Tag: Lonicera caprifolium

  • Off schedule: Italian honeysuckle

    Off schedule: Italian honeysuckle

    Italian honeysuckle is blooming later than usual. (Photo by Brendan Zwelling)

    The lovely Italian honeysuckle (Lonicera caprifolium, Zone 6, possibly Zone 5 with protection) is finally in flower, and is quite late this year. I expected it to bloom while the spring air was still nippy, about the last week of April. But I won’t complain, as it has increased its flower count and is thriving on the deck railing. I mentioned this plant in a February 22 blog item, when the leaf buds were prominent and on schedule, but it has taken this long time to actually burst into bloom. I think it was encouraged by early warmth, then slowed down when the cold snap confused many plants.

    Erratic temperatures this spring created havoc with blooming schedules, and perhaps a few tragedies. Thinking back to that false flush of early warmth in March, I was sure we had caught a break on the weather. (This must have caused laughter at The Weather Network.) I was digging, pulling stored plants out of the garage, moving mountains about the yard, while the early sun was warm and encouraging. Buds of all kinds were swelling, and cracking open earlier than ever before in this garden.

    This is not good for plants. Rising air and soil temperatures trigger the production of growth hormones that cause buds to swell and open. Plants will resist a certain amount of early warmth, having learned through evolutionary experience that late winter temperatures can briefly rise and then fall back down to freezing levels. But if early warmth is extended, plants break dormancy and hormone production begins to influence growth before spring is actually established. The inevitable tumble back down to traditional late winter temperatures catches plants at a vulnerable moment. Some simply shut down and wait for warmth to return; others are less capable of controlling initiated growth. A case in point is my beloved moss rose ‘Etna’, which began to swell buds, then was hit with frost. The red buds dried up and died. It hasn’t recovered, and the canes are now dying. I’ll continue giving it water and Epsom salts, hoping to stimulate new wood from the crown. But I’m not optimistic.

    Other confused plants are fortunately less dramatic. The gorgeous ‘Beauty of Moscow’ lilac (Syringa vulgaris ‘Krasavitsa Moskvy’, syn. S. v. ‘Beauty of Moscow’, Zone 4), has opened its palest pink-mauve buds to double white flowers with strong spicy scent, and seems to be on a schedule. But right next to it, the deep pink Preston lilac ‘Miss Canada’ (Syringa ‘Miss Canada’) is also in bloom, a full two weeks early. Two Japanese tree peonies are almost finished, and various columbines are full of flowers.

    Well, I’m a little confused myself. Fortunately, I planted a second ‘Etna’ rose last year, just for insurance, in case something happened to the first shrub. I’m glad I did!

  • Repotting my moth orchids

    Repotting my moth orchids

    Orchid Phalaenopsis hybrid (Photo by Arad Mojtahedi of Montreal via Creative Commons.)
    Orchid Phalaenopsis hybrid (Photo by Arad Mojtahedi of Montreal via Creative Commons.)

    You might have read my article about growing orchids on windowsills in the winter issue of Garden Making. I keep a few moth orchids (Phalaenopsis spp. and cvs.) in a small bay window with northwest exposure. It’s a cool spot that doesn’t receive any direct sunlight, but does have bright, reflected light from the sky. When plants are out of bloom and the bark growing medium has sunk down an inch or more, it’s time for a new pot and fresh mix. A growing medium for orchids should help anchor the roots and be free draining, allowing water to run through the pot. The mix materials must also absorb enough moisture and nutrients to feed the roots and hydrate the plant, and have open spaces for air to circulate.

    There are as many opinions on orchid mixes as there are cake recipes, so I’ll tell you about mine. I try to make a mix that wild orchids might encounter growing in a shady jungle. (If the plant came from an orchid mill, and was grown in a glass flask, I can only hope the poor thing has genetic memory of happier habitats.) An orchid growing in the wild would have more than one material to sink roots into—there would be supportive tree bark, fibrous leaf duff accumulating from surrounding foliage, and spongy bits of moss in bark crevices. My current mix for repotting orchids is made up of medium-size pieces of cedar bark and coconut husk chunks (sold together in a pre-mixed bag). I measure out the amount needed and then lightly pound the largest pieces with a hammer to break them down just a little and increase their porosity, being careful not to make small pieces that might impede air and water movement. (Large-size bark chips are too big for roots to get around, and cause stress to the plant.) Wine corks are a soft form of tree bark; I cut up a few into two or three pieces with sharp secateurs and throw some into the mix. Finally, I add a small amount of sphagnum moss threads or large-size vermiculite to help maintain humidity in the root zone.

    Bark that has been sealed in a bag for months is often so dry that it will shed water. It’s crucial to soak the mix in hot tap water for an hour to reactivate its porosity, and then drain it thoroughly before potting up the orchid. I use five-inch (13-cm) plastic orchid pots (available at leevalleytools.ca) with open slits on the sides for air circulation, and large drainage holes in the bottom.

    How to repot orchids

    Repotting the orchid is straightforward. Tap it gently out of its pot. Use a pencil to gently remove and comb out the old bark mix, and examine the roots. Cut away root parts that are obviously decayed, or are dark brown and collapsed. Healthy roots are grey, green or beige. Some healthy roots may be damaged, with the outer root covering (the velamen) broken open or separated. If the stringy thread inside the actual root is still connecting the pieces, it will continue to be useful and should be left. Put the trimmed root mass into the empty new pot and hold the plant in place. Some of the roots may hang over the side, and that’s okay. Begin sliding new bark mix down the sides and into the root ball, until the roots are filled with bark mix and the plant can be settled in place. (I don’t use Styrofoam chips or crockery pieces in the bottom, preferring to leave more room for the roots.) And that’s it!

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