The Orchid Garden » Orchids Gardens

A toxic BM turned invisible BM (Update – long)

admin — Thu, 08 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

>She loved them and doted on them when they were babies, >but became depressed and couldn’t deal with them when >they became older children/teens. She just couldn’t >relate to them any more, and as each one grew up, she’d >"replace" him or her with another baby to love and dote >on. Another possibility is that the distance between her and the kids, even though she has said that her ‘job was done’, has turned into feelings of guilt and the disappearance is how she’s dealing with it. Lots of people react that way. Tracey

Response:

n…@impactwp.com wrote: > Weird. Have you or DH tried to speak to BM to find out what’s going on?

Not really. DH did try calling her in the summer because SD19 was supposed to go visit her. But she never answered the phone (not to mention that SD19 was in the middle of her meltdown and was no longer living with us). She does not take kindly to calls from DH and he only ever calls if he has issues to discuss re the kids. But since he effectively was given sole custody by her leaving, he has not had to call very often. The other posters did raise an interesting point – about the woman who was only a good mother when the kids were young and/or is feeling guilt about leaving them. Who knows? She certainly isn’t going to tell anyone. Not her kids and certainly not us. BM’s not even talking to her own mother and hasn’t in years. So, a lot of this is familiar stuff to that branch family of the SK’s family tree. Anyhoo… Norma

Response:

In article , Nell wrote: >Anyway, the doting mother has turned into a non-existant mother. >Everyone is astounded by her behaviour. DH and I are hoping that it >doesn’t signify that perhaps she’s gone dotty or something. That would >be the last straw. I don’t even want to think of what would ensue if we >found out that BM had gone over the edge. However, she told SD19 last >spring that she had tried to throw herself in front of a bus. We don’t >know why she didn’t. Or even if she actually tried. Of course this >makes the SK’s worry when they don’t hear from her. As SD19 said last >night, "well, at least I know she’s not dead."

I remember growing up I had a neighbor who had quite a few children. She loved them and doted on them when they were babies, but became depressed and couldn’t deal with them when they became older children/teens. She just couldn’t relate to them any more, and as each one grew up, she’d "replace" him or her with another baby to love and dote on. I’m not certain, but I think she had some kind of breakdown when she finally didn’t have any more babies in the house and the kids kind of ran wild because their parents couldn’t really effectively handle them. Deb R.

Response:

> By the way, I suspect that someone (or perhaps more than one) in this > newsgroup has a virus.

I was going to add that assp is the only newsgroup where I ever post anymore, if you don’t count the occasional post to rec.gardens.orchids. But, I just did a search for myself on Google groups and had forgotten that I also made a few posts to some forsale groups. So… it is likely that the virus is coming from there and not here. Mind you, virus checking is a good idea in any case. Norma

Response:

"Nell" wrote in message

news:GhfLb.31075$AJB.13663@news04.bloor.is.net.cable.rogers.com… >>snip>> Fast forward to 2003. BM did not call SD(now 21) on her birthday in > Sept. She did not call SS(now 17) on his in November or SD(now 19) on > hers in December. She did not sent birthday cards or e-mail. She did not > send Christmas cards or presents. Did not call on Christmas. They have > tried numerous times to call her and tried again on Christmas Day. >snip>> > Norma

Weird. Have you or DH tried to speak to BM to find out what’s going on? Nikki

Response:

After the meltdown with SD(now 19) over the last two years and the subsequent reconciliation this fall (which is still going amazingly well), I haven’t had any need to post. The only issues I’ve had have been family issues, not really SP issues. Our BM moved to the west coast two years ago, saying that her job was done, the kids were raised. At that time the oldest SD was 18 and headed off to university. Middle SD was 16 and SS was 14. It was middle SD who bore the brunt of this, hence the trouble that ensued as referenced above. SS weathered the abandonment in silence and seems to have no lasting scars, at least none that he shows the world. He appears happy and well-adjusted, but he’s the strong silent type and who knows what’s lurking under the surface. Fast forward to 2003. BM did not call SD(now 21) on her birthday in Sept. She did not call SS(now 17) on his in November or SD(now 19) on hers in December. She did not sent birthday cards or e-mail. She did not send Christmas cards or presents. Did not call on Christmas. They have tried numerous times to call her and tried again on Christmas Day. SD21 finally got an answer when she called her mother a few nights ago. She told BM that SD19 desperately wanted to hear from her, so BM phoned SD19 night before last. SD told us about this conversation yesterday and it broke my heart to hear of it. She was cold to her mother at first so BM wanted to know what was wrong. Sheesh. SD then listed the numerous times BM had brushed them off or been totally absent. So BM said she was sorry, but that she was out walking a lot on Christmas Day, or had to work late on their birthdays, or yadda-yadda-yadda. She was a bad mother, she knew. Uhhuh. All of this is so weird. I remember the days when she used to make the kids call her every night to say Good Night before they went to bed. She put little notes in their pockets saying "Remember Mommy loves you" that I’d find when I did the laundry. I’ll never forget the panic on the 7/9/11-year-old faces when they realized they’d forgotten to make their phone call. Once, SS woke up around midnight realizing he’d not made his phone call and insisted on making it them. We let him. DH asked SS if he’d woken up his mother and SS said no, she’d been waiting by the phone for him to call. Urk. Anyway, the doting mother has turned into a non-existant mother. Everyone is astounded by her behaviour. DH and I are hoping that it doesn’t signify that perhaps she’s gone dotty or something. That would be the last straw. I don’t even want to think of what would ensue if we found out that BM had gone over the edge. However, she told SD19 last spring that she had tried to throw herself in front of a bus. We don’t know why she didn’t. Or even if she actually tried. Of course this makes the SK’s worry when they don’t hear from her. As SD19 said last night, "well, at least I know she’s not dead." All of this is really making me long for the days when she lived only a few blocks away and was a major PITA. At least we knew how to deal with the problems she caused. In fact, things were going along so well towards the time she left that she even let me into her house to help her get the truck loaded. (But that’s another story). Anyway, reading some of the posts this morning about making kids phone their mother reminded me of all this and thought I’d share. Norma By the way, I suspect that someone (or perhaps more than one) in this newsgroup has a virus. I have started getting what appears to be spam but I had it analyzed by an expert who tells me that they are all generated by a virus. The message is the same for all of them (something about p*nis enlargement). It virus searches the headers of messages in a person’s mail folder or newsgroup file). It picks any two email addresses at random, assigns one as the from address, the other as the To address and generates the message and mails it out. Of course, the messages I get are the ones that have my address in the To address. It might be a good idea for us all to run a virus-check and eliminate th is sucker. The messages don’t get picked up by a spam filter because they are not truly spam.

Response:

newbie to gardening, NG for Oz and other questions

admin — Mon, 09 Sep 2002 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

I have found that aus.gardens is a very good newsgroup. Good luck. Dwayne

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi to all, I’ve only just started gardening and wondering if there are websites or news groups covering Australia and in particular NSW? I live in a flat so my flower garden is mainly indoors. I’m looking for advice on what will grow indoors and what to be awear of as far as care and attention. Totally new to gardens – the only thing I’ve grown is yeast in a fermenter TIA Wayne — Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

Response:

welcome. I can’t be of much help but what I did was go to the library and check out some books on indoor gardening and house plants. One thing you will need to do is to choose plants that can survive in the amount of light that you have available or can manage to provide. Then see which plants need to be kept moist and which plants can go for longer periods of dry time. That way you can decide also, how much time you have to give them for good upkeep. Do google search on succulents for plants that need only about weekly or monthly watering and look up other plants to see if needs moist soil, sandy soil or rich soil. When you go to nursery, read the labels to see soil, light and water requirements and select from that standpoint. A plant that needs full sun would get pale and lanky in the house with low light, even in a window. And don’t get up tight.. just read and relax and enjoy. You might even select a specific type of plant like orchids, or maybe cactus or other succulents or just ivy’ or tropicals. Don’t do what I’m often tempted to do…. get so many plants that you get to the point where you can’t really take as good a care as they need. It is really best to have a few healthy plants that you are able to take care of than a bunch of light starved, root bound, hungry stunted, pathetic sick little things stacked all ’round! good luck. Leona. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi to all, I’ve only just started gardening and wondering if there are websites or news groups covering Australia and in particular NSW? I live in a flat so my flower garden is mainly indoors. I’m looking for advice on what will grow indoors and what to be awear of as far as care and attention. Totally new to gardens – the only thing I’ve grown is yeast in a fermenter TIA Wayne — Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

– nTX USDA Z 7B Non Commercial site http://www.geocities.com/tvksi/index.htm

Response:

Hi to all, I’ve only just started gardening and wondering if there are websites or news groups covering Australia and in particular NSW? I live in a flat so my flower garden is mainly indoors. I’m looking for advice on what will grow indoors and what to be awear of as far as care and attention. Totally new to gardens – the only thing I’ve grown is yeast in a fermenter TIA Wayne — Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

Response:

Carnivorous plants questions.

admin — Mon, 26 Aug 2002 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

For the last time, Patrick.

Oh, I bet he could trick you into saying it ANOTHER last time if he wants to. -paggers There is no such thing as your "carnivorous Parrot Plant from Ceylon". The plant you describe does not exist and never did. You would never have seen it in any book on carnivorous plants either because it does not exist. You insist the only carnivorous plant from Sri Lanka (Ceylon) that even comes close to your description (Nepenthes distillatoria) isn’t it.

– "Flowers are commonly badly designed, inartistic in color, & ill-smelling." -Ambrose Bierce Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.angelfire.com/grrl/paghat/gardenhome.html#top

Response:

So you’re convinced that he’s just another troll playing around? He has yet to prove he has any real interest in carnivorous plants.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – For the last time, Patrick. Oh, I bet he could trick you into saying it ANOTHER last time if he wants to. -paggers There is no such thing as your "carnivorous Parrot Plant from Ceylon". The plant you describe does not exist and never did. You would never have seen it in any book on carnivorous plants either because it does not exist. You insist the only carnivorous plant from Sri Lanka (Ceylon) that even comes close to your description (Nepenthes distillatoria) isn’t it. — "Flowers are commonly badly designed, inartistic in color, & ill-smelling." -Ambrose Bierce Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.angelfire.com/grrl/paghat/gardenhome.html#top

Response:

Which one of these could I use for politicians? O.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dear Patrick, You have heard wrong. Genuine carnivorous plants occur in six different plant families. Three families have leaves that act as fly paper or active traps. Droseraceae (Drosera, Drosophyllum, Dionaea, Aldrovanda) Byblidaceae (Byblis) Lentibulariaceae (Utricularia, Genlisea, Pinguicula) Pitcher plants are found in three very different plant families. Sarraceniaceae (Sarracenia, Darlingtonia, Heliamphora) Nepenthaceae (Nepenthes) Cephalotaceae (Cephalotus) Spiny desert plant are not carnivorous. There are no carnivorous plants among the monocots. Some bromeliads have a water filled leaf crown but they are not carnivorous. Many plant have glandular hairy leaves and/or stems that trap insects and are mistaken for carnivorous plants. Never heard of the "Madagascar Parrot plant". Is it a common name for a species of Nepenthes? See the carnivorous plant home page for more info. http://www.carnivorousplants.org/ I know about 5 basic kinds of carnivorous plants. Venus fly traps, Pitcher plants, Sundews, Butterworts, & Bladderworts. Are there others? I don’t mean subspecies of the abve, like different types of Sundews or Pitcher plants. I heard that there is something called the Madagascar Parrot plant which is insectivorous. Does anyone know about this? Where can I get the information. What about the Century plant. Is that carnivorous? Thanks in advance for the information. — Patrick D. Rockwell

Response:

For the last time, Patrick. There is no such thing as your "carnivorous Parrot Plant from Ceylon". The plant you describe does not exist and never did. You would never have seen it in any book on carnivorous plants either because it does not exist. You insist the only carnivorous plant from Sri Lanka (Ceylon) that even comes close to your description (Nepenthes distillatoria) isn’t it.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – "Patrick I know about 5 basic kinds of carnivorous plants. Venus fly traps, Pitcher plants, Sundews, Butterworts, & Bladderworts. Are there others? I don’t mean subspecies of the abve, like different types of Sundews or Pitcher plants. I heard that there is something called the Madagascar Parrot plant which is insectivorous. Does anyone know about this? Where can I get the information. What about the Century plant. Is that carnivorous? Thanks in advance for the information. I never heard of carniverous Century plant (Agave sp), nor a carniverous Parrot Plant; but my not hearing of them doesn’t mean much. Several epiphytic succulents like the Century Plant may in fact feed on insects [snip] I just remembered something! When I first read about the carnivorous Parrot Plant, I read it in a science book in 1967 when I was eleven years old. But I think that it wasn’t from Madagascar, but from Ceylon! Any carnivorous plants there? I saw a picture in this science book which looked like a wide bird beak sitting on the ground ready to snap shut on anything that stepped into it. A bit remensicent of some of the man-eating plants that you might have seen depicted in various sci-fi, horror, fantasy films. As for the Century Plant, I recently saw an old black & white move called "The Thing From Another World", in which one of the characters discussed intelligence in animals, and said that the Century Plant could trap insects and small rodents to digest them, but I guess that’s not true. -Patrick- Do you mean the parrot pitcher plant from Florida? Sarracenia psittacina? It does not snap shut, no pitcher plants do. I think you can find information and a picture in the cp faq at www.sarracenia.com No, the one that I saw looked different. Of course, it was years ago, and I think that I only saw it in that one book. At most, I might have seen it referenced again in another book about carnivorous plants. But I’m sure that what I saw was from Sri Lanka (or Ceylon as it was listed in the book), not Florida.

Response:

Which one of these could I use for politicians?

How about Nepenthes rajah? It has been reported to trap rats and small reptiles. Politicians shouldn’t stretch the diet too much.

Response:

Why bother? Think anthrax!!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Which one of these could I use for politicians? O. Dear Patrick, You have heard wrong. Genuine carnivorous plants occur in six different plant families. Three families have leaves that act as fly paper or active traps. Droseraceae (Drosera, Drosophyllum, Dionaea, Aldrovanda) Byblidaceae (Byblis) Lentibulariaceae (Utricularia, Genlisea, Pinguicula) Pitcher plants are found in three very different plant families. Sarraceniaceae (Sarracenia, Darlingtonia, Heliamphora) Nepenthaceae (Nepenthes) Cephalotaceae (Cephalotus) Spiny desert plant are not carnivorous. There are no carnivorous plants among the monocots. Some bromeliads have a water filled leaf crown but they are not carnivorous. Many plant have glandular hairy leaves and/or stems that trap insects and are mistaken for carnivorous plants. Never heard of the "Madagascar Parrot plant". Is it a common name for a species of Nepenthes? See the carnivorous plant home page for more info. http://www.carnivorousplants.org/ I know about 5 basic kinds of carnivorous plants. Venus fly traps, Pitcher plants, Sundews, Butterworts, & Bladderworts. Are there others? I don’t mean subspecies of the abve, like different types of Sundews or Pitcher plants. I heard that there is something called the Madagascar Parrot plant which is insectivorous. Does anyone know about this? Where can I get the information. What about the Century plant. Is that carnivorous? Thanks in advance for the information. — Patrick D. Rockwell

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I know about 5 basic kinds of carnivorous plants. Venus fly traps, Pitcher plants, Sundews, Butterworts, & Bladderworts. Are there others? I don’t mean subspecies of the abve, like different types of Sundews or Pitcher plants. I heard that there is something called the Madagascar Parrot plant which is insectivorous. Does anyone know about this? Where can I get the information. What about the Century plant. Is that carnivorous? Thanks in advance for the information. I never heard of carniverous Century plant (Agave sp), nor a carniverous Parrot Plant; but my not hearing of them doesn’t mean much. Several epiphytic succulents like the Century Plant may in fact feed on insects [snip] I just remembered something! When I first read about the carnivorous Parrot Plant, I read it in a science book in 1967 when I was eleven years old. But I think that it wasn’t from Madagascar, but from Ceylon! Any carnivorous plants there? I saw a picture in this science book which looked like a wide bird beak sitting on the ground ready to snap shut on anything that stepped into it. A bit remensicent of some of the man-eating plants that you might have seen depicted in various sci-fi, horror, fantasy films. As for the Century Plant, I recently saw an old black & white move called "The Thing From Another World", in which one of the characters discussed intelligence in animals, and said that the Century Plant could trap insects and small rodents to digest them, but I guess that’s not true. -Patrick- Do you mean the parrot pitcher plant from Florida? Sarracenia psittacina? It does not snap shut, no pitcher plants do. I think you can find information and a picture in the cp faq at www.sarracenia.com

No, the one that I saw looked different. Of course, it was years ago, and I think that I only saw it in that one book. At most, I might have seen it referenced again in another book about carnivorous plants. But I’m sure that what I saw was from Sri Lanka (or Ceylon as it was listed in the book), not Florida.

Response:

[sigh!] |-( Ok, one last time. The book that I saw the plant in was a SCIENCE BOOK, NOT a SCIENCE FICTION book. And I only compared the look of the plant to a tv depiction of a man-eating plant. The SCIENCE BOOK in question described the plant as being an insectivorous plant from Ceylon (Now Sri Lanka). – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Like the Walrus said, There is the parrot pitcher plant from Florida (Sarracenia psittacina) but it does not have active traps. http://www.sarracenia.com/galleria/g252.html http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html BTW, wasn’t Paul the walrus? — electric walrus If that is what your "Parrot Plant" is, there is no such thing. The Asiatic species of Nepenthes do not have active traps. You shouldn’t watch bad science fiction movies, they have really badly made "man-eating plants" and really bad science advice written by hack writers. Someone your age should know better. The reality of carnivorous plants is far more interesting. I didn’t say that I believe in man eating plants, or in what I see in science fiction/fantasy/horror, nor did I say anything about taking advice from hack writers. My reference to man eating plants in the sci-fi/fantasy/horror genre was only a comparison to the photo that I saw in the science book.I know that I read about this. I was wrong about the country when I said Madagascar, and for all I know, I could be wrong about the name "Parrot Plant" but I’m sure that is what I read. BTW, Ceylon is now Sri Lanka. Thanks for the correction. "Patrick I know about 5 basic kinds of carnivorous plants. Venus fly traps, Pitcher plants, Sundews, Butterworts, & Bladderworts. Are there others? I don’t mean subspecies of the abve, like different types of Sundews or Pitcher plants. I heard that there is something called the Madagascar Parrot plant which is insectivorous. Does anyone know about this? Where can I get the information. What about the Century plant. Is that carnivorous? Thanks in advance for the information. I never heard of carniverous Century plant (Agave sp), nor a carniverous Parrot Plant; but my not hearing of them doesn’t mean much. Several epiphytic succulents like the Century Plant may in fact feed on insects [snip] I just remembered something! When I first read about the carnivorous Parrot Plant, I read it in a science book in 1967 when I was eleven years old. But I think that it wasn’t from Madagascar, but from Ceylon! Any carnivorous plants there? I saw a picture in this science book which looked like a wide bird beak sitting on the ground ready to snap shut on anything that stepped into it. A bit remensicent of some of the man-eating plants that you might have seen depicted in various sci-fi, horror, fantasy films. As for the Century Plant, I recently saw an old black & white move called "The Thing From Another World", in which one of the characters discussed intelligence in animals, and said that the Century Plant could trap insects and small rodents to digest them, but I guess that’s not true. -Patrick-

Response:

No, it sure doesn’t look like it. The photo that I saw was a top view that looked like an open beak on the ground. My impression was that it was supposed to snap shut as soon as something walked over it. http://www.borneoexotics.com/Species%20Data/dist.htm http://www.easycarnivores.co.uk/shop/en-gb/dept_4.html

http://biologicalservers.8m.com/cgi-bin/i/botanic/hidro_botanic/Nepen… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – stillatoria.jpg If you had done a google search, you would have found it yourself. None-the-less, what you read as a child about man eating plants is completely fictitious from badly written SCI-FI and does nothing toward understanding or appreciating genuine carnivorous plants. Trying to find out more about a plant that doesn’t exist is a waste of time. The real thing is far more interesting. [sigh!] |-( Ok, one last time. The book that I saw the plant in was a SCIENCE BOOK, NOT a SCIENCE FICTION book. And I only compared the look of the plant to a tv depiction of a man-eating plant. The SCIENCE BOOK in question described the plant as being an insectivorous plant from Ceylon (Now Sri Lanka). Like the Walrus said, There is the parrot pitcher plant from Florida (Sarracenia psittacina) but it does not have active traps. http://www.sarracenia.com/galleria/g252.html http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html BTW, wasn’t Paul the walrus? — electric walrus If that is what your "Parrot Plant" is, there is no such thing. The Asiatic species of Nepenthes do not have active traps. You shouldn’t watch bad science fiction movies, they have really badly made "man-eating plants" and really bad science advice written by hack writers. Someone your age should know better. The reality of carnivorous plants is far more interesting. I didn’t say that I believe in man eating plants, or in what I see in science fiction/fantasy/horror, nor did I say anything about taking advice from hack writers. My reference to man eating plants in the sci-fi/fantasy/horror genre was only a comparison to the photo that I saw in the science book.I know that I read about this. I was wrong about the country when I said Madagascar, and for all I know, I could be wrong about the name "Parrot Plant" but I’m sure that is what I read. BTW, Ceylon is now Sri Lanka. Thanks for the correction. In article

Response:

An for the last time, I said comparing it to some silly plant in a bad science fiction does not help in identifying it.

Sure it does! The primary source on the carniverous wisteria is Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s weird tale "The Giant Wisteria." If not for that story we wouldn’t even know that giant carniverous wisterias existed. And what about Ray Bradbury’s "Boys! Raise Giant Mushrooms In YOUR Cellar!" Would you have known about world-conquering killer mushrooms without Ray Bradbury to tell you? And if so, I bet you have nobody to thank but John Collier whose 1932 tale "Green Thoughts" reveals all one needs to know about carniverous orchids, as plagiarised for the film(s) Little Shop of Horrors. Or Edith Nesbit’s 1923 tale of "The Pavillion" is very revealing about man-eatint vines. You can’t rely on no damn science book for that! Oh, oh, what about Hal Pink’s "The Screaming Plant." We might all be planting mandrakes in our gardens & getting killed by them if not for Hal Pink’s warning! And if not for Robert E. Howard’s "Garden of Fear" how could be possibly know that flowers can become vampires. Would we know there are giant man-eating flowers in the North Carolina wilderness if Manly Wade Wellman hadn’t reported about them in "Come into my Parlor"? I think not! The truth is out there, but scientists know they’ll be hunted down by the government & their brains sucked out (ah, but but what sort of plant!) if they told too much. Heck, we even owe Barry Pain a debt of gratitude for warning us about "The Tree of Death" which produces one giant seed with tentacles that must eat a human being in order to germinate. And if not for Howard Pease’s 1919 tale of "The Wizard of Glororum" however would we know that pitcher plants can grow to a size large enough to devour a man. And who but Jack Snow would have had the nerve to warn us about "The Seed," of an African plant that only germinates its seed in the stomach of a virgin, to her unhappy end. We know only from Carl Jacobi that a walking stick made from The Death Tree can carry out an act of vengeance, as unfolds in "The Cane." And because I doubt you ever read anything by the obscure Neville Kelvington, you are most assuredly at risk of being eaten by the very giant plant described in Trezbound’s diary in the "Meshes of Doom." -paghat the ratgirl — "Flowers are commonly badly designed, inartistic in color, & ill-smelling." -Ambrose Bierce Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.angelfire.com/grrl/paghat/gardenhome.html#top

Response:

An for the last time, I said comparing it to some silly plant in a bad science fiction does not help in identifying it. No science book would say a plant from Ceylon (= Sri Lanka) actively catches animals because no such plant is found on the island. The only carnivorous plant native to Sri Lanka that remotely resembles your "Parrot Plant" is Nepenthes distillatoria. Is that your plant? http://www.borneoexotics.com/Species%20Data/dist.htm http://www.easycarnivores.co.uk/shop/en-gb/dept_4.html http://biologicalservers.8m.com/cgi-bin/i/botanic/hidro_botanic/Nepen… stillatoria.jpg If you had done a google search, you would have found it yourself. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – None-the-less, what you read as a child about man eating plants is completely fictitious from badly written SCI-FI and does nothing toward understanding or appreciating genuine carnivorous plants. Trying to find out more about a plant that doesn’t exist is a waste of time. The real thing is far more interesting. [sigh!] |-( Ok, one last time. The book that I saw the plant in was a SCIENCE BOOK, NOT a SCIENCE FICTION book. And I only compared the look of the plant to a tv depiction of a man-eating plant. The SCIENCE BOOK in question described the plant as being an insectivorous plant from Ceylon (Now Sri Lanka). Like the Walrus said, There is the parrot pitcher plant from Florida (Sarracenia psittacina) but it does not have active traps. http://www.sarracenia.com/galleria/g252.html http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html BTW, wasn’t Paul the walrus? — electric walrus If that is what your "Parrot Plant" is, there is no such thing. The Asiatic species of Nepenthes do not have active traps. You shouldn’t watch bad science fiction movies, they have really badly made "man-eating plants" and really bad science advice written by hack writers. Someone your age should know better. The reality of carnivorous plants is far more interesting. I didn’t say that I believe in man eating plants, or in what I see in science fiction/fantasy/horror, nor did I say anything about taking advice from hack writers. My reference to man eating plants in the sci-fi/fantasy/horror genre was only a comparison to the photo that I saw in the science book.I know that I read about this. I was wrong about the country when I said Madagascar, and for all I know, I could be wrong about the name "Parrot Plant" but I’m sure that is what I read. BTW, Ceylon is now Sri Lanka. Thanks for the correction. "Patrick I know about 5 basic kinds of carnivorous plants. Venus fly traps, Pitcher plants, Sundews, Butterworts, & Bladderworts. Are there others? I don’t mean subspecies of the abve, like different types of Sundews or Pitcher plants. I heard that there is something called the Madagascar Parrot plant which is insectivorous. Does anyone know about this? Where can I get the information. What about the Century plant. Is that carnivorous? Thanks in advance for the information. I never heard of carniverous Century plant (Agave sp), nor a carniverous Parrot Plant; but my not hearing of them doesn’t mean much. Several epiphytic succulents like the Century Plant may in fact feed on insects [snip] I just remembered something! When I first read about the carnivorous Parrot Plant, I read it in a science book in 1967 when I was eleven years old. But I think that it wasn’t from Madagascar, but from Ceylon! Any carnivorous plants there? I saw a picture in this science book which looked like a wide bird beak sitting on the ground ready to snap shut on anything that stepped into it. A bit remensicent of some of the man-eating plants that you might have seen depicted in various sci-fi, horror, fantasy films. As for the Century Plant, I recently saw an old black & white move called "The Thing From Another World", in which one of the characters discussed intelligence in animals, and said that the Century Plant could trap insects and small rodents to digest them, but I guess that’s not true. -Patrick-

Response:

Check out www.californiacarinvores.com or The Carnivorous Plant FAQ at http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html There are many other sorts of carnivorous plants. If by Century Plant you mean species of Agave, I don’t believe they are carnivorous. M. Reed. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I know about 5 basic kinds of carnivorous plants. Venus fly traps, Pitcher plants, Sundews, Butterworts, & Bladderworts. Are there others? I don’t mean subspecies of the abve, like different types of Sundews or Pitcher plants. I heard that there is something called the Madagascar Parrot plant which is insectivorous. Does anyone know about this? Where can I get the information. What about the Century plant. Is that carnivorous? Thanks in advance for the information. — Patrick D. Rockwell

Response:

None-the-less, what you read as a child about man eating plants is completely fictitious from badly written SCI-FI and does nothing toward understanding or appreciating genuine carnivorous plants. Trying to find out more about a plant that doesn’t exist is a waste of time. The real thing is far more interesting. Like the Walrus said, There is the parrot pitcher plant from Florida (Sarracenia psittacina) but it does not have active traps. http://www.sarracenia.com/galleria/g252.html http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html BTW, wasn’t Paul the walrus? — electric walrus – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – If that is what your "Parrot Plant" is, there is no such thing. The Asiatic species of Nepenthes do not have active traps. You shouldn’t watch bad science fiction movies, they have really badly made "man-eating plants" and really bad science advice written by hack writers. Someone your age should know better. The reality of carnivorous plants is far more interesting. I didn’t say that I believe in man eating plants, or in what I see in science fiction/fantasy/horror, nor did I say anything about taking advice from hack writers. My reference to man eating plants in the sci-fi/fantasy/horror genre was only a comparison to the photo that I saw in the science book.I know that I read about this. I was wrong about the country when I said Madagascar, and for all I know, I could be wrong about the name "Parrot Plant" but I’m sure that is what I read. BTW, Ceylon is now Sri Lanka. Thanks for the correction. "Patrick I know about 5 basic kinds of carnivorous plants. Venus fly traps, Pitcher plants, Sundews, Butterworts, & Bladderworts. Are there others? I don’t mean subspecies of the abve, like different types of Sundews or Pitcher plants. I heard that there is something called the Madagascar Parrot plant which is insectivorous. Does anyone know about this? Where can I get the information. What about the Century plant. Is that carnivorous? Thanks in advance for the information. I never heard of carniverous Century plant (Agave sp), nor a carniverous Parrot Plant; but my not hearing of them doesn’t mean much. Several epiphytic succulents like the Century Plant may in fact feed on insects [snip] I just remembered something! When I first read about the carnivorous Parrot Plant, I read it in a science book in 1967 when I was eleven years old. But I think that it wasn’t from Madagascar, but from Ceylon! Any carnivorous plants there? I saw a picture in this science book which looked like a wide bird beak sitting on the ground ready to snap shut on anything that stepped into it. A bit remensicent of some of the man-eating plants that you might have seen depicted in various sci-fi, horror, fantasy films. As for the Century Plant, I recently saw an old black & white move called "The Thing From Another World", in which one of the characters discussed intelligence in animals, and said that the Century Plant could trap insects and small rodents to digest them, but I guess that’s not true. -Patrick-

Response:

If that is what your "Parrot Plant" is, there is no such thing. The Asiatic species of Nepenthes do not have active traps. You shouldn’t watch bad science fiction movies, they have really badly made "man-eating plants" and really bad science advice written by hack writers. Someone your age should know better. The reality of carnivorous plants is far more interesting.

I didn’t say that I believe in man eating plants, or in what I see in science fiction/fantasy/horror, nor did I say anything about taking advice from hack writers. My reference to man eating plants in the sci-fi/fantasy/horror genre was only a comparison to the photo that I saw in the science book.I know that I read about this. I was wrong about the country when I said Madagascar, and for all I know, I could be wrong about the name "Parrot Plant" but I’m sure that is what I read. BTW, Ceylon is now Sri Lanka.

Thanks for the correction. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – "Patrick I know about 5 basic kinds of carnivorous plants. Venus fly traps, Pitcher plants, Sundews, Butterworts, & Bladderworts. Are there others? I don’t mean subspecies of the abve, like different types of Sundews or Pitcher plants. I heard that there is something called the Madagascar Parrot plant which is insectivorous. Does anyone know about this? Where can I get the information. What about the Century plant. Is that carnivorous? Thanks in advance for the information. I never heard of carniverous Century plant (Agave sp), nor a carniverous Parrot Plant; but my not hearing of them doesn’t mean much. Several epiphytic succulents like the Century Plant may in fact feed on insects [snip] I just remembered something! When I first read about the carnivorous Parrot Plant, I read it in a science book in 1967 when I was eleven years old. But I think that it wasn’t from Madagascar, but from Ceylon! Any carnivorous plants there? I saw a picture in this science book which looked like a wide bird beak sitting on the ground ready to snap shut on anything that stepped into it. A bit remensicent of some of the man-eating plants that you might have seen depicted in various sci-fi, horror, fantasy films. As for the Century Plant, I recently saw an old black & white move called "The Thing From Another World", in which one of the characters discussed intelligence in animals, and said that the Century Plant could trap insects and small rodents to digest them, but I guess that’s not true. -Patrick-

Response:

I know about 5 basic kinds of carnivorous plants. Venus fly traps, Pitcher plants, Sundews, Butterworts, & Bladderworts. Are there others? I don’t mean subspecies of the abve, like different types of Sundews or Pitcher plants. I heard that there is something called the Madagascar Parrot plant which is insectivorous. Does anyone know about this? Where can I get the information. What about the Century plant. Is that carnivorous? Thanks in advance for the information. — Patrick D. Rockwell

Response:

I never heard of carniverous Century plant (Agave sp), nor a carniverous Parrot Plant; but my not hearing of them doesn’t mean much. Several epiphytic succulents like the Century Plant may in fact feed on insects but probably only those that incidentally die in the soilless invironments & arboreal settings of many epiphytes, so I’m not ruling it out, but I don’t think century plants are thus categorized. Your list appears to miss Aldrovanada (Waterwheels) which resemble pitcher plants; Cobra Lily (Darlingtonia, not jack-in-the-pulpit cobra lilies) which is one of the most garden-hardy of all carniverous plants; Byblis ("Rainbow Plant"); Drosophyllum (Dewy Pine); Genlisea ("Corkscrew Plant" with very pretty normal flowers); & Polypomphoolyx (Fairy Aprons). Shepard’s Purse (Capsella) are known to capture insects & there are several other "sticky" plants that catch but don’t seem to ingest prey & most overviews of carniverous plants will discuss several almost-carnivors. "Pitcher plant" is itself a catch-all name for the genera Sarracenia, Heliamphora, & Nepenthes…so that is not a matter of "subspecies" at all, there being many species in each genus before ever getting round to subspecies & hybrids. There are a very few bromiliads ("air plants") that include species adapted to ingest insects that drown in their centers; I don’t have a list of the species but they occur in the genera Catopsis & Brocchinia (not all in these genera are carniverous & those which are are not completely dependent on insects to obtain nutrients). There may be other epiphytic plants that to some extent do this, I’ve not read enough about them to know for sure. There is a species of Utricularia bladderwort that lives inside the aforementioned Brocchinia, where its only nutirient source is the insects that drown in the Brocchinia, so it looks like two epiphytic plants at once are feeding off the same insects! You should obtain J. & P. Pietropaulo’s CARNIVEROUS PLANTS OF THE WORLD. In the mean time you can find out a bit in a hurry at www.sarracenia.com which site has info on more than just Sarracenia spp. -paghat — "Flowers are commonly badly designed, inartistic in color, & ill-smelling." -Ambrose Bierce Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.angelfire.com/grrl/paghat/gardenhome.html#top

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I know about 5 basic kinds of carnivorous plants. Venus fly traps, Pitcher plants, Sundews, Butterworts, & Bladderworts. Are there others? I don’t mean subspecies of the abve, like different types of Sundews or Pitcher plants. I heard that there is something called the Madagascar Parrot plant which is insectivorous. Does anyone know about this? Where can I get the information. What about the Century plant. Is that carnivorous? Thanks in advance for the information. I never heard of carniverous Century plant (Agave sp), nor a carniverous Parrot Plant; but my not hearing of them doesn’t mean much. Several epiphytic succulents like the Century Plant may in fact feed on insects [snip] I just remembered something! When I first read about the carnivorous Parrot Plant, I read it in a science book in 1967 when I was eleven years old. But I think that it wasn’t from Madagascar, but from Ceylon! Any carnivorous plants there? I saw a picture in this science book which looked like a wide bird beak sitting on the ground ready to snap shut on anything that stepped into it. A bit remensicent of some of the man-eating plants that you might have seen depicted in various sci-fi, horror, fantasy films. As for the Century Plant, I recently saw an old black & white move called "The Thing From Another World", in which one of the characters discussed intelligence in animals, and said that the Century Plant could trap insects and small rodents to digest them, but I guess that’s not true. -Patrick-

Do you mean the parrot pitcher plant from Florida? Sarracenia psittacina? It does not snap shut, no pitcher plants do. I think you can find information and a picture in the cp faq at www.sarracenia.com — electric walrus

Response:

Dear Patrick, You have heard wrong. Genuine carnivorous plants occur in six different plant families. Three families have leaves that act as fly paper or active traps. Droseraceae (Drosera, Drosophyllum, Dionaea, Aldrovanda) Byblidaceae (Byblis) Lentibulariaceae (Utricularia, Genlisea, Pinguicula) Pitcher plants are found in three very different plant families. Sarraceniaceae (Sarracenia, Darlingtonia, Heliamphora) Nepenthaceae (Nepenthes) Cephalotaceae (Cephalotus) Spiny desert plant are not carnivorous. There are no carnivorous plants among the monocots. Some bromeliads have a water filled leaf crown but they are not carnivorous. Many plant have glandular hairy leaves and/or stems that trap insects and are mistaken for carnivorous plants. Never heard of the "Madagascar Parrot plant". Is it a common name for a species of Nepenthes? See the carnivorous plant home page for more info. http://www.carnivorousplants.org/ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I know about 5 basic kinds of carnivorous plants. Venus fly traps, Pitcher plants, Sundews, Butterworts, & Bladderworts. Are there others? I don’t mean subspecies of the abve, like different types of Sundews or Pitcher plants. I heard that there is something called the Madagascar Parrot plant which is insectivorous. Does anyone know about this? Where can I get the information. What about the Century plant. Is that carnivorous? Thanks in advance for the information. — Patrick D. Rockwell

Response:

I just remembered something! When I first read about the carnivorous Parrot Plant, I read it in a science book in 1967 when I was eleven years old. But I think that it wasn’t from Madagascar, but from Ceylon! Any carnivorous plants there? I saw a picture in this science book which looked like a wide bird beak sitting on the ground ready to snap shut on anything that stepped into it. A bit remensicent of some of the man-eating plants that you might have seen depicted in various sci-fi, horror, fantasy films. As for the Century Plant, I recently saw an old black & white move called "The Thing From Another World", in which one of the characters discussed intelligence in animals, and said that the Century Plant could trap insects and small rodents to digest them, but I guess that’s not true. -Patrick-

Response:

Sounds possibly like the lower pitcher of a Nepenthes. N.distillatoria is found in Sri Lanka. N.madagascariensis and N.masoalensis are native to Madagascar. Most other Nepenthes species are found in South Eastern Asia. FWIW the lids of Nepenthes do not shut when prey enters the trap. After opening, the lids only tend to close when humidity is low. Andrew

Response:

Hello

admin — Mon, 12 Aug 2002 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

I am a newbie to this group and would like to follow your messages for a while, if I may, and perhaps post from time to time? I live in Maryland (in Zone 7) and am interested in gardening even though I have a black thumb! Thank you. —

Response:

Welcome! BTW, there’s no such thing as a black thumb. All of us have made mistakes and experienced frustrations. From this, we eventually achieve succes. I’m in zone 7ish too, in No.CA. What are you interested in growing? What’s your garden like? I look forward to hearing about your experiences. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I am a newbie to this group and would like to follow your messages for a while, if I may, and perhaps post from time to time? I live in Maryland (in Zone 7) and am interested in gardening even though I have a black thumb!

Response:

There’s one such thing as a Black Thumb you haven’t taken the wrappings off yet. mouser Lord help me be the person my dog thinks I am.

Response:

Welcome to the group! The more, the merrier! -Trillian – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am a newbie to this group and would like to follow your messages for a while, if I may, and perhaps post from time to time? I live in Maryland (in Zone 7) and am interested in gardening even though I have a black thumb! Thank you. —

Response:

Welcome to the group! I replied to this yesterday, but either I hit the wrong doodad and emailed it or it disappeared into cyberspace. Anyway- what I have to do with my indoor starts is to toughen them up outside gradually by carrying the pots out in the daytime and bringing them back in at night for a couple of weeks before I actually plant them outside. Something similar might help with your situation. Good luck!

Response:

Welcome Karlman. — (o)_(o) / ,, , / Uhhhh,…ribbit. Please remove the "*" asterick at the beginning of my e-mail address to reply.

Response:

Hi Karl welcome, the people in this group are the friendliest and most helpful . if they don’t know something , they will do all they can to find out. ther’s always someone here who can give great advice and suggestions. just ask anything. jacki z8 nw florida http://community.webtv.net/Bearz-Lady/BearzLady1LovesAll http://community.webtv.net/Bearz-Lady/Bearz_Ladyhomepage

Response:

This is from the system that split the zones into A and B portions. That’s not especially new, as it took place quite some years ago. But all that really did is chop the zones into 5 degree intervals instead of 10. I haven’t heard of any newer USDA system, save a separate one for heat zones. And zone 5 is the -10 to -20 zone according to maps I’ve seen. Zone 4 goes -20 to -30. And that’s *Average* annual minimum. In an extreme winter, it can get considerably colder than that. Maybe I mis-read something or I have an outdated map??

It could be possible that you mis-read the map. Or that it was incorrect. The basic USDA system has been copied by everyone, and there’s no assurance that it is always copied accurately. I talked to a neighbor tonight that has lived in this area for 6 years. He said the coldest it had gotten since he moved here was -30 but it was only for 3 or 4 nights.

Again, that could be an extreme temperature, but it certainly isn’t out of the running for something that could happen sometimes in zone 4B or 5A. Even in 5B, on very rare occasions. Regards, Bill — "Those who do not learn the lessons of science fiction are condemned to live them."

Response:

Thanks for the zone info. Are these zones you reported from the newer USDA zone maps? I am not sure but I had heard that the maps were being re-done. I’m not doubting you, of course, but I thought zone 4 was -20 to -10. Maybe I mis-read something or I have an outdated map?? I talked to a neighbor tonight that has lived in this area for 6 years. He said the coldest it had gotten since he moved here was -30 but it was only for 3 or 4 nights. Thanks, Karl Jemez Mountains, New Mexico 8500ft, Zone: ??

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello Everyone, As you can guess, I am new to the group. I just wanted to drop a quick note to introduce myself. Anyway, I have been involved in gardening quite a while. My dad used to have a nursery business in Texas and I learned quite a lot. Now, the tables are turned. My wife and I moved up in the mountains of northern New Mexico and the climate has me totally screwed up as far as gardening goes. We are at approximately 8500ft elevation so it still gets cold at night. According to my neighbors, the winter this year was pretty mild (only got down to -13F) so I am guessing we are probably somewhere around zone 2 or 3 in my immediate area. I think 4B is as far as it goes in that area of NM. 5A and 5B are also in the area, and more extensive. It gets cold sometimes in all those zones. If the temperature you quoted is the average annual temp, you’d be in 5B, which has the -10 to -15 range. But as you said that was mild, you might be looking at 5A (-15 to -20) or 4B (-20 to -25). Oh, and your Sunset zone? That would most likely be (dare I say it?): Zone 1, the zone of half the West… Regards, Bill I am hoping that people in similar climates will be able to offer tips and advice on gardening in both cold climates and high altitudes. Here’s a perfect example: I started some of my vegatable plants inside and finally the weather warmed up enough to move them out to the garden. Well, the day I planted them was the warmest day so far this year so I though I would be ok (this was 2 days ago). Needless to say, the nighttime temperature dropped to around 29F and I lost almost all of my plants. Live and Learn I guess. Karl — "Those who do not learn the lessons of science fiction are condemned to live them."

Response:

I think 4B is as far as it goes in that area of NM. 5A and 5B are also in the area, and more extensive. It gets cold sometimes in all those zones. If the temperature you quoted is the average annual temp, you’d be in 5B, which has the -10 to -15 range. But as you said that was mild, you might be looking at 5A (-15 to -20) or 4B (-20 to -25). Oh, and your Sunset zone? That would most likely be (dare I say it?): Zone 1, the zone of half the West… Regards, Bill I am hoping that people in similar climates will be able to offer tips and advice on gardening in both cold climates and high altitudes. Here’s a perfect example: I started some of my vegatable plants inside and finally the weather warmed up enough to move them out to the garden. Well, the day I planted them was the warmest day so far this year so I though I would be ok (this was 2 days ago). Needless to say, the nighttime temperature dropped to around 29F and I lost almost all of my plants. Live and Learn I guess. Karl

– "Those who do not learn the lessons of science fiction are condemned to live them."

Response:

Hello Everyone, As you can guess, I am new to the group. I just wanted to drop a quick note to introduce myself. Anyway, I have been involved in gardening quite a while. My dad used to have a nursery business in Texas and I learned quite a lot. Now, the tables are turned. My wife and I moved up in the mountains of northern New Mexico and the climate has me totally screwed up as far as gardening goes. We are at approximately 8500ft elevation so it still gets cold at night. According to my neighbors, the winter this year was pretty mild (only got down to -13F) so I am guessing we are probably somewhere around zone 2 or 3 in my immediate area. I am hoping that people in similar climates will be able to offer tips and advice on gardening in both cold climates and high altitudes. Here’s a perfect example: I started some of my vegatable plants inside and finally the weather warmed up enough to move them out to the garden. Well, the day I planted them was the warmest day so far this year so I though I would be ok (this was 2 days ago). Needless to say, the nighttime temperature dropped to around 29F and I lost almost all of my plants. Live and Learn I guess. Karl

Response:

Looking for a gardening group. Looks like I found one ;o) Please tell me, does this group have a faq or charter?

Not really. We prefer to wrangle endlessly. http://www.faqs.org/faqs/by-newsgroup/rec/rec.gardens.html is as close as it gets. I’d sure like someone to take up the torch. Nominate: 1. Are these seeds too old to plant? 2. What is the best gardening book? 3. I want to start gardening. What do I do?

Response:

Hi Looking for a gardening group. Looks like I found one ;o) Please tell me, does this group have a faq or charter? — William Tasso – http://www.tbdata.com/

Response:

Where is this gardening group you found? The rest of us are curious where it is!!! Would be interested in seeing that faq or charter you speak of.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Looking for a gardening group. Looks like I found one ;o) Please tell me, does this group have a faq or charter? — William Tasso – http://www.tbdata.com/

Response:

Hi Looking for a gardening group. Looks like I found one ;o) Please tell me, does this group have a faq or charter? Where is this gardening group you found?

Hi Cereoid+1+ , so you’re the clown in this group then ;o) The rest of us are curious where it is!!!

look around. which ‘us’ exactly is that then? Would be interested in seeing that faq or charter you speak of.

I’ll take that as a ‘no’ then. – William Tasso – http://www.tbdata.com/

Response:

?? not sure but we have aphids, blister beetles, perennials by the ton, veggies, fruit, trees, grasses, cacti, orchids, roses and more cat and dog and crappy neighbors to keep you reading into the next springtime. Welcome William to "wreck.gardens" home of real people and the occasional flamer and troll (we try to ignore them) madgardener one of the old folks around here

Response:

Hi Looking for a gardening group. Looks like I found one ;o) Please tell me, does this group have a faq or charter? ?? not sure

just had a quick trawl round google – could have done that before I suppose, but it’s polite to ask ;o). Couldn’t find a reference to faq or charter so I guess I’ll just have to muddle on thru. but we have aphids, blister beetles, perennials by the ton, veggies, fruit, trees, grasses, cacti, orchids, roses and more cat and dog and crappy neighbors to keep you reading into the next springtime.

sounds about right. don’t forget vine weevils and slugs. oops, you already mentioned the neighbours. Welcome William to "wreck.gardens" home of real people and the occasional flamer and troll (we try to ignore them)

lol – all groups have those and thank you

– William Tasso – http://www.tbdata.com/

Response:

There are all Bozos on this bus. Do you want to be the first stand up comic in the group?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Looking for a gardening group. Looks like I found one ;o) Please tell me, does this group have a faq or charter? Where is this gardening group you found? Hi Cereoid+1+ , so you’re the clown in this group then ;o) The rest of us are curious where it is!!! look around. which ‘us’ exactly is that then? Would be interested in seeing that faq or charter you speak of. I’ll take that as a ‘no’ then. – William Tasso – http://www.tbdata.com/

Response:

There are all Bozos on this bus.

The quote is "WE’re all bozos on this bus" (squeeka-squeeka). It’s a good motto. And surely you also know that, "Everything you know is false." -paghat — "Flowers are commonly badly designed, inartistic in color, & ill-smelling." -Ambrose Bierce Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.angelfire.com/grrl/paghat/gardenhome.html#top

Response:

That’s "WE’RE ALL BOZO’S ON THIS BUS" (Firesign Theater)

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – There are all Bozos on this bus. Do you want to be the first stand up comic in the group? Hi Looking for a gardening group. Looks like I found one ;o) Please tell me, does this group have a faq or charter? Where is this gardening group you found? Hi Cereoid+1+ , so you’re the clown in this group then ;o) The rest of us are curious where it is!!! look around. which ‘us’ exactly is that then? Would be interested in seeing that faq or charter you speak of. I’ll take that as a ‘no’ then. – William Tasso – http://www.tbdata.com/

Response:

no, EVERYTHING YOU KNOW IS WRONG.. (where it’s hotter than heater in Hellmouth)

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – There are all Bozos on this bus. The quote is "WE’re all bozos on this bus" (squeeka-squeeka). It’s a good motto. And surely you also know that, "Everything you know is false." -paghat — "Flowers are commonly badly designed, inartistic in color, & ill-smelling." -Ambrose Bierce Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.angelfire.com/grrl/paghat/gardenhome.html#top

Response:

Dendrobium Care Question

admin — Fri, 03 May 2002 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

Brian, First, sounds like quite a plant! Let me answer the cane question with a description of one of my own plants, Den. Canary Diamond. This is a rangy plant, lots of canes. Many of the old canes are bare and shrivelled. I recently checked the plant over very well, and found that two of the old canes were soft. That tells me that they are rotting, and I got rid of them, cutting back until I got all rotted material. I treated the cuts with cinnamon and the plant is doing fine. But the canes that are shrivelled and firm I left alone. As long as they are not harming the plant in any way, they may be of some use in holding nutrients. Just my opinion. Diana

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have recently purchased a Den. Polka ‘Orange Tower’. The plant has 7 canes, one is 18" tall with leaves on the top 6-8", four of which are approximately 18" tall and completely leafless. There are two canes which are still green, but *very* shriveled, one of which is only 3" and the other 6" tall (one of the leafless 18" canes is in this condition, too). All stand without requiring staking. The plant has flowered, and appears to be sending out more flower nodes, at the base of the "leafed" cane and on two of the least shriveled of the 18" canes. The plant had 3 keikis, one of which was on the shakiest of the 18" canes. But enough description. Is it ever appropriate to cut canes from a dendrobium? If so, when should one do it? I would like to encourage some new growth from this plant, and I love the blooms, but I don’t want to do something stupid and set myself back by years in regard to either blooming or recovery to blooming size after pruning. (The keikis have been removed and potted, on the advice of the grower where I bought the plant [Floradise Orchids in Gordonsville, VA. An absolutely *fabulous* greenhouse!]) What say the sages of rec.gardens.orchids? Brian

Response:

I have recently purchased a Den. Polka ‘Orange Tower’. The plant has 7 canes, one is 18" tall with leaves on the top 6-8", four of which are approximately 18" tall and completely leafless. There are two canes which are still green, but *very* shriveled, one of which is only 3" and the other 6" tall (one of the leafless 18" canes is in this condition, too). All stand without requiring staking. The plant has flowered, and appears to be sending out more flower nodes, at the base of the "leafed" cane and on two of the least shriveled of the 18" canes. The plant had 3 keikis, one of which was on the shakiest of the 18" canes. But enough description. Is it ever appropriate to cut canes from a dendrobium? If so, when should one do it? I would like to encourage some new growth from this plant, and I love the blooms, but I don’t want to do something stupid and set myself back by years in regard to either blooming or recovery to blooming size after pruning. (The keikis have been removed and potted, on the advice of the grower where I bought the plant [Floradise Orchids in Gordonsville, VA. An absolutely *fabulous* greenhouse!]) What say the sages of rec.gardens.orchids? Brian

Response:

Cheap Kuan-Yin-SuShin

admin — Thu, 25 Apr 2002 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

I’ve always loved Kuan Yin Sushin… its color and the fragrance. While I was in Asia, it was very common and cheap. I found one site in US that sells it, but it was expansive + more expansive S&H. Does anyone know any place I can buy this cheap? I live in Chicago, so if there is a local place, I can even drive down there. Thanks!

I also live in Chicago. I can think of three possibilities (forgive me if you already know of these). Orchids by Hausermann (630) 543-6855 I go to their Open House every year, so my buying tends to be only on this annual basis (in February). I like them, they’re helpful. EFG Orchids (630) 543-5628 I still haven’t gone there yet, so i can’t say much about it. Just call them up and ask. Chicago Botanical Gardens Won’t have orchids for sale, but they do host at least one orchid society, and i’m sure you can find out more through them. Go to the information desk and ask for the meeting schedules (they should have something for all the groups that meet there, and you can find the orchid group’s schedule through that). Plus, its a good time of year to go up to the Gardens anyway (take the 41 route on the Edens expressway, DO NOT branch off when the Edens branches off, and the next exit (Lake Cook Road) should be for the Chicago Botanical Gardens. Admission is free, parking costs a few bucks. Or you can ride your bike up there – there’s a fairly good bike path (at least for someone who lives on the North Side). -john February 28 1997: Last day libraries could order catalogue cards from the Library of Congress.

Response:

orchid vendors

admin — Thu, 11 Apr 2002 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

I just start the hobby. Any reasonable price orchid vendors please. Also what kind of light do I need to grow orchids indoor. Thanks

Response:

Hi, tpham, The best place to start is Oakhill Gardens http://www.oakhillgardens.com or an orchid show. For orchid culture, see the American Orchid Society for culture sheets http://www.theaos.org. Also visit your local Home Depot store. This should get you started. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I just start the hobby. Any reasonable price orchid vendors please. Also what kind of light do I need to grow orchids indoor. Thanks

Response:

I just start the hobby. Any reasonable price orchid vendors please. Also what kind of light do I need to grow orchids indoor. Thanks

Join a local society, if you have one nearby. They are a good source of plants and advice. — Gideon Singer In Beautiful Vancouver BC Web site: members.shaw.ca/gsinger

Response:

Suggest you pick up Ortho’s "All About Orchids". It’s an inexpensive book that speaks in plain language. The general questions you ask are too broad, as there are many different types of orchids with different requirements. If you tell us what you have and where you grow, we can be of more help. Diana

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I just start the hobby. Any reasonable price orchid vendors please. Also what kind of light do I need to grow orchids indoor. Thanks Join a local society, if you have one nearby. They are a good source of plants and advice. — Gideon Singer In Beautiful Vancouver BC Web site: members.shaw.ca/gsinger

Response:

Welcome to the hobby, tpham. Joining a local orchid society is the best way to go. Not so much for the inexpensive plants, but for the culture information and fellowship. The only two online vendors I’ve brought from are www.firstrays.com and www.jborchids.com. Both are run by knowledgeable people and I’ve always been satisfied by their plant quality and service. Bob – Philadelphia, Pa.

Response:

epiphyllums

admin — Fri, 05 Apr 2002 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

Oh yes you are correct Ray, but I did use the word "mostly" ? The oxypetalum opens at night & dies off the next day but I get 2 or 3 bloomings during the course of the summer. The other Epiphyllums that I have bloom on & off for a couple of months starting in May. The blooms on these last 4 to 6 days. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Wendy, They sure bloom more than once a year for me. I grow Epiph. oxypetalum outdoors in full sun all summer and typically see blooming over a 2- month period. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! Hello Judy, I was wondering about a newsgroup for Epiphyllums too but I guess because they mostly only bloom once a year there’s not much to discuss?? You can post pics at :- alt.binaries.pictures.gardens I have a few pics on my website if you are interested. http://gardenjungle.homestead.com/Epiphyllums5.html It is bloom time next month & plan to go to San Diego to take some photos. Cheers Wendy Am I the only one that grows epis? I cannot find any newsgroups for them. They are an orchid cactus.

Response:

While we are on the subject, what is the regime we should follow for great spring bloom? Mine never seem to boom very well, and Im sure its because Im not doing something right. Thanks for any info.

Response:

They seem to like morning sun but dappled shade for most of the day. They also like to get pot/root bound in cactus type potting soil. I really don’t do much to mine so here is a url for you:- http://junglecactus.com/index.html If you search for "epiphyllum" you will be amazed. Cheers Wendy

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – While we are on the subject, what is the regime we should follow for great spring bloom? Mine never seem to boom very well, and Im sure its because Im not doing something right. Thanks for any info.

Response:

I have a very large white flower plant that I bought as cuttings from the San Diego Wild Animal Park over 8 years ago. For many years I had nothing except new growth. For the past three years I have had massive white flowers .I have many buds on my plant now. I expect to see them start opening very soon. It is very very root bound. It seems to do better with neglect- just like alot of my orchids. Diane

Response:

Am I the only one that grows epis? I cannot find any newsgroups for them. They are an orchid cactus.

Response:

Hi I have grown them in the past but they ar not orchids. they are a cactus that is adapted to living in painforest trees Am I the only one that grows epis? I cannot find any newsgroups for them. They are an orchid cactus.

Response:

Hello Judy, I was wondering about a newsgroup for Epiphyllums too but I guess because they mostly only bloom once a year there’s not much to discuss?? You can post pics at :- alt.binaries.pictures.gardens I have a few pics on my website if you are interested. http://gardenjungle.homestead.com/Epiphyllums5.html It is bloom time next month & plan to go to San Diego to take some photos. Cheers Wendy

Am I the only one that grows epis? I cannot find any newsgroups for them. They are an orchid cactus.

Response:

Wendy, They sure bloom more than once a year for me. I grow Epiph. oxypetalum outdoors in full sun all summer and typically see blooming over a 2- month period. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello Judy, I was wondering about a newsgroup for Epiphyllums too but I guess because they mostly only bloom once a year there’s not much to discuss?? You can post pics at :- alt.binaries.pictures.gardens I have a few pics on my website if you are interested. http://gardenjungle.homestead.com/Epiphyllums5.html It is bloom time next month & plan to go to San Diego to take some photos. Cheers Wendy Am I the only one that grows epis? I cannot find any newsgroups for them. They are an orchid cactus.

Response:

Thanks Diana, One g/h is 8′ x 25′ & the other is 8′ x 15′ also have an old boat house (we used to water-ski) & now I’m working on the spa house (nobody uses the spa) *g* Cheers Wendy

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Wendy, how large is your GH? Beautiful epi, BTW. We don’t know all that much about the various types of cacti, though we grow a number of them. We were rewarded with flowers last year. Exciting! Diana Hello Judy, I was wondering about a newsgroup for Epiphyllums too but I guess because they mostly only bloom once a year there’s not much to discuss?? You can post pics at :- alt.binaries.pictures.gardens I have a few pics on my website if you are interested. http://gardenjungle.homestead.com/Epiphyllums5.html It is bloom time next month & plan to go to San Diego to take some photos. Cheers Wendy Am I the only one that grows epis? I cannot find any newsgroups for them. They are an orchid cactus.

Response:

Wendy, how large is your GH? Beautiful epi, BTW. We don’t know all that much about the various types of cacti, though we grow a number of them. We were rewarded with flowers last year. Exciting! Diana

Response:

Unsolicited Email

admin — Sun, 10 Mar 2002 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

This is unsolicited spam. I have not signed up to receive your mailing, however important it might be to what I do. I am disappointed that your company chooses to strip email addresses from listserves and/or newsgroups to distribute your sales literature to. While I once had reasonable respect for your establishment before (even though it was irritating to constantly see your posts advertising certain products show up through the above mentioned media), your email of today lost you points. Please refrain from this practice in the future. This message has been cc’d to the newsgroup and listserve. Barbara —– Original Message —– Sent: Sunday, March 10, 2002 7:04 AM New! R&D LifeReactor Test Kit , For Only $350! The low cost way to do liquid culture on a pilot scale! Want to try scale-up of your liquid culture micropropagation in an airlift

bioreactor? Osmotek’s LifeReactor sterile, disposable bioreactor, vessels in this new kit, are the perfect way to do so at low cost. The kit contains everything you need to run a single 1.5 -liter bioreactor

vessel (except the air supply), and additional vessels can be purchased as singles Or a package of 4 . Building Block Upgrades Once you’ve proven the concept, with LifeReactor you can:

Cypripedium buds

admin — Thu, 07 Mar 2002 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

A question I have here is whether you could use grafting techniques or small cuts at the appropriate times of year to encourage a profusion of growth…. Any ideas??? Kye.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks for all the responses. If my observations are correct (and most replies seem to confirm this), it will be a good "heads up" in the fall as to how many plants to expect the following spring. The next big question is what would make buds fail to develop? Oh well, I guess for every answer there’s at least one or two more questions raised. Bob C. http://vchilder.home.netcom.com

Response:

I don’t know, I guess it’s possible but have never heard of it being done with Cyps. Maybe someone at one of the labs or a commercial grower might know. Bob C.

Response:

Thanks for all the responses. If my observations are correct (and most replies seem to confirm this), it will be a good "heads up" in the fall as to how many plants to expect the following spring. The next big question is what would make buds fail to develop? Oh well, I guess for every answer there’s at least one or two more questions raised. Bob C. http://vchilder.home.netcom.com

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – For several years, I’ve noticed that new buds already have formed on most of my Cyps (seedlings and mature plants) before they go dormant for the winter. I’ve also observed that if they weren’t already there BEFORE the plants went dormant, what seem to be healthy plants/roots fail to develop new growth and die. My observation: New buds develop before Cyps go dormant for the winter. If they haven’t formed by the time a plant has died back for winter, the Cyp will eventually die during winter or in the spring. Therefore, any Cyp that doesn’t have a new bud already formed when the plants are put up for the winter may as well be discarded. Any comments from those with more experience growing Cypripediums concerning my observation would be welcome. I’ve seen this for a number of years now and if my hypothesis is correct, would give me and anyone else a "heads up" in the fall as to how many plants to expect the following spring. Bob C.

Snip I too have notiiced the new buds forming in the fall. I have not been observant enough to confirm the death of the cyp if a new bud is not initated in the fall, but this year I will keep my eyes open. I have several candidates that do not seem to have developed new eyes as of yet. All my cyps are outside either in pots or in the ground. — Gideon Singer In Beautiful COLD 0.1C Vancouver BC Web site: members.shaw.ca/gsinger

Response:

Dear Bob, and Wilford, Yes, I do find that the buds develop in the fall…my Cyp acuale grow in the ground in my gardens in Connecticut. As early as August I find the new growths, if I am digging the plants up to move them. Eagerly anticipating them breaking through the pine needles! Mayflowers…Arbutus are heavily in bud and ready to start blooming. And the roses are leafing out. Darn near 2 months early. Val, whose orchids are an outgrowth of 30+ years of interest in wildflowers.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – For several years, I’ve noticed that new buds already have formed on most of my Cyps (seedlings and mature plants) before they go dormant for the winter. I’ve also observed that if they weren’t already there BEFORE the plants went dormant, what seem to be healthy plants/roots fail to develop new growth and die. My observation: New buds develop before Cyps go dormant for the winter. If they haven’t formed by the time a plant has died back for winter, the Cyp will eventually die during winter or in the spring. Therefore, any Cyp that doesn’t have a new bud already formed when the plants are put up for the winter may as well be discarded. Any comments from those with more experience growing Cypripediums concerning my observation would be welcome. I’ve seen this for a number of years now and if my hypothesis is correct, would give me and anyone else a "heads up" in the fall as to how many plants to expect the following spring. Bob C. All cyps start growing the new growth for the following year during the maturation of this years growth. Furthermore, the flower bud for next year is already formed when the plant goes dormant; therefore, the commonly used term vernalization is actually in error, as this botanically denotes initiation of a flower bud by cold-something which occurs in lilies. North American cyps require a period of cold dormancy to initiate growth of leaves, which is why one does not find cyps growing in the deep south. In my experience, the bud for Cyp reginae is usually black (the outer layer), and looks dead, but with new growth the green shows through and finally looks fine. The buds on all of the others are green, in the fall, and stay green throughout the dormant period.

Response:

For several years, I’ve noticed that new buds already have formed on most of my Cyps (seedlings and mature plants) before they go dormant for the winter. I’ve also observed that if they weren’t already there BEFORE the plants went dormant, what seem to be healthy plants/roots fail to develop new growth and die. My observation: New buds develop before Cyps go dormant for the winter. If they haven’t formed by the time a plant has died back for winter, the Cyp will eventually die during winter or in the spring. Therefore, any Cyp that doesn’t have a new bud already formed when the plants are put up for the winter may as well be discarded. Any comments from those with more experience growing Cypripediums concerning my observation would be welcome. I’ve seen this for a number of years now and if my hypothesis is correct, would give me and anyone else a "heads up" in the fall as to how many plants to expect the following spring. Bob C. All cyps start growing the new growth for the following year during the maturation of this years growth. Furthermore, the flower bud for next year is already formed when the plant goes dormant; therefore, the commonly used term vernalization is actually in error, as this botanically denotes initiation of a flower bud by cold-something which occurs in lilies. North American cyps require a period of cold dormancy to initiate growth of leaves, which is why one does not find cyps growing in the deep south. In my experience, the bud for Cyp reginae is usually black (the outer layer), and looks dead, but with new growth the green shows through and finally looks fine. The buds on all of the others are green, in the fall, and stay green throughout the dormant period.