Christmas Gift Ideas.

Here are a few Christmas gift ideas from The Niche.

We will be trading right through the week before Xmas, from Thursday 15th till Saturday 24th (Christmas Eve).

 

Air plants (Tillandsia) mounted on hand made pots from Black Cat Potters.

These pots are a discontinued item; last chance!

 

Also available on natural wood:-

 

Tillandsia wreaths:-

 

 

Agave plants, cacti & other succulents in ceramic pots.

 

 

Remember, terracotta matches all decor.

 

 

 

 

 

Marantas in Chinese pots for indoors:-

 

Don't forget Chain Of Hearts & String Of Pearls:-

 

 

 

 

 

Bonsai for all levels of skill:-

 

 

Blue Water Lily in a ribbed planter surrounded by lizard houses from Black Cat potters:-

 

Unique!

 

 

Magnifica Gardenias in 300mm pots; just starting to bloom:-

 

 

 

Don't forget our ever popular Moon Planting Astrological Calendars for 2017, available in limited numbers for $12 each, while stocks last.

 Reopening on Wednesday 28th of December.

Merry Xmas, Summer Solstice & Happy New Year!

Russell.

 

 

 

 

 

Bamboo hangers

 

 

A Quick Trip to Jack & Tams'.

I managed to get away last week for a quick trip up the coast to Port Macquarie. The Niche closed on the Monday to give me an extra day & make the whole journey less of a rush. The idea was to buy & look at some stock for growing on & future sale, as well as do something a bit different from my normal routine.

 First stop on the Tuesday was a search for Blue Waterlily on the north side of Port. I had seen these years ago thriving in dish drains beside the road; a bit of searching soon tracked down some accessible plants & 4 were collected with the help of a spade along with some careful footwork.

 Next on the list were bromeliads. Jack & Tamera specialise in Vrieseas, my personal favourites. Tamera is the marketer, Jack does the breeding & the growing is done between them. Together they make a formidable pair & have produced some outstanding plants, both species & hybrids, with many registered crosses.

 

 Here are a few photos from their greenhouses:-

 

 

 
Some fabulous Cryptanthus; great for terrariums.
 

 

 

This is a Guzmannia species:-

 

 

Wide shots through the greenhouses showing mostly Vrieseas:-
 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Here are some photos of a few outstanding individual plants:-

 

Vriesea 'Party Dress':-

 

 

 

Vriesea 'Incan Warrior':-

 

 

 Vr. 'Ferny Forest' X ' Melissa Dilling'
A beautiful hybrid with pastel tones:-
 

 

Vriesea 'Rainbow Beach':-

 

 

 Vriesea 'Lolly Shop' showing variegation:-

 

 

 Seedling flats:-

 

 

Seedlings purchased:-

 

 

These will be grown on for later sale.

The good news is that many of the plants I have potted on from autumn 2015 are now up for sale. Here are a few examples:-

 

 

 

 I have selected out the crosses that appeal most to my eye; they will be available for future purchase as they throw pups.

 

Thanks to Jack & Tamera for allowing me to photograph their magnificent collection.

 

All the best for the upcoming growing season,

Russell.

 

P.S:- A belated thank you to Telani Kumar for her link to this blog in her post for Weekend Notes, "A Day Trip To Thirroul".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time for an update

I haven't posted since last May, so here are a few highlights from the last eight months:-

My Amorphophallus konjac flowered for the first time.

 

The spike stood about 1m tall & was in peak condition for 3 to 4 days. This plant is in a 250mm squat pot.

Although the flowers have a reputation for an unpleasant odour, the scent was slight & only present during maximum flowering.

Here is a close up of the tiny flowers:-

 

 

I  have about 20 plants of this clone available in 200mm pots for $20 each. The larger plants are 2 years away from flowering & can be grown inside or outdoors.

 

I was more impressed when Sauromatum venosum decided to bloom:- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This flower was decidedly weird & unexpected. The spathe is brightly coloured & its top tapers to a long tail.

For smell it beats the Konjac hands down, producing a strong odour of fresh cow dung, sharp but not too disgusting. Note the swarming flies on the flower.

I have two plants of this oddity available in 200mm pots @ $20 each.

 

Fiddle leaf figs, (Ficus lyrata), have been popular & expensive:-

 

 

I decided to try air layering, a propagation technique new to me. The results were outstanding:-

 

 

Four stems of my largest fig were layered & left for five weeks before unwrapping & removal.

The photo below shows the detached branches & root masses that formed:-

 

 

My Hydrangeas put on a good show until a run of hot days put paid to the flowers. Most of these were grown from cuttings & unknown until they flowered, with a few surprises:-

 

 

I presently have plenty of Turmeric in stock, available in 140, 200 & 250mm pots for $10, $20 & $30 respectively:-

 

 

These are growing rapidly in our currently tropical climate & have put on considerably more growth in the 2 weeks since this photo was taken. 

 

A new Salvia popped up from seed with distinct orange-red bracts. I decided to name it "Red Raver" as the parent was the purple "Mulberry Madness" from Graham Rowe:-

 

 

Exclusive to "The Niche" Nursery.

 

Lots of Peruvian Ground Apple / Yacon plants available:-

 

 

200mm pots    $10

 

 

140mm pots    $5

Great for your intestinal flora & for diabetics.

 

I have also been selling some nice Nepenthes hybrids on eBay:-

More will be available in the future as I have around 15 to repot & grow on.

 

The bamboo sale will be on again in autumn with plenty of stock of most varieties at good prices, with a few new species never offered before in small numbers.

 

All the best,

Russell.