pond in frederick, md

[addy1]

Yes I did colleen, hey love that av you put up lol!

They so far are doing good, maryland summers supple plenty of bugs, heat, humidity keeps those plants really happy. The only care I give them is some weeding, darn weeds grow like crazy too.

jw my neighbors tell me it takes 3-4 days before she quits running to our door looking for me. They keep her leased when watching her, she is so darn fast when she gets moving. Once she settles down she is calmer. But when I pick her up she howls, the only time I here her cry, then if I put her down, she makes a bee line right to our door dancing to get in.

They love her and take very good care of her, she gets to sleep with the wife. (hub works nights) For a 13 yr old she is in great shape and I hope she stays that way for years to come. My little one taken by the coyote was 14 and very healthy, still hurts to think of it.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Those coyotes are getting very very brave, they seek in town and eat peoples pets here all the time. They attacked my Saydee (sadly past away last Christmas of cancer,) when she was a puppy, and tried to rip my Poppy apart last year! They are getting out of control, those bad coyotes!

 

[CountryEscape]

Bet you have gun at the ready for those coyotes, Colleen! Sounds like they need some butt peppering ... if not worse!
Love your pitcher plants, Addy! I'd love to find some of them in the spring. So, you have them both in the bog and in the area nearer your house, where you I think have it lined to keep it moister, but it gets dry at times, too, right? And, you say they did better in the wet/dry bog? I see that they have really multiplied well! Is it true that you are supposed to be very careful not to bump or touch them when they are up and growing? Are they very delicate to grow then, do best once they are established and you can leave them alone? I sure love the looks of your carnivorous bog, which I think is the wet/dry one. I would like to have them in my bog, just one specimen plant and hope it spreads, but worry that the frogs jumping on bugs that get caught in it would break it off and kill it. So, maybe not a good idea for my bogs or near the ponds. Just wondering your opinion on that. Yours in your bog is looking really nice, though, and you have tons of frogs, too. I just envision a bug getting caught, and the frog thinking it's easy pickings to "steal" it.
Oh, and those mushrooms/fungi are really neat! This really wet weather we have had after such a dry summer sure has brought out some unusual ones! I enjoy seeing the different shapes they come in. Thanks for sharing.

 

[addy1]

Ce the one in the pond bog has been there for two winters, one real bad winter, one mild. It is in full water, the crown usually under water. It is nicely growing pitchers, the frogs don't bother it at all. The ones in the land bog do grow better, the land bog in the back yard, fuller sun and hotter, grows better than the land bog in the front yard, that one has slightly less sun. The plants have put out a lot of pitchers this year, but they are not ready to divide, the base of the plant is still small.

The land bog has a home depot tarp lining it, one edge down just slightly to let water flow out if we have a flood type rain. They dry in between storms, never totally dry but dryer than standing water dry. Then when it rains there is standing water that slowly drys up. Last summer it was really dry, I did water it off and on. They like acidic conditions. The soil is a 50/50 mix of sand and peat moss. Our well water is 5.5 which goes great with the plants desire of acidic conditions.

I bump them, knock them all the time when yanking out grass from the bog. The main thing is the roots are shallow, so when yanking a weed you need to make sure you don't also yank the plant. The pitchers are pretty tough, they do not stand up to being walked on, but you can knock into them with out breaking them. As long as you didn't smack them real hard. They feel like real thick grass. The sun dew plants are more delicate, Drops of dew, real sticky stuff on slender stems, They can get damaged if you are not careful . They are covered with bugs all summer, tons of gnats and other small things.

Colleen it was one of those real dry summers, worse than normal in phoenix, the coyote just walked the block wall jumped down and took her. I was at work, my late hubby had let the two girls out into the yard. Missy ran for the house (my lil girl here in maryland), the coyote took josey, still breaks my heart to think of it happening.

 

[CountryEscape]

How big were your pitcher plants when you got them, Addy, and do you have a place that you ordered them from that you would recommend? I found some at the huge plant show in Chicago this past spring, but thought they were really expensive. Can't remember now the price, but they were individual plants, not very established, very small pots, and seemed like they were more than $20 each! Maybe they go for a lot, but just wondering. I know I looked on Ebay when I got home and they were expensive on there, too. I think they are hard to ship as well. Not in a hurry to get them started, but sounds like you have a system with them that is working with the land bog. I'd like to try it someday. Thanks for the info.

 

[addy1]

A lady on a different forum was selling them, I paid around 3-5 per plant, can't really recall. I bought a bunch, think I spent 50 dollars. They where small. They have been in the ground two summers, one winter. I did buy some off the net, I need to look through records and find where it was. That info is on my lappy at home, can't do it right now.

picture best words lol here they are in the house waiting until I made the bog

This was after they had sat in the window growing some. Judging by the pond this was last spring, still winter, the trees where budding.

This is how they looked when they first arrived.

 

[CountryEscape]

Yep, Addy, those little plants look like what they were selling for $25 or more each! I'll shop around come spring, see if I can find a good place to put them, and enjoy another garden! Thanks for the pics! You sure have a way with ALL plants and flowers. So very impressive.

 

[addy1]

I can check with the gal I bought them from, see if she will have some for sale next spring.

 

[taherrmann4]

Addy how does one propagate them? do they grow from seed?

 

[addy1]

They do grow from seed, but from what I have read it takes years for them to get their first pitcher. I know you can divide them, I have also read about clipping , and rooting the plant. So far I tried the seeds once, got seedlings that grew to tiny then died. I have not tried dividing or rooting yet. Mine are still too young.

 

[addy1]

Here you go tmann a good article on them

http://www.plantdelights.com/Sarracenia-Pitcher-Plants-for-the-Garden/products/529/

 

[addy1]

Decided the squirrels needed a nice weather proof feeder, well sort of weather proof.

It is so much fun watching them chase the birds and each other away from the feeder. It is just tied down right now until I decide where I really want it.







Unreal how they can bend

 

[j.w]

That is neat and did you make it?

 

[callingcolleen1]

Those squirrels are too cute! And I hear they are very cleaver too! I see one of them is "mooning us!" he he

 

[addy1]

That is neat and did you make it?

Used some left over deck wood scraps. Pretty simple to make, just need to anchor it down now and get rid of the ropes. I am thinking of using some hooks and use a bungie to hold it down. We don't have trees close enough or high enough to hang it in.