Well, the tiling of our second floor when smoothly enough, and we're taking
a few weeks break before tackling the first floor. So I did some plant
stuff (I've alerted those who I've sent packages after so long of a wait...)
Also, thanks the Michael H. and Mark E. who have not complained about the lack
of Sarr seeds in their mailboxes. You two, I finally got your stuff in the mail
yesterday!
I ended up distributing Sarr seeds to a few dozen people, globally. When I
sent them I taped all the packets closed, then together in a bunch. Then I
taped them to the inside of the shipping envelope. I did this because
envelopes with a few big lumps sometimes get caught in the automatic sorting
machines at the post office, so you have to really secure those seed packets.
I also taped one or (usually) two small cardboard or styrofoam spacers in
the envelope to avoid having the seed crushed. But I've found that at least
one grower got crushed seed. Did anyone else receive smashed seed? I'd like
to know for future mailings. If they were smashed, did I use one or two spacers
in the envelopes?
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My _G.violacea_ has finally produced seed, after a few years of no seed
production in spite of frequent selfing. The behavior of the infructescence
has allowed me to finally key this plant as indeed _G.violacea_. It's nice
to have a solid ID on a plant.
Also very interesting is that I have a germination in my pot of _U.volubilis_.
This is a _Utric_ considered to be very primitive---it does not invade and
colonize the pot like its weedier brethren species. Instead, a small rosette
of leaves is formed which dies after flowering. So I was concerned that
after the plant flowers it will die, perhaps leaving me with no seed, or
slow-to-germinate seed. Well, I have found that _U.volubilis_ will grow by
leaf cuttings! The leaves on this plant are small, only about 0.5 X 8 mm,
and I felt a little silly taking such tiny leaf cuttings from a plant in
a genus that is so often wildly weedy! But anyway, my success is good news
for those who will try their hand at the several non-stoloniferous species
of Utrics.
Don mentioned Mellinger's, which is my favourite all-round garden supply
firm (1-800-321-7444 for catalogue). They have just about every garden
chemical and tool devised, and a wide variety of plants for sale too,
although mostly the...er...garden variety---for strange things stick to
glasshouse works. I see that Mellinger's is selling a natural control
for mealy bugs, a control they call _Cryptolaemus montrouzieri_. I wonder
how well it works...
Bazza