Florist Kalanchoe

Florist Kalanchoe
Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
(kal-un-KOH-ee) (bloss-fel-dee-AY-nuh)
Synonyms: Flaming Katy, Christmas Kalanchoe

This is a plant that I see almost everywhere. Its ease of cultivation, compact size and great flower color must be some of the reasons for that. I had some other photographs of it somewhere but went with these two I took in Manhattan on Saturday.

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, which I have now learned how to pronounce correctly, is a native of the southern end of Madagascar. It was brought to Europe in the 1920’s and has been the subject of breeding programs ever since. It is hardy in Zone 10 (maybe 9) so most of us (not you, Misti) will have to grow it in pots. It doesn’t require much water and I give it even less in the winter. Try not to get the water on the leaves. I keep mine outdoors in the summer in bright light but not full sun. In the winter they live in the greenhouse and I take them inside the house when they start to flower. They could also live on a bright windowsill. Propagation is easy from stem cuttings if you want more. If your cleaver about managing the photoperiodism , you can get it to bloom in any season. Kalanchoe is a short day period plant.

For Christmas I got a Bamboo graphic tablet it is a pretty cool piece of hardware. I am getting used to using the pen but decided I liked my old trackball mouse better. It came with some demo software including Color Efex Pro 2.0, which is 4 Photoshop filters (plugins) including Graduated Blue which I applied to this Black and White photo of an old Florist sign in Chelsea Market. I am going to play around a bit more before deciding to purchase the ‘real’ set of 52 filters for $99. Also included in the bundle was Photoshop Elements (which I don’t need since I have its big brother CS2) and Corel Painter which I haven’t had time to even open up.

This sign is also from Chelsea Market which was a fun and interesting place. I got a few nice photos inside even though the light was very dim.

Hyacinths

Hyacinths
Hyacinthus orientalis
(hy-uh-SIN-thus)

Yesterday I went down to Manhattan with the idea I would try out the 50mm/1.8 lens at the Museum of Modern Art. When I got down there at the 10:30 opening time the line to get in was just too long already so I decided to take the subway down to Chelsea and have a walk around. I went by the Wholesale Flower District on 28th Street and see if I could get a few snaps. It was a little depressing as many of the shops have closed and many weren’t open on Saturday. I did manage these shots of Hyacinths that one of the stores had placed on racks outside. These were shot with the 17-70mm Sigma lens, except for the sign picture which I used the 50mm.


Dutch Hyacinths are familiar to most every gardener. They have been in cultivation in Europe since the 1500’s. Their colorful, fragrant spikes are always welcome in the spring. I actually know a few people that don’t care for them but I think they are in the minority. They compliment nicely with Daffodils and can also stand on their own. They are best planted in clumps in well drained soil. They are quite hardy (USDA Zone 4, for most) and are lovely when forced. The blooms are long lasting and make excellent cut flowers. There are literally hundreds of cultivars to choose from. I usually plant annuals over them after they have bloomed sine this hides the dying foliage.

These are a couple of other shots I got when I was walking around Chelsea, it is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Manhattan. I will probably be posting some MoMA pictures and some other various NYC pictures this week. I will be working full-time sine it looks like we are in for a solid January thaw coming up.

This was a florist by the Chelsea Market on 15th Street.

I got a chuckle out of this one. I knew I was king of something! (:lol:)


Its like Tom Petty said:
“Its good to be king and have your own way Get a feeling of peace at the end of the day And when your bulldog barks and your canary sings You’re out there with winners, its good to be king”

Florida Bound

I have left all my packing to the last minute. Tomorrow is the big day as we leave for Florida. I hope I can update this space while we are gone. I am soooooo looking forward to seeing some flowers. It hasn't gotten above freezing all this week and I need a little warmth. The dogs are going with us which is always fun. The Husky has been to Florida three or four times before and this will be the rookie’s second trip. I guess I can't call her a rookie she is now 3 years old. A Border Collie is fun to travel with as their quirks provide for some good laughs. She is also good on the security front as she takes her job of protecting us very seriously. I am sure they can’t wait to start chasing the little lizards. They probably wouldn’t know what to do if they caught one, as the lizards are much too fast for the dogs. Having a Siberian Husky and a Border Collie is quite a combination. You never know what is going to happen.

Since Karen broke the kit lens that I lent her for her new D80 I went to Manhattan and got a couple of new lenses. Now it is not the time of year for me to be investing a lot in glass but I needed a wide angle for D70s. After much research I got the Sigma 17-70mm macro. It is a little faster than the Nikon lens it is replacing (2.8 compared to 3.5 for the Nikon). It seemed to provide the most bang for the buck. For Karen I got the Nikon 18-135mm. It is one of the kit lens for her camera and it also wasn’t to expensive. I went to 17th Street Photo in the Chelsea district. It was on the third floor and it looks more like an internet/mail order type of place. They were real friendly and although the salesman was real busy he answered all of my questions. Gave me a good deal on an SD card and a 72mm Circular Polarizer. On street parking was easy (imagine that) and it didn’t take too long to get out of there. I hope to post some results from the new lenses. I am going to take a couple of pictures with the D80 in Florida as I really haven’t had time to set up the menus and put it through some paces.

Hybrid Tea Rose ‘Color Magic’

Hybrid Tea Rose ‘Color Magic’
1978 All-America Rose Selection

Another one of my favorite roses. The color, or should I say colors, are just amazing. What a perfect name breeder John Sheldon gave this rose. In his own words he describes it:

This passage is courtesy of :
www.helpmefind.com/rose/pl.php?n=1253

“Breeder John Sheldon provided the following information about this rose: Some roses fade in the sun, some roses darken in the sun, some roses actually change color in the sun. Roses such as 'Elina', 'Double Delight', 'Headliner', 'Color Magic' and 'Paradise' all show these traits. In my breeding program, I have worked on making them more dramatic and bringing in new genes. And it was an area of hybridizing that others were ignoring. At one point these traits were seen as faults. 'Double Delight' was almost discarded because it was thought to be just another WHITE rose. Only later were its phototropic characteristics seen when it turned red in the sun.”


I had to look up phototropic. It means the orientation of a plant or other organism in response to light, either toward the source of light (positive phototropism) or away from it (negative phototropism). Compare with heliotropism, phototaxis.

I guess someday I will figure out how to post a link here. Blogger’s Safari support kind of s^cks. This picture was taken at McKinley Park Rose Garden in Sacramento, California. It is a beautiful park and the rose garden is loaded with flowers and annuals. I must admit I felt wealthy as I strolled among the roses surrounded by Fan Palms and one of my favorite trees, the Phoenix Palm. I was in heaven as from there we drove over to the California State Capitol and the gardens there. Even though I got a parking ticket it was well worth seeing the Rose Garden and the other odd trees and plants they had planted. I had told the person we were visiting that I wanted to take some rose pictures and boy they didn’t disappoint.

Picture from last year of the Chelsea Flea Market in Manhattan



The other day when I went to Manhattan I visited the Chelsea Flea Market. It is always a fun place and while I was there someone told me about the indoor market up the street. I ended up buying an old notebook stuffed with pictures. It recounts Myrtle Taylor King and Dorothy King’s “Trip made to the Western Part of the U.S. in the summer of 1934.” It also recounts a trip made to the Chicago Worlds Fair. Ignoring Karen’s rolling eyes I bought Myrtle’s memories for $20 (about half of what the original price). I am going to be transcribing it, as soon as I can figure out the order the pages are supposed to be in.

It starts with (exactly as written):



“On Tuesday, July 3rd I took the train from the Pennsylvania Station for St. Louis, MO. The whole train was an air conditioned one. This was marvelous for the temperature was 97; the humidity was very great and it was thoroughly uncomfortable. The train left around 6 o’clock. We arrived in St. Louis the next day around noon. There it was 103. On the Missouri Pacific, by which way I went to Pueblo only the Dining Car and club lounge was air conditioned. As a result you avoided the Pullmans as much as possible and lived in the other two cars. The accompanying pictures show the Lounge Car, the chairs are very comfortable; there is a radio, writing desk and table and some magazines. Drinks of all kinds; both alcoholic and non-alcoholic were served here, as well as light refreshments."