19 replies to this topic

[AndrewLuton]

Just wondered if it's just me but a lot of my plants are still in dormancy.
All of my Sarras are still looking like they did 4 months ago, there is signs of new growth but still only close to the rhizome.
None of my Sauromatum venosum bulbs are even showing above soil, they are still ok though as I have been digging them up every 3 weeks to make sure they havnt rotted.
The only thing doing well is Dracunculus vulgaris.

Anyone else suffering the same or is it just me?

[Richard Bunn]

The only plants I'm seeing growth of here in Ireland is S x Moorei which has flower buds around 6 inches high plus flava maxima is starting to grow a little.  I can guarantee that once the are all up and open a gale of wind will come and knock them sideways.  My VFT's are still dormant to the point where today I moved them from the back yard into the living room window to give them some warmth.  I wish someone would come along and put my greenhouse up for me, then I can move everything inside.

[Alexis]

Outside? Under glass pitchers are now opening

[AndrewLuton]

Richard Bunn, on 07 May 2012 - 21:05 PM, said:

The only plants I'm seeing growth of here in Ireland is S x Moorei which has flower buds around 6 inches high plus flava maxima is starting to grow a little.  I can guarantee that once the are all up and open a gale of wind will come and knock them sideways.  My VFT's are still dormant to the point where today I moved them from the back yard into the living room window to give them some warmth.  I wish someone would come along and put my greenhouse up for me, then I can move everything inside.

I was in Ireland last week and went looking for Sundews and Butterworts. In previous years thay have been plentyful but this year just a few butterworts and no sundews, least where I was looking!
Dont worry as my VFT are looking pretty sleep as well.

[AndrewLuton]

Alexis, on 07 May 2012 - 21:07 PM, said:

Outside? Under glass pitchers are now opening

Outside in a greenhouse. The location is not ideal for them as it only gets direct sun from mid afternoon.
I have S.Flava by a south facing fence and they too and doing very little.

[Alexis]

You might be a few weeks behind then. Even when it's cold outside, any sun makes the greenhouse temperatures rocket. So if it's shady most of the time, it won't heat up well.

At the moment morning sun warms up my greenhouse so that it doesn't matter if it's cloudy and wet in the afternoon.

[bazgoodman]

Quite a bit of activity down here in Cornwall both under glass and in the open, several flava have flowered and a couple of oreophila have open pitchers.
Cheers
Baz

[Richard Bunn]

Alexis, on 07 May 2012 - 21:07 PM, said:

Outside? Under glass pitchers are now opening

Outside for me still until this darned greenhouse is up. I need a couple of slaves that will work for food.

[Richard Bunn]

AndrewLuton, on 07 May 2012 - 21:08 PM, said:

I was in Ireland last week and went looking for Sundews and Butterworts. In previous years thay have been plentyful but this year just a few butterworts and no sundews, least where I was looking!
Dont worry as my VFT are looking pretty sleep as well.

Butterworts were quite common where I used to live. I lived at the base of a mountain and literally a two minute drive up the hill landed me in grandiflora territory.  I've still never seen a sundew though.  I don't know the areas they tend to like.  I know the pings prefer high regions, I've even seen them growing out of cliff faces on the Connor Pass on the way to the Dingle Peninsula.  Kerry is good for Pings. Any advice on the sundew habitats would be good as I'd love to see some.  I thought I saw one at the top of the mountain years back and I went in for a look and got stuck in 'quick bog'.  Cut my hands to pieces on barbed wire pulling myself out before I gut sucked under. At that point I figured the sundew could go screw itself.

[Richard Bunn]

bazgoodman, on 09 May 2012 - 17:46 PM, said:

Quite a bit of activity down here in Cornwall both under glass and in the open, several flava have flowered and a couple of oreophila have open pitchers.
Cheers
Baz

Where in Cornwall are you from? I'm originally from St Ives as are all my ancestors.  I moved to Ireland in 2000.

[scottleroc]

my plants were picking up but then the Greenflies appeared, now they are fighting to come back. My VFT's are slowly coming to life but some of my Sarras have seen better times.

[Daniel G]

Apart from a couple of sulking Leucos, i think all mine have started growth. Colour is an entirely different thing. Need some decent sun to come out for a week or two!

[bazgoodman]

Richard Bunn, on 09 May 2012 - 19:20 PM, said:

Where in Cornwall are you from? I'm originally from St Ives as are all my ancestors.  I moved to Ireland in 2000.

Hi Richard

So your 'proper Cornish' !

I'm originally from North Cornwall but moved to Truro about 5 years ago. St Ives is great, best out of the tourist season though!

Ireland is wonderful, we had a great family holiday around Kerry quite few years back.

Baz

[AndrewLuton]

Richard Bunn, on 09 May 2012 - 19:18 PM, said:

Butterworts were quite common where I used to live. I lived at the base of a mountain and literally a two minute drive up the hill landed me in grandiflora territory.  I've still never seen a sundew though.  I don't know the areas they tend to like.  I know the pings prefer high regions, I've even seen them growing out of cliff faces on the Connor Pass on the way to the Dingle Peninsula.  Kerry is good for Pings. Any advice on the sundew habitats would be good as I'd love to see some.  I thought I saw one at the top of the mountain years back and I went in for a look and got stuck in 'quick bog'.  Cut my hands to pieces on barbed wire pulling myself out before I gut sucked under. At that point I figured the sundew could go screw itself.

You will have to go a long way North to find the Sundews I have seen.
I stay on the west coast in County Donegal- in a village not far from slieve league. There are a few large boggy areas there. If you are going up that way I can give you better directions as I know some good spots but I am sure there are many closer to you.
The pings there grow close to sea level as well.

[Richard Bunn]

bazgoodman, on 10 May 2012 - 08:44 AM, said:

Hi Richard

So your 'proper Cornish' !

I'm originally from North Cornwall but moved to Truro about 5 years ago. St Ives is great, best out of the tourist season though!

Ireland is wonderful, we had a great family holiday around Kerry quite few years back.

Baz

Proper Cornish indeed.  Down that neck of the woods the locals completely denounce England, going back to our Celtic roots like Scotland and Wales.

I lived in Kerry for 10 years.  I'm in Cork now. Just next door.

[Richard Bunn]

AndrewLuton, on 10 May 2012 - 12:40 PM, said:

You will have to go a long way North to find the Sundews I have seen.
I stay on the west coast in County Donegal- in a village not far from slieve league. There are a few large boggy areas there. If you are going up that way I can give you better directions as I know some good spots but I am sure there are many closer to you.
The pings there grow close to sea level as well.

I can imagine Pings growing at sea level up there.  It's a cold place. It's (ducking from being shot) practically Northern Ireland.

[Richard Bunn]

I was having a closer look at my pots today and noticed two Sarracenias where D rotundifolia had seeded into. One had a flower spike. Plus a Judith Hindle that had what looks to be a young D. capensis or something of similar shape.  All these are outdoors.

[gardenofeden]

Richard Bunn, on 09 May 2012 - 19:18 PM, said:

Butterworts were quite common where I used to live. I lived at the base of a mountain and literally a two minute drive up the hill landed me in grandiflora territory.  I've still never seen a sundew though.  I don't know the areas they tend to like.  I know the pings prefer high regions, I've even seen them growing out of cliff faces on the Connor Pass on the way to the Dingle Peninsula.  Kerry is good for Pings. Any advice on the sundew habitats would be good as I'd love to see some.  

butterworts usually grow in base rich (calcareous) flushes and seepages, not necessarily in bogs,although you will find some on acid peat too, but often on cliffs (I suspect that exposed cliffs are oxidisng and raising nutrient levels, which the Pings like). look for slightly grey looking short vegetation patches on hillsides, which can indicate patches of glaucous sedges (carex) which like the same conditions. Not sure about P.lusitanica preferences though...

Drosera like acid conditions, in raised or blanket bogs, or acid flushes on moorland. D.rotundifolia is usually growing on Sphagnum, so look for this as an indicator, also on bare peat and sand beside paths, sometimes quite dry. D.intermedia and anglica like the really wet areas, usually on bare peat with a little standing water

[Richard Bunn]

Thanks Stephen

[James O'Neill]

Richard Bunn, on 11 May 2012 - 20:01 PM, said:

I can imagine Pings growing at sea level up there.  It's a cold place. It's (ducking from being shot) practically Northern Ireland.

Cold enough that my Sarras are ahead of yours it's been actually pretty warm up here and plenty of pitchers opening and flava flowers all over.

Yes there are definite differences in the places that pings and dews grow; most pings here, lusitanica and vulgaris, are on basic soils (such as Fermanagh), but occasionally acidic soils (especially so in the Mournes and Antrim). They almost always grow where there is running water, such as a seepage site or on stream banks. Often rotundifolia is found with them and also in pretty much every bog where there is sphagnum. Anglica and intermedia are rare cretins and like to reside in one or two strictly acidic and lowland sites scattered here and there.