Architectural plants

I am endlessly fascinated by the architecture of plants. Here are some examples, starting with a couple of shots of a silver gray Bismarckia noblis palm.

The next is a banana leaf unfurling.
















Then we have a silver gray bromeliad, but I don't know its name.

The final one is a cycad.

Art by M. Nature

The neoregelia bromeliads are beginning to flower around here; you can see a tiny pink one in the center of the plant surrounded by water.

But I do I think the artist was a little sloppy with the paintbrush!

Bromeliads and mosquitoes

If you have bromeliads, you have mosquitoes breeding in the cups. Unless, of course, you manage them well. I'm using mosquito bits containing modified Bt, available online, to kill the larvae.

I asked Adrian Hunsberger, the horticulturalist/entomologist with Dade's extension service, whether it only need be applied to the central cup, but she said bits should go in each cup and reapplied if it rains.

According to Mosquitoes.org, the larvae live in water for seven to 14 days, depending on the temperature, so I reckon that applying the bits need only be done once a week.

Despite that, I have a major skeeter problem, and I suspect that they are coming from the neighbors. I've called 311 to request spraying, but so far, I've not noticed any less. I should buy shares in Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of Off.

Scavenging

At the weekend, I get on my bike and take the dogs (one at a time) for a run. Most weeks, some yard crew has thrown out good plant material that I'll come back for in the car if I can't get it into the basket. Sundays are good for finding plants that zealous homeowners have discarded.

This weekend I found:

• Several large clumps of heliconia rhizomes. I have no idea what species, but that's part of the fun. (Gardens are never static, and moving things around is just what you have to do.)
• The rhizome for a burgundy-leaved calocasia. Or maybe it's an alocasia; I get them mixed up. Anyway, it's an elephant ear.
• Canes from a pink-flowered (cane) begonia.
• Cuttings from a pretty coleus.
• A large bromeliad, just finishing flowering but with pups already appearing. (I find lots of bromeliads.) I don't know what this one is, but I'll post a photo soon.

All in all, it was a good weekend's haul.