osmosis

It's a bit of mess, but I have no time to do the work I would like.

The top two photos (lovely plants BTW) are exactly what I have come to expect from the plants sold as flava from wistuba (I have 6 different clones) There is a long running debate whether some or all of these clones are introgressed with N.ovata and some people would refer to them as flava x ovata, which is making further assumptions The third photo looks nothing to do with flava at all What hybrid were they sold as?

Thanks. The vine is around 3ft, and this is the first pitcher the vine has carried, whilst it happily prodices multiple lowers from the basals Seems to be espscially fussy about uppers The are indeed bizarre - this was one of the first things I really wanted to grow, so this is the fulfillment of a long held ambition Dave

N.jacquelineae upper - I find it interesting that the front of the peristome is almost entirely reduced N. sp1#1 Sumatra BE - The more I see of this the more I like it - beautiful tricolor and lovely shape N.flava - no, it's not yellow, but the colours and shape are amazing lowii x aristolochoides - I am lookng forward to lowers from a couple of basals developing N.boschiana EP N. veitchii Batu Lawi AW

I haven't been posting much recently, but here are a few things I have enjoyed recently Striped veitchii EP N.jamban BE N.tenuis N.lowii-getting big N.burbidgeae - One of my favourites N.sibuyanensis x (northiana x veitchii) Lurking in the heliamphoras The obligatory lowii x truncata

I really like the vieillardii as well and there is something gloriously monstrous about the lowii x ventricosa

After five years - I was rather pleased to get this :) Current lower, for comparison

It went for $2,700.

An interesting story, new to me anyway - apparently Chilean sheep farmers have to pull their sheep from the clutches of the large bromeliad Puya chilensis, or they die. Speculation is that in the wild the plant may derive an advantage from the decaying carcasses of animals it snares. Wikipedia - Puya chilensis I know this is not strictly carnivory - but with only a slight embellishment it makes a sensational answer to what is the the largest carnivorous plant

Just a nice form of sibuyanensis

Here you go. This is BEs display. These photos don't do it justice - 4 months in the planning, 10 days to build, and a very well deserved 3rd gold that was obtained by a very comfortable margin. All this despite unusually challenging hot and dry conditions Two items of especial interest were the 'King of Hearts' black truncata, and a mature lowii showing the exudate and explaining the recent discovery of the tree shrew mutualism - both got a lot of interest from the public and media. You may also have seen the coverage from the new 'Bill Bailey' hybrid ventricosa x singalana http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/chels...t.html?image=14 http://twitpic.com/1qe8cc http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/chels...s-unveiled.html

Very, very impressive Simon. They all look in the peak of health. Looks like all your previous problems were a blip

Which form is that Simon - the leaf blades look stouter and the whole plant more compact than my Trus Madi Beautiful plant Dave

Actually, Rob has mentioned a percentage of the seedlings not looking at all like the others He was keeping them back for further study Dave

Mine are in true highland conditions, in my greenhouse in the horrible northern latitude winter. They have hardly moved since autumn. Like all my mature truncatas (veitchii and burbidgeae) they are stressed by real highland conditions Fingers crossed for spring.

Not sure what you mean. I grow a whole range of neps (including highlanders considered to be 'tricky'), and they all get the same treatment which is, as I say, not optimal in winter (too cold) or summer (too hot). They all get along, grow and in many cases flower, though I doubt they will ever be more than a pale imitation of how they could be in the wild, or under ideal conditions. I guess the hardier types might cope better, but I hadn't really noticed much difference Dave

Most things slow down, some get stressed (e.g. truncata, veitchii, burbidgeae) but I do get some pitchers over winter You are right, in an ideal world I'd be running halide lamps and heating to 25oC every day (as well as air conditioning to 15oC at night in the summer) , but I am guilty enough about my hobbies carbon footprint, to say nothing of the cost. Plants that grow strongly in spring and autumn, and do OK in the other 2 seasons is a compromise I, and I suspect many others, make Dave

I did run with MH lights two years in a row, but decided that it made little difference, compare to the huge cost of running them. My pet theory is that growth requires light and heat, and one or the other alone was not sufficient

I seem to remember there is such a thing as sedge peat that is already alkaline?

The rajah is looking good, Simon. That must be flowering size. Like Matt says, great to see things back on track. Dave

Now there is another article - both in the top 5 shared articles today. Nice to know it captures the public imagination http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/...000/8195671.stm

Just for info: I carefully self pollinated mine this year - and got absolutely nothing

I have a mature flowering regia and a number of young plants all doing well in the same conditions. If your regia is happy, maybe the moctezumae will be as well. I sold a few gypsicola x moctezumae recently and was suprised by how few roots there were even on a large plant. I think that a high humidity environment, together with a very open inorganic mix kept barely moist might well be what they like - maybe best considered as practically epiphytes

Mine grew really well for years in highland nepenthes conditions, not more than 25oC daytime, 10-15oC night temperatures, high humidity I use an inorganic media, with added crushed limestone tufa Unfortunately I went through a rough patch with maintaining interest in my collection last winter and it dried out too much, which nearly killed it. It has fragmented into tiny plantlets and is currently growing back fast

Superb Simon, I love the rigidifolia. Looks like a nice rajah bud developing there as well Nice healthy jamban, too. Things can't be that bad when you've got plants like that. What happened with the lowii x truncata - did it push up against something? I have yet to manage a perfect lowii upper yet - they do seem to have tendency to distort Dave