Gladiolus murielae

 When we moved into this house 9 years ago, there appeared in the middle of summer, a grassy plant in the corner of the courtyard. I wasn't sure what it was, but it looked like maybe a Crocosmia, or Chasmanthe, or Gladiolus. The frost killed the tops, but then it came back late the next year. I tried it in several placed in the garden but none were successful. It wasn't until a few years ago, that I decided to pot it up and keep it protected through the late fall. Last year was the first year that it bloomed and revealed itself to be Gladiolus murielae. Gladiolus murielae has been known by a number of different names. I know it best as Acidanthera bicolor, and then as Gladiolus callianthus.

 

I'd never grown this plant before so it was a delight when it bloomed. I had seen pictures of Acidanthera before, but I didn't realize that it would be this beautiful and graceful in person. It is blooming earlier this year than last year. My records say that last year it bloomed September 21.

 It's actually quite easy to grow if you keep a few things in mind. It is very late to start growing in the spring. Early summer really. It need full sun and constant moisture through its growing season. To make it extra happy and for it to multiply well, give it some fertilizer. It needs a long fall to store energy, and frost that kills the tops will set it back for the following year. This is relatively easy to solve by growing it in a pot and putting it in a sunny window until the leaves die down on their own for the winter. I put it in the garage by the window. Then let it go completely dry in the winter, ignoring it until it's time for it to start growing in the late spring, when after the weather has warmed up, I bring it out and start watering. It's exactly the opposite from growing Freesias.

Laelia Newberry Sprite

 

Laelia Newberry Sprite (Laelia perinii x Laelia pumila).

 

The cattleya type of orchids are my favorite but require specific conditions. They need very bright but not direct light (3,000 to 5,000 foot candles to be precise). They need 55 to 60 degree temperatures at night and 70 to 85 degrees during the day (depending on the type, some need 10 degrees cooler than this for high altitude species), with 15 to 20 degrees of difference between day and night and slightly cooler temperatures in the winter. Humidity should be 50 to 80%. These being epiphytes, they need a coarse mix with plenty of air around their roots. They are also sensitive to day length. Many miniature species require higher light levels and cooler temperatures than the larger species (such as the rupiculous or rock-growing Brazilian species). Fortunately my Newberry Sprite, while nearly a miniature, is considered temperature tolerant, and can put up with (even if it doesn’t prefer) a wider range of temperatures. I’ve had this orchid for more than 10 years.

Top Most Enjoyable Roses?

 On one of the rose forums, this question was posed: What are your Top 10 Most Enjoyable Roses? In thinking about this question, there are a few things I realized. It doesn’t matter how beautiful a rose is if the rest of the package doesn’t satisfy. If the bush only produces a few extraordinarily beautiful roses a year I won’t consider it to be enjoyable. It also doesn’t matter how beautiful a rose is if the bush is ugly. If a bush won’t grow, or is terribly susceptible disease or other problems, if I have to spray it, or try to control how much sun it gets, I won’t enjoy it. On the other hand, if the bush grows beautifully, but the flowers are ugly, there is no point to growing it. So keeping these things in mind, I only came up with three choices. 

‘Bishop’s Castle’ isn’t the most beautiful flower. It is a beautiful flower, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t consider it to be one of the most beautiful flowers. What it does have it a nice bush form, strong growth, no disease, minor thrips damage, and nearly constant blooms, which are divinely, waftingly fragrant. It is one of the few roses that blooms for me all summer, through the heat and into the fall. So yes, it is a most enjoyable rose to grow. 

If you asked me a year ago, ‘Abraham Darby’ would be very low on my list of roses that are enjoyable to grow. I would have told you that he is an evil witch who has charmed me, and tortured me by withholding his charms despite all my attempts to give him everything he could possibly want. And this, for years. But this year, I think I’ve unlocked that door, and that satisfaction has elevated him to a most enjoyable rose to grow, simply because that challenge is overcome, and is the sweeter for it. This rose is the first Austin that charmed me, and you know what they say about first love. Although a miserable wretch for disease in some climates, that’s one thing he doesn’t get here. I like the form of the bush, the vigor, the size/shape/color/density of thorns. Same for the leaves. He has nice presence in the garden. The flowers great fragrance (even if not wafting like BC). The remaining downside to growing him is the susceptibility of his flowers to thrips. 

Similarly, ‘Scentuous’ was a struggle to get going since I got a poor quality plant that was dried out, frozen, or worse. It has been a joy to see it overcome its harsh beginnings, and seems to be happy to grow, and happy to bloom. Although the flowers don’t last long, they come with impressive regularity, and the flowers are simply lovely ruffled confections. The leaves are attractive, the fragrance is always satisfying.
 

 

You may notice that there are a number of roses that are not on my list for the “Most Enjoyable Roses” even though they may be some of my most beautiful roses. They might be enjoyable to grow, but not the MOST enjoyable to grow because of certain faults. 

‘Desdemona’ has been from the outset, a joy for me to grow. Her growth is mostly constant, as are her blooms. Her growth while vigorous, has been compact, nicely branching and well foliated. There has been no disease. The color of the new growth is red and the mature leaves are a nice color, texture and shape. The flowers politely drop their petals when they fade. The flowers have a most beautiful fragrance. But her flowers are to my eye not the most beautiful, and in fact are a bit disappointing in their size and form whenever I see them, so not the MOST enjoyable. 

I still consider ‘Eden’ to be one of the most beautiful roses ever created. But she is extremely susceptible to thrips in my garden, doesn’t rebloom, and doesn’t have a fragrance. ‘Huntington Rose’ is extremely enjoyable to grow because her foliage and bush form are so beautiful. Her flowers are beautiful also. My disappointments with her is that her flowers only last 1-2 days and have only very light fragrance, so I’m debating whether or not to remove her. ‘Radio Times’ may produce some of the most beautiful roses in my garden, and it is becoming more enjoyable to grow. But it has had awkward growth so far, and not the most beautiful bush. ‘Alnwick Castle’ has beautiful flowers, vigorous growth and luscious fragrance. But the bush is stiff, and the flowers only last about 2 days before dropping, and it is not highly productive or reliable.

'Peace'

 

I received some cuttings on 5/2/2021 from my friend Ginger, of her 'Peace' rose, which she wanted grown for another friend of ours. I've actually been admiring her rose for years now, so I was hoping that more than one would root. Two rooted and have slowly grown. They both have put out their first flowers, and to my surprise, they look very different. They are growing in the same potting mix, are right next to each other, in the same size pots. One has bloomed pale yellow with an apricot blush in the center, and the other bloomed pink with a similar apricot blush in the middle. The pink one has produced two blooms, and both of the blooms are pink. The cutting with the yellow flower has only produced one bloom so I don't know if it is consistent for this cutting, but it is the typical appearance of 'Peace'.  I find both the yellow and the pink forms to be lovely. 

There are several possibilities for this difference between the cuttings. One is that I mislabeled the cuttings. I think this is unlikely, as Ginger does not have any rose that looks like the pink form. Another possibility is that this is a spontaneous mutation (sport), like 'Winchester Cathedral' is of 'Mary Rose'. 'Peace' does have a pink sport that is available called 'Chicago Peace', that my pink cutting looks like. But I think that this is also unlikely since sporting is a rare event. Most likely, it's just that the cuttings received some minute difference in culture or development. 'Peace' has variable coloring, so I'm not too surprised. As this plant matures I'll see if it keeps the pink color.