Strelitzia reginae
This is the Bird of Paradise flower. It actually started blooming in December. This also isn't a geophyte; it is a perennial evergreen. (Geophytes lose all their leaves at some point each year.) There are about 5 species in the genus, all native to South Africa.
The leaves look a lot like banana leaves, and one Strelitzia (S. nicolai) even grows into a respectable sized little tree, but they are not in the banana family. They actually have their own plant family, Strelitziaceae.
Strelitzia reginae
These are all subtropical plants, endemic to Africa. Other species include Strelitzia alba, S. juncea, and S. nicolai which grows into a palm-like tree up to 30 ft. tall. I don't try to grow nicolai because of the height.
Cattleya Hybrid
This old white hybrid blooms pretty reliably almost every year. If I ever had any information on its parentage, that has long since been lost. It was probably a nice but not exceptional seedling discarded by the hybridizer to the retail public. That works for me.
Cattley Orchid Hybrid
I think it is rather fragrant, but my weak sense of smell can't be certain.
Hippeastrum aulicum var. robustum
This species of Hippeastrum is native to brazil. This form is called "robustum" probably because the plant generally looks a little heavier or sturdier than the typical form. This is one of several Brazilian species that are evergreen or almost so, but need a rest period in mid-summer. This bloom is a bit late in the season, since they usually flower in November or December.
Hippeastrum aulicum var. robustum
Zantedeschia aethiopica'Hercules'
This selection of Zantedeschia aethiopica is supposed to grow huge. Perhaps it does in mild climates, but here in Indiana it lives in a 7-gal. container in the greenhouse and is not very big. The spathe of the inflorescence is almost flat, rather than deeply funnel shaped as is more usually the case with Zantedeschia.
Zantedeschia aethiopica 'Hercules'
The most reliably flowering Zantedeschia aethiopica variety I have is a large plant from California, apparently someone's garden hybrid. It is just getting ready to bloom.
Rain
We got 2.6 inches (66 mm) of rain last night and this morning. The back yard has standing water from the creek, and greenhouse #2 has its gravel floor covered with water. That's a "January Thaw" with a vengeance. I hope the water goes down before the promised freeze arrives. This is normal high water after a heavy rain, not a flood by any means.
High Water in the Back
By the time I got this ready to post, the water was already going down.
Good gardening, from here in central Indiana
Jim
<shieldsgardens@gmail.com>
Look up technical terms in the Glossary of Plant Biology
