about what bulbs I might see in bloom it sounded like we should have been there a few months ago as the heat and drought were putting things to dormancy pretty good. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIt3EycrWBsSAXHDbqmReAVqUlzFYeijO-aR-fbtDa6hdIZo4_okjqOyax360vwV71Re37NwreZmAlTuiJWfEps5bzzegVZxystfBQlJMwu6xLt2UR9RYaWSJ1-p-YZwx6PTpb1BHJoU93DcIuF4XOZBWtnnZPuMcS-aBgnFtFZjLXdVdkW2RFu6L2Q/s6000/DSC04680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIt3EycrWBsSAXHDbqmReAVqUlzFYeijO-aR-fbtDa6hdIZo4_okjqOyax360vwV71Re37NwreZmAlTuiJWfEps5bzzegVZxystfBQlJMwu6xLt2UR9RYaWSJ1-p-YZwx6PTpb1BHJoU93DcIuF4XOZBWtnnZPuMcS-aBgnFtFZjLXdVdkW2RFu6L2Q/s320/DSC04680.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought the eco systems and garden displays at the wildflower were topnotch. This one caught my eye as it had Arbutus xalapensis growing in it, a plant I have been working hard to propagate. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjg5JQhkG7UE0kxyonkUAOyVq8oxiMKCRh6qIjy71h_ydCDSLv6cOuywCYJSmrYAchdxbYXsnE2ySUDLBBNzcYvfoIvUC7L6lJKrYZlBIe8HGEVcE_pzn1siSyx_NSQudiBg_KNmy7RwVN_HbDtbdUpPIQbdjrf4fdo-wIdqypNpb4b-07OBXTgXajXw/s6000/DSC04775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjg5JQhkG7UE0kxyonkUAOyVq8oxiMKCRh6qIjy71h_ydCDSLv6cOuywCYJSmrYAchdxbYXsnE2ySUDLBBNzcYvfoIvUC7L6lJKrYZlBIe8HGEVcE_pzn1siSyx_NSQudiBg_KNmy7RwVN_HbDtbdUpPIQbdjrf4fdo-wIdqypNpb4b-07OBXTgXajXw/s320/DSC04775.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gardens of San Antonio along the riverwalk were really cool. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQpFxgYVEIi9JerxUZ9GqTGdOT1_bDVrBtPo8cuucpsk10u3q2-ZT2308qL8ocHt1RLT30IZM7IIGYDYSquT8yKqihqWI7nc3brWNth2UjLzD_E3lTRnU5OhFtb9P00E6XPs2LvRPrmnOvP7OE_PGhB4LINBOi1RtBNVwMkVQKTa8gXFkS_htrMRRvg/s6000/DSC04631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQpFxgYVEIi9JerxUZ9GqTGdOT1_bDVrBtPo8cuucpsk10u3q2-ZT2308qL8ocHt1RLT30IZM7IIGYDYSquT8yKqihqWI7nc3brWNth2UjLzD_E3lTRnU5OhFtb9P00E6XPs2LvRPrmnOvP7OE_PGhB4LINBOi1RtBNVwMkVQKTa8gXFkS_htrMRRvg/s320/DSC04631.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ecotype beds of the Lady Bird Johnson Widlflower center were super cool and still had some blooms despite the 100 plus degree heat. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3MQr2j8uRcFpSTxskGarWVYu4NmRvEYy8XIRG_f43Ht9fEDTLRyNmg2VvDMMzPVo2T2JxXp1NOoVrd3Ixrv86i_1pXSNcs72F0AqFYQx-7bsG4ZCfn0273wGLu64fYbLL_kjRjTITBXG8rfe3vYFrht5gfWUiwUnGtrN-pEGYqCyj9cwGiwiVb1HuVg/s6000/DSC04634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3MQr2j8uRcFpSTxskGarWVYu4NmRvEYy8XIRG_f43Ht9fEDTLRyNmg2VvDMMzPVo2T2JxXp1NOoVrd3Ixrv86i_1pXSNcs72F0AqFYQx-7bsG4ZCfn0273wGLu64fYbLL_kjRjTITBXG8rfe3vYFrht5gfWUiwUnGtrN-pEGYqCyj9cwGiwiVb1HuVg/s320/DSC04634.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9mKTVjbB-55xaR_sKPsXRzgvZwKgc1zuTtJbIr_I3RmrwzzWOMCDsI63kOIMIkkUlk1exAn6a--K4tiRHHwYu_7BIL-0X7YynuY832fk4jStsaKFNmDeAAz1UBHdOrZrzY6HiiHzk56eDF0HYLQMywkC3PhZ24o-56N1LCbA270fwkPHqlZB7GOzbg/s6000/DSC04655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9mKTVjbB-55xaR_sKPsXRzgvZwKgc1zuTtJbIr_I3RmrwzzWOMCDsI63kOIMIkkUlk1exAn6a--K4tiRHHwYu_7BIL-0X7YynuY832fk4jStsaKFNmDeAAz1UBHdOrZrzY6HiiHzk56eDF0HYLQMywkC3PhZ24o-56N1LCbA270fwkPHqlZB7GOzbg/s320/DSC04655.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">spider</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1g1Oz3Ubb82R25q-AdPw_gx29YvuqnUcRWUTnNxuvGQn9lyTfSChR6SK06m3BTXccof4b_lI4I5dOH4jYMqunDLIOIvTuL4OIo6GL_JTOS2OlADf7nMuit6qKufablAwUeODgo3zRFUOVXSgVjY5vo2HjIV32gPeV3NulYbx2uS5iXkad30nuO_Cq-w/s6000/DSC04675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1g1Oz3Ubb82R25q-AdPw_gx29YvuqnUcRWUTnNxuvGQn9lyTfSChR6SK06m3BTXccof4b_lI4I5dOH4jYMqunDLIOIvTuL4OIo6GL_JTOS2OlADf7nMuit6qKufablAwUeODgo3zRFUOVXSgVjY5vo2HjIV32gPeV3NulYbx2uS5iXkad30nuO_Cq-w/s320/DSC04675.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lizard</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9FU8mUnXfAL8vmkzBiNz4WFZzDOZ-RL21i3z_sPznYr-G6fkOpgDzbSxr5nhbQ2Ne5RT9eBQnt6tSXU0OTEOWY1q8OIWsttcQTW7BAeUyHfdW4md4TwyG3e_WCGtJD-9usO2lsnvm_oqx7J2z4VC_9uNp77xc9ZPW4_FSkbZGAnFYBNsQP2Y3CO8Nw/s6000/DSC04688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9FU8mUnXfAL8vmkzBiNz4WFZzDOZ-RL21i3z_sPznYr-G6fkOpgDzbSxr5nhbQ2Ne5RT9eBQnt6tSXU0OTEOWY1q8OIWsttcQTW7BAeUyHfdW4md4TwyG3e_WCGtJD-9usO2lsnvm_oqx7J2z4VC_9uNp77xc9ZPW4_FSkbZGAnFYBNsQP2Y3CO8Nw/s320/DSC04688.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fish</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHufQ_OyKEmqszEadXpCkReTo-w7GAsr9RvOBSHHTEfN9r2ZGZY-A60yunUv23jNMCn8SQ1mY_TTdhxjtKQ-XM0Q0hvjNiVba-z-BJexJ8kAZYSbSrJWW4PiJyJOSwIIb8-7IdNhv82DgYRGYq4uC59ynyjNANUNXdlpCYrfW54KgK4xnfvrP9K22UHg/s4032/IMG_6021%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHufQ_OyKEmqszEadXpCkReTo-w7GAsr9RvOBSHHTEfN9r2ZGZY-A60yunUv23jNMCn8SQ1mY_TTdhxjtKQ-XM0Q0hvjNiVba-z-BJexJ8kAZYSbSrJWW4PiJyJOSwIIb8-7IdNhv82DgYRGYq4uC59ynyjNANUNXdlpCYrfW54KgK4xnfvrP9K22UHg/s320/IMG_6021%5B1%5D.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seeing some massive bald cypress was a pretty cool highlight of the trip, this one was borne in the year 1400. <br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Definitely got some inspiration for what plantings might look like in Oregon with the progression of climate change. Would be fun to come back in the spring to see more of it. Getting back to Salem, means getting back to work, so that means the catalog will be getting put together. I did get some good news on the cyber front, I think this blog will be able to integrate into the new website. That should be up and running very shortly and with any luck a mid summer list of some choice flower bulbs, rock garden plants and alpines will be out. <p></p><p>Cheers from sweltering hot Dripping Springs, Texas. </p><p><br /></p><p>Mark</p><p><span><br /></span></p>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-53924056783292246672022-06-08T09:19:00.005-07:002022-06-08T09:19:43.402-07:00Calochortus tiburonensis<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Inter; font-size: 18px;">“Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Inter; font-size: 18px;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> Charles Darwin</span><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Inter; font-size: 18px;"><span><br /></span></span></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdvv-3Jxz1cj5e5iGCMs9t15QuWfgG7VO5EaK-4Bjy4htmeAlX9yjRGgHHs4GVID4hR4JAIv_iLnfWIz0xOLLrvCLTar8unaVZ8eiIy2X1Fvjaz3q88xG--IV1o4qkrtsJ1OiwewWYNBROk3PvWvaVcY9TBa0LIkTRi4d9iNdVEPUXADA9rum8Li33Q/s6000/DSC04221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdvv-3Jxz1cj5e5iGCMs9t15QuWfgG7VO5EaK-4Bjy4htmeAlX9yjRGgHHs4GVID4hR4JAIv_iLnfWIz0xOLLrvCLTar8unaVZ8eiIy2X1Fvjaz3q88xG--IV1o4qkrtsJ1OiwewWYNBROk3PvWvaVcY9TBa0LIkTRi4d9iNdVEPUXADA9rum8Li33Q/w400-h266/DSC04221.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calochortus tiburonensis<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table>One of the rarest in the genus, or at least the most locally restricted, the Tiburon Mariposa lily grows on a shrinking peninsula of habitat in one of America's, if not the worlds most expensive real estate markets. As a kid it always meant we were getting close to my Nanny and Deda's house, When we saw the Golden Gate bridge, my Ukranian grandparents lived just a bit south of San Franciso which in the 1980's was still the relatively small beach town of Pacifica. I remember seeing Angel island and the Tiburon peninsula so many times ringed in fog banks as we drove down to visit them. My dad would tell me stories of growing up on the Avenues of San Francisco in an immigrant community on the edge of little Italy and how he and is friends would get a loaf of sourdough bread and spend all day playing the lost boys in golden gate park which was pretty much a giant natural area back then. <div><br /></div><div>Don't get me started on bible stories, as I was fed plenty back in the day, I've read the bible backwards and forwards at least 5 times from youngster to adult and I can run most categories on the subject in jeopardy. The story of Noah's ark is ubiquitous enough to most people to warrant bringing up here. As we sit here on a planet hurling towards inevitable climate change induced doom, rare plants come up so often in discussion. I've been on the side of professional conservation manager, restoring Willamette valley wet prairie, riparian and wetland habitats and I've seen how some conservation nazi's think seeds of rare and endangered should be locked away as if the modern day version of Noah's ark piloted by billionaire capitalists like Bezo's and Musk are at some point going to depart this planet for Mars with little packets of wildlfower seeds, and all the animals two by two. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'll never understand the mentality of the lock up the rare things crowd, the conifer folks figured this out a long time ago, as soon as they discover a rarity like the most recent examples of the Wollemi pine or Xanthocyparis vietnamensis, they get some propagative material to the nursery folks to get it bulked up in cultivation and thus take any pressure off the wild populations. Put some seed in the mars bank, and then give some to the growers to appreciate and enjoy these plants while this planet still exists.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjag2__TSJi72w6fKwIRtiC3qKB96hKSQNvaSC-uvCTBaTZ_dTipVzb4EVSW7nod_cXcD8qSd3hRrHZFyeRy3EKAPWG2fo334NuF7Weh51sq7WLCG_hl32vkeBzNKpy3JA9hTjln4RgBDB5zWga4TwqHdq6pu_NuSGKMaTsd99dhXd9XT3yVUHwQ2xI1w/s6000/DSC04235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjag2__TSJi72w6fKwIRtiC3qKB96hKSQNvaSC-uvCTBaTZ_dTipVzb4EVSW7nod_cXcD8qSd3hRrHZFyeRy3EKAPWG2fo334NuF7Weh51sq7WLCG_hl32vkeBzNKpy3JA9hTjln4RgBDB5zWga4TwqHdq6pu_NuSGKMaTsd99dhXd9XT3yVUHwQ2xI1w/w400-h266/DSC04235.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you are every lucky enough to get seeds of this rarity, it's easy enough to cultivate. The shared knowledge that might let a plant like this live on in cultivation long after the last remnant of it's habitat is sold for a condo development or the fog banks that so long shrouded it's coastal domain disappear in the coming global climate catastrophe, or the introduced pampas grass finally smothers it's preferred serpentine dwarf bunch grass community is important. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Cultivation:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I grow it in a mix of 1 part pumice (slow 6 grade), 1 part composted cow manure, 1 part sandy loam topsoil. This plant was cultivated from seed which came from a cultivated source, germinated in the same mix, in a 4" pot, sown on the surface and covered with a 1/4" layer of crushed quartzite, after 2 years it was moved to a gauge 505 dura pot, some people call it a square gallon but it's smaller. in an unheated open ended greenhouse, with natural ventilation. It's seen temperatures down to a low of 19 degrees and as high as 130 (during the heat wave of last year, where it was 115 in the shade and much hotter in the greenhouse). It's been kept relatively dry through the winter and watered very sparingly through the growth period. It almost seems to relish the cool mornings and warm afternoons as if it was growing in the fog banks back home. It gets a dilute cal-mag based fertilizer with micro-nutrients once every two weeks while in growth. Why the Darwin quote? Well to be perfectly honest, I treated this like any other Calochortus I grow without an in depth knowledge of it's rarity , nothing like ignorance to build confidence right?</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXI3FRskP8B9uiK6472nJL63DcbSSXGHT799ekcF7YQBPf6C1rG7gXHaO1cJYougcMQKPQRsTCMZx7BB7KpcB3neCgN9j0L4RY9OEeZsVbr1ZSuDlckLto2HLO5V_l_V0gJ6-Dn6-cxwjW3rPwRireFggC484DfnQUKLNKp7aSq1ikqtIvwUWCqgu1A/s6000/DSC04211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXI3FRskP8B9uiK6472nJL63DcbSSXGHT799ekcF7YQBPf6C1rG7gXHaO1cJYougcMQKPQRsTCMZx7BB7KpcB3neCgN9j0L4RY9OEeZsVbr1ZSuDlckLto2HLO5V_l_V0gJ6-Dn6-cxwjW3rPwRireFggC484DfnQUKLNKp7aSq1ikqtIvwUWCqgu1A/s320/DSC04211.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>Blog, Nursery, Website and Catalog Update:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>This is pretty much it for the blog as we know it folks. I may squeak a post or two in before this becomes just another archive to live out there in the Metaverse until someone decides Blogspot is no longer relevant and it dissapears. Soak up all the knowledge you can from the last 10 years of me posting my social, and political rants, with an occasional nugget of horticultural advice. The last post here will be a link to the new site and blog.</div><div><br /></div><div>The new website format has it's own blog, but I wasn't able to migrate this one over to it. So I'm going to start fresh, I may even try to grow up a little bit and act like a businessman, since I am trying to make a legit living as a horticulturalist these days. So maybe no more posts of inflammatory nature, or maybe not, it's hard to say. If people buy plants and I can still have my opinions and values, that's all the better. </div><div><br /></div><div>As for the catalog, I'm looking towards this model: </div><div><br /></div><div>Spring catalog sales of Alpine, rock garden and zeric plants shipped in pots throughout the US. Unfortunately, Its a bit challenging to ship plants in soil outside the US, so I'm holding back on that. </div><div><br /></div><div>Summer dormant bulb catalog release as per usual, shipped worldwide. I'm a bit concerned about shipping alpines in the heat of the summer, but we may trial that on a limited basis of stuff that can survive and the big live plant list will be the spring and fall. </div><div><br /></div><div>Fall/winter catalog sales Alpine, rock garden and zeric plants, and some of the summer growing bulbs I have been increasingly growing. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div>I'll have a couple of open garden sales onsite to show off the garden as well for folks in the Oregon territories. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'll sign off for now, and with any luck and a bit of productivity the new website will be up and running shortly. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sunshine and 70's this week! Rain returning in time for the weekend. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mark<br /><p><br /></p></div></div></div>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-83579937289078162872022-06-04T18:00:00.005-07:002022-06-05T08:32:59.129-07:00Wildflower Ramblings<p style="text-align: left;"> I know this should be called "Where the wild things are.....Part something". But I forgot what part we on now and like Lot's wife, I think it best not to look back these days. The past is the past, keep moving forward or you risk stagnation. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">The wildflowers were blooming on the East Slopes of the Cascades this weekend. It's been a pretty wet and cool spring, although talking to some of the elders of the local chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society who were at the garden this past weekend for a visit, it's just a par for the course year. So after a soaking tour and sale, Joleen and I peaced out to find some sun on the East Slope. Couldn't have had a better getaway, it was sunny, lazy, relaxing and filled with flowers. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7AuJY2GPEliIEnuo9MLjnUkBMB8TYtDdlz_JJ3TpUvjg4fAPfNQd1ClXM2U_pdBjqouMmYE4uEjvyQGW1pxh9tpPvftv2nv1JbOhBSejoep44C8gFpZP3N2avOfC1aGqgqQgLui4v4Btw2YmxJGTSTZbThsfjIAwh_Lt4Q_GHzpkPZE0RIyhABaiHA/s6000/DSC04104.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7AuJY2GPEliIEnuo9MLjnUkBMB8TYtDdlz_JJ3TpUvjg4fAPfNQd1ClXM2U_pdBjqouMmYE4uEjvyQGW1pxh9tpPvftv2nv1JbOhBSejoep44C8gFpZP3N2avOfC1aGqgqQgLui4v4Btw2YmxJGTSTZbThsfjIAwh_Lt4Q_GHzpkPZE0RIyhABaiHA/w266-h400/DSC04104.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larkspur at Whychus Canyon. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ewj8gQYkdMwp1SbUWu2KMFA4peuMNuLoD6BG7H1bhiZ8JfvZEwWOF3fhmxqsmYKhXkHOd0Rg1vxTT5OdOJZDpiANGbmMLJvKw356btMflLvsRpeFoxtq7t5oC01IyLvA3-h6UIeRETSt2mVVr0eLhWz6WZ8pBtN8iQakmObW5zCiE8EtBoQ6CsBo3A/s6000/DSC04074.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ewj8gQYkdMwp1SbUWu2KMFA4peuMNuLoD6BG7H1bhiZ8JfvZEwWOF3fhmxqsmYKhXkHOd0Rg1vxTT5OdOJZDpiANGbmMLJvKw356btMflLvsRpeFoxtq7t5oC01IyLvA3-h6UIeRETSt2mVVr0eLhWz6WZ8pBtN8iQakmObW5zCiE8EtBoQ6CsBo3A/s320/DSC04074.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Erigeron polisospermus</div><div style="text-align: center;">A great cushion plant for the rock garden</div><div style="text-align: center;">such a saturated flower color after seeing all the </div><div style="text-align: center;">mellow Townsendia blooming. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PJXDmmokdat7uad_nLqXrZC1TUdM-HjrfK4OMPPbfy70-EQIECqf4gve8hSg_p4akKFLg5WGJNQ3mwfnxv2E4d0sUCWm2OFWZ2SnzEw-yCV5XhJC-MRaZnMnks1OG2DP4Wvki9Im_WrKnkli10Eji6DgRZOCMQR2KHKXy0uHIme81rxw3P2udGLClw/s6000/DSC04086.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PJXDmmokdat7uad_nLqXrZC1TUdM-HjrfK4OMPPbfy70-EQIECqf4gve8hSg_p4akKFLg5WGJNQ3mwfnxv2E4d0sUCWm2OFWZ2SnzEw-yCV5XhJC-MRaZnMnks1OG2DP4Wvki9Im_WrKnkli10Eji6DgRZOCMQR2KHKXy0uHIme81rxw3P2udGLClw/s320/DSC04086.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leucocrinum montanum<br />The Sand Lily was pretty much finished up, but found a few of these interesting, Agave family species. It's interesting to me that this is pretty closely related to the Mexican tuberose, I was selling a particularly hardy strain of the tuberose that I've been cultivating for a while now hoping to get saleable numbers on, and no one bought the Agave amica I had for sale this weekend. Imagine if you could cross the Sand Lily and the Tuberose? The form of a the sand lily, with the fragrance and summer bloom of the Tuberose (formerly Polianthes, because we know how the botanist like to work overtime to rewrite history.....ooops. I though this post was about the perils of looking back?) We visited Kevin Vaughn's place with the Rock Garden Chapter, and it aways leaves me imaging what is possible, or after seeing his garden, What isn't possible when it comes to creating new plants. <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyIePWldo9mifnvfoS4f1PFScEUnOssBrZmETcD22BixmBMlC4CWYvlmo-ikwo1HdprMgTmy3wKMFB8eT24IWdh53NBkxTx1D_VNKCkLJu3qmxvEIS-JaN894a1b8J58oMXgklJ5syie9AgKFlNdaL1VLrSdzaCa_SJvm99SPwCKKG2bJSum0r7V4nw/s6000/DSC04080.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyIePWldo9mifnvfoS4f1PFScEUnOssBrZmETcD22BixmBMlC4CWYvlmo-ikwo1HdprMgTmy3wKMFB8eT24IWdh53NBkxTx1D_VNKCkLJu3qmxvEIS-JaN894a1b8J58oMXgklJ5syie9AgKFlNdaL1VLrSdzaCa_SJvm99SPwCKKG2bJSum0r7V4nw/w400-h266/DSC04080.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I did pretty much swear off taxonomic botany after they started messing with my precious Monkeyflowers. This should be Mimulus, but they say it's Diplacus now. I can rail at length about that and since I'm growing at least 9 different species and selections in this "Clade" now I will dedicate a post to it at some point. I do believe there should be a system in place, where if you dedicate so much of your brain to higher learning, then the university or college that you attended needs to offer "refresher courses" free of charge for Alum that now need to go back and study the revisions that were put in place after graduation. College graduates of the world unite and join me in this quest for continued learning. It's not fair that the botanists at the U's get to keep revising everything and they don't subsidize our continuing education credits!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDIwDyVObrF2dTc1-602stfAGJbruAud_qdigztM_zfwRxEXWZvdwCPaKz3AvirBLc4gzqOTNZtC3dvhUnVBClfrXdyrTqL7EVWyv3cJCXHnQ4h00JaQ4CJ5_rnCXUeiCvCyoc8ifjVhh7u63JIdHUB0b6GY8yYYHmb1FJQi6S6p5I3f_t4p_8_dOTQ/s6000/DSC04111.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDIwDyVObrF2dTc1-602stfAGJbruAud_qdigztM_zfwRxEXWZvdwCPaKz3AvirBLc4gzqOTNZtC3dvhUnVBClfrXdyrTqL7EVWyv3cJCXHnQ4h00JaQ4CJ5_rnCXUeiCvCyoc8ifjVhh7u63JIdHUB0b6GY8yYYHmb1FJQi6S6p5I3f_t4p_8_dOTQ/s320/DSC04111.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Asperula sentenisii<br />in the Rock Garden, doesn't seem to mind the torrential spring rains. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJclRyoEu3D7yvPbJTFNabrWWxZD9wEkC7OYPzr0FT_qKCxg1y6LwZ3U26500T7Ia2n5xcXdcO8LsmvFPNP0_iuiJ4klebnJ2FLTgsvLEA6UYaRejbDduu5nYSXBMDLxQU_796ebIp5X_2mxenhYyEV98jCSVZO3WaQLivkwQbcHI8u2mMUB5EqtixKw/s6000/DSC04065.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJclRyoEu3D7yvPbJTFNabrWWxZD9wEkC7OYPzr0FT_qKCxg1y6LwZ3U26500T7Ia2n5xcXdcO8LsmvFPNP0_iuiJ4klebnJ2FLTgsvLEA6UYaRejbDduu5nYSXBMDLxQU_796ebIp5X_2mxenhYyEV98jCSVZO3WaQLivkwQbcHI8u2mMUB5EqtixKw/s320/DSC04065.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toxicoscordion paniculatum. <br />The foothills death camas....Best common name ever! ...wait, didn't this used to be called Zygadenus? So much for looking backward.....Pillars of salt I might wish on some of the botanists lately who have forced me back into learning an entire new language after I spent so much time learning this one. But a right proper bulbous species for the sake of keeping something consistent in this blog. Look but don't consume. <br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKb-NsthiXRv4zRoUHHNEOkh75iHZmjGsN0x32H-xBsEXcZ7XEn6NkT2cXF3Dy2wZRecn2LjdX-Cg1VuqMHuEMCiYR8OsxXlNFFQuYvvnBppaTbn7bnrqnHXEil9JlGIlKIPTEOxLwtv2RxXl63Pl2AkEcMpdwKQeuMGV1n2uV5QyeNn2z0iJiu7CXVA/s6000/DSC04076.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKb-NsthiXRv4zRoUHHNEOkh75iHZmjGsN0x32H-xBsEXcZ7XEn6NkT2cXF3Dy2wZRecn2LjdX-Cg1VuqMHuEMCiYR8OsxXlNFFQuYvvnBppaTbn7bnrqnHXEil9JlGIlKIPTEOxLwtv2RxXl63Pl2AkEcMpdwKQeuMGV1n2uV5QyeNn2z0iJiu7CXVA/s320/DSC04076.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Chaco got into the groove of wildflower searching. Supporting the resistance in Ukraine all the while. Maybe the Bear from the north is finally marching south, but I'm gonna take my time and smell the flowers the whole while. <br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxoW-0WWffk0QtO-5ro1w51sx13stjU6vp_KHcuqeU3od2P279SXA_CehpKFzxKV4D8pnqGsDvBg_XY_wwHsytexLL9WCNgT34dWTYuMmm_pmcQr-Rv9EtdyKXyVDEWi8YdCT1IUx8lzoARBmVRFjdb1sooiHZUs2NhACwwdc_XoqlR1Oj5L4ev_QNg/s6000/DSC03935.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxoW-0WWffk0QtO-5ro1w51sx13stjU6vp_KHcuqeU3od2P279SXA_CehpKFzxKV4D8pnqGsDvBg_XY_wwHsytexLL9WCNgT34dWTYuMmm_pmcQr-Rv9EtdyKXyVDEWi8YdCT1IUx8lzoARBmVRFjdb1sooiHZUs2NhACwwdc_XoqlR1Oj5L4ev_QNg/w640-h426/DSC03935.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Back on the home front, I think the rock garden was looking smashing for the Chapter visit, it was great to see so many faces I haven't seen in person, some in years now. So much fun to have them all out, the report is that all had a great time checking out the gardens and growers of Salem, despite the 1/2" of rain or so that came down that day. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Look at me, saying I was going to be way to busy to post anything more here before the flurry of summer sales, rock gardener tours, administering finals and wrapping up the school year. But as it turns out, the never ending onslaught of pacific fronts setup a super rainy weekend and I caught a break in between, so hence the post. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Rain, probably at least a 1/4" today, but mild temps in the high 50's. I would say it was comfortable, the kind of rain that just mists your t-shirt, you know the natives went naked most of the time to avoid such discomforts as clothes when it's such a mild climate. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Cheers, </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Mark</div></td></tr></tbody></table><br />mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-70560410682268336622022-05-26T13:13:00.003-07:002022-05-26T13:31:49.074-07:00Calochortus and Ambition<p> "A garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisify ambitions or to </p><p>or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them." </p><p><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> Liberty Hyde Bailey</span><br /></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijP5ejChaOmdGOidaeRPsSjhet5SVO2xpoIr1vD67MTsCuigB0naSgJD21dJ5imOVjJDLNglm8SXLLoP_KSfQ5ceAmVn1O66C0eXFlvCXjnLx6WgONMEeYuobT6hQrNQNOyYhj84r4Gw38vlopcwFpnyFl8wRUCd0wvq1l5nXx7sYZoGFoGIhCTai8AQ/s6000/DSC04004.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijP5ejChaOmdGOidaeRPsSjhet5SVO2xpoIr1vD67MTsCuigB0naSgJD21dJ5imOVjJDLNglm8SXLLoP_KSfQ5ceAmVn1O66C0eXFlvCXjnLx6WgONMEeYuobT6hQrNQNOyYhj84r4Gw38vlopcwFpnyFl8wRUCd0wvq1l5nXx7sYZoGFoGIhCTai8AQ/w400-h266/DSC04004.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calochortus venustus<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table>I said I would try to get another post in with the Calochortus and since I needed a break from setting up for the garden tour this weekend. I thought I would sit for a minute, hydrate and post. If you are wondering what happened to the bees, I'm proud to say I dissapointed a bunch of cell phone filming papparazi and did not come crashing to the ground with 40 lbs of bees on my head. The bees are safe in a new hive out past the greenhouse by the berry patch where the Marion berries, Triple Crowns and Blackcaps will no doubt appreciate their presence. This looks to be a super productive hive. <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9j5fWyzjUb0Sx94ebkaE3w1lcRae37h8z8IeaRRZ_oVYkaebKf11EQUd1_LE0kYNWBVA3R3JEWcQ359uYJh7OxpPIGWjzbl2F2sEq4qYdlVBFB2KagLJWuJhSNPnTSmv9yJ2pQoxK9NNI-PIEID7zjQQ-EZtsKnGe2L_EqJlqjGT8nj8mjVACCGShw/s6000/DSC04010.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9j5fWyzjUb0Sx94ebkaE3w1lcRae37h8z8IeaRRZ_oVYkaebKf11EQUd1_LE0kYNWBVA3R3JEWcQ359uYJh7OxpPIGWjzbl2F2sEq4qYdlVBFB2KagLJWuJhSNPnTSmv9yJ2pQoxK9NNI-PIEID7zjQQ-EZtsKnGe2L_EqJlqjGT8nj8mjVACCGShw/s320/DSC04010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Productive lil buggers had already drawn some nice comb in the couple days they spent in a nuk box.<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyJr7y6nwPJD2uADTCVUc_KaHYMbW2ygBpC1iFDSzhPyn1HLaYl3bCgYU79nKa2qFxGEO_ZxzUWXLiNAGHPXQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>This is the bees up in the oak tree, I found out later they had been there all weekend, so I was pretty lucky to have been able to get this capture. <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxTmaHYaCVBXIJZhWTA9jJUf4Rysn_a-jQgdrAM6xcA3AsVD43TAkZmRoKwtqNU29vmd6nInwyy_pyeVvWks4OwVfzxAr6Ldx9B8M5DpEZuOADPK82kk31QnFpsf8dmnxj7hrwZIcgy8H2dbiFVlp_PYcFfbEQpxpM9rtB9lR45MO1u30-HExf_i0SA/s6000/DSC04003.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxTmaHYaCVBXIJZhWTA9jJUf4Rysn_a-jQgdrAM6xcA3AsVD43TAkZmRoKwtqNU29vmd6nInwyy_pyeVvWks4OwVfzxAr6Ldx9B8M5DpEZuOADPK82kk31QnFpsf8dmnxj7hrwZIcgy8H2dbiFVlp_PYcFfbEQpxpM9rtB9lR45MO1u30-HExf_i0SA/s320/DSC04003.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calochortus luteus <br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>If you are wondering to yourself, why did he decide to go all in on the nursery business now? Amid the still raging global pandemic, on the brink of world war III, with inflation at an all time high and the supply chain still figuring out how global economy works. That is a very valid question. <div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8aSGrYgcif1QfTcfe2zQDwGxwC7zj0GJ7wxHGCSIeSQdnzzbh8qajaH5_XwQiSQaI2Kv9wwlJ5lVOZ0yGPrnjZud-tvEM0Nnp72hH8TeM9XKYwKVRlpRrmxhl46clvopnPZFxaAIU6sUV3Lx1Nu5U_u7H1X-ea7kvaiWZcmlFURJoj50HHL3hhMi3g/s6000/DSC04005.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8aSGrYgcif1QfTcfe2zQDwGxwC7zj0GJ7wxHGCSIeSQdnzzbh8qajaH5_XwQiSQaI2Kv9wwlJ5lVOZ0yGPrnjZud-tvEM0Nnp72hH8TeM9XKYwKVRlpRrmxhl46clvopnPZFxaAIU6sUV3Lx1Nu5U_u7H1X-ea7kvaiWZcmlFURJoj50HHL3hhMi3g/s320/DSC04005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calochortus amabalis, just finishing up if you are into phenology. <br />The other two are just starting, diversity is key to having a long bloom period with almost any genus there is variation in bloom time, even given all the same environmental conditions. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Why now? Well I had actually moved to Salem right before the great recession of the mid 2000's with the intention of opening my dream nursery, a classical alpine, rock garden nursery with a great bulb offering to top it off. I had been growing alpines and rock garden plants ever since I was the propagator at the Berry Botanic Garden and had quite the stock collection going. But like always happens, life got in the way. Divorce forced me to become a single father, the economy of raising a child meant working full time for the gubmint, which I have written at length about here so no need to rehash. At the same time there were a few folks growing alpines around the area that could dedicate 100% of there time to it so I decided to just focus on the bulbs and not try to compete where I wouldn't be able to give it my all. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTsEKyPzX6RSm6-OmmYW1o00OBEf4zTpWjZA-dDGCKLMTueaGjxiCZfzgm5UDPnqODMi2YZKfxUWyrFblDYomdaCPb1o_nH2w3mQt866-qYdK4_lr1FXrXWDXaFjsBCDzdFVYsaFz3OKcTETsMTqLd_h50uqPksot65PK_1bneudm2DemTOqTIvowBA/s6000/DSC03999.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTsEKyPzX6RSm6-OmmYW1o00OBEf4zTpWjZA-dDGCKLMTueaGjxiCZfzgm5UDPnqODMi2YZKfxUWyrFblDYomdaCPb1o_nH2w3mQt866-qYdK4_lr1FXrXWDXaFjsBCDzdFVYsaFz3OKcTETsMTqLd_h50uqPksot65PK_1bneudm2DemTOqTIvowBA/s320/DSC03999.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>C. superbus<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table>Nurseries are much like the plants in the quote above, it takes a lot of effort to make them work, and I didn't have the time until now. As it happens, Painted wings and Giants rings make way for other toys, little girls become adults with ambitions of there own, and parents become empty nesters. Nursery owners get older and focus sometimes turns to other other things. But, time has come. It's my turn to make a go of it and I'm gonna give it my all. It might take a bit to get it all lined up like I want, but if it's as good as the bulbs have been to me then I'll be just fine. <div><br /></div><div>I super appreciate the few nurseries I've visited in the last few weeks who have offered cuttings and plants so that there legacy can live on. As well as the friends in the rock garden society who have promised starts to get me on the way. I'm proud to take on the task. This may be one of the last few blog entries in this format before I transition over the website and new format. So I thought I would just get the brief story of why I waited so long, it wasn't by choice but by happenstance and circumstance. If it had been up to me, I'd be 20 years into this Alpine Rock garden nursery by now. I only wish old Jack Poff could be around to see what it's gonna become. Maybe like ole Yoda, Annakin, Obi Wan and Qui gon Jinn he is somehwere smiling that his legacy gets to live on. </div><div><br /></div><div>Rain on the way, but a couple of nice sunny days made all the difference. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mark<br /><div><br /><p><br /></p><p><span><br /></span></p></div></div>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-23382002811877076902022-05-23T12:46:00.001-07:002022-05-23T12:47:35.300-07:00The last Jedi<p> "The greatest teacher, failure is"</p><p><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> Yoda</span><br /></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span>Oy Vey, It's been a minute since I've written and the whirl wind of this spring isn't letting up much. I've been knee deep in a nursery expansion project, up to my neck in teaching horticulture at the community college and feeling a bit underwater in life in general. As we know from the last posts, when it rains it pours. On top of all that, I have an open house/plant sale for the local rock garden society chapter coming up that I have to get plants labeled for and just when I thought I was getting a minute to breathe after a productive weekend. My phone lights up at 8:00 am saying there is a bee swarm in a local park and could I come and get it. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOWz42gO0W70aPD8_dchhtfyS6M_B6oV6dho1LwyHYy1QrIOtbrBC1-IYtheWnxI1_JLR2_26K9VEL07Dpzh3cCj8N_TEC9RqiZyXWwwRyzQgx4cqWnGPELEFtLQmHJGsPjPaCi6vlbRuzsZuBk5IgYL671346AtqJjwlvLG4lGKc9vFYw4VTvSpb6g/s4032/IMG_E5497%5B1%5D.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOWz42gO0W70aPD8_dchhtfyS6M_B6oV6dho1LwyHYy1QrIOtbrBC1-IYtheWnxI1_JLR2_26K9VEL07Dpzh3cCj8N_TEC9RqiZyXWwwRyzQgx4cqWnGPELEFtLQmHJGsPjPaCi6vlbRuzsZuBk5IgYL671346AtqJjwlvLG4lGKc9vFYw4VTvSpb6g/s320/IMG_E5497%5B1%5D.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Calochortus are starting into bloom well now. This C. superbus<br />Sandwiched itself in between some Albuca spiralis blossoms for support. <br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table>So I found myself 10' up a ladder, knees shaking slightly, a crowd of onlookers gathering, and myself scooping 1000 buzzing honey bees into a nuke box, balanced precariously at the top of a ladder. And I'm thinking to myself, you have to do whatever it takes to make it in this world. Just like the bees leaving the comfort of an established hive, I'm venturing out to find a better stake in life.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcUz0lrIQM8BBr4ICXj9kQZji0bqMk8QWOcH9gDzx7TRtHwselwIrv1qtwBZeyr_I8lhYUU0dYq26H9HRdSmo3Sc3RbYZKyCBFJdRPEuZud4j6-BHqR7AWBK78Jb8kHoF6bd0GJmZa-McFkzR7_a8tTk1pd9AIjB4WTXpo1IUcoqVyMOB6lennrGsow/s4032/IMG_5472%5B1%5D.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcUz0lrIQM8BBr4ICXj9kQZji0bqMk8QWOcH9gDzx7TRtHwselwIrv1qtwBZeyr_I8lhYUU0dYq26H9HRdSmo3Sc3RbYZKyCBFJdRPEuZud4j6-BHqR7AWBK78Jb8kHoF6bd0GJmZa-McFkzR7_a8tTk1pd9AIjB4WTXpo1IUcoqVyMOB6lennrGsow/s320/IMG_5472%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> The propagation is the fun part, its the </span>selling that can be tricky. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBngB_TvQuxlqLBMdd0Elxn96IGHZ_qCIxZVbrgVYMWE2uIq8lushE7DG2wiNL19WCCXeV2fKNQMmlbEJu1wOj7EYR_AfMWl8QfsDg5dpQYkwgAt1yx7EEwd8gNNxGF8hfBhXThNlJtwT6uSoFF7eAhm540CvBxwiAv3wDLv7pBrjlvwULWtVlMot6Q/s1800/CTTI4073%5B1%5D.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBngB_TvQuxlqLBMdd0Elxn96IGHZ_qCIxZVbrgVYMWE2uIq8lushE7DG2wiNL19WCCXeV2fKNQMmlbEJu1wOj7EYR_AfMWl8QfsDg5dpQYkwgAt1yx7EEwd8gNNxGF8hfBhXThNlJtwT6uSoFF7eAhm540CvBxwiAv3wDLv7pBrjlvwULWtVlMot6Q/s320/CTTI4073%5B1%5D.JPG" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've been propagating a lot of alpines and rock garden plants <br />for the new nursery expansion project. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>So as I've seen a lot of great nurseries close down the last few years, I'm thinking if I don't do it now, when will I do it. It's like the old saying you never know when your last___________. Fill in the blank. Will be. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiisY5lbGd0bSMAWPK7_x2BiYNTvLi6DjIvk2L6DCeORQnMGCQxjpEDPU_PGQpK1ZUx6rLKXUCDtp37GzbnP5t9C6n-5kZh8Hv4oetv3Yq6c1sbzTZOKCmYxHhMKIzwNVBs7wIXsf03B5YB_K1fxpQ72QGJftmLfaHZLYP_IlVZQz6lpx-cN0JJ1r6zKw/s2535/IMG_E5481%5B1%5D.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2367" data-original-width="2535" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiisY5lbGd0bSMAWPK7_x2BiYNTvLi6DjIvk2L6DCeORQnMGCQxjpEDPU_PGQpK1ZUx6rLKXUCDtp37GzbnP5t9C6n-5kZh8Hv4oetv3Yq6c1sbzTZOKCmYxHhMKIzwNVBs7wIXsf03B5YB_K1fxpQ72QGJftmLfaHZLYP_IlVZQz6lpx-cN0JJ1r6zKw/s320/IMG_E5481%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A visit to Jane McGary's bulb house is always humbling.<br />This time the master showed the apprentice how to do Alstromerias as<br />her specimen of A. pulchra was stunning in full bloom. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>So as I'm strapping a box full of now very angry honeybees into the crotch of a Gary Oak tree, suspended over a playground, in full bee suit on the warmest morning of the year so far. I'm thinking, you got this man, you are on the right path. I had a buddy pass away last week, that I had known since the first grade, and while we weren't close these past years as adulthood took us to far different places. I couldn't help but think of how close we all are to mortality that if given the opportunity to live a dream, you better take it. No matter what the risk involved. </p><p><br /></p><p>Believe me, my dream is not to hang precariously on a ladder collecting angry honey bees, with a crowd watching and filming, thinking certainly they have the next $10,000 winning video in America's funniest video's if it goes horribly wrong for me. But chasing dreams and the freedom to be my own boss has always been in my DNA and it's slowly and painstakingly becoming a reality. As I watch the last of the Jedi masters of alpine plant propagation slowly fade away to retirement. I think it's finally my turn to do this and do it with all the passion I've been saving in case the chance ever came that I got to. Of course, as I moved pile after pile of rock and mulch in the wheelbarrow all weekend, I was thinking I wish I had just done this years ago when I had even more energy. But maybe it's the natural progression of things to have to wait until you've matured a bit and when the opportunity is right, you make a go of it and you give it your all. Failure is not an option here as I've pretty much gone all in at this point. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqf5Qsw2hsv2FaYqJNKqSsQB_UetuSoUJtLuwKDVUjHR9Nw2Y2kFB6tEHu5VaAa4RcV8LvCt8k1LrhNN5MILUaxEaeV_073RMP_hV9Ka1z3tsmBUUgnpbpVNgjRAC4RHgvK95u6wtg-1zUSq04h7etKBedmkFU5K1aTg7_X95ZB7REGNSNUmIxnhUYMw/s4032/IMG_5321%5B1%5D.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqf5Qsw2hsv2FaYqJNKqSsQB_UetuSoUJtLuwKDVUjHR9Nw2Y2kFB6tEHu5VaAa4RcV8LvCt8k1LrhNN5MILUaxEaeV_073RMP_hV9Ka1z3tsmBUUgnpbpVNgjRAC4RHgvK95u6wtg-1zUSq04h7etKBedmkFU5K1aTg7_X95ZB7REGNSNUmIxnhUYMw/s320/IMG_5321%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edrianthus just starting to open in the rock garden. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>To that end, the website should be up soon. I'll be doing mailorder bulb sales as well as Alpines, Rock Garden plants and Choice Xeric species under the new moniker illahe Rare Plants. It's been a lifetime of lessons, some with the teaching's of failure written all over them to get me to this point. I'm thankful for all the jedi masters who came before and took the time to impart knowledge and skills so that this craft can be passed on. I hope that when my time comes, I've passed it on as well so that our gardens stay rich and diverse. </p><p><br /></p><p>The plan is to have the summer catalog out via PDF on the new website, I'll have to migrate this blog over to something new and that might be a different handle. I'll be sure to update everyone on the happenings as it unfolds. I may try to sneak a few more posts in to share the soon to be heavy Calochortus bloom but with all the piles of work I have to do to make dreams a reality the blog is at the lower end of the priority list. </p><p>P.S. send me cuttings of those choice Alpine and Rock Garden plants you want to see live on, there is no reason to let them fade away as every year it gets harder and harder to get the choice things. </p><p>Sunny and highs in the 70's. Finally!</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark</p><p><span><br /></span></p>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-76773172387866421932022-05-12T10:08:00.002-07:002022-05-12T10:08:28.548-07:00Still Raining-Still Dreaming<p><span style="background-color: #ddddee; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">"Rainy day, rain all day</span><br style="background-color: #ddddee; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: #ddddee; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">Ain't no use in gettin' uptight</span><br style="background-color: #ddddee; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: #ddddee; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">Just let it groove its own way"</span></p><p><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> Jimi Hendrix, still raining still dreaming</span><br /></p><p>A sunbreak is a naturally occuring phenomena that happens when sunlight pierces through the cloudcover causing temporarily lifted spirits, flowers open, vitamin D levels increase and a general feeling of wellness for sun lovers. According to sources it's a phrase that seems to have originated in the Pacific Northwest where rain can fall in torrents, or in heavy mists and clouds that touch from the ground to the sky are common place. Jimi would have known all about this, as he was from Seattle. Sun being the exception here rather than the rule. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7xIyK2xA_5yXe7vql55LbvfQw6DqPwoDu3-Ox_0vUPSCLew2HKE7Bgie0j3BuiZ4TQjVUIcKnkb_e8hwS4fySVmbTtYe6IeafaC082_o-p9Usjh8HPyJf9kAjFr0Z89_HdiIk20j7dxSNYyxRCZvI1E_p1Jpn5IK0sTg66xYXz3qtyRPXVw_doi5Rg/s4032/IMG_5375%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7xIyK2xA_5yXe7vql55LbvfQw6DqPwoDu3-Ox_0vUPSCLew2HKE7Bgie0j3BuiZ4TQjVUIcKnkb_e8hwS4fySVmbTtYe6IeafaC082_o-p9Usjh8HPyJf9kAjFr0Z89_HdiIk20j7dxSNYyxRCZvI1E_p1Jpn5IK0sTg66xYXz3qtyRPXVw_doi5Rg/s320/IMG_5375%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhodohypoxis have been found to fill a gap between the now fading Fritillaria and early bulbs and the yet to start Calochortus, Brodieae, Triteleia, Gladioulus and Alliums of the later bloom. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNParkjUrt1EptPSdewei-34HTfwbCdjtx1qPsf6UDGZD1TTfyMPr5PstdUK1BMTtjjqZbcsh4prMMk0pyNwXJPBBkR-ngX-rLtdqHkuDZxCLwURqjWDZgpxEeYiw32MCoS85s47CCHOBYhglXKBQYzSc3KvvHHnqdZ-GREPkJgVB4Yky8C3tC0yw-Q/s4032/IMG_5378%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNParkjUrt1EptPSdewei-34HTfwbCdjtx1qPsf6UDGZD1TTfyMPr5PstdUK1BMTtjjqZbcsh4prMMk0pyNwXJPBBkR-ngX-rLtdqHkuDZxCLwURqjWDZgpxEeYiw32MCoS85s47CCHOBYhglXKBQYzSc3KvvHHnqdZ-GREPkJgVB4Yky8C3tC0yw-Q/s320/IMG_5378%5B1%5D.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhodohypoxis 'Glitterburg'<br />This selection has exceptionally large flowers</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the nice things about Rhodohypoxis is they are not shy of flowering, even in cool damp weather. So many of the South African bulbous species like the Moraea need some sun to get those flowers to open and have rarely been seen during this extra cool and damp spring. </div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxMg1tAViACH-AL59N6ncaJaaGl2RQgvrOV5WQ9NtI7_NTsslHzRcJ01Swz18yTp-nHGRI_kCgZyGEUMigikv_cfJFXml7ELXZyrXSaf2kLm1pAVYBLwk6sofn-1DJ-8FbVfkAJlFd9AJ7u6wqnW-wk8pOJ6C7gYZk4buDFBxujvAQot3KSlQaEChkQ/s4032/IMG_5377%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxMg1tAViACH-AL59N6ncaJaaGl2RQgvrOV5WQ9NtI7_NTsslHzRcJ01Swz18yTp-nHGRI_kCgZyGEUMigikv_cfJFXml7ELXZyrXSaf2kLm1pAVYBLwk6sofn-1DJ-8FbVfkAJlFd9AJ7u6wqnW-wk8pOJ6C7gYZk4buDFBxujvAQot3KSlQaEChkQ/s320/IMG_5377%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhodohypoxis 'Pintado'<br />A cute little selection with darker pink edges and lighter centers. </td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>This post is pretty much just to gripe about the weather, come October I can't wait for the rain, the dust of summer is happily washed away as the fronts line up over the Pacific to move vast quantities of water inland. But now as we head into the middle of May and I'm trying to work on a nursery expansion, with construction projects being hampered by the weather, I really am ready for some sunbreaks to start appearing on the regular. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9V2mfXdqjMIRSshJ0dnf-jUCJF53FG3tIDi9dCMFgYrIGVwYhqTmsmlwKz6C-lsFz2WCf1ISunhdqpwRrp_yoyzWqwoXpkFur_mP0MCYmVgw55U-1ivaWqbB4KiVWLpTG-QWwppVwSYoGRA5qwjU47T1QWZFdXVoD0p2vSoSv6IaNmN4LINfn6Mlkw/s1056/or_swepctnormal_update.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1056" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9V2mfXdqjMIRSshJ0dnf-jUCJF53FG3tIDi9dCMFgYrIGVwYhqTmsmlwKz6C-lsFz2WCf1ISunhdqpwRrp_yoyzWqwoXpkFur_mP0MCYmVgw55U-1ivaWqbB4KiVWLpTG-QWwppVwSYoGRA5qwjU47T1QWZFdXVoD0p2vSoSv6IaNmN4LINfn6Mlkw/w387-h299/or_swepctnormal_update.png" width="387" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I know I shouldn't complain, the truth is the snotel is showing fantastic levels, probably not enough to remove the overall drought issues we have been facing in the west, but these chilly, rain storms are still dumping snow in the high country and that does bode well for the summer, and the salmon that depend on that slow, cold release of water through the porous volcanic stone in the upper watersheds. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I have a 2" rain gauge that I keep in a wine barely planter by the front porch, I feel like It filled and got emptied almost 3 times this week. Still raining, still dreaming. </p><p><br /></p><p>Mark</p>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-80556902694701251252022-05-06T09:59:00.003-07:002022-05-06T09:59:26.483-07:00Iris and other things. <p>"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain"</p><p><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> Vivien Greene</span><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wow, if that quote isn't appropriate for this Oregon's spring, I don't know what is. Raining cats and dogs these past few days. Back to below average temperatures as well, so cold and wet is the story of the day. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8wOOR4fsDm4rk3FW4mxwk9DSHOBMeMbPyMCL9SeAX0mKFOA9XqtfAxWgoWRvwPzUgtMTpKz-rPinsMWAxunjohQQ4_lw-Og18-hUb2MaN5YrJGB_jkH5HNKvYLTwCsUI4YEwR3rWB4hUCtt-1vj_f_9L0OUsm8a7xf_hP4jQnaD5A3iANUHB_5dYEg/s6000/DSC03750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8wOOR4fsDm4rk3FW4mxwk9DSHOBMeMbPyMCL9SeAX0mKFOA9XqtfAxWgoWRvwPzUgtMTpKz-rPinsMWAxunjohQQ4_lw-Og18-hUb2MaN5YrJGB_jkH5HNKvYLTwCsUI4YEwR3rWB4hUCtt-1vj_f_9L0OUsm8a7xf_hP4jQnaD5A3iANUHB_5dYEg/s320/DSC03750.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iris 'Burgundy'<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table>The dwarf bearded iris collection is going gangbusters in the garden, Still more to come and I'll do right proper followup post on that. But this week we made a visit to sebright gardens and were treated to a royal show of the Lady slipper orchids in full bloom so I thought I would share that here:<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaK82UJ4FOalNz1c8YiuBBAujnPsJPTpsDdzlqyIdTBPlhlh-OHallpQSXuia4B0w5vOfEmyItNafkk9Occ46gqS8X5x-h3C8q4yjxLCRl5hbMTAq3pEx-29J6YSXa_hBvepscFf4S0bh0nVqOSLmX52-hqMCZQ42ek7DE-BIIMH91q0ubSYfNF8dlgQ/s1794/MQKJ0169%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1794" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaK82UJ4FOalNz1c8YiuBBAujnPsJPTpsDdzlqyIdTBPlhlh-OHallpQSXuia4B0w5vOfEmyItNafkk9Occ46gqS8X5x-h3C8q4yjxLCRl5hbMTAq3pEx-29J6YSXa_hBvepscFf4S0bh0nVqOSLmX52-hqMCZQ42ek7DE-BIIMH91q0ubSYfNF8dlgQ/s320/MQKJ0169%5B1%5D.JPG" width="257" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't catch all the names, but they had quite a few different varieties</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitAuDQ05LU8HMELqvBDAYg-tPhg4D1-lybTJKKXu13ayLEYoxNVTV8bWn4l8YVPrPaABcLtHDFWtmP0-CxyCmgQhayvnXTwBk1ynZQAMTuXFmVVpkxSd0Q_xHiFl9y4JsiVF_aBcUTBGNL1pWytWN-vHXyCOkKkSwgqpwXSa6mNac2zydo5LGj8Xve5Q/s1794/KXVO1305%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1794" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitAuDQ05LU8HMELqvBDAYg-tPhg4D1-lybTJKKXu13ayLEYoxNVTV8bWn4l8YVPrPaABcLtHDFWtmP0-CxyCmgQhayvnXTwBk1ynZQAMTuXFmVVpkxSd0Q_xHiFl9y4JsiVF_aBcUTBGNL1pWytWN-vHXyCOkKkSwgqpwXSa6mNac2zydo5LGj8Xve5Q/s320/KXVO1305%5B1%5D.JPG" width="257" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4GkEtpskjt8h7T85IwXHeVjFtl49REEFx-arGe5w-DdW-z215BoSMseA01ZFeHAGHYzMqu2-MPLQRl325EjdHJKT8a95P3RKJs9SChSdeLfEiOJfRnDTIO-ujJj3JgIetBliY6sErUz49-W5UpKONa2QDUQVMVF2TZEGo5ZaKEkUtIliuirkJ5xIpA/s1792/HATB9722%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1792" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4GkEtpskjt8h7T85IwXHeVjFtl49REEFx-arGe5w-DdW-z215BoSMseA01ZFeHAGHYzMqu2-MPLQRl325EjdHJKT8a95P3RKJs9SChSdeLfEiOJfRnDTIO-ujJj3JgIetBliY6sErUz49-W5UpKONa2QDUQVMVF2TZEGo5ZaKEkUtIliuirkJ5xIpA/s320/HATB9722%5B1%5D.JPG" width="257" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sebright is one of those nursery/gardens that has interest all year around. <br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>On the home front the Calochortus collection is just starting in now, the extra cool and wet spring has played some havoc with this grower, We had some false springs and the fertilizer applications were followed by record setting cold and snow, leading to some issues with Ammonium toxicity with the normal CAL/MAG fertilizer I use. Subsequent applications with foliar fish fertilizer seems to have taken care of the issues. I think the Calochortus are confused because they are used to warm sunny weather to get them to open up so they seem to be sitting in suspended animation at the moment. <div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEislVLv_DfmShZlflVvcOXpaUwjZYROq7xTJsfecfdWU2v3jda8hKJLWR4DvadVAdd6-j1avKtmaWgE2wCschNUk5q1S_qawOGK5wjscLLRhV4YPaiN3P38mBHcx-6t66TpkyCdRb76sLJxkM1ikeP6Gx2bpW1nL3gOeufbphQ5SZQf3jUBypqJHVOP8A/s4032/IMG_5279%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEislVLv_DfmShZlflVvcOXpaUwjZYROq7xTJsfecfdWU2v3jda8hKJLWR4DvadVAdd6-j1avKtmaWgE2wCschNUk5q1S_qawOGK5wjscLLRhV4YPaiN3P38mBHcx-6t66TpkyCdRb76sLJxkM1ikeP6Gx2bpW1nL3gOeufbphQ5SZQf3jUBypqJHVOP8A/s320/IMG_5279%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calochortus amabalis <br />took advantage of some of the warm weather days in between cold showers to open up. <br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>I have a graphic design company working on the new website as I write this and hope to have it up and running before too long! The blog will hopefully be integrated into it, but I also might need to make some changes. Stay tuned for more good stuff coming as I work on some long anticipated nursery expansion plans! <div><br /></div><div>Rain, rain, rain and more rain, lows into the high 30's even. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mark<br /><div><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p></div></div></div>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-50404747062655978572022-05-01T08:50:00.002-07:002022-05-01T08:50:13.882-07:00UBC<p> </p><p>"Canadian cities looked the way American Cities looked on Television"</p><p><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> William Gibson</span></p><p><span>I'll get back to posting pics of the Iris collection soon, there are some great ones coming on now and the rock garden is starting to look pretty colorful. I took my folks up to Vancouver B.C. this past week, to pick Anya up as her freshman year is finished. We had a great time, got Anya moved out of her dorm and helped her setup her place for next year. We found sunshine and flowers at the botanical garden and had some great food!</span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rKIjzORXhgySKDB2F5ZIXyIdhduWTI718cz2pzrRYmdmkIoXmIrbLhqUJleYz0BmPmLmelUMITvxT-akdWi9jHPhmpVMkc5pleutUjaEVd9GxiQcTXHlVJRh_Mrb8mfl4C02hfzH8tDmvOVO0-RN7en5V-d4bJix2vEjnmKfydT2HSsUrvY6G461gw/s4032/IMG_5215%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rKIjzORXhgySKDB2F5ZIXyIdhduWTI718cz2pzrRYmdmkIoXmIrbLhqUJleYz0BmPmLmelUMITvxT-akdWi9jHPhmpVMkc5pleutUjaEVd9GxiQcTXHlVJRh_Mrb8mfl4C02hfzH8tDmvOVO0-RN7en5V-d4bJix2vEjnmKfydT2HSsUrvY6G461gw/s320/IMG_5215%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By far my favorite city, the Father of Cyberpunk put it perfectly, I love San Francisco and Seattle, but Vancouver is the best of both of those with none of the worst of them. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejXzIsnMLIy9SJ-GM2-tPLM4IFd9Cpfiipoba5oa5tSlbHlGVIWGIJv7BIbPdtIF__kU2_Elrg_s8KmeDX2mjsKXX7dnf-kJJLAzCxIO3GD9CGRZqi4isfbPwjmmVsX0UyjVhGKkxSONcAJRtZad8jspK-je8mAKiNjj3Z4htSZuCvTRGa0bUfEBYnQ/s3088/IMG_5111%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejXzIsnMLIy9SJ-GM2-tPLM4IFd9Cpfiipoba5oa5tSlbHlGVIWGIJv7BIbPdtIF__kU2_Elrg_s8KmeDX2mjsKXX7dnf-kJJLAzCxIO3GD9CGRZqi4isfbPwjmmVsX0UyjVhGKkxSONcAJRtZad8jspK-je8mAKiNjj3Z4htSZuCvTRGa0bUfEBYnQ/s320/IMG_5111%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We took a stroll around the UBC botanical garden, the Rhodies were going off and the Magnolias too. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdtNyncsSNhA3ZMcfWq6j08VQlOOYK7WEsDCjR4jKacLwDWElMiUXuNqsd4NdzeIM3TB4ZakRiF_5AbyZbJScO4AezZUM3Hs831mpbv-mhjLa9QtzmIC_YpLxNgjX-h-ZqbBtilMmBNCLeiYZVFfWKRytrjocUu89H41afrsxQPsobwPqrUDC07QkCw/s4032/IMG_5223%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdtNyncsSNhA3ZMcfWq6j08VQlOOYK7WEsDCjR4jKacLwDWElMiUXuNqsd4NdzeIM3TB4ZakRiF_5AbyZbJScO4AezZUM3Hs831mpbv-mhjLa9QtzmIC_YpLxNgjX-h-ZqbBtilMmBNCLeiYZVFfWKRytrjocUu89H41afrsxQPsobwPqrUDC07QkCw/s320/IMG_5223%5B1%5D.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was kinda remarkable, there was a patch of Fritillaria persica growing under some pine trees in a park. It was as if they were planted like some daffodils as an afterthought but clearly naturalizing well. I love travel and especially visiting different gardens and parks because it gives you new perspectives, I'm definitely going to try some F. persica in dry shade and see how it does here. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvpbxspKtPDSFMMD_YsGzPG4V74LThuToXTJs-VjaC4_9mW7Ie0-kUSsgP1K3_92dcuV-LGdCk9xH3Oux6xEwRiAeoDMuqFu2CwYJ8JENVEVXjQsaFZdbamkQm-tz3KjFKSdnAlHeEGRT-YUcQlRXrz99SMXMy8rB450hXqESDQTP4yNgZ6eD2I5t72g/s4032/IMG_5130%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvpbxspKtPDSFMMD_YsGzPG4V74LThuToXTJs-VjaC4_9mW7Ie0-kUSsgP1K3_92dcuV-LGdCk9xH3Oux6xEwRiAeoDMuqFu2CwYJ8JENVEVXjQsaFZdbamkQm-tz3KjFKSdnAlHeEGRT-YUcQlRXrz99SMXMy8rB450hXqESDQTP4yNgZ6eD2I5t72g/s320/IMG_5130%5B1%5D.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iris acutiloba was in bloom in in the bulb frames at the Lohbrunner alpine garden. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfBQxOj9PXQIr6mlIb-2x2m43m9fSuocy_4ry5xZHKhQDMenREF1j75DGrTA-E1OjBoXcI-Fm299mFv1ICC5PIVTOikDsptfC0odaBCGypcQJucR-dxEpgIKWgjIhXyPDuCi3EheStPV5KIfwpMhduIyrrJgWaOHV06RVuWKV7EEvCU22Hdfa02RaTA/s4032/IMG_5135%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfBQxOj9PXQIr6mlIb-2x2m43m9fSuocy_4ry5xZHKhQDMenREF1j75DGrTA-E1OjBoXcI-Fm299mFv1ICC5PIVTOikDsptfC0odaBCGypcQJucR-dxEpgIKWgjIhXyPDuCi3EheStPV5KIfwpMhduIyrrJgWaOHV06RVuWKV7EEvCU22Hdfa02RaTA/s320/IMG_5135%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of these days I'm gonna build myself a right proper alpine house like this. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMXmveAZNQsjkAGCn6nFyBuxCJUUjZULxAK5PP_cnvV6Rofiqfo0XwotjnQ3emKZvUJddQcfob3vT1PPokBd4j0Stca2mbOoPVUbOKCGSek8b5xsszK5xK_bSBppSb0ZehPmjexFObZrLiKb98Dy3iuO2q-Dt4P2PqdxsI31PfbDV94c6x_VqlNGVog/s1440/BXMY7692%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1440" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMXmveAZNQsjkAGCn6nFyBuxCJUUjZULxAK5PP_cnvV6Rofiqfo0XwotjnQ3emKZvUJddQcfob3vT1PPokBd4j0Stca2mbOoPVUbOKCGSek8b5xsszK5xK_bSBppSb0ZehPmjexFObZrLiKb98Dy3iuO2q-Dt4P2PqdxsI31PfbDV94c6x_VqlNGVog/s320/BXMY7692%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The troughs were looking great as well. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>It was a fantastic trip, I love traveling with Mom and Dad because they like to explore and enjoy good food as much as I do. Mom even found a teacup shop in the Kerrisdale neighborhood to add to her colleciton. A trip to Granville Island to replenish the tea supply and a visit to the best dim sum resturant in Vancouver really topped the trip off. <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UED-ixTW0CYfJKXhL7C7Q9W77s0XAYDtAtw1U-PS8wjT2SZ1ckVMQTAkJQVYWefNM4FUoRgTllKdkwx_CHEnj2gf5-5Xx2_Uraks5zCl3RRIOP6a_KK4KfkJRQNoiCnltsmnJju-wgC_DobSIV-ugA4AmSFWRvqwzs9VVBX1V1I7aD-Ts-d-9giC5g/s1440/ELAV6352%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1440" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UED-ixTW0CYfJKXhL7C7Q9W77s0XAYDtAtw1U-PS8wjT2SZ1ckVMQTAkJQVYWefNM4FUoRgTllKdkwx_CHEnj2gf5-5Xx2_Uraks5zCl3RRIOP6a_KK4KfkJRQNoiCnltsmnJju-wgC_DobSIV-ugA4AmSFWRvqwzs9VVBX1V1I7aD-Ts-d-9giC5g/s320/ELAV6352%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The E.H. Lohbrunner Garden is such a great rock garden. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3jj3elvMII47Iogw-n0GqYapkfN43iGfdSN5yK4jXdKf4DsFedF6YM4vzLfNm_lzTcbj-igKNIRPzKfyGTriBkMPYQfbjkG8y79trd5oC0IvHrpQCMzPIsihT16MBnETPVmlgobDY2r8hQCX4SzO-ROcK0hB6SpTn9uhNy1WaVQ0cssAXn18cFy0vQ/s3088/IMG_5085%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3jj3elvMII47Iogw-n0GqYapkfN43iGfdSN5yK4jXdKf4DsFedF6YM4vzLfNm_lzTcbj-igKNIRPzKfyGTriBkMPYQfbjkG8y79trd5oC0IvHrpQCMzPIsihT16MBnETPVmlgobDY2r8hQCX4SzO-ROcK0hB6SpTn9uhNy1WaVQ0cssAXn18cFy0vQ/s320/IMG_5085%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br />Anya got straight A's this term, she found a great group of friends to rent a house with for next year and even figured out how to sublet out her room for the summer to save some money. I've learned that life can come at you pretty fast and I'm so impressed with how she has figured out how to navigate going to school in a foreign country, and is figuring out what she is passionate about in life. If you aren't doing something you are passionate about then what is the point?</p><p>It rained about an inch yesterday and that was a bummer after enjoying sunny skies to the north of us, but today is supposed to be dry and the week looks like it has a few dry days in between the wet ones. The snow level is still at the mountain passes so that does bode well for the drought conditions that the west has been facing so I won't complain. </p><p>Cheers, </p><p><br />Mark</p>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-40265673558003253102022-04-25T13:18:00.001-07:002022-04-25T13:18:12.935-07:00The Iris of April part 1<p> "What in your life is calling you, When all the noise is silenced, the meetings adjourned...the lists laid aside, and the wild Iris blooms by itself in the dark forest, What still pulls on your soul? </p><p><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> Rumi</span><br /></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span>It's Iris season, a new one opening every day now. The weather finally produced a decent enough weekend to get some actual work done and I spent most of it logging a 100 year old patch of overgrown prunes that had eaten the dog run behind the shop. Got to do a little bit of planting in the rock garden and the sun pushed some of the Iris into bloom. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2eSOEE4vn-0hKLyaSPp-xdpmYtW9Mjwtp2UXjGxJI3JUZ6qoDw4CTi6wpFchUZuof_gE7tQ6l3qV8SqvLhgziwqVb26sHAjFHYLhrds1VRdlTWmiUnRbYcGVOaQqtenJDN2-XEy3a1a92RNaq_CFh4QXKgfTEAxzGD944QwaEm8cUI8jivICavVDYQ/s6000/DSC03670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2eSOEE4vn-0hKLyaSPp-xdpmYtW9Mjwtp2UXjGxJI3JUZ6qoDw4CTi6wpFchUZuof_gE7tQ6l3qV8SqvLhgziwqVb26sHAjFHYLhrds1VRdlTWmiUnRbYcGVOaQqtenJDN2-XEy3a1a92RNaq_CFh4QXKgfTEAxzGD944QwaEm8cUI8jivICavVDYQ/s320/DSC03670.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iris 'Thor'<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table>Jane McGary had given me a start of this wonderful treasure which I believe is a regiolocyclus hybrid between Iris sari and Iris korolkowii dating back to the 1930's. It's only about 10" tall and absolutely stunning. I had planted some out in the garden and it promptly disappeared on me and the mother plant I kept in the greenhouse looked to have rotted, but I saved one tiny little peice and now it's growing strongly and blooming. Speaks to the point of never giving up and one of the maxims for rare plant/alpine growers, always try different things with a rare plant, if you can stick some cuttings, or try a division in a different place you increase your odds immeasurably. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9joNHwUAall_ppgMVtSkHYw4t7BQ6HEag2SnL3VlISeKwyt1Ymstwy7PmYwhICF6YbK4sRBMvlKqolscZy4NjTn_SILFBwfl0L0C3bX5JmquKx6nNGNdganZiBVtaBhvkbXhGX8x8GbsQUb__O-rpJP5S6qVWWIEvv9aLoRPeLIKdziLw-XLYGQbWA/s6000/DSC03683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9joNHwUAall_ppgMVtSkHYw4t7BQ6HEag2SnL3VlISeKwyt1Ymstwy7PmYwhICF6YbK4sRBMvlKqolscZy4NjTn_SILFBwfl0L0C3bX5JmquKx6nNGNdganZiBVtaBhvkbXhGX8x8GbsQUb__O-rpJP5S6qVWWIEvv9aLoRPeLIKdziLw-XLYGQbWA/w266-h400/DSC03683.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iris babadagica<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>This one I just acquired from Kathy Allens wonderful rock garden plant sale in Central Point this year. It's a beautiful and tiny little iris, only about 5" tall at this point. Named for Mt. Babdag in the Caucus Mts. research shows it is considered by some to be a smaller subspecies of Iris aphylla. Super charming and diminutive. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_dTML8NGAFPkLGo0iUp1vwMG0iFrYcitl4oNL2svYuJ3g7BCqpb8Bp5k-P4LL4Wly69Kb3DeT7aRDdZalA2KzkF5-YeEeA99eq6cgRUZdk2PKcnhc88RtXTgXEUZXNxXitrbqmr1TFWYbLwgNsloZZIH9L5NBhpZP3lCBGJI1peiipVYSkQ6f1_FiA/s6000/DSC03687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_dTML8NGAFPkLGo0iUp1vwMG0iFrYcitl4oNL2svYuJ3g7BCqpb8Bp5k-P4LL4Wly69Kb3DeT7aRDdZalA2KzkF5-YeEeA99eq6cgRUZdk2PKcnhc88RtXTgXEUZXNxXitrbqmr1TFWYbLwgNsloZZIH9L5NBhpZP3lCBGJI1peiipVYSkQ6f1_FiA/s320/DSC03687.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dwarf Iris in the rock garden<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I wish I knew the name on this one, it came from my friend Mary Anne, who is an Iris buff, and a tremendous volunteer for the Lord and Schryver conservancy garden I used to manage. It's a dynamite bloomer in the rock garden, only 12" tall and making a great show. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2EeWs4PoEMxsvY7V2VgqziE54N4UZtNLR6lp2kNNkJj9FltSt0Sm_I52tIcoJ_sc93hNF0wJvuc9pK4j4KfMDol2BT-UYFjGTyk1MI8Rg7gXTrDtClPZEcRGL4DmbJo6UqnyfyXysDEk0OKf-BTn4rKHxlQETYytIlCrE7RqAXxQecdSh351099vWA/s6000/DSC03686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2EeWs4PoEMxsvY7V2VgqziE54N4UZtNLR6lp2kNNkJj9FltSt0Sm_I52tIcoJ_sc93hNF0wJvuc9pK4j4KfMDol2BT-UYFjGTyk1MI8Rg7gXTrDtClPZEcRGL4DmbJo6UqnyfyXysDEk0OKf-BTn4rKHxlQETYytIlCrE7RqAXxQecdSh351099vWA/s320/DSC03686.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iris sp. #4<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Another unknown but dynamite selection, I got this from Kathy Allen last year, it's a 10" and the very light brown and purple on the falls are super cool. </p><p>What pulls on my soul these days is the tinge of spring that is finally hitting here and getting to see all the hard work of the past few years in the rock garden finally starting to come in as it matures. I put the Iris of April Part 1 because there are probably at least 30 more to come, so this is just a teaser. </p><p>I'm off to Canada to pick up Anya who is finishing her Freshman year at UBC. It's hard to believe how fast the time flies now days. It was seemingly a few years back that she was headed off to preschool, the milestones pass like water under a bridge now, kindergarten, grade school, junior high, and high school flew by and now the the College years are going like something Chuck Yeager would pilot. I keep trying to tell her to soak it all up, as these years are the best ones, freedom without too much responsibility is something that you really only enjoy in those college years. You have to savor it all and enjoy every minute of it. </p><p>Back to rain and mid 50's after a weekend of sunny skies and highs in the low 70's. </p><p><br /></p><p>Cheers, </p><p><br />Mark</p><p><br /><span><br /></span></p>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-91325276152876528142022-04-13T09:45:00.001-07:002022-04-13T09:45:23.988-07:00Snow Falling on Cherry Blossoms<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">" All human claims to the landscape were superseded, made null and void by the snow. The world was one world, and the notion that a man might kill another over some small patch of it did not make sense.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> David Gutterson-Snow Falling on Cedars</span><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span>It just doesn't seem to make sense to me, to see snow falling on the blooming cherry trees. It's gotten close before as the latest I have ever had measurable snow fall at Illahe was March 31st. But here we are in mid April and I'm drinking a warm cup of coffee and watching large flakes smother the garden with a blanket of white. I have complained of bumper cherry crops in the past because the cherries that I cannot possibly harvest often end up on filling the bulb pots, the masses of red eventually start to ferment and attract yellowjackets which is annoying in the late summer. This year I doubt I'll have to deal with such issues. It's the peak of the cherry bloom and it's 33 degrees, an inch or so of heavy wet snow covering everything and not a pollinator in site. So for the record, this marks the latest snow fall I have ever seen in the past 15 years I have been at illahe. </span></span></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjo40A1FU72Oxj7ioT5uDWn-AvFLYAXrb9ofu0dQyAcYq5VyowWi827AZsAAOxcCP0ZGcDQ6DSBjEFfHlX8vdNuaJMwaqo8LC3yqiJD3-MnapIzY6d3ODbNUV8z5T5jTvGat4ZBZHwHodbjYhmjDwcew8lRGlr7x80veks4hTuzPRh831J-PCKr985-Q/s4032/IMG_4845%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjo40A1FU72Oxj7ioT5uDWn-AvFLYAXrb9ofu0dQyAcYq5VyowWi827AZsAAOxcCP0ZGcDQ6DSBjEFfHlX8vdNuaJMwaqo8LC3yqiJD3-MnapIzY6d3ODbNUV8z5T5jTvGat4ZBZHwHodbjYhmjDwcew8lRGlr7x80veks4hTuzPRh831J-PCKr985-Q/s320/IMG_4845%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rock garden was just starting to wake into bloom.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span>Fortunately the cold greenhouse affords some level of protection and the bulbs are still blooming away. Some even seem to appreciate the cold, as opposed to the sunny days where it rapidly hits 80 degrees plus in the greenhouse. <br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXTSjSM_MOhJAeafrz_YGm3JTOmWCSa_A97Cb9yYmVE0LJg5la9UEAQxJ_6trsY7_NnP8K2QpqWRgtHtlBOZpo5B99SlMhqjOLGC1UAXHaicJ8YvahDk6XWL2sarY6GtdUR74HTZE7kpPqXv3ZoSNQ9UfRqH433PMboFmq7RCvG_SXemFP4X9SPftvg/s6000/DSC03498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXTSjSM_MOhJAeafrz_YGm3JTOmWCSa_A97Cb9yYmVE0LJg5la9UEAQxJ_6trsY7_NnP8K2QpqWRgtHtlBOZpo5B99SlMhqjOLGC1UAXHaicJ8YvahDk6XWL2sarY6GtdUR74HTZE7kpPqXv3ZoSNQ9UfRqH433PMboFmq7RCvG_SXemFP4X9SPftvg/s320/DSC03498.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Fritillaria biflora x purdyi hybrids are starting into bloom now. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2q6wBY84hDWGpdyApir_up7pRqtPyze9U2VWkIxRV5q0vhPCtyU9m0M0BdbXKKAeiNhs33TSK2g7kGjXfeUx-k02f6RgmuxVqxeEE-0ivy-WTqcuooiJncjhNjdCMEdfVp9W9NL34cQyvaqA-JZ0iHa0nXEpWJYe3w5638JUepkuSlTyMAbI57NK8dg/s6000/DSC03495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2q6wBY84hDWGpdyApir_up7pRqtPyze9U2VWkIxRV5q0vhPCtyU9m0M0BdbXKKAeiNhs33TSK2g7kGjXfeUx-k02f6RgmuxVqxeEE-0ivy-WTqcuooiJncjhNjdCMEdfVp9W9NL34cQyvaqA-JZ0iHa0nXEpWJYe3w5638JUepkuSlTyMAbI57NK8dg/s320/DSC03495.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Scilla vincentii is a gem in the genus</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mX6Bgh7lYIp0Fn06w3j-EteARECy98HI3D8q6xob9Y5cKotQkB9lmtOEFIm4qW7GAJOj64CkMdlupC8cAKSyCHoHkF3xv6Pkhz_dgVd6_mJP0lM_KK-L2qgSd6aBbVBLPUCK5GxznFlLuq6Uw0ixdDiPKeVtTXiWR-oCgSiPWB-hURQKDXxxcgOgfA/s6000/DSC03510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mX6Bgh7lYIp0Fn06w3j-EteARECy98HI3D8q6xob9Y5cKotQkB9lmtOEFIm4qW7GAJOj64CkMdlupC8cAKSyCHoHkF3xv6Pkhz_dgVd6_mJP0lM_KK-L2qgSd6aBbVBLPUCK5GxznFlLuq6Uw0ixdDiPKeVtTXiWR-oCgSiPWB-hURQKDXxxcgOgfA/s320/DSC03510.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Peaonia brownii in bud on a chilly, snowy April morning</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslw8DFpGVt-XcrLWUUifgycDSgpKJv94Npr_r0jZND0UpEB4x9rJuomK_290J6lvM3aev4JyUmSbR0fFoqRMQgFyGfAvIJHFUgEmuOWlw1JeaGdWP8LTe5Xxw9QjpA_4JMZXHsB8tVjs0ftRoMnU59YoiUEbFKxWRwhCIdfidPMTdADap9UabRK4Raw/s6000/DSC03511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslw8DFpGVt-XcrLWUUifgycDSgpKJv94Npr_r0jZND0UpEB4x9rJuomK_290J6lvM3aev4JyUmSbR0fFoqRMQgFyGfAvIJHFUgEmuOWlw1JeaGdWP8LTe5Xxw9QjpA_4JMZXHsB8tVjs0ftRoMnU59YoiUEbFKxWRwhCIdfidPMTdADap9UabRK4Raw/s320/DSC03511.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Fritillaria biflora x purdyi hybrids in the second and third generations </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">show quite a bit of vigor and increased bloom per stem. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqb7Oif3Rx0ET8koxNSkO71YQztbIA_S6ph9LWsAudoxL1OcYciIBV09zIQrbZZS62bAs9OB7kFQHokblgvbEFjcGjOoP8Ide75ZRc5IBqzrvgDiY9mYUNFyK2r-5nqnLkv2zTouZOCxwY7z1MEO_WDu6I13BsTAkFrklpiUGBXqrGD4sDPOJfwoS-yw/s6000/DSC03527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqb7Oif3Rx0ET8koxNSkO71YQztbIA_S6ph9LWsAudoxL1OcYciIBV09zIQrbZZS62bAs9OB7kFQHokblgvbEFjcGjOoP8Ide75ZRc5IBqzrvgDiY9mYUNFyK2r-5nqnLkv2zTouZOCxwY7z1MEO_WDu6I13BsTAkFrklpiUGBXqrGD4sDPOJfwoS-yw/s320/DSC03527.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"> </span></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of the more unique Fritillaria hybrids we are working with. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gP5n5Fpy5c89kX9_a1kWh397avorHYIk-iT1dB3b5gOP2vADjTnD3kXBvxjUH6L_fRAuwR48x0PYLUkFWq2b5FphG_udILA4KJGgj0TANqld7sP3Jm5dlY1vKjSAycfM6GIw2w8UGlZz-HcmBZFSEOXm5KwMdRw8pevaqlnMSUe31wtjRHUwdLRymQ/s6000/DSC03516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gP5n5Fpy5c89kX9_a1kWh397avorHYIk-iT1dB3b5gOP2vADjTnD3kXBvxjUH6L_fRAuwR48x0PYLUkFWq2b5FphG_udILA4KJGgj0TANqld7sP3Jm5dlY1vKjSAycfM6GIw2w8UGlZz-HcmBZFSEOXm5KwMdRw8pevaqlnMSUe31wtjRHUwdLRymQ/s320/DSC03516.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hoping to offer this one in 2" pots year around soon. Trust me you want this </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">one in your rock garden.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hope the weather moderates, and the killing in Ukraine stops. I'm not sure how to deal with all the insanity in the world, with everything going crazy from wars, to weather insanity, runaway inflation and supply chain shortages. In this craziness I do recognize how lucky I am to have a greenhouse filled with flowers to go and admire and share with humanity when I can. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Snowed in Salem,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mark</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvf0GcsHFBiiPTwi4orRJ3bmuLKkGuCxM0V02fnePYsOKaS7aHGMIWUMuqxaaA4wGY4VzcY5nLF7d3AqtFAeiQVztQdEpTDpeSpIgXQ8ukrIJu6lzOAj3dKIQy05JYlf1iiFSiGSotpusp40iJzihNNT2wMiUgOUTGP-Xl9TF1zWarOaYfinawZNslpg/s6000/DSC03492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvf0GcsHFBiiPTwi4orRJ3bmuLKkGuCxM0V02fnePYsOKaS7aHGMIWUMuqxaaA4wGY4VzcY5nLF7d3AqtFAeiQVztQdEpTDpeSpIgXQ8ukrIJu6lzOAj3dKIQy05JYlf1iiFSiGSotpusp40iJzihNNT2wMiUgOUTGP-Xl9TF1zWarOaYfinawZNslpg/s320/DSC03492.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-79205222482198382892022-04-08T17:15:00.004-07:002022-04-08T17:15:28.461-07:00Snow in April?<p> "There is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing"</p><p><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> Alfred Wainright</span><br /></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span>It really doesn't feel like it could snow, with so many flowers in bloom. But the weatherman says chance of snow at the end of this weekend. If it happens it will set some new record. These days records are broken all the time it seems like as far as the weather goes. I'll believe it when I see it but I'm probably not going to be happy about it if it does. A bunch of African and South American things are blooming now and it really does need to be spring now. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVDMwmFwkS-0kU5b5kx7BJ_H4bp8_7ikOqHFIW4xDolry_zMi-6KgGupYp2Y-M-1jiY1tdF8sWJKRVeCgsU1in75xFbWkx9tbdZf9sySBwMWpoSDOicBsmPkNhkjkplRt-0hHejMNf4U_obn2u75uWx9fn5svz0qnHTHO5piDkfE1tFcjo-uzbdwy3Q/s6000/DSC03478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdVDMwmFwkS-0kU5b5kx7BJ_H4bp8_7ikOqHFIW4xDolry_zMi-6KgGupYp2Y-M-1jiY1tdF8sWJKRVeCgsU1in75xFbWkx9tbdZf9sySBwMWpoSDOicBsmPkNhkjkplRt-0hHejMNf4U_obn2u75uWx9fn5svz0qnHTHO5piDkfE1tFcjo-uzbdwy3Q/s320/DSC03478.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Sprekelia is blooming at my desk as I write this and I felt it deserved a photo. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMX1D2hhL7x_8a7TjUfismfxVg3R1zCSAXmOHlafVT3aPVl1IQH1Rmpa7LU1rFu-aKEwzpZGF7krMjXK4cmF2qPPpqvH2Yq6ZqjpC_H_SjV6LYlRAYGlZdSjaclLaCc6J_R1uUE9gsHUM6Fbf6Ba4VOahz4ZNalmyGKPUa-WwKfCBXDHH5Thsnl3fZw/s6000/DSC03484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMX1D2hhL7x_8a7TjUfismfxVg3R1zCSAXmOHlafVT3aPVl1IQH1Rmpa7LU1rFu-aKEwzpZGF7krMjXK4cmF2qPPpqvH2Yq6ZqjpC_H_SjV6LYlRAYGlZdSjaclLaCc6J_R1uUE9gsHUM6Fbf6Ba4VOahz4ZNalmyGKPUa-WwKfCBXDHH5Thsnl3fZw/w400-h266/DSC03484.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moraea sp?<br />This came as gigandra but it doesn't seem to fully match that description, if you recognize this <br />little charmer, do let me know what you think it is?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOiA2kA3k6T9XYa4-hMdSuoiwjil3FRpOYe7BNLKUqAU0vQ-xZ7X93suI2oc7UpVSgOKP3PsWRRjwAITUc0vRHN4fVFj3ppCpMCyseiKGO1-LjZE154G3Hya6ovldi2u_gzq9BKYiOZNSnsJ6zM0rBruXznRA7XsYV9hp5Hu2kOT3jNpu44WQ41LRJbg/s6000/DSC03462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOiA2kA3k6T9XYa4-hMdSuoiwjil3FRpOYe7BNLKUqAU0vQ-xZ7X93suI2oc7UpVSgOKP3PsWRRjwAITUc0vRHN4fVFj3ppCpMCyseiKGO1-LjZE154G3Hya6ovldi2u_gzq9BKYiOZNSnsJ6zM0rBruXznRA7XsYV9hp5Hu2kOT3jNpu44WQ41LRJbg/w400-h266/DSC03462.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moraea aristata</td></tr></tbody></table>Hopefully any forecast of snow is not accompanied by a blast of arctic air as it's really way to late in the season for that. Although plenty of times my average last frost has been around Tax day, so it's not unheard of but it definitely hasn't snowed past March 31st at my place. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>That's basically the weather report for now, with a few flowers to let you know where we stand. I'll update if the forecast comes true. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mark</div><div><br /></div>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-69020262066275364892022-03-30T13:54:00.003-07:002022-03-30T13:54:52.964-07:00Where The Wild things Are Part 8-Fetid Adders Tongues <p> "Virtually all native cultures that have survived without fouling their nests have acknowledged that nature knows best, and have had the humility to ask the bears, and wolves and ravens and redwoods for guidance". </p><p><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> Janine Benyus</span><br /></p><p><span>I went and asked the Redwoods for guidance this past week. When we were kids our grandparents lived in the California Bay Area and it was always a treat when my parents decided we could take the long way down and it meant that we would go through the Redwoods. Even as a youngster I recognized something magical about a tree that could be 1400 years old growing right next to the highway. It had seen civilizations and cultures rise and fall, revolutions and tsunamis and all host of weather events and the eventual paving over of it's roots for a road. </span></p><p><span>I asked the Redwoods about what this next chapter in life would look like for me and if I was on the right path. Now I wish I could say that much like ole treebeard the ent, in a Tolkien epic, it knelt down and gave me some advice. But I feel like the energy that was transmitted was clear enough. The answer was obvious. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVcW_XvAlxk2Iv79Zt1a3GVfTzhQ8JYsL3C_7AOEGwc95L6Al9vqOGKeYEkLSah0JMV0eVN8xgFmfrcCWWa1tRJ_ZjjALB0eKJNDRXxx69Y8-RbV-L9_M0fbSx6Y5AtStns717zg5yvKedM61hlNuDtqvAYpXolRAElp2CFqwzusV3UOxTcK6eRgY4g/s4032/IMG_4561%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVcW_XvAlxk2Iv79Zt1a3GVfTzhQ8JYsL3C_7AOEGwc95L6Al9vqOGKeYEkLSah0JMV0eVN8xgFmfrcCWWa1tRJ_ZjjALB0eKJNDRXxx69Y8-RbV-L9_M0fbSx6Y5AtStns717zg5yvKedM61hlNuDtqvAYpXolRAElp2CFqwzusV3UOxTcK6eRgY4g/s320/IMG_4561%5B1%5D.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My grandma used to a live a short drive from the Armstrong Woods, and I have so many memories<br />of picnics and walks, and playing in this grove as a kid. It was a fun walk down memory lane to speak with the trees. </td></tr></tbody></table><br />The plant I was most hoping to see on this redwood adventure was the Fetid Adders Tongue, the Redwood Slinkpod, Brownies, Redwood Toad Lily. It's a fascinating plant that I have been enamored with ever since I saw the enormous specimen in Mrs. Berry's Botanic Garden. There was this huge clump up by the soil bin right at the base of a big douglas fir. Jack Poff showed it to me and I was blown away. I love toad lilies and there was something similar about this plant. It makes sense since they are closely related. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dDWEZ5QBrK2ZI5IY5FoegADNCHgE0SyeHwqs94TXFSWPvV4rKt4Hf6xVNNOOO18NPuVn_MUeXbsfurZwDJGsZKA-sR66rJxjVx0dzGSo1VkkKdS5AK1ND-4s8dSvEzbuG9abzcpVpyoEeVe0Mq8wSWnBvLSeI4d_NHhFjT7jGZmRwWbzVe3zOTL-qA/s4032/IMG_4565%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dDWEZ5QBrK2ZI5IY5FoegADNCHgE0SyeHwqs94TXFSWPvV4rKt4Hf6xVNNOOO18NPuVn_MUeXbsfurZwDJGsZKA-sR66rJxjVx0dzGSo1VkkKdS5AK1ND-4s8dSvEzbuG9abzcpVpyoEeVe0Mq8wSWnBvLSeI4d_NHhFjT7jGZmRwWbzVe3zOTL-qA/s320/IMG_4565%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scoliopus bigelovii in habitat<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQk0nmFEfpph4kH4IBEy3vp07VDzB52WaLVlHUIzDXZw6CvIEdQYNKHn60SzouXWGZ8VJ6gtuvPhafxKyT0_Ws3-adF-qbahXcTIkwZHgVyRsXKWoJvMBkOoKNfVHLyEXMtdw-z4Bmn9gE1a-unk8lWhLic_03WptbNYtATeHzzeZfzClJG4KHJgOnw/s1440/UIOO7380%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1348" data-original-width="1440" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQk0nmFEfpph4kH4IBEy3vp07VDzB52WaLVlHUIzDXZw6CvIEdQYNKHn60SzouXWGZ8VJ6gtuvPhafxKyT0_Ws3-adF-qbahXcTIkwZHgVyRsXKWoJvMBkOoKNfVHLyEXMtdw-z4Bmn9gE1a-unk8lWhLic_03WptbNYtATeHzzeZfzClJG4KHJgOnw/s320/UIOO7380%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were hiking and of course I left the Macro lens in the car so the subpar cell <br />phone photos will have to do. <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>These are plants of moist, deep shade. I have seen our Oregon native Scoliopus halii a handful of times, mostly on fishing expeditions for late run winter steelhead in the coast range creeks where it calls home. The bloom time for S. hallii is usually March and then it quickly disappears as soon as the days warm and the buds begin to break on the Alders. </p><p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavbiYyNbIcg2V9ydndJtKiHwzpQoMRdnpytkdrwdhYqfRRWieez-95TJuUpfvK2cXa8vtF70HIHOAUPteVV-99HySq7tJxgfdvLMhkw9Yfg8kn13QnsVMne_wCIteMCG9W7juUuRyPn94Vk5pCXP5GkZrKgq39l2nTKd5u950qoVlL98X4FbPjb2UCQ/s1440/OUOE3880%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1355" data-original-width="1440" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavbiYyNbIcg2V9ydndJtKiHwzpQoMRdnpytkdrwdhYqfRRWieez-95TJuUpfvK2cXa8vtF70HIHOAUPteVV-99HySq7tJxgfdvLMhkw9Yfg8kn13QnsVMne_wCIteMCG9W7juUuRyPn94Vk5pCXP5GkZrKgq39l2nTKd5u950qoVlL98X4FbPjb2UCQ/s320/OUOE3880%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One could certainly list poison oak among the companion plants as it was the <br />predominant groundcover.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFviLaB96YJuRlwcesqRWk9NQBlbfNKfcG3H7RT97nFkXP3R0gVpDEbcfpUs10T8qZ3akcfwdKM7OcuqZk6VDuFjOi5HrIPxchgKakzHIZjoqDo_0vnRQrhwNjcDP9KKtdxWn3q3x8Mxvw6WSljkThPLpfrE6vSojAxocnaZePQ8jp5wrdyrdktrUzOg/s3088/IMG_4606%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFviLaB96YJuRlwcesqRWk9NQBlbfNKfcG3H7RT97nFkXP3R0gVpDEbcfpUs10T8qZ3akcfwdKM7OcuqZk6VDuFjOi5HrIPxchgKakzHIZjoqDo_0vnRQrhwNjcDP9KKtdxWn3q3x8Mxvw6WSljkThPLpfrE6vSojAxocnaZePQ8jp5wrdyrdktrUzOg/s320/IMG_4606%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Down in the shady redwood groves is the habitat for the slinkpod, where it was more than abundant the hike we took up to the top of "Islands in the Sky" with my cousin Jessie as a guide gave us some fantastic views of the Mendocino coast, Lupines in bloom, tons of Douglas Iris and while I was hoping for more diversity in the genus Fritillaria we did happen across one nice specimen of F. affinis. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><br /></span></p><p><span>If you are ever wondering if you are on the right path in life, I would encourage you to sit next to a 1000 year old redwood tree and ask the question. I can guarantee for at least that one moment the answer will definitely be yes.</span></p><p>Cheers, </p><p>Mark</p><p><span><br /></span></p>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-80794901069891408412022-03-28T12:00:00.005-07:002022-03-28T12:00:43.099-07:00Spring is here!<p> "Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer" </p><p><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> Geoffrey B. Charlesworth</span><br /></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p>I left for a week to California and it felt very much like winter, I returned to find spring all over the garden and greenhouses. We will take a little break from chasing the wild things to catch up on the garden journal. So much blooming now it's hard to keep up, here are a few highlights from the garden. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0Q8yNnhFMkVS16YQTACvJB-SmcMoSdBsUgglMR4qGoqHAudBWwLOr67fqiurWXdIA8i8gWBXfWUQ8LE9PsAgIK0EIRH347d5Fgb0Nmt5rS_74PrHC9o3XtyPFkMQv7ij-rrnGnG7F5pgrldwRrmLzfDoLiAEnAiACumVI_RYp1N_ingovuM-4myosQ/s6000/fritillaria%20imperialis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0Q8yNnhFMkVS16YQTACvJB-SmcMoSdBsUgglMR4qGoqHAudBWwLOr67fqiurWXdIA8i8gWBXfWUQ8LE9PsAgIK0EIRH347d5Fgb0Nmt5rS_74PrHC9o3XtyPFkMQv7ij-rrnGnG7F5pgrldwRrmLzfDoLiAEnAiACumVI_RYp1N_ingovuM-4myosQ/s320/fritillaria%20imperialis.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had one Crown Imperial overwinter in the rock garden and I was so stoked to see it coming up. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgMWV81Xxbq1c0YazybAJedOWoyHAPyxufa8sP7Q484MRtApd3B1DixB5R87d1jHVZXs9sFVxWpNaMDWqmRjsLZxOWpXWCq52Xf59s-nHb_ZVEgf8zdAVCkoy5tfMNxFd5S4tuxyf09EX6x5ge_A6TCEnSQJNxTGQ8vR2XcK_sgylVcCGXZXK0EOyMg/s6000/Fritillaria%20pelinea%20(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgMWV81Xxbq1c0YazybAJedOWoyHAPyxufa8sP7Q484MRtApd3B1DixB5R87d1jHVZXs9sFVxWpNaMDWqmRjsLZxOWpXWCq52Xf59s-nHb_ZVEgf8zdAVCkoy5tfMNxFd5S4tuxyf09EX6x5ge_A6TCEnSQJNxTGQ8vR2XcK_sgylVcCGXZXK0EOyMg/s320/Fritillaria%20pelinea%20(2).JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fritillaria pelinea<br />This charming little Grecian Beauty just seems to get better every year. This was <br />from a V. Pilous seed collection in 2017.<br /><br /><br /><br />The Juno Iris are coming on hot and heavy now:</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzCfk93WhLp4IUsvYYfOWcpbxc_ztWG3D1bf7xWlQ7AP7bY0vtnZkKB07FsFfQ7LVe86t9cGesbWAA1wkCtMpfC9JPrymbk4FAfXDhhNAetq1ag4CvuM0Qaw4j1-S8Boq7e2mU9S4xquMiL57CntOEFfhnv4_WCWzPTNZZfNOGISgpECIpRp9mTbp-g/s6000/Iris%20aucheri.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzCfk93WhLp4IUsvYYfOWcpbxc_ztWG3D1bf7xWlQ7AP7bY0vtnZkKB07FsFfQ7LVe86t9cGesbWAA1wkCtMpfC9JPrymbk4FAfXDhhNAetq1ag4CvuM0Qaw4j1-S8Boq7e2mU9S4xquMiL57CntOEFfhnv4_WCWzPTNZZfNOGISgpECIpRp9mTbp-g/s320/Iris%20aucheri.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iris aucheri</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_8_ZtF1Kk9O6ZQamVmZYZFpVW-Ec8rfhgT_jYY7KxeWYEdWr_KqA3lucLbT_4uSmgyLPdtwdtZa1zQ3a885E_EE6l5n6m7q1BGefWftVLlpwZH3lfsEByIUF4d3RFkD6FBzdFudlC1sdcVNqn98EUJ0T6ABP9737yhNAaY7hrxFBb4ybBPcQriEUrig/s6000/Iris%20bucharica.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_8_ZtF1Kk9O6ZQamVmZYZFpVW-Ec8rfhgT_jYY7KxeWYEdWr_KqA3lucLbT_4uSmgyLPdtwdtZa1zQ3a885E_EE6l5n6m7q1BGefWftVLlpwZH3lfsEByIUF4d3RFkD6FBzdFudlC1sdcVNqn98EUJ0T6ABP9737yhNAaY7hrxFBb4ybBPcQriEUrig/s320/Iris%20bucharica.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iris bucharica</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYFTpjaTaZ6obALyJCTAUmyE10psihJHBp6fmgI3E7yWMeEDa1VTj-LOf6uvbczhiSlVxXxoCmgYy0CIwFzt8zTmI5kTPTXaw4I-lm74zaIMYnvunaXX914_hxIkLdKynkjxUJcQUhGR5-XHq9dQeJuR7cADtJfHNkwb7PbCLXpvhJCOt_IY79RsPKhg/s6000/Iris%20graeberiana%20white%20fall%20(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYFTpjaTaZ6obALyJCTAUmyE10psihJHBp6fmgI3E7yWMeEDa1VTj-LOf6uvbczhiSlVxXxoCmgYy0CIwFzt8zTmI5kTPTXaw4I-lm74zaIMYnvunaXX914_hxIkLdKynkjxUJcQUhGR5-XHq9dQeJuR7cADtJfHNkwb7PbCLXpvhJCOt_IY79RsPKhg/s320/Iris%20graeberiana%20white%20fall%20(3).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iris graeberiana 'White Falls'</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgQkIpASsJL57zaWCioWSRiMhqKFFjlp8nFJEWhxXZigv2GCK58QOIa17RO_GTDkxStVyPz7deZuCE0KdUxVgWe-ZCpfm9cij44Hrc4sxKYORWs9M1VBDBkCAyWpgz-XvkTZSvpcRb9Dbde93VpI-bJseKy7u6_CVR9YLQyawgbVCpPtqhvtX8zaTwQ/s1651/HWMF0369%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1651" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgQkIpASsJL57zaWCioWSRiMhqKFFjlp8nFJEWhxXZigv2GCK58QOIa17RO_GTDkxStVyPz7deZuCE0KdUxVgWe-ZCpfm9cij44Hrc4sxKYORWs9M1VBDBkCAyWpgz-XvkTZSvpcRb9Dbde93VpI-bJseKy7u6_CVR9YLQyawgbVCpPtqhvtX8zaTwQ/s320/HWMF0369%5B1%5D.JPG" width="279" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The butterfly Morea just stuns as you walk by it. It's hard not to stare into the mesmerizing center of this South African beauty. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tClJjtEiHhnAsr9r0G7YYuZjfwDothH3n0GwgsE8AG--S-0bP6y9xkfC_SvMWMnD5uxPfEzCEOvQML1jcu0VedMJdJLd_TfblVRoj1dnrz9pLGZ-KUcrTOqUC3fuEWNJtz0J_QWVX757JfNnz0m0ewdO3JGx7gCd3tTCWSvhzBYFDRSE74z_pal7Ug/s1651/BKXM5601%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1651" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tClJjtEiHhnAsr9r0G7YYuZjfwDothH3n0GwgsE8AG--S-0bP6y9xkfC_SvMWMnD5uxPfEzCEOvQML1jcu0VedMJdJLd_TfblVRoj1dnrz9pLGZ-KUcrTOqUC3fuEWNJtz0J_QWVX757JfNnz0m0ewdO3JGx7gCd3tTCWSvhzBYFDRSE74z_pal7Ug/s320/BKXM5601%5B1%5D.JPG" width="279" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erythronium grandiflorum<br />I long ago lost this one trying to grow it in a pot in the cold greenhouse, but It's been thriving <br />near the heat pump fan where it gets cold air blasted at it while it's in growth. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQmHNHZcAZ6guwceDGIZ7LqvuHHE2IKbl7QFfg_3nA3RCqBBHA8PcmRRs-WgaF7p813f2zT-DpQTLke6i3A05JWk63nfsbEjbU85oN0GZzEYVxhjCDNru8A44aL9yoQxoYVE7sVXTRltrNaaWdZYNna5cew0s9li-cKUUKgspMxESqQaveaD-DXEfIw/s1657/OLNV2375%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1657" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQmHNHZcAZ6guwceDGIZ7LqvuHHE2IKbl7QFfg_3nA3RCqBBHA8PcmRRs-WgaF7p813f2zT-DpQTLke6i3A05JWk63nfsbEjbU85oN0GZzEYVxhjCDNru8A44aL9yoQxoYVE7sVXTRltrNaaWdZYNna5cew0s9li-cKUUKgspMxESqQaveaD-DXEfIw/s320/OLNV2375%5B1%5D.JPG" width="278" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moraea lurida</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>It was a fantastic trip to California to see family, visit some nurseries, botanical gardens and some natural beauty. I'll get back to covering that trip, but I thought I would at least give a little update on the spring growth here for my records. The weather has been a fantastic mid 60's in the day with high 40's at night. I moved the orchids out to the patio to see if some chilling will get them blooming. It rained a bit last night but it's been mostly dry for the better part of a week now. Fingers crossed for April Showers. </p><p><br /></p><p>Mark</p>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-42219850227211502792022-03-26T08:47:00.000-07:002022-03-26T08:47:15.149-07:00Where the wild things are part 7<p> "Inside all of us is hope, </p><p>Inside all of us is Fear,</p><p> Inside all of us is adventure,</p><p> Inside all of us is a Wild Thing"</p><p>Maurice Sendak, Where the wild things are</p><p><br /></p><p>The kalmiopsis area is so fascinating with it's crazy geology and tons of endemic plants. This short blast through the lower elevations this past week was a great precursor for a bunch of upcoming trips. There wasn't much blooming at the upper elevations and snow still sat on the road near the babyfoot lake trailhead. But at the lower elevations, we saw some great wildflowers starting into bloom. The Trillium rivale and Erythronium citrinum and E. howellii. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bfO-U2JEw0hY-HmhYHbIzPQWstoGdU_HE39XMiVr0MpB3s0yPfeJbiaykKzjxsbySNk7a0jd-umh8w9hzIOE9Gv7I4ZL7hhxfBw0OykI5LzCdwVwVZpd1_FQFiYSDQPJ7xJ8k1sr2SkkTDyUKJT6O0ES-D3lcXk9jkNlrDA3VP_QKuwYiE5a5ED88A/s6000/DSC03246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bfO-U2JEw0hY-HmhYHbIzPQWstoGdU_HE39XMiVr0MpB3s0yPfeJbiaykKzjxsbySNk7a0jd-umh8w9hzIOE9Gv7I4ZL7hhxfBw0OykI5LzCdwVwVZpd1_FQFiYSDQPJ7xJ8k1sr2SkkTDyUKJT6O0ES-D3lcXk9jkNlrDA3VP_QKuwYiE5a5ED88A/s320/DSC03246.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some great forms of Eythronium citrinum, and I think mixed in was some Erythronium howelii, Honestly there were so many good plants to look at, I wasn't looking quite close enough to see if there were swollen appendages on the tepal tips of each one. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjXOIYipmAZobxnozVdMhwug4qLSt9mAubEc6u60LhnfaEAHHkUPP3jeMJc9GTIJ-G0DlWkwJfGW-tyVrQLpJspkL_D1TqvWby_xHc1cFNCiJxppOElYRYpkV16c6AHOsmPhnoE-UAbDmf6zFbFXy_UiweY5Fnq63dBC0shgQH5XmzQe0xeDlEm8riw/s6000/DSC03313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjXOIYipmAZobxnozVdMhwug4qLSt9mAubEc6u60LhnfaEAHHkUPP3jeMJc9GTIJ-G0DlWkwJfGW-tyVrQLpJspkL_D1TqvWby_xHc1cFNCiJxppOElYRYpkV16c6AHOsmPhnoE-UAbDmf6zFbFXy_UiweY5Fnq63dBC0shgQH5XmzQe0xeDlEm8riw/s320/DSC03313.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some great forms of Trillium rivale in the Eight Dollar mountain area. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6Pm3msTU1EAl0I1YYKupSo5vc8PV0-DepPaESIKCsG3GWoSo8kHPz10HOadRdRazZM4WQMT_7VaJ6I9S3DVYS0Xpfq-UikfMzEFt15C0zqj09kCNyT5xPeKHSYU64Ii-fAEv-WMLQikKhDHGZj335uGv4jRF69z_JjgMnYLyMYlN4KeLB5__fFYpFg/s6000/DSC03314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6Pm3msTU1EAl0I1YYKupSo5vc8PV0-DepPaESIKCsG3GWoSo8kHPz10HOadRdRazZM4WQMT_7VaJ6I9S3DVYS0Xpfq-UikfMzEFt15C0zqj09kCNyT5xPeKHSYU64Ii-fAEv-WMLQikKhDHGZj335uGv4jRF69z_JjgMnYLyMYlN4KeLB5__fFYpFg/w400-h266/DSC03314.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeONDahiV3glMjNqSg5crjG_IFa_Xcuv8hyTTvqeginn9NoMovMf8u4RQBEgpi5gNkKBNU8GYRcyZNJ9zM9rwyK1tmuIYGb_0Yb1Hy_g392vX56n5eHwpmuLTEHYkrtWkkcQcHlCJy1JdjivCTdjNImQLJuSxtS2xpYr01HJGV-IDsx2mCKeFcY5ZtIA/s6000/DSC03315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeONDahiV3glMjNqSg5crjG_IFa_Xcuv8hyTTvqeginn9NoMovMf8u4RQBEgpi5gNkKBNU8GYRcyZNJ9zM9rwyK1tmuIYGb_0Yb1Hy_g392vX56n5eHwpmuLTEHYkrtWkkcQcHlCJy1JdjivCTdjNImQLJuSxtS2xpYr01HJGV-IDsx2mCKeFcY5ZtIA/s320/DSC03315.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trillium rivale, was blooming, not quite in sheets but in the shadier creek drainages<br />it was quite prolific. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWC5Tj-ENEhEAAt5jnb0MmCqH7t9onu8A-VV_8gzhRXn_wOKVVeLD-7yTE5HjarLcgPjPvCYyj0Dm31_2v_dmQfAFFQdiFzuOsFBobcfCIO2c_0hVAFP1x-u-wMPmfUx_7Jiyqivh0TpJ5MhzacwqZBQht0qniQpjQM-dm2GKT71sBU8ZefkOnN2xWCw/s6000/DSC03333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWC5Tj-ENEhEAAt5jnb0MmCqH7t9onu8A-VV_8gzhRXn_wOKVVeLD-7yTE5HjarLcgPjPvCYyj0Dm31_2v_dmQfAFFQdiFzuOsFBobcfCIO2c_0hVAFP1x-u-wMPmfUx_7Jiyqivh0TpJ5MhzacwqZBQht0qniQpjQM-dm2GKT71sBU8ZefkOnN2xWCw/s320/DSC03333.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not totally sure what to call this, Joleen was saying it was a double. but I'm not sure that is botanically quite the right way to say it. Whatever you call it, it was an Erythronium citrinum (or howellii) with way too many tepals. </td></tr></tbody></table> <br /><p>Stay tuned for Part 8, as this trip included some great natural rock gardens, here is a little teaser:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCap-oONb-E-cZDFT-oZav9knm2XDpL0hIykV7qa2cEVvHcqcflbLeLTH3YZ1Ga5tyQ4OVgHhUMANrb3V7lSPVAG3ekftPqEe2q0gieM7EIo5bnRpHGUIs2Bn3boXSj6TELQofa0tRJENRj2iJkNpcB8n6htrryYF4kUSvqH1_MWDAJpK7pDzw-UviA/s4032/IMG_4425%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCap-oONb-E-cZDFT-oZav9knm2XDpL0hIykV7qa2cEVvHcqcflbLeLTH3YZ1Ga5tyQ4OVgHhUMANrb3V7lSPVAG3ekftPqEe2q0gieM7EIo5bnRpHGUIs2Bn3boXSj6TELQofa0tRJENRj2iJkNpcB8n6htrryYF4kUSvqH1_MWDAJpK7pDzw-UviA/s320/IMG_4425%5B1%5D.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceonothus pumilis, The Siskiyou Mat in the Kalmiopsis<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikd3RgIsgY0nmTlG6iHRoJNletlrKZXSnwDH3fse4zLkQPTfvqwFb3swWS-rtEvocbTe8aAt7bGuHksyeIMx88jr2LMKJ7fHHZ7uqKG5N-oEWjn8RAwqPfhR3i2IxnROHqbfsTGrD9-Wo_lLqLHIziKQXmYFJQZpR6Sj31iSmrs1IFtuJyRXz_8Q45BA/s1794/CXQP2115%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1794" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikd3RgIsgY0nmTlG6iHRoJNletlrKZXSnwDH3fse4zLkQPTfvqwFb3swWS-rtEvocbTe8aAt7bGuHksyeIMx88jr2LMKJ7fHHZ7uqKG5N-oEWjn8RAwqPfhR3i2IxnROHqbfsTGrD9-Wo_lLqLHIziKQXmYFJQZpR6Sj31iSmrs1IFtuJyRXz_8Q45BA/s320/CXQP2115%5B1%5D.JPG" width="257" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this was a Draba looking fantastic in the crevices.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Further south in the Redwoods we got see some great forms of Iris douglasiana, the California Fetid Adders tongue in bloom and host of other cool plants including a run through some great nurseries and the Mendocino coast botanical garden and a visit to the home of the Godfather of American Horticulture, Luther Burbank. Lot's to blog about and so little time as I'm a full time nursery man now with a lot of propagation work to do now!<div><br /></div><div>It set a record in northern California for heat one day, with temps in the 90's but it was mostly in the 70's and pleasant. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mark<br /><br /></div>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-52970325647520743232022-03-23T09:19:00.000-07:002022-03-23T09:19:19.943-07:00Where the wild things are part 6<p>"There should be a place where only the things you want to happen, happen"</p><p><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> Maurice Sendak.....Where the Wild things are</span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsRTRiUCbDqF1IR9V5zi3HNyVAelJqyNs7zA89r2wWcPLvDqEJYGvhZWC6kEF_PG4K8qV37VPYkIfCzucUs1PLnda221sUhb-iV_geZ1JsWVS0VpJfX_0rkc4EVpdl9HToWGPftnRy2ypbZPD0q4fES6Y72bmj9vH_6rEBYAHIsX-p-attFkzYrjGUBg/s6000/DSC03270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsRTRiUCbDqF1IR9V5zi3HNyVAelJqyNs7zA89r2wWcPLvDqEJYGvhZWC6kEF_PG4K8qV37VPYkIfCzucUs1PLnda221sUhb-iV_geZ1JsWVS0VpJfX_0rkc4EVpdl9HToWGPftnRy2ypbZPD0q4fES6Y72bmj9vH_6rEBYAHIsX-p-attFkzYrjGUBg/s320/DSC03270.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my all time favorite botanical exploration areas the Kalmiopsis<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> I got back out on an adventure, this spring break, the kind of adventure I have been needing for a long time. This past year, I've been chained mostly to a desk, doing farm subsidy work for a soil and water conservation district. A good job, helping farmers try to be better stewards of the land, but not one for a person whose soul is in the wild places and his hands need to be in the dirt. To kick off a new chapter in life, I hit the road to explore the wild places and see if I could find one of the illusive Fritillaria's I've been hoping to encounter in the wild. If I can make it happen I'm gonna make it happen now. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0B8QcaVFAwMgprj70HR8ehlpJN-CFYZ1YXBgjbFuFh5QD2LOR7TX0pPThkpOFvirNQGR3dQ2xsQSSbJnYbPpijtQeCUQ-SUpNLFkbnEsuwQAYiuOLOvp2SFV-xvgBYIbPUdGWcGdub41OAx90Nmp7lklR1g9PGF1obt7f3-6yUIbtMr5cF3hKYCzvzg/s6000/DSC03339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0B8QcaVFAwMgprj70HR8ehlpJN-CFYZ1YXBgjbFuFh5QD2LOR7TX0pPThkpOFvirNQGR3dQ2xsQSSbJnYbPpijtQeCUQ-SUpNLFkbnEsuwQAYiuOLOvp2SFV-xvgBYIbPUdGWcGdub41OAx90Nmp7lklR1g9PGF1obt7f3-6yUIbtMr5cF3hKYCzvzg/s320/DSC03339.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I suspect these might be hybrids between Fritillaria affinis and Fritillaria glauca, <br />They are super variable, but all short statured flowering at around 6". Highly<br />mottled in a mix of gold and brownish red. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsw5Y6ZB9ZkrWWHiF7Zr2PIldgFSexcPuNcqSpTNbk7SQHJ5RKAunimTS4GUFZktUa_jSqM2LiMX4FX_ct_hMi9rtFlvEJNA5kCkkqMSGhazJgBGIQ9seFBIGWrl9T7FfWANdSYM_gbCXPEdJrJgtG_BCstJgX7vc0IgyoNF1uD1ApHxtr5m32WsAeGQ/s6000/DSC03342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsw5Y6ZB9ZkrWWHiF7Zr2PIldgFSexcPuNcqSpTNbk7SQHJ5RKAunimTS4GUFZktUa_jSqM2LiMX4FX_ct_hMi9rtFlvEJNA5kCkkqMSGhazJgBGIQ9seFBIGWrl9T7FfWANdSYM_gbCXPEdJrJgtG_BCstJgX7vc0IgyoNF1uD1ApHxtr5m32WsAeGQ/s320/DSC03342.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some plants blooming at the lowest elevations of the Eight Dollar mountain area, were almost <br />All yellow, but still none of those solid yellow bells that I've seen of F. glauca</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AWhnlRsaAWVz6jEnAA4j8nxnzPrhNRt9prHb5z_TK-dsqTDfDvmlBSHI9T5fipA9_oI5GAooZa-C6tLfWRzf6eGsXml6aYV3LrsgwPlCTWA4BWYX8WwFSK6_x9FCGgsUKeGxis590ImMReY5CCJLfOvuhW4EZRWkf-H7hfMv1DBnb0HgREFlRZImdQ/s6000/DSC03344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AWhnlRsaAWVz6jEnAA4j8nxnzPrhNRt9prHb5z_TK-dsqTDfDvmlBSHI9T5fipA9_oI5GAooZa-C6tLfWRzf6eGsXml6aYV3LrsgwPlCTWA4BWYX8WwFSK6_x9FCGgsUKeGxis590ImMReY5CCJLfOvuhW4EZRWkf-H7hfMv1DBnb0HgREFlRZImdQ/s320/DSC03344.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My partner, and botany exploration companion Joleen demonstrating the size of the blooming <br />Fritillaria we encountered. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWQitz8eSpsF2KIemieEG369m_UCvPON7lSk-0LuCsUXMp66nG1AakZbZyQwkksZrN8mn-Bku_gZPM7vz8yVXi2NaG2WhpOW1tiaX38UDtZY5sjKVosX2b9jGi1NR2QdRyhXueynUIFw4vpATtuUDccGFwR0XlNEJ9bN-bYMKahvTSB6aAJfdvSnZcQ/s6000/DSC03349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWQitz8eSpsF2KIemieEG369m_UCvPON7lSk-0LuCsUXMp66nG1AakZbZyQwkksZrN8mn-Bku_gZPM7vz8yVXi2NaG2WhpOW1tiaX38UDtZY5sjKVosX2b9jGi1NR2QdRyhXueynUIFw4vpATtuUDccGFwR0XlNEJ9bN-bYMKahvTSB6aAJfdvSnZcQ/s320/DSC03349.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If these were straight affinis they are some of the best forms I've come across <br />With the patterning and yellow on brown tones.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6K-vjy_4nWqfXcDXVV3UGNb71KT6-zgoHHrPQcyEOmfwyD4SHi1mu3zAD1Hakv158hD04m5bQwt4VwYc6bwXUX4WNr-EzJAbz__tRfKWfIHFCcuko28owR6KGH_bJxabraQadNMuUsKpHWMcPq7r4pmco9qTIOU4dRgd2XH1tV3cQMbo2YPcazLRRRw/s4032/IMG_4430%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6K-vjy_4nWqfXcDXVV3UGNb71KT6-zgoHHrPQcyEOmfwyD4SHi1mu3zAD1Hakv158hD04m5bQwt4VwYc6bwXUX4WNr-EzJAbz__tRfKWfIHFCcuko28owR6KGH_bJxabraQadNMuUsKpHWMcPq7r4pmco9qTIOU4dRgd2XH1tV3cQMbo2YPcazLRRRw/s320/IMG_4430%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kalmiopsis is one of the riches botanical areas in Oregon, and since I started out my <br />career plant hunting in this area many years ago collecting Seed for the Berry Botanic Garden, <br />It means a lot to me to have the time to go back and explore. Stay tuned for some more posts on a flower and plant filled day in the kalmiopsis, including the biggest "serpentine river" of Cobra lilies spilling down a seepy hillside that I have ever seen.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0s0I4XfIHACVvewX52RuvKSBNKOyxoiQlyTKzyJZZounOnGdN9T5-VPge0xuw5BKGQly0Isd8Bvbu6bFz_qXzktNpbEEs5YvOi6n6xS9vcx6NWhu0Ns5103aZErxEfSGQRzqd1_Mgio7EFOLQVz6xan63EEDLrrGpW0he_Rik5Ak1OyewgBHP3GTIg/s4032/IMG_4455%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0s0I4XfIHACVvewX52RuvKSBNKOyxoiQlyTKzyJZZounOnGdN9T5-VPge0xuw5BKGQly0Isd8Bvbu6bFz_qXzktNpbEEs5YvOi6n6xS9vcx6NWhu0Ns5103aZErxEfSGQRzqd1_Mgio7EFOLQVz6xan63EEDLrrGpW0he_Rik5Ak1OyewgBHP3GTIg/s320/IMG_4455%5B1%5D.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If that doesn't have some F. glauca genetics in it I would be surprised. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjSMWX23A_R3DRXMb1E2Ek4a0IdpGX1H12VG5MbKzURgoKdBcfjRkKuhB78fspD1s-k_QZ35Nvv5A5unyLIuZKjPbz64Tv2X56b6JTWeMlt1csq4UQtXCXjyXm0mbGWueTzOTMUl8L1kPNnFK0lRKDFjkp_1DO4-FEayvYDxwvlWu9yEFs8_HukM1oQ/s4032/IMG_4458%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjSMWX23A_R3DRXMb1E2Ek4a0IdpGX1H12VG5MbKzURgoKdBcfjRkKuhB78fspD1s-k_QZ35Nvv5A5unyLIuZKjPbz64Tv2X56b6JTWeMlt1csq4UQtXCXjyXm0mbGWueTzOTMUl8L1kPNnFK0lRKDFjkp_1DO4-FEayvYDxwvlWu9yEFs8_HukM1oQ/s320/IMG_4458%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the more golden and less brown mottled selections, but still<br />Seeming to look more like some affinis populations I have seen. <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>We ran into snow at the highest elevations and none of the scree spots we checked had the typical F. glauca plants I was looking to photograph. But we did run into some great swaths of Trillium rivale, Some awesome forms of Eythronium howelii including an eight petaled bifurcated version that I've never seen the likes of in cultivation. <div><br /></div><div>Stay tuned for part 7 and 8 of the Wild things series where we look at a Darlingtonia fen, Trilliums, Fawn lilies and a host of great rock garden plants that were blooming in this early season visit to a place I'll be coming back to a lot now that I'm not chained to a desk anymore. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cheers, </div><div><br />Mark</div>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-42538713307397726632022-03-18T15:52:00.001-07:002022-03-18T15:52:03.131-07:00Spring Break<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">“All war is a symptom of man's failure as a thinking animal.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> John Steinbeck</span><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Somehow I've managed to take a spring break pretty much since I was in short pants. If you've met me you know I'm still in short pants, and that can certainly be translated as young at heart or just short statured. I'm off on a California adventure this spring break, going to try to see some wildflowers and some gardens of the North Coast ranges. I took a little walk around the garden and greenhouse before leaving and thought I would share some photo's of the flowers in bloom around the place as we see winter fading into the half light now. This is a bit of a photo dump as I'm tired of writing about the war and it seems kinda silly to just talk about flowers when the nazi's are on the march again. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG56zghboQ3UXGqN2WfB68yCft6okjAnc0jMEzUKKHdaesYWDHZkcunpzdsipmO05piLKdQVsNa3kSVZjLtNpfudl_KDmGFM33lYu2go2oDktkZwTzsECjvx0-ndJf-qtV2_beFsb764YhsZHl8WHGGUpT-wn6aIqUdlqv-HSDi6PQzVnI9WkafdesGQ/s6000/DSC03229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG56zghboQ3UXGqN2WfB68yCft6okjAnc0jMEzUKKHdaesYWDHZkcunpzdsipmO05piLKdQVsNa3kSVZjLtNpfudl_KDmGFM33lYu2go2oDktkZwTzsECjvx0-ndJf-qtV2_beFsb764YhsZHl8WHGGUpT-wn6aIqUdlqv-HSDi6PQzVnI9WkafdesGQ/s320/DSC03229.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anemone in the rock garden</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJurupM23ikr3oxoNi5yrv5hMWl-4GLPVhyJo_sirDuUV8wQVVetfdccwD4fidFy6iX4PH7r2xWpXQ704gWdczgaB8mLYn-AKyZkffNsSzNpLUsebPhuTw1SJtKHrCkCfbcBIqJtY-4KOG0_Z-EwA3_0izDMKkEQKA8QwkxHAPJQ0lDtom6urHEdY9Q/s6000/DSC03173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJurupM23ikr3oxoNi5yrv5hMWl-4GLPVhyJo_sirDuUV8wQVVetfdccwD4fidFy6iX4PH7r2xWpXQ704gWdczgaB8mLYn-AKyZkffNsSzNpLUsebPhuTw1SJtKHrCkCfbcBIqJtY-4KOG0_Z-EwA3_0izDMKkEQKA8QwkxHAPJQ0lDtom6urHEdY9Q/w400-h266/DSC03173.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fritillaria carica</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDUcZTs5fd-0OrSiP4Yx3ttqpyG5gTPj5eKG8yZOlQrW2OS2cyNFPF2cRF4mbmz3CL5cC_8BP4GDMOiA4ilvpm3nxQGdya_5DmCKfmBggfl70YSWEX0UAZ5ieRpbQvNdZrgvcmFq32_CA-N2gJEkrPsfaNj_zkmyulb4FoR7Cb3bIAKCkTbRwhwkTIA/s6000/DSC03179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDUcZTs5fd-0OrSiP4Yx3ttqpyG5gTPj5eKG8yZOlQrW2OS2cyNFPF2cRF4mbmz3CL5cC_8BP4GDMOiA4ilvpm3nxQGdya_5DmCKfmBggfl70YSWEX0UAZ5ieRpbQvNdZrgvcmFq32_CA-N2gJEkrPsfaNj_zkmyulb4FoR7Cb3bIAKCkTbRwhwkTIA/s320/DSC03179.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fritillaria reuteri</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwGh2nIfAczj32DoZWP6fgpf3CLu7fAxd8Et7vXl3m7aoc2n__UDSQj9noQOo-EGeiTxPohS0wFMZLjn9z6VcoRuxUGpTRHBgf_QoLHtGLJjKk-I24JEmKLCe1hEwmpYy7UI3pR2dcmfku43as5GERnkLPq2Jig_iBXYCLSHRtPGbyzAG1VVroXsvh3g/s6000/DSC03191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwGh2nIfAczj32DoZWP6fgpf3CLu7fAxd8Et7vXl3m7aoc2n__UDSQj9noQOo-EGeiTxPohS0wFMZLjn9z6VcoRuxUGpTRHBgf_QoLHtGLJjKk-I24JEmKLCe1hEwmpYy7UI3pR2dcmfku43as5GERnkLPq2Jig_iBXYCLSHRtPGbyzAG1VVroXsvh3g/w400-h266/DSC03191.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Narcissus primegenius</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy40xbbN8guCW-LoobfABp4fX2xNyLI1VyDlRjOOG6WiTG4xcqFsb5aTqlogfu56S7gO-uw-ZAHlgV-SOnSX-FmB6EfekP_90HITd3JSAnZdNtZnc8rnMh1hJzEvhkBBFOTiICaTOpVdAvHBzeKMz0PHowEciZnunotKkYhacqeiGyGA85sKDgkL0NKQ/s6000/DSC03201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy40xbbN8guCW-LoobfABp4fX2xNyLI1VyDlRjOOG6WiTG4xcqFsb5aTqlogfu56S7gO-uw-ZAHlgV-SOnSX-FmB6EfekP_90HITd3JSAnZdNtZnc8rnMh1hJzEvhkBBFOTiICaTOpVdAvHBzeKMz0PHowEciZnunotKkYhacqeiGyGA85sKDgkL0NKQ/s320/DSC03201.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Narcissus bulbocodium</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0oXkDyJIwGZDTumiYcNI4RW535fjUC7lzrGpBOA8z3RfEumMJJY7Y5L3zuSAcEggQzCAxlmpkFpS7mJX8UV-NiAdKaAjNM-oNg2ufH5V-ksZiPDKwla03983Mff6D7OflBlr79KD4BjEeTYshZZNQHmfJyCA8nV67zcDbww-ayQe8J6J7cf-zb4R0g/s6000/DSC03207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0oXkDyJIwGZDTumiYcNI4RW535fjUC7lzrGpBOA8z3RfEumMJJY7Y5L3zuSAcEggQzCAxlmpkFpS7mJX8UV-NiAdKaAjNM-oNg2ufH5V-ksZiPDKwla03983Mff6D7OflBlr79KD4BjEeTYshZZNQHmfJyCA8nV67zcDbww-ayQe8J6J7cf-zb4R0g/s320/DSC03207.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fritillaria acmopetala</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqeIHrXfbADHCxNsowSPfw1wJgeYo64Sa6czWeedbZNZpBq6TNjnqk4W-SMFQ15_MBhEzcI2FmwTHwFz_HhZyrk80OddGBdDGTgykVYVrc2dSI_hemH3-9B9I2vwIdWTzTOIK1qvNI7jmyxbi8X7MoZ2vew8pLgUviebyaH7ssmSs_AO0R9Wmi43EpHQ/s6000/DSC03211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqeIHrXfbADHCxNsowSPfw1wJgeYo64Sa6czWeedbZNZpBq6TNjnqk4W-SMFQ15_MBhEzcI2FmwTHwFz_HhZyrk80OddGBdDGTgykVYVrc2dSI_hemH3-9B9I2vwIdWTzTOIK1qvNI7jmyxbi8X7MoZ2vew8pLgUviebyaH7ssmSs_AO0R9Wmi43EpHQ/s320/DSC03211.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fritillaria hermonis ssp. amana</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-eHUGNNrjVZYpZ8Bqsw3GaorAxT40EIjW5Rnq2eI_DgeUJLMBGAf29PGgmwf5w1DrND9wxivNhhkMUCyqUpZivdvv07T43zKFj-vLvRHaEkTeU6JI1YzW3RbrCv9AYwFQWxeyJvjQAyHcdxXC58-8hGGlODtX3n4543QqzFRbhXOZDf61sxwxqaFxJQ/s6000/DSC03210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-eHUGNNrjVZYpZ8Bqsw3GaorAxT40EIjW5Rnq2eI_DgeUJLMBGAf29PGgmwf5w1DrND9wxivNhhkMUCyqUpZivdvv07T43zKFj-vLvRHaEkTeU6JI1YzW3RbrCv9AYwFQWxeyJvjQAyHcdxXC58-8hGGlODtX3n4543QqzFRbhXOZDf61sxwxqaFxJQ/s320/DSC03210.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lightly striped form of Fritillaria graeca</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6acfgATDLa4N7QoKUtkD8-lTR_pGKK6F_i6jteMnB22pjBYQ5BDW-oeAgPHDXe5hZyTDqlqFh6uVdROQlcx52YuenlhrYaYwm7aGFX4pFktRePBpV3JP9UqsDGCifq4PDz9VbFF2DVfcnen_hdt92d5JhQvG5zKLUm7UoIRFgJRfOpzVN8gnpQTOxkA/s6000/DSC03215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6acfgATDLa4N7QoKUtkD8-lTR_pGKK6F_i6jteMnB22pjBYQ5BDW-oeAgPHDXe5hZyTDqlqFh6uVdROQlcx52YuenlhrYaYwm7aGFX4pFktRePBpV3JP9UqsDGCifq4PDz9VbFF2DVfcnen_hdt92d5JhQvG5zKLUm7UoIRFgJRfOpzVN8gnpQTOxkA/s320/DSC03215.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Albuca spriralis, one of the first of many Africans will be featuring in the next few months</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNf6CKWmQKfVqSSidGbzYgPf_3Hui_etJrYu83mKFNedvMA2xmfjwPjFkcNc6Qd89wqVPSeEAJDSgyuVdG8mOhthjkXARfebfXABETOd0ASCjnPSUJ2jqXiKl5h_PpCzv6SJ5zbir6XN3bMwWkkSmTVDMsyS7I7raNBfHWTwpTxA6vvlut0TtuhFji9g/s6000/DSC03216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNf6CKWmQKfVqSSidGbzYgPf_3Hui_etJrYu83mKFNedvMA2xmfjwPjFkcNc6Qd89wqVPSeEAJDSgyuVdG8mOhthjkXARfebfXABETOd0ASCjnPSUJ2jqXiKl5h_PpCzv6SJ5zbir6XN3bMwWkkSmTVDMsyS7I7raNBfHWTwpTxA6vvlut0TtuhFji9g/w400-h266/DSC03216.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fritillaria elwesii</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2c2SetWDmiGEXOLpmaqYxLLFGmvbhGAIWGQckc0HN3GGR0hp0tIHzXgrgR-3JZN9kx6oHZxjQAl6T9JkmFuwA5iks9Hp38Ot_RWEeBxuNhc3M68X_KX4Vgfs8jCuMVZCZm1ouMtFCC0pDN8DPhyDDD2Wa_8LU8Wc4Cc-PL3M9BIFz9Vy-mj7zM-d_eQ/s6000/DSC03218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2c2SetWDmiGEXOLpmaqYxLLFGmvbhGAIWGQckc0HN3GGR0hp0tIHzXgrgR-3JZN9kx6oHZxjQAl6T9JkmFuwA5iks9Hp38Ot_RWEeBxuNhc3M68X_KX4Vgfs8jCuMVZCZm1ouMtFCC0pDN8DPhyDDD2Wa_8LU8Wc4Cc-PL3M9BIFz9Vy-mj7zM-d_eQ/s320/DSC03218.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinodoxa forbesii</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieANt0VO50m2Q47zUXHvBVO2Blb1SIFm0rohkgpKVBFT-ZjycncwYzaYAj_oSTDSh6BSmApDG-g-oQxtzpg93V93zNiMXJ7hzimXtPv9BJxFfcCf0rvkNVBzDIVQMyEetATGgP5cAG3yhtaPK7wn1uvyCAbKc3KPVCXCtHBqT0WDT795Rc8c3g7syufA/s6000/DSC03221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieANt0VO50m2Q47zUXHvBVO2Blb1SIFm0rohkgpKVBFT-ZjycncwYzaYAj_oSTDSh6BSmApDG-g-oQxtzpg93V93zNiMXJ7hzimXtPv9BJxFfcCf0rvkNVBzDIVQMyEetATGgP5cAG3yhtaPK7wn1uvyCAbKc3KPVCXCtHBqT0WDT795Rc8c3g7syufA/s320/DSC03221.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pulsatilla's should be a standout in the rock garden in the next week.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhjqXU-DzCn-QIfaJfGF0FmAKosPd2WeFRmReyxKDxAEox2seWE0K8VovB-4UiN4i2qRNU4StlY7Um9ng1sAPv_oOQBrtr1ffKSgrJBuB70Ql1_wQRrwXOE0_JIvsKY4hi3JnO6v5iBQGKVNc4lBqEGAcDzKLnG4bv6QvZUvoJ-kqKI_3Sjrisgy8eQ/s6000/DSC03228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhjqXU-DzCn-QIfaJfGF0FmAKosPd2WeFRmReyxKDxAEox2seWE0K8VovB-4UiN4i2qRNU4StlY7Um9ng1sAPv_oOQBrtr1ffKSgrJBuB70Ql1_wQRrwXOE0_JIvsKY4hi3JnO6v5iBQGKVNc4lBqEGAcDzKLnG4bv6QvZUvoJ-kqKI_3Sjrisgy8eQ/s320/DSC03228.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iris lazica putting on a show on the edge of the shady fern bank</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">I'll be back in a week, hopefully with some new plants to propagate and enrichen our gardens with. </span></span><p></p><p>It's been in the high 50's and low 60's and it looks to touch 70 here next week. Lows have been in the high 30's but it's feeling a bit warmer all the time now and the grass has started to grow in earnest now. </p><p>Cheers, </p><p>Mark</p>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-80055301241136281092022-03-14T11:26:00.003-07:002022-03-14T12:29:55.562-07:00Fritillaria davisii<p><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 19.552px;">“Rise up, warriors, take your stand at one another’s sides, our feet set wide and rooted like oaks in the ground. ‘‘…learn to love death’s ink-black shadow as much as you love the light of dawn. ‘Here is courage, mankind’s finest possession, here is the noblest prize that a young man can endeavor to win.” – Tyrtaeus, Spartan Poet</span></p><p>The Ukranians are fighting like Spartans against a better equipped foe, the People of Russia most of whom didn't ask for war are being crippled by economic sanctions imposed to stop a dictator but being felt hardest I'm sure by the poorest among them. I hope the people of Russia rise up and take down Putin like Khadafi and put an end to this madness that has us teetering on the brink of world war 3. It's hard to sleep much at night realizing what may be coming in the months ahead. If not outright war spilling across the globe, then economic ruin for so many already on the brink. And of course like always, economic boom times for some war profiteers. I guess for distraction, we can take a look at a wildflower that no doubt saw it's share of war and bloodshed through the eons as it evolved to grow in the homeland of the Maniots, a people said to have descended from the ancient Spartans. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEionDDuDQkm48kSM2bvVMQyC-JFg-nTQyD5CUpT0k-0XENiCw5GnbELSaICNnKeWV-FtFubUu44P_a5oracixx7C_N68czTYKrs7d-ZLClg-Xqfk8ZRZ6ckWbPVObJ0Z1DqXqypIclKEM2gg4eUyRMsOw_xD7x9jUj2tdtVteERFlC_EWMuQDwVIQ6LhA=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEionDDuDQkm48kSM2bvVMQyC-JFg-nTQyD5CUpT0k-0XENiCw5GnbELSaICNnKeWV-FtFubUu44P_a5oracixx7C_N68czTYKrs7d-ZLClg-Xqfk8ZRZ6ckWbPVObJ0Z1DqXqypIclKEM2gg4eUyRMsOw_xD7x9jUj2tdtVteERFlC_EWMuQDwVIQ6LhA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Fritillaria davisii is one of the best short statured, brown flowered species out there. I have grown it for years in a raised bed, exposed to all the elements of an Oregon Winter and Spring, it doesn't balk from copious amounts of winter moisture and the dry summers of the raised pumice and sand bed didn't seem to bother it at all. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvZ22kHuUFgN_CflmNcrv-RNrmbxtY-q9X35VPjJMw4rwl5VIpfrfGe7DKSDu-7z3uTzO9W8ne7kZTwqaAbgwt1HDZta6I7o_R7BdqnJgstYosizTNFejW_cNF2cFB9oM-kwO_pkZYUu_PSz4yCqEvtFxOvPjj6iZuu9wdE0MzmjSYmYSrsxe72sSmEw=s1206" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1206" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvZ22kHuUFgN_CflmNcrv-RNrmbxtY-q9X35VPjJMw4rwl5VIpfrfGe7DKSDu-7z3uTzO9W8ne7kZTwqaAbgwt1HDZta6I7o_R7BdqnJgstYosizTNFejW_cNF2cFB9oM-kwO_pkZYUu_PSz4yCqEvtFxOvPjj6iZuu9wdE0MzmjSYmYSrsxe72sSmEw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>One of it's most enduring characteristics is the way the faint yellow markings show through the tips, if you catch it backlight against a sunset the yellow lights up to give it an internal glow. </p><p>C.H. Grey makes no reference to this species, as it was probably lumped in with F. graeca at the time he wrote the three volume set. It hails from the Mani Penninsula, a rocky, jutting appendage extending south from the Pelopennese into the Medditeranean sea, where it grows along the edges of fields and olive orchards. </p><p>Lot's of stuff blooming in the cold greenhouse now and a few things budded up in the garden and the raised beds. I'm hoping to have more time to post in the next few months as some exciting expansion projects are underway at illahe nursery and gardens. Stay tuned!</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark</p><p><br /><br /></p><br />mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-18481240079295770712022-03-08T12:27:00.001-08:002022-03-08T12:39:06.973-08:00War<p> "I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity" D. Eisenhower.</p><p><br /></p><p>War has come again to Europe. I don't want to be writing about this. I want to be profiling flowers and posting about the weather. But this is my garden journal and right now as the worlds military superpowers play a game of chicken with a madman, it seems worth a mention. I actually want to challenge the quote above. The soldier may have willingly signed up for it, the soldier gets to carry a gun or drive a tank through it, the soldier gets to wear armor and be afforded at least some protection like a bunker or a concrete pillbox, the soldier gets to fling missiles and mortar shells from miles away and kill with impunity. </p><p>I imagine a revised version of that quote where it states "I hate war as only a refugee displaced by it's brutality, it's futility and it's stupidity can". One day you are living your life as a free person, trying to eek out an existence on this planet and the next you are fleeing for your life as the war machine comes to separate your flesh from bone. For what? </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxQ3NZfL-1iToIYT9Xtsu5G350QJrkpeRBpgvMUmbFlGmOmqy_QFj9gW8X_kYE0zipmNpQubf0NsicqjlkEsTj0B9SRSU5ra0w07F38qhbEZp3nGtQe1Kw4gZeAdesmv_I8MTp3zEvNck7kAapP906ScvI74KTKq4SX8ydqeh-B5xt8kmRtmB7RXx-fw=s604" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="492" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxQ3NZfL-1iToIYT9Xtsu5G350QJrkpeRBpgvMUmbFlGmOmqy_QFj9gW8X_kYE0zipmNpQubf0NsicqjlkEsTj0B9SRSU5ra0w07F38qhbEZp3nGtQe1Kw4gZeAdesmv_I8MTp3zEvNck7kAapP906ScvI74KTKq4SX8ydqeh-B5xt8kmRtmB7RXx-fw=w326-h400" width="326" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">My Dad was borne in China while his family fled Ukraine some 70 plus years ago. </span>That's my Grandpa and Grandma and my Dad, Uncle and Aunt. After fleeing the ravages of war and Stalins Purges.They walked clear across Central Asia and China to try to find Freedom. <br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Do we learn nothing from history? Here we are within a lifetime of Hitler's atrocities and Stalin's purges and we are right back where it all started, imposing crippling economic sanctions designed to stop war from ever happening after that war to end all wars...... Read your history books to find out what happened with that strategy. I don't have answers to this madness. Part of me thinks the reason my own government has taxed me nearly to death my entire life was so that we could build a war machine strong enough to stand up to the senseless terror and threats to democracy around the world and we should use the full force of it.<div><br /></div><div> Part of me has a deeply ingrained pacifist root that says "there are causes worth dying for, but none worth killing for" <br /><p>The remaining part of me, tries really hard to put myself in those 2 million plus pairs of shoes who have crowded train stations, walked on foot and through mud filled fields and across miles to escape the war that was thrust on them for no reason. Where would I go? If my peaceful little vinyard and christmas tree laden neighborhood was being carved into trenches and tanks were rolling down the old gravel roads, where would I go? If you suddenly had to pack it all up and flee where would you head? Would your conscience allow you to go to another country? Knowing that for the past 4 years here in the land of freedom and opportunity for the yearning masses, so many people frothed madly at the mouth while screaming "Build the Wall", where would you go? Would that country accept you? Or would they turn us away with barriers of concrete and barbed wire. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhKnzvuerP8j5HMXm5_QxbQFYx5Z7-G37rcL8Fxej5dV4K3N_C64kiFYlfVWPgaJNBpY1E68I5xk03-rGpWBuZIOB--raPBX4IDHvS6XOJB2YOYg9FMZ2hb7QzTEQNep5E6f2cGGJKsrTevHMrwb3yMUkrYDz9qe70rJe4GhsrZ9QvXkYmVMus9QXwU8A=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhKnzvuerP8j5HMXm5_QxbQFYx5Z7-G37rcL8Fxej5dV4K3N_C64kiFYlfVWPgaJNBpY1E68I5xk03-rGpWBuZIOB--raPBX4IDHvS6XOJB2YOYg9FMZ2hb7QzTEQNep5E6f2cGGJKsrTevHMrwb3yMUkrYDz9qe70rJe4GhsrZ9QvXkYmVMus9QXwU8A=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm half Ukranian, the other half is about as American as apple pie, but they too immigrated here. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh45ZvdB5KOjQ7mMuIo1OG1W-GegOtMCZOO1AN7hraIfN1USXwLFqgYVOriP3zzhqp2M4nLaiI7CVl6b4_-BDZwVmBLBW1C6Ixne4inB3NuxwC4WNkfk-8fbi7bNa2mhc1Qa8Iq0tX1xBNbEzQyderwPxCWo6dej9h-b8j-bv2t0XMLxujp8ryp0rjmJA=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh45ZvdB5KOjQ7mMuIo1OG1W-GegOtMCZOO1AN7hraIfN1USXwLFqgYVOriP3zzhqp2M4nLaiI7CVl6b4_-BDZwVmBLBW1C6Ixne4inB3NuxwC4WNkfk-8fbi7bNa2mhc1Qa8Iq0tX1xBNbEzQyderwPxCWo6dej9h-b8j-bv2t0XMLxujp8ryp0rjmJA=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can't do much more here than put my thoughts up and some flowers that remind me of the Ukranian flag. </td></tr></tbody></table><br />Both sides of my family made it to America as refugees. This country was founded on that principle if you make it here we will take you in and give you the opportunity to make a better life. This country will tax the living daylights out of you, but in exchange our military will protect the freedoms and principles that make it great. </div><div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGuggeUbSlasj0L4q3Mi8fPov3YBC1-cPlfkfX6a9k-rdK6mV6WX4i5Ruv1dGZMqtEYovrtwmnq6KMyqvdZ4MwSdq2lkG5kuvmZ13YeTYn4rrLQ3yOxj0EYFnLrJkcMPAO12xkQ-9lzgD2sP5T8BjspympLLwtxqV4vYRVTE4bW4f-2nGaFLXejx-X0g=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGuggeUbSlasj0L4q3Mi8fPov3YBC1-cPlfkfX6a9k-rdK6mV6WX4i5Ruv1dGZMqtEYovrtwmnq6KMyqvdZ4MwSdq2lkG5kuvmZ13YeTYn4rrLQ3yOxj0EYFnLrJkcMPAO12xkQ-9lzgD2sP5T8BjspympLLwtxqV4vYRVTE4bW4f-2nGaFLXejx-X0g=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I lost it emotionally the other day as I watched a father crying over the body of his 16 year old child who was killed in the shelling of a neighborhood. A few weeks ago that was a family just going about there business peacefully on this planet, A 16 year old with his life ahead of him. War has no place in a modern society. Duke it out with your cyber threats and economic punishments, but let the people live. We all only get such a short time here to exist. I can't even imagine what I would do or become if my daughter was taken away from me by such a senseless act of aggression. </div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I'll tell you one thing, if anyone in America thinks they are putting the White Supremicist, Putin apologizing, Fascist, Criminal and Nazi that is Trump back in power in this country. You may see me lay down my pacifist ideology long enough to test the theory that "There are causes worth dying for, but none worth killing for"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Solidarity for Ukraine.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-17477042554422845202022-02-23T16:19:00.002-08:002022-02-23T16:19:27.113-08:00Fritillaria pudica<p> "It is one of the most delightful of all spring flowering bulbs, and should be planted in colonies in every sunny, well drained gritty rock garden."</p><p><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> C.H. Grey</span><br /></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhy4_oOecewiTB77_zkTgFMEmf6B85uJyA9xdffXA1_ARtFIi56hXUriW_kZQMotcFgG0QiF72sWXVwEnhz3LDyY6n32ucJ5HXRVVYW7cVn0T7IDPrRzjtnSjFtaX6by_Whz22R8k-pU4006cvYKzHNdvF5BbsXbs3BZSVkjDvTmnCkNWd40oCBTq6CJg=s6000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhy4_oOecewiTB77_zkTgFMEmf6B85uJyA9xdffXA1_ARtFIi56hXUriW_kZQMotcFgG0QiF72sWXVwEnhz3LDyY6n32ucJ5HXRVVYW7cVn0T7IDPrRzjtnSjFtaX6by_Whz22R8k-pU4006cvYKzHNdvF5BbsXbs3BZSVkjDvTmnCkNWd40oCBTq6CJg=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fritillaria pudica</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I couldn't agree more with Mr. Grey more about his statement above. This is a special little flower to me and I have written about it extensively. You can search the Clone Wars and the Golden Bells of the Sahaptin land to read more about it. I really just needed a foil to talk about the weather and the masses of these little golden thimbles in the greenhouse on a chilly February day provided that foil. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjC0eO_2gAjJmUBRYaVM8K4P10-Ql1DqazpFmNi63Hp12OlAE7UB7OtF0vLOhxjbAc7jhnv2gZcNZEcF5RLWBN8FSwsiS7zOkQLaghho4wHysfC84-tkeuH-XjGP2IuuhBLoMllEQynn0978wV8f0Jz3jvu4CnHYvr0wscmLAtdWWqNLrUCq3NQwBflDg=s6000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjC0eO_2gAjJmUBRYaVM8K4P10-Ql1DqazpFmNi63Hp12OlAE7UB7OtF0vLOhxjbAc7jhnv2gZcNZEcF5RLWBN8FSwsiS7zOkQLaghho4wHysfC84-tkeuH-XjGP2IuuhBLoMllEQynn0978wV8f0Jz3jvu4CnHYvr0wscmLAtdWWqNLrUCq3NQwBflDg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizaULsUn-3Scv51O_ioUlYPNpgQq1P7fEpOPfIrKOAk_uaXdQGHJkLSHKeZ481PzzT_qarVInJpnkhf86Hht3VkzVswph6zCZyQDODXaca_KFdTOkQdV_YHjgghGVfHkGy40M7HZN8D2tV3y3lDJOo3bp6wNmui95T90qPd3bkWDLPVHN0ldIZAiuAgQ=s6000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizaULsUn-3Scv51O_ioUlYPNpgQq1P7fEpOPfIrKOAk_uaXdQGHJkLSHKeZ481PzzT_qarVInJpnkhf86Hht3VkzVswph6zCZyQDODXaca_KFdTOkQdV_YHjgghGVfHkGy40M7HZN8D2tV3y3lDJOo3bp6wNmui95T90qPd3bkWDLPVHN0ldIZAiuAgQ=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">F. pudica 'Richard Britten' just emerging <br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">It was 19 degrees this morning, pretty chilly for a late February morning after a few weeks of mild temps, remember we had 68 degrees about 10 days ago and that pushed a lot of stuff into growth. I believe the weatherman was saying the low temps could be record setting, of course the last few weeks high temperatures were record setting as well. Does it bother anyone else that we set a new record every couple of weeks now? For a plantsman, setting high temperature records and low temperature records within a week or so of each other will certainly keep you on your toes. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hopefully this little post of sunny, golden bells finds you warm and well. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Mark Akimoff</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-31824472904279754102022-02-18T11:12:00.002-08:002022-02-18T11:12:23.961-08:00Fritillaria raddeana<p>The Dwarf Crown Imperial is one of the first of the Fritillaria to bloom in the open garden for me. It's a magnificent plant that seems to be pretty diehard. In fact the greenhouse grown specimens are actually behind the open garden specimens in terms of phenology. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwqragOE8TUe1IWEeErKJJLghEd4ec3nGDxFqQ1NfMPnqWMcwfsBV8uODGiVDnjj9W4hn9A-ahtOoRrf5cqIKk-r_S4ZpahbTKKYiEHwJyYm1ye42_KEB9cs-ErhvQiI4fCcXtnXUQHT6cZRrzo3YqHCaoGUu-4A4oOWoODyIMTS96JWaW00aC3CuMsA=s6000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwqragOE8TUe1IWEeErKJJLghEd4ec3nGDxFqQ1NfMPnqWMcwfsBV8uODGiVDnjj9W4hn9A-ahtOoRrf5cqIKk-r_S4ZpahbTKKYiEHwJyYm1ye42_KEB9cs-ErhvQiI4fCcXtnXUQHT6cZRrzo3YqHCaoGUu-4A4oOWoODyIMTS96JWaW00aC3CuMsA=w266-h400" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fritillaria raddeana blooming in a whiskey barrel by the carport.<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Charles Hervey Grey, in the 1938 "Hardy Bulbs" had this to say about it: "A native of Turkestan, near Chodoscha-Kali-bami, collected by Dr. Radde in 1886.......It flowers in May, I do not understand why it should never have been introduced into cultivation in Great Britain, as Regel writes that it was established in pots at St. Petersburg in 1889."<br /><p>I've never understood the flowering in May, since it's always in bloom in Feburary here as a long as I have had it. Perhaps the St. Petersberg winters leave it dormant for much longer. I do think Mr. Radde deserves a mention here as he was quite the naturalist and certainly his namesake Fritillaria does not dissapoint.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmBRp-3DeN5ZVcR0JjZylFXX0JbCjlhb6AinQUHIKepVCEn4C9w7roa7k60Si9PY6RjJ_7pb_muLeg29cyJutsvN_IZ1Q9u9lIhcVfUIx3AhJifUupjbalcOXKR-6QdpMKkgwAxnB7v-wGWo83VJvN4eNs2ibf1gNdf43nuCHmWXVNIRhdUF4U1ViV3Q=s398" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="201" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmBRp-3DeN5ZVcR0JjZylFXX0JbCjlhb6AinQUHIKepVCEn4C9w7roa7k60Si9PY6RjJ_7pb_muLeg29cyJutsvN_IZ1Q9u9lIhcVfUIx3AhJifUupjbalcOXKR-6QdpMKkgwAxnB7v-wGWo83VJvN4eNs2ibf1gNdf43nuCHmWXVNIRhdUF4U1ViV3Q=w203-h400" width="203" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gustav Radde 1831-1903</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Radde was the German borne son of a schoolmaster, who had little education and started into a career as an apothecary, before he became interested in natural history and left for a life of and adventuring naturalist. He followed the swiss botanist, Christian Von Steven on travels throughout Crimea where they described Birds, Insects and many flowers. You can tell by Gustave Radde's picture that he was not one to sit around dusty libraries studying prose. He traveled in India, around the Black Sea, North Africa, Siberia, Japan in addition to Crimea. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwQfDyao_Fpm-g6eaB4OwAxtkHd_yWk-eUAVYcSDZz73O8Ed9p1CZxCVMz833cj6wwllQH5pXU7P9vdXID9lraL3HCsLnxt4Ueg3m5e_N6Ydmh_WuVIRW2QFMnaw4VrYWWLZ9QxJu1y93WPjNclGrIpNUlVXZuXlv6_6Y6a0kSl_MB2d3r9u-2-7L62g=s1406" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="1406" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwQfDyao_Fpm-g6eaB4OwAxtkHd_yWk-eUAVYcSDZz73O8Ed9p1CZxCVMz833cj6wwllQH5pXU7P9vdXID9lraL3HCsLnxt4Ueg3m5e_N6Ydmh_WuVIRW2QFMnaw4VrYWWLZ9QxJu1y93WPjNclGrIpNUlVXZuXlv6_6Y6a0kSl_MB2d3r9u-2-7L62g=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greenhouse grown specimen has softer yellow coloring, the garden grown get a bit of a bronze blush that looks quite attractive. </td></tr></tbody></table><p>This is one of those plants that is increasingly rare in it's native habitat, an interesting read that sheds some light on the above mentioned phenology can be read online: </p><p><b>Life Cycle and Phenological Growth Stages in Endangered Fritillaria
raddeana Regel Using BBCH Scale in Its Natural Habitat, Northern
Khorasan Province, Iran</b> </p><p>Sajad Alipour A, Ali Tehranifar B*, Mahmoud Shoor C
, Leila Samiei D, Homayoun Farahmand E
A Ph.D. in Ornamental Plants, Department of Horticultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of
Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran</p><p>Fritillaria raddeana is said to be medicinal, "According to
traditional descriptions, Fritillaria is slightly cold, and affects
the lungs (to clear heat and moisten dryness, and used for
hot-type bronchitis with dry cough) and the heart (to calm
heart fire). Fritillaria is also used for treating lumps beneath
the skin, such as scrofulous swellings and breast lumps. Zhe
Bei Mu is often used for the treatment of lumps, and the
moistening property attributed to Chuan Bei Mu is not needed. It has been adopted into some Chinese herb formulas for
treating cancers. Different Fritillaria species possess
different chemical profiles, and may have different pharmacological effects."</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhkDo5qMdYG6M96j6AVz66mrXXPM_JdOU6aLamOZwkZxdt_CSsu4i85G485tkCoRjoVbUaRKS1OEIdlXIjqzWkByLM_jkPrSk8lGKZE-t0lfbmhLMlEvUwyZuarW8aI2M0CpsGLcuoBiuqC-rdH0c-m8F-f0kx8cjLRA9Ov71kk7UUK_Jo8eeMaNcclg=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhkDo5qMdYG6M96j6AVz66mrXXPM_JdOU6aLamOZwkZxdt_CSsu4i85G485tkCoRjoVbUaRKS1OEIdlXIjqzWkByLM_jkPrSk8lGKZE-t0lfbmhLMlEvUwyZuarW8aI2M0CpsGLcuoBiuqC-rdH0c-m8F-f0kx8cjLRA9Ov71kk7UUK_Jo8eeMaNcclg=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Epic sunset on the garden as we go into spring. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Not to always take a simple plant profile back to politics, but as we sit on the verge of the biggest ground war in Europe with Russia threatening to obliterate Crimea and probably draw the world into a Tom Clancy like dystopian novel, It's hard to not look back at that picture of Gustave Radde and wonder what his travels through Crimea must have been like and if the gun was for putting specimens of birds into collection bags or if it was for personal protection. <div><br /></div><div>Foggy and 35 this morning, but sunny skies are predicted for the afternoon. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cheers, </div><div><br />Mark<br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-24573823136067965372022-02-11T09:45:00.004-08:002022-02-18T10:21:33.113-08:00The Asphodel Meadows<p> "Your voice is your identity, if you don't use it you are halfway to Asphodel"</p><p><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> Rick Riordan</span><br /></p><p>If every religion had a place for plain ole ordinary people, who were neither good nor bad, not remarkable or noteworthy, not on one side or the other, what would the world be like? </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnDP-GV38bjRAZ9yb1TxHIdvvX2qJ169yW7hYJt3p82MIVo8gxrOOTX06kukJCuzd1DkDR0oqvNoujkumUHQb5R4TICpKokiBv_jZ20e7wCvqoZ8o0car-MXNSZ3fD7LoDbXxq9J7zcmg2qTGCxmY23MwZ_dTLXhFvof2LrwrBfLsS4UhtjSh1Wk-6Lg=s6000" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnDP-GV38bjRAZ9yb1TxHIdvvX2qJ169yW7hYJt3p82MIVo8gxrOOTX06kukJCuzd1DkDR0oqvNoujkumUHQb5R4TICpKokiBv_jZ20e7wCvqoZ8o0car-MXNSZ3fD7LoDbXxq9J7zcmg2qTGCxmY23MwZ_dTLXhFvof2LrwrBfLsS4UhtjSh1Wk-6Lg=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Asphodelus acaulis <br />blooming in the Cold Greenhouse</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The Greeks had such a place, a crowded plain of utter nuetrality that based on your interpretation of it was either a somewhat hellish reality of everyday monotony, and a robot like existence or it was just a fine place to spend eternity, in a glorious meadow of fragrant flowers, banked by a river that once it's waters were sampled you would forget everything of your mortal life with it's pain and suffering. It's been said that the traffic to this hell for the routine and ordinary is the most trafficked in the underworld. So much traffic that the famed engineer Daedalus, was conscripted to build highways and bridges to hasten the masses along that line up to enter the meadows after a life of no repute. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIYGbJMK1C9JT7uLoepNwZY3gDivsifSOxH2pQMjplCfGMV1NKdhif-Gbd69cqb8Sepngt1OBYdw1PZGS5-fDwDvebHowbDpO0hnlSySkfdLfkaT2nTCjbawDSGAIpcFJOjU8KZbvo4pA1mu7uVhKw1xEDgm4ocoI6rZEoMChpskxN6eqQaJ7GtKNXMQ=s6000" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIYGbJMK1C9JT7uLoepNwZY3gDivsifSOxH2pQMjplCfGMV1NKdhif-Gbd69cqb8Sepngt1OBYdw1PZGS5-fDwDvebHowbDpO0hnlSySkfdLfkaT2nTCjbawDSGAIpcFJOjU8KZbvo4pA1mu7uVhKw1xEDgm4ocoI6rZEoMChpskxN6eqQaJ7GtKNXMQ=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jane McGary gifted me this wonderful plant and it's a delight to see in bloom</td></tr></tbody></table><p>From the Mountains of Algeria and Morrocco the low growing, basal rossettes of Asphodelus acaulis give birth to starry pink flowers, with a prominent dark stripe down the perianth. I only have a small specimen, but I've delighted to see ants swarming the flowers as soon as they are open, and if I don't snap a picture they look to be pollinated and almost instantly the tepals start to curl around and the pedicel lengthens and curves downward to plant the seed if there is any. It seems to have a form of geocarpy like a peanut planting itself after fertilization in this manner. I hope to find seed on this as I would love to propagate it. It's a plant for dry summers and with our increasingly dry winters, maybe even a spot in the rock garden. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2EhI66YmMszxl4pb2UoOv3ZtIFR6I6DM3Moct-_v-Fp9-2_FRj485VAkRJ-Syt_9trW9N71y36-g5X1sdVmNccIJmarWfCkzV9Ot1aWxEHGq0k79exBoFsTZOaDUENSDbQqRrJqU62fZ7nDLhM9NAQTM9NGT8iC3g7T46BRBZLH0L7kBVgoDr-djxZw=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2EhI66YmMszxl4pb2UoOv3ZtIFR6I6DM3Moct-_v-Fp9-2_FRj485VAkRJ-Syt_9trW9N71y36-g5X1sdVmNccIJmarWfCkzV9Ot1aWxEHGq0k79exBoFsTZOaDUENSDbQqRrJqU62fZ7nDLhM9NAQTM9NGT8iC3g7T46BRBZLH0L7kBVgoDr-djxZw=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the ants pollinating and the pedicels of flowers curving strongly down toward the soil. <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>I love the Rick Riordan quote because it's so true, your voice is something you can use as a tool to rise above and be something different. For many of us, it might be all we have but we should use it. I've tried to use this blog to rail against injustice, against facism and to warn of the impending doom of climate change. I don't want to be a fence rider on the way to oridinary, I want to do things that matter and try to achieve better if not excellent in what I do. It probably goes against some maxim of advertising to use your catalog of flowers as a soap box, but if I can do anything about it I'm going to avoid spending forever in the company of the plain and ordinary. <div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigNKb_i0xxGpz8rLurgvZbVf6DRQ9yPAKqVVLBQg2p2q18vtXiJM9iJA7sZNTFwYV5caA4j3xf3yGzoakQsY3uQSy8xVeXCSgNp0Z73Ab5Zq9gRT6WlZKy6QR0Iwg6drOlo9IRz50B4n0-44yv3W_C4EfDCt_JKisgzgcHwknSR4NmWEZLtfuHW0dXJQ=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigNKb_i0xxGpz8rLurgvZbVf6DRQ9yPAKqVVLBQg2p2q18vtXiJM9iJA7sZNTFwYV5caA4j3xf3yGzoakQsY3uQSy8xVeXCSgNp0Z73Ab5Zq9gRT6WlZKy6QR0Iwg6drOlo9IRz50B4n0-44yv3W_C4EfDCt_JKisgzgcHwknSR4NmWEZLtfuHW0dXJQ=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I want to see more than one flower open at time, but as soon as the ants find it it's over and done.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Many scholars have postulated that the Asphodel Meadows were"invented" to keep militarism alive and well in a culture that was increasingly becoming educated and aware. If we take up arms we might achieve to reach the Elysium, the forever place paradise for heroes and achievers. Instead of a mundane forever after in a place of wonted existence. For whatever reason, they were invented, the Asphodel Meadows seem to me like a dire warning against complacency and normality, and taking the often well laid out path of the most traveled. Something I hope to avoid as I've now been delving into the next chapters of this book of life. Mark Twain said it best "Heaven for the Climate, hell for the Company" </div><div><br /></div><div>Playing it safe will get you nowhere. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's been foggy in the mornings, bit if it's burned off it has gotten into the high 50's. I think today it's supposed to top 60 when the clouds burn off. Frightening given that it hasn't rained in almost two weeks now. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cheers, </div><div>Mark</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><p><br /></p><br /><p><br /></p></div>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-77659779271481851012022-02-04T09:37:00.003-08:002022-02-04T09:37:32.731-08:00Binomials"Fate is always against great things" <div><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span> Carl Linnaeus</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Where would we be if Carl Linnaeus hadn't given us the latin binomial system? Well I guess the term would just be something I had to learn in algebra and promptly forgotten. If I get asked if I speak a different language, I sometimes stammer out nemnoga, or un poco depending on the situation. But really when you think about it, rattling off genus and species on a walk around the garden or through the greehnhouse is speaking a language and sometimes I feel like I know it a bit better than the english version with all it's predicate adjectives and linking verbs to get to the point. </div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizcAbUDLCd8nvzvShYqFV0yON60nbsZZ9qJUZ00B3SeWj_JayUcx1r5kbpnvreZs-Yt9aXoqtbUUVPKzOxXqzqlHplMkczw8VBGXPNQsueLCoh2lXgpP0wi4im1UmbfI1kofojmlHYZeFNMc0Eg_6EdWoIo0my-Z7irk6sPn-VZ5-tcR5VhUONaDEu9A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizcAbUDLCd8nvzvShYqFV0yON60nbsZZ9qJUZ00B3SeWj_JayUcx1r5kbpnvreZs-Yt9aXoqtbUUVPKzOxXqzqlHplMkczw8VBGXPNQsueLCoh2lXgpP0wi4im1UmbfI1kofojmlHYZeFNMc0Eg_6EdWoIo0my-Z7irk6sPn-VZ5-tcR5VhUONaDEu9A" width="159" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carl von Linneaus</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I give Linnaeus props, he not only created his own system of science, essentially creating a language that I can understand. But when the beautiful genus Morae was named in honor of the English botanist Robert More, Linnaeus had the balls to change the spelling to Moraea as it was his wifes maiden name.</div><div><br /></div><div> Linnaeus seems to have led a pretty good life, following the flowers, living the dream, He went plant exploring extensively, he curated a few different botanical gardens in his lifetime, taught botany, founded the royal academy, took a job as a professor of medicine but decided he liked the garden better so made himself the director of the University Botanical Garden finishing his career as the president, publishes the Species plantarum, essentially a monograph of every described plant in the world in the 1750's. Retires and the king makes him a Knight. What a life!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9J4A7jgGV0t30VIWDx1BtNy8N6HyWF_GppEadd34Hm9UH5ONaNez0XKv9UMEwRO7cS5piXDpi5Fz9sKfD-syEpEBeQx4198h6_1Ih_DlgE2U4AI1x2UWJ0gInL9gyOMzhWZiIuIdRA7Wjpum8sAipWQO8RGMR_HPs1le4mtf_KZHfCvg2zATkP3zkXQ=s4792" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3829" data-original-width="4792" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9J4A7jgGV0t30VIWDx1BtNy8N6HyWF_GppEadd34Hm9UH5ONaNez0XKv9UMEwRO7cS5piXDpi5Fz9sKfD-syEpEBeQx4198h6_1Ih_DlgE2U4AI1x2UWJ0gInL9gyOMzhWZiIuIdRA7Wjpum8sAipWQO8RGMR_HPs1le4mtf_KZHfCvg2zATkP3zkXQ=w400-h320" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iris reticulata</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The Iris are starting in now, here is a little phenology chart for the last three months in case you are planning a winter show sometime:</div><div><br /></div><div>December:</div><div>Iris planifolia</div><div>January:</div><div> Iris aucheri 'indigo' </div><div>February:</div><div>Iris reticulata</div><div>Iris hyrcana 'Talish'</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVmeHr1etS5_bH_F5E5jQAGcyhqKLA48vvDl65h74x22gOwWut3MR6q3-_b85O12gwsj17bvC-8rPODQdLz_ioi-fTafMDi3mngFCiGnmDVA73FxBZxRjX3FQpOjqjiBNxSxYcfTxG0fdmxqMwjYI3MNnjeV_LsFEJMfiUPpHVszVyanRQK93-sv1TGw=s4218" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3801" data-original-width="4218" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVmeHr1etS5_bH_F5E5jQAGcyhqKLA48vvDl65h74x22gOwWut3MR6q3-_b85O12gwsj17bvC-8rPODQdLz_ioi-fTafMDi3mngFCiGnmDVA73FxBZxRjX3FQpOjqjiBNxSxYcfTxG0fdmxqMwjYI3MNnjeV_LsFEJMfiUPpHVszVyanRQK93-sv1TGw=w400-h360" width="400" /></a></div><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span>Iris hyrcana 'Talish'</span><br /><div><br /></div><div>Linneaus realized that people couldn't really understand plants if everyone was speaking a different language. Of course Linnaeus named the genus Iris for the Greek goddess who carried messages down from Mt. Olympus on a Rainbow. I mean come on, what's not to like about a guy who thought that was a good way to name plants? Creating a language is not something trifle, describing every known plant at the time a pretty big task, but calling the Iris an Iris, well that's just brilliant. </div><div><br /></div><div>Language is so important because as I've come to observe, the digital age has made us all really bad at communication. In this day of emails, texts, awkward pauses and interruptions on teams and zoom and emojis, it can be hard to pick up what inflection someone is trying to get across. For someone who relishes his hands in the dirt, his head in the sun, and whose best times have been spent pulling weeds in many a fine garden, spending this past year behind a computer screen trying to learn a whole new digital language, in a pandemic, navigating the "empty nest", and generally trying to fumble my way through a remote office culture. It has made me realize that life is really pretty short and chasing dreams is something that we should never give up. I read about people like Linnaeus who kept moving through life to get to where they found happiness. If you don't like being a professor of medicine, go be a director of the botanical garden! That should be life's mantra. Clearly he was smart enough to do either, and driven enough to make it happen. You can tell from the quote penned at the beginning it probably didn't come easy, but then again nothing great ever does. I like that there is some humility there. You don't become the inventor of a language and the father of taxonomy overnight. In reading some of his biography, the guy never stopped moving. It's too easy to throw out quotes but the best one here is the rolling stone gathers no moss.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well I'm off to chase some rainbows as it looks like the bulk of the Juno section is trying to get above ground now. Despite what the groundhog said it's definitely Spring in the illahe, strap in for some fast and furious blogging because the flowers have returned. </div><div><br /></div><div>Dense fog and 34 this morning but the afternoon promises sunshine should it burn off. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cheers, </div><div><br />Mark</div>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4575811041699863624.post-53973968317883561172022-01-25T15:41:00.001-08:002022-01-25T15:41:21.313-08:00Indigo Iris and the small measurement of success"Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds."
Orison Swett Marden. <div><br /></div><div> There are so many quotes out there on success it's hard to find one that really captures the concept, I think this one is a good one. Written by the grandfather of personal help books nonetheless. I like this one because it does break it down to reflect the level at which you start. The Billionaires progeny who is given a fortune and quickly doubles it is a success, but so too is the immigrant who arrives with nothing and soon toils themselves into a middleclass existence with home in the suburbs in a good school district with a shopping mall close by. Clearly both are successful but one should be measured as an achievement far greater than the other.
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIof26q481po5qIRlD4938OWOg1khzTy79XT8ymmfr6NiZw7OU3gi5SvaWrejlcCUYv4qAIz35JxewMMIyDQOxZFWhKXkBpde34JVsrtNbngHSVqzRol1wtNDD6y8L7z-BZPSYXyqdVnMDbajUXXahAjT0yJX7paZWj-1rUHfJr2DXeFKB06a-OGUH9g=s6000" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIof26q481po5qIRlD4938OWOg1khzTy79XT8ymmfr6NiZw7OU3gi5SvaWrejlcCUYv4qAIz35JxewMMIyDQOxZFWhKXkBpde34JVsrtNbngHSVqzRol1wtNDD6y8L7z-BZPSYXyqdVnMDbajUXXahAjT0yJX7paZWj-1rUHfJr2DXeFKB06a-OGUH9g=s400" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iris aucheri 'Indigo' blooming in the Greenhouse in Late January.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The same rules as above seem to apply to plants. The person who starts with a six pack tray of Color Wave Petunia's in April and ends the summer with a glorious carpet of pink has achieved success. So too has the grower who started with a seed packet of a rare treasure, perhaps collected on a mt. pass in some far off land, they researched and studied its cultural requirements, mixed a handful of peat, with some stony grit and pumice to the loam to achieve a soil similar to the native soil, they watered it carefully. Tended it through the seedling stage and watched as it matured, protected it from slugs and pathogens and found the right place for it in the garden where the exposure to sunlight and rain would give it the best chances for survival. When the bloom finally comes maybe some 7 years later in the case of many of our bulbs, the grower has achieved success. They are both successful but they are not the same. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhool-SaLLYrnESnm03-AshWfow9idFxW2C0XjwA8lfYb85bjjf_WwNkLoDKpZjs_5sDpepoNAfNOM6XPE2KOufKtsVm4YQrAI2Nzzbx7LhGxkxdQ7Uz8UN-BXTeBfMD1jl9sY3fNmAw4P4AeUql4F11n8EecRXHimqOK5NSDbpAJXpBR0Ztgj8uQp4vg=s6000" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhool-SaLLYrnESnm03-AshWfow9idFxW2C0XjwA8lfYb85bjjf_WwNkLoDKpZjs_5sDpepoNAfNOM6XPE2KOufKtsVm4YQrAI2Nzzbx7LhGxkxdQ7Uz8UN-BXTeBfMD1jl9sY3fNmAw4P4AeUql4F11n8EecRXHimqOK5NSDbpAJXpBR0Ztgj8uQp4vg=s400" width="400" /></a></div></div>Crocus angustifolius 'Cloth of Gold'<br />To me this looks as good with the buds closed as it does open on a sunny day. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I've been going through the motions of trying to dodge a mid-life crisis, and thinking a lot about success. The measurement of it seems to weigh heavy on me as I ponder half a life raising a family, building a career, accumulating the things in life that most people measure success by, IRA's and automobiles, Stock's and boats, real estate and awards. I was telling my daughter about how some people go through life with one job, maybe climbing the ladder to ultimately get to that corner office and managerial position and they never left the same office building. I've had a lot of different jobs and by the measurement of overcoming "opposition and struggling against overwhelming odds" I feel I have been successful at them all. But of course, society measures success differently than Mr. Marden does, it's really those that get to that corner office that are considered to be the successful ones. In reality, look at the fed ex delivery driver out on a sunny day cruising around the neighborhood bringing joy to the customers they serve. That's a success, measured with much less obstacles and odds to overcome. The career built trying to achieve something meaningful can feel oh so empty without a sense of purpose or an engaging reason to get up and go make donuts, or widgets or deliver subsidies. Perhaps, the success in that might lie in the avoidance of obstacles, and the dodging of opposition. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxbXQ5oHcmVnT7xJRbgsLOxXCOaBTmVmY2ijGnggmIklNIE-aXh-_0z6u9KY1kGGXwuUgUL1oiPRARbljSsvEy_7_beu-Wa6Re-12BXZlbgrmqhdct5InprrdR_CNQDUeIF87uLrV6dwXRnKtkHaILa2PYuS_55fToJDV6Upw6qHDE4gMczPerQ06O8w=s6000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxbXQ5oHcmVnT7xJRbgsLOxXCOaBTmVmY2ijGnggmIklNIE-aXh-_0z6u9KY1kGGXwuUgUL1oiPRARbljSsvEy_7_beu-Wa6Re-12BXZlbgrmqhdct5InprrdR_CNQDUeIF87uLrV6dwXRnKtkHaILa2PYuS_55fToJDV6Upw6qHDE4gMczPerQ06O8w=s320" width="213" /></a></div>Fritillaria raddeana in bud outside the old farmhouse at Illahe.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The last few years I have really tried to separate the career from the ball and chain that pays the bills. I think this is especially important as we get older in life and the obstacles seem to come more like a tidal wave these past few years. Especially as I've had to make some career moves that at times have taken me further and further from the true calling. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> The people in charge can make or break a job for the employee, fostering creativity and keeping employees engaged in the day to day is a necessary component of leadership and to be successful the managers need the employees to be successful or else the pyramid topples from the base. It wasn't the pharaohs that built the pyramids, it was the slave labor. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I appreciate the articles I've read lately about the great resignation that has taken place, as the midlevel and lower workers said they've had enough of managements abuses especially in light of the covid years and the everyday reminders of mortality. If you aren't doing what you love, you better be getting paid a hell of a lot to do it. The days of the pharaoh's whips are hopefully coming to an end, and todays empire is always tomorrow's ashes. Especially when you throw rampant inflation in the mix, the tinder keg is set.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Just some random thoughts that have run through my head as I walked around the nursery and gardens on a beautiful sunny January day.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> It was 27 degrees this am, but when the fog burned off it hit a balmy 54. Spring is waiting for us around the corner now. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Mark</div><br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />
</div>mark akimoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951810672111872830noreply@blogger.com0