...myself. *sheepish Austin Powers look*
I have recently (in the past 2 years) started growing CPs again, after a 20 year hiatus.
My first experience was with a VFT send from a comic book advertisement when i was 10. I lived in Middlebury, Connecticut at the time, and i discovered a nearby bog with S. purpurea ssp. purpurea and D. rotundifolia. I added to my collection from this bog (one plant of each, and yes, now i know i shouldn't have, but i was 10, and nobody told me otherwise.) These plants survived in my care for 5 years, through a move to Massachussetts until one horrible summer day, when my parents put the plants outside in the sun for me when i was at summer camp, and forgot to take the cover off the terraria, and cooked them.
I went through the rest of high school, and college and graduate school without dabbling again, but I bought Peter D'Amato's book in 2001, and that rekindled my interest.
Upon moving to Houston TX in 2002, i started talking again about growing CPs, since the local climate would allow for growing many types year-round outside. My wife found that a local Texas naturalist was giving a talk on CPs at a nearby nature center on Father's Day of 2003, and we went. After the talk, he gave out small pots of cape sundews and VFTs... I got a cape sundew of the alba variety.
After we bought a house in September 2003, I decided to add to my collection. From this naturalist, I bought the following:
* S. alata
* S. leucophylla 'Tarnok'
* S. flava (appears to be an all-green form)
* S. purpurea ssp. venosa
* S. minor
* U. gibba
* D. capensis (typical form)
* P. primuliflora
* N. 'Judith Finn'
In early summer of 2004, the Krogers all thoughout Houston received a large shipment of carnivorous plants, which were quite inexpensive, and very nice specimens. To my collection, from Kroger, I added:
* D. muscipula
* S. x wrigleyana
* D. intermedia
* D. spathulata
* D. adelae
* N. x Coccinea
* N. x Miranda
(The two Nepenthes were quite spectacular... the Miranda had 12-15 cm pitchers. They were on sale for under $15 each. I am saddened to think how many may have been bought and promptly killed.)
In late summer of 2004, I took a family vacation to California, not far from Sebastopol, so I made a trek to California Carnivores, and added:
* D. binata
* D. multifida 'extrema'
* D. dichotoma
* U. livida
* U. bisquamata
Also, the local Lowe's has offered Cps in small plastic cubes. I rescued a few of them:
* S. purpurea ssp. venosa
* Drosera of an as-yet undetermined species
* S. rubra (unknown ssp.)
* D. muscipula
* D. adelae (this, along with the VFT and S. rubra, were packaged in one large cube)
* D. californica (not sure how I will maintain cool soil when the weather warms up.)
I also joined the ICPS and received some seeds from their seed bank:
* S. oreophylla
* S. rubra ssp. alabamensis
* S. rubra ssp. gulfensis
* D. filiformis var filiformis
* D. rotundifolia
* D. capillaris
I now have a few seed trays with some of the ICPS seeds germinating (the remainder of the seeds I gave to my naturalist friend, since he is likely to get a better germination rate with them). I also have more D. spatulata seeds than i know what to do with, and the P. primuliflora has been churning out plantlets like mad.
I've made numerous cuttings of the N. x Coccinea, which seem to have survived, but aren't yet showing much evidence of new growth. Also, I've divided the U. livida several times, and am using it in some potted collections as a ground cover so that rain doesn't bounce the soil around.
The D. adelae I got at Kroger has grown prolifically, and i've made several cuttings from it that are growing nicely now.
On my desk at work, I have two pots containing:
* S. rubra (from Lowe's)
* S. purpurea ssp. venosa (from Lowe's)
* U. livida
* P. primuliflora
* D. capensis
My coworkers consider me somewhat odd.
I have recently (in the past 2 years) started growing CPs again, after a 20 year hiatus.
My first experience was with a VFT send from a comic book advertisement when i was 10. I lived in Middlebury, Connecticut at the time, and i discovered a nearby bog with S. purpurea ssp. purpurea and D. rotundifolia. I added to my collection from this bog (one plant of each, and yes, now i know i shouldn't have, but i was 10, and nobody told me otherwise.) These plants survived in my care for 5 years, through a move to Massachussetts until one horrible summer day, when my parents put the plants outside in the sun for me when i was at summer camp, and forgot to take the cover off the terraria, and cooked them.
I went through the rest of high school, and college and graduate school without dabbling again, but I bought Peter D'Amato's book in 2001, and that rekindled my interest.
Upon moving to Houston TX in 2002, i started talking again about growing CPs, since the local climate would allow for growing many types year-round outside. My wife found that a local Texas naturalist was giving a talk on CPs at a nearby nature center on Father's Day of 2003, and we went. After the talk, he gave out small pots of cape sundews and VFTs... I got a cape sundew of the alba variety.
After we bought a house in September 2003, I decided to add to my collection. From this naturalist, I bought the following:
* S. alata
* S. leucophylla 'Tarnok'
* S. flava (appears to be an all-green form)
* S. purpurea ssp. venosa
* S. minor
* U. gibba
* D. capensis (typical form)
* P. primuliflora
* N. 'Judith Finn'
In early summer of 2004, the Krogers all thoughout Houston received a large shipment of carnivorous plants, which were quite inexpensive, and very nice specimens. To my collection, from Kroger, I added:
* D. muscipula
* S. x wrigleyana
* D. intermedia
* D. spathulata
* D. adelae
* N. x Coccinea
* N. x Miranda
(The two Nepenthes were quite spectacular... the Miranda had 12-15 cm pitchers. They were on sale for under $15 each. I am saddened to think how many may have been bought and promptly killed.)
In late summer of 2004, I took a family vacation to California, not far from Sebastopol, so I made a trek to California Carnivores, and added:
* D. binata
* D. multifida 'extrema'
* D. dichotoma
* U. livida
* U. bisquamata
Also, the local Lowe's has offered Cps in small plastic cubes. I rescued a few of them:
* S. purpurea ssp. venosa
* Drosera of an as-yet undetermined species
* S. rubra (unknown ssp.)
* D. muscipula
* D. adelae (this, along with the VFT and S. rubra, were packaged in one large cube)
* D. californica (not sure how I will maintain cool soil when the weather warms up.)
I also joined the ICPS and received some seeds from their seed bank:
* S. oreophylla
* S. rubra ssp. alabamensis
* S. rubra ssp. gulfensis
* D. filiformis var filiformis
* D. rotundifolia
* D. capillaris
I now have a few seed trays with some of the ICPS seeds germinating (the remainder of the seeds I gave to my naturalist friend, since he is likely to get a better germination rate with them). I also have more D. spatulata seeds than i know what to do with, and the P. primuliflora has been churning out plantlets like mad.
I've made numerous cuttings of the N. x Coccinea, which seem to have survived, but aren't yet showing much evidence of new growth. Also, I've divided the U. livida several times, and am using it in some potted collections as a ground cover so that rain doesn't bounce the soil around.
The D. adelae I got at Kroger has grown prolifically, and i've made several cuttings from it that are growing nicely now.
On my desk at work, I have two pots containing:
* S. rubra (from Lowe's)
* S. purpurea ssp. venosa (from Lowe's)
* U. livida
* P. primuliflora
* D. capensis
My coworkers consider me somewhat odd.