salutations! I'm the Blooming Horticulturalist 🌿 nice to meet you :)
I'm a professional horticulturalist of 3 years! so— while I'm moving away from my newbie/beginner status— as my username suggests, I'm still blooming.
im sorry i have way too many pictures of our greenhouse kitty
I started my journey 3 years ago as a measly watering boy at a local retail nursery, and now I'm the Annual House Supervisor at the biggest production greenhouse in my area. 🌿
As you can imagine, most of my expertise is in ornamental annuals, however i DO still have knowledge about everything from houseplants, tropicals, edibles/herbs, perrenials, trees & shrubs! i just dont have nearly as much knowledge and comfortablility in them as i do with annuals.
I'm always learning though, I try not to stay stagnant! While i learn some things by my own observation, i also love interrogating my coworkers about their plants in their greenhouses, and bothering my boss with questions about as much as i can think about.
I wouldn't call myself a hobbyist, as I dont really garden for fun! or really at all tbh— before i started this profession i wasnt really that interested in or good at plants! and i get enough of it at work, so why would i waste money to keep them for myself when i get to appreciate them everyday already?
I do have a few houseplants though, and i do some propogation experiments from time to time, its nothing big though! I've also been learning about native & invasive plants in my region and going out to identify them for fun. i have a lot of opinions of the moral implications of working as a commercial horticulturalist while trying to learn about invasive plants 🌿
The purpose of this blog is primarily to record my experiences and things i learn at work! But I'm hoping it can also be entertaining and possibly educational. I wont present myself as an expert though, if you have any questions about my posts or plants in general feel free to ask!! Answering questions helps me to learn and commit things to memory so im more than happy to help the best i can.
I also want to get to know the online horticulture community, and make friends who work in the industry, so if you want to be mutuals feel free to follow me!
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Obligatory gardening post. It's horribly, stupidly cold today. I'm not sure my hostas will survive this cold snap 😭
I've tried to sow seeds indoor before but it went awry. Many years later I'm making another attempt, and this is going VERY well so far. I'm trying to produce bouquet flowers. It's mostly annuals, which is a departure from previous years where I focused on establishing native plants. The middle of the garden will stay native while the rim will focus on bouquet flowers.
Ugh it's nasty out there.
So some of what's pictured here:
Sage
Rosemary
Lavender
Thyme
Allysum
Peonies
Snapdragons
African daisies
Siberian something or other
Moonflowers
Eggplants
Mortgage tomatoes
Marigolds
Helichrysum
Chamomile
Rape leaf (Chinese leaf veg)
Black Eyed Susan
Nasturtium
Spinach
And that it. That's my garden so far.
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sun’s finally out 🌞
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Eclectic Landscape
A picture of a sizable eclectic shade courtyard path in spring.
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Bravo, Kirby. You've truly earned your reputation as a hero. Your help defeating Landia was invaluable. Ah... At long last, it's mine! The source of limitless power... The Master Crown! Obtaining this crown has been my ultimate goal all along! What's with all the weird looks? Fine. Let me explain everything. I fought Landia by myself and lost. So I fled to Planet Popstar. That's when the thought struck me... I could have you defeat Landia for me! A stroke of genius, I know. You even helped me repair my Starcutter. I really did appreciate that, by the way. Anyway... MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The time has come for your planet... No! The time has come for the ENTIRE UNIVERSE to bow down to me. And for being such a big help in all of this, your planet gets to go first! Prepare to bow, Popstar! Welcome your new overlord!
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Closest match: Mercurialis annua genome assembly, chromosome: LG2
Common name: Annual mercury
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Plant of the Day
Friday 10 November 2023
The annual Persicaria maculosa (kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate, lady's thumb, lady's pinch, redshank) can reach over 1m high when in flower. A plant that can add fun to a late summer border.
Jill Raggett
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Tom Hallman, from JCA Annual (1990)
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So.
Today two family members ill-advisedly took me to two separate garden centers and told me to go wild and get what I want for my containers this year as a birthday present. And well yeah, this happened.
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I had no idea this Devil's Trumpet (double purple datura) would get so large! The flowers are pretty, but I won't grow another one. Now I have to find all the seed pods and destroy them along with every other part of this highly toxic plant that came with no warning label.
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Annual Rockrose - Alcar (Tuberaria guttata)
Cascais/Portugal (5/04/2024)
[Nikon D850; ∑150mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM APO Macro with Circular Flash Nissin MF 18; 1/250s; F22; 400 ISO]
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theyre talking about minecraft
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Can someone explain perennial and annual to me in simple terms. For some reason those concepts cannot breach my brain fog and I always get confused by them.
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Annual Saltmarsh Aster - Symphyotrichum sebulatum
Found in mid September on a decaying roadside within a wide swath of spartina salt marsh is this small species of aster.
Like all asters, the petals are purple rays which lead to a collection of small yellow disc flowers in the center where pollen is found. This flower is an herbaceous annual (only lives one growing season) and can grow about 3 feet high. They can be seen flowering purple in autumn and may be rather difficult to find amoung other larger high marsh species.
In terms of ecology, it's common to find monarch butterflies present near these flowers on their return migration south. Asters typically provide local pollinators with late meals before winter. We only spotted one butterfly in the marsh this year, which was not ideal...
This species occupies a high marsh habitat niche, usually these are areas subject to tidal flows only twice a day. In disturbed open ground this species can often fill in small patches, occasionally it can also be found growing on highways due to high salt concentrations. This aster is native to saline coastal environments from Texas to New England (for some reason wikipedia claims this species is native to the Pacific coast and Californian deserts, this is almost certainly incorrect and contradicts their own source). In some northern states such as Maine and New York, the annual Saltmarsh Aster is apparently becoming somewhat rare in those native ranges due to development and sea level rise.
Next time you're in a coastal salt marsh and can stomach the smell, look around for these cute charismatic flowers.
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the season of plant sales is upon us and I am thriving
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Plant of the Day
Tuesday 31 October 2023
The large compost heaps at Great Dixter, East Sussex, UK, formed an excellent growing area for pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo) and gourds. These tender annual plants thrive on the humus rich heaps being warmed by the heat of the decomposition.
Jill Raggett
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