Collage

I collected lots of pollen today by cutting down the blooms that emerged. Prior to neutering all of them, although they were already decapitated, I made a little collage.

Donna Brigham the Raspberries and Cream

Today I was at the nursery again. [Cue dramatic music] I found P. Donna Brigham and P. Raspberries and Cream. I had to Google 'DB' and it looked like a very nice Tacsonia on my phone in the bright sunlight of early August. Just adjacent to that one was Raspberries and Cream, an obvious P. gritensis hybrid. Yep, I had to have that too. They both are in the front yard where P. Coral Sea drowned. I changed the pots to ones with holes in the bottom. I am rapidly running out of space. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to make some hard decisions soon if this coming Autumn and Winter don't do it for me. Either that, or I need to figure out how to upside my yard, which I think means moving. I enjoy this hobby too much to just stop collecting.

As soon as Donna Brigham blooms...it did!

One Month to Matthewsii

One of my recent acquisitions was a little P. matthewsii in a 4" pot. Long story short, it bloomed about a month later. For a tacsonia that's a pretty good little plant. I'm definitely going to fold this one in to the gene pool. It's a perky little pink flower. Let the experimenting begin!

Tenuous Tendrilous Buds

So, I was pollinating a few flowers in Pergolatory after work today. I was heading back into the house, when I decided to check P. cirrhiflora. I had noticed a few days prior that they were a deeper darker green color than the rest of the vine. I noted this as unusual, and hoped that meant something big was coming...or rather, something small. It has been warm lately - in the mid 70's during the day; mid 60's tonight. Maybe?! maybe my hopes were coming true?

In fact, yes, there were tiny buds on the tendrils of one of the growing tips! They're very small. They're very delicate. I'm going to hold off on the pesticides because I've noticed that sometimes it will cause flower bud abortions. I'm going to be careful with the watering and feeding, and the rest is in the weather's hands. The forecast calls for sunshine and warmth, so I remain anxious and hopeful!

Update:

Update 2.

Update 3.

Loefgren-bee

I was out snapping photos this morning and noticed a bee bouncing around in Pergolatory. He landed on P. loefgrenii and licked up the nectar from each and every petal and sepal. He revolved 360 around the corona until he was satiated then bubbled off. I don't see many bees here, and when I do, they're usually dead from the still unresolved affliction that their colonies have sustained lately.

You can see his tongue in the first shot.

Holosericea in the Morning

I've had P. holosericea for two seasons now. I knew that it was unlikely to bloom in its first, and after it was attached by some fungus during the Winter months, I didn't know if it would survive. Well, it did survive, and has spread to all four corners of the pergola. I noticed some buds on it a few weeks back, and yesterday one opened, but when I went back to take a picture later in the day when the sun would be at a better angle, it was all closed up. Hmmm. So, today came, as todays tend to do, and another bud opened. This time I took the pictures regardless, and sure enough when I came back to admire it again later in the day, it was already closed. It's a nice little decaloba, but I don't think that I care for how early I have to get up to admire it in the best light. I'm not a morning person.

June Bloom

June gloom is how locals in my area, the Southbay, refer to the weather this time of year. We have a thick marine layer that lingers until mid-afternoon that shields the sun and heat from us. While other parts of the state that are more inland are experiencing 90's or more, it's in the cool 70's or even 60's here. Nevertheless Pergolatory is in good form right now. There are lots of blooms emerging this week. See for yourself!