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By Faerygardener on Apr 6, 2024 1:33 PM, concerning plant: Patty Pan Squash (Cucurbita pepo 'Sunburst')

This is an F1 variety and an AAS winner. When small simply quartered it adds a nice crunch to salads. I often dip slices of the smaller ones in dressing and just munch away. Mild, sweet and prolific. Cook or bake as any summer squash/zucchini. I have a hot and dry summer climate and this variety does well for me.

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By Faerygardener on Apr 6, 2024 1:26 PM, concerning plant: Cucumber (Cucumis sativus 'Summer Dance')

This is my fave cucumber and the only one I grow. It does stop here when we get insanely hot. But before then, it's mild and I enjoy snacking on it with nothing (dressing .. nada) on it. Have tried others that tasted soapy or bitter. Once I found this variety, I haven't strayed.

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By Faerygardener on Apr 6, 2024 1:04 PM, concerning plant: Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo 'Cocozelle')

I'm a fan. Cocozelle is the heirloom zucchini I prefer. The light stripes make it an attractive fruit, it has a mild flavor, it's prolific and does well in my hot and dry summer climate.

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By Faerygardener on Apr 6, 2024 11:54 AM, concerning plant: Summer Squash (Cucurbita pepo 'Zephyr')

Very productive for me, handles my very hot and dry summer climate well and the yellow means it won't get lost in the leaves and is easy to harvest. Mild taste with a very thin skin. Also, pretty and that counts a tad when sharing the harvest. I've been growing this a few seasons as with a bit of fertilizer it just keeps knocking out gorgeous tasty fruit.

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By Faerygardener on Apr 6, 2024 11:29 AM, concerning plant: Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum 'Chocolate Cherry')

Prolific, for me this one goes until a hard frost completely kills the plant - produces further into autumn than most. Tasty. Had a friend say they liked Black Cherry better - tried that, it was later and not as prolific. I didn't care for its taste as much either. Had to search out the seed for this season (a mix from Renee's had it). This is a fave for me and a neighbor that I start seed for (and who was also disappointed with the Black Cherry). Hot and dry summer climate here.

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By Faerygardener on Apr 6, 2024 11:23 AM, concerning plant: Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum 'Pink Bumble Bee')

Prolific and tasty. I've been growing this one for a few seasons now. Sometimes marketed as Bumblebee one word and sometimes with Artisan Pink Bumblebee as the name. Does well in my hot and dry summer climate.

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By Faerygardener on Apr 6, 2024 11:16 AM, concerning plant: Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum 'Wapsipinicon Peach')

I had been growing Manyel as my yellow but added this some years back and have since dropped the Manyel as this Peach is carried by companies I usually mail order from and is a bit more prolific. It's tasty as well. Hot and dry summer climate here so the mid size tomatoes fare better.

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By Faerygardener on Apr 6, 2024 11:10 AM, concerning plant: Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata 'Musquee de Provence')

Hot and dry summer climate here. Mine didn't get as large as others. It is very tasty with a good amount of flesh compared to the seed cavity. It is not prolific at all for me - just a fruit or two per vine. I have others that handle my growing conditions better, but I occasionally grow it as it is lovely. I haven't tried to store it.

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By Faerygardener on Apr 6, 2024 11:04 AM, concerning plant: Butternut Squash (Cucurbita moschata 'Neck Pumpkin')

Very prolific and tasty large winter squash. Keeps well. This is my favorite of the large squashes. Stored a bit longer than the Tahitian from Baker Creek grown and stored under the same conditions. Wonderful for all winter squash recipes. For pie, I do spread the pureed squash on a cookie sheet and bake at 275/300°F for a bit to get it a bit denser. Although we don't comment on photos here, it does get Mildew at the end of the season - those photos were taken end of October. I'm in a hot and dry summer climate.

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By MarineBob on Apr 6, 2024 5:51 AM, concerning plant: Russian Sage (Salvia yangii)

The notes suggest rabbit resistant. Here on Cape Cod, the zillions of rabbits will gnaw on everything and they eat my sage. I assume its rabbits as the stems are cut in way that looks like someone took a knife to it at 45 deg, nice and clean. Then last year they started on my roses. And not just the newer shoots. Didn't go after the older woody stalks but chomped off some 1/4 inch stems. But of course didn't eat those. Uuuugh...I hate rabbits.

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By farmerdill on Apr 5, 2024 7:41 PM, concerning plant: Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata 'Golden Acre')

I first grew Golden Acre in 1952 and still use it intermittently as an early cabbage. It is early, productive, and a relevant size. Very dense ball shaped heads running 3- 5 lbs. In the 50's Jersey Wakefield and Charlestown Wakefield were the spring cabbages of choice. Golden Acre was much more reliable. Flavor and texture were better for raw uses like coleslaw. The Wakefields were better for boiled cabbage. Today it still competes well with modern varieties like Stonehead, Charmant and QuickStart.

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By dnrevel on Apr 4, 2024 10:11 PM, concerning plant: Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum '42 Days')

Heirloom, Small-Fruited. NOTE super early on compact plants. Comments about this plant include that it has sweetly flavored fruits, round, may have a few with pointed ends.

Developed for short season areas and for container gardening.
Disease Tolerance: V, F, N, FCRR, TMV, PL

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By Faerygardener on Apr 4, 2024 2:24 PM, concerning plant: Winter Squash (Cucurbita maxima 'Sunshine')

Sunshine Kobacha F1, Cucurbita maxima is my favorite "if I could grow only one". It outshines all the others I've tried. I'll often add a bit of brown sugar to my squash when a side dish, but this is sublime with just a bit of butter. I have hot and dry summers (avg Humidity in August is 25 whereas in FL it's 90 - we're dry). Kept cool, easily last 5 months - simply haven't stored beyond that.

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By ScotTi on Apr 3, 2024 6:15 PM, concerning plant: Neoregelia 'Hawaii'

Neoregelia 'Hawaii' prefers partial - full sun conditions to bring on the best coloration to the leaves.

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By Baja_Costero on Apr 1, 2024 7:35 PM, concerning plant: Big Nipple Cory-Cactus (Pelecyphora macromeris subsp. runyonii)

Through a feat of botanical quantum mechanics, this taxon has been deemed by the CoL to be both subspecies of Pelecyphora macromeris. Or are there even any subspecies? An existential question.

This result is an artefact of the renaming of this plant from Coryphantha macromeris to Pelecyphora macromeris, based on genetic analysis. The paper describing this move names Coryphantha macromeris as a synonym for P. macromeris (on this the CoL disagrees) and C. macromeris subsp. runyonii as a synonym for P. macromeris subsp. runyonii (on this the CoL agrees).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p...

To be clear, here is why the CoL is treating this taxon as two things at once. It is subsp. macromeris (according to the CoL) because Coryphantha macromeris (the entire species) is given as a synonym of P. macromeris subsp. macromeris. It is also subsp. runyonii (according to the CoL) because Coryphantha macromeris subsp. runyonii is given as a synonym of P. macromeris subsp. runyonii. Note also that according to the CoL, no form of Coryphantha macromeris is given as the synonym of Pelecyphora macromeris, despite the simple renaming of the species (and subsp. runyonii) in the paper describing this move. No reassortment was applied to the subspecies in the paper.

The difference between the two subspecies has to do with the color (runyonii is gray-green, not dark green or blue-green), shorter stem length (up to 3 inches instead of 9 inches) and restricted area of origin (near sea level on the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo plateau, in southern Texas and northern Mexico).

The reason for the recent move to Pelecyphora (preserving both subspecies in the paper documenting the change) is that this particular species is outside the group spanning all the other Coryphanthas and more closely related to various species of Pelecyphora. There are also floral similarities (fimbriate outer tepals). For what it's worth, the flowers of this species are apparently impossible to distinguish from those of P. vivipara, so be careful relying on this feature alone for identification.

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By sallyg on Mar 31, 2024 6:01 PM, concerning plant: Network Prayer Plant (Goeppertia kegeljanii Network™)

Bought one on clearance, already a full pot, and it has been an easy plant. After a year and a half, it's suddenly stressed out. I split and repotted the two halves today. Will try to update on how it does.

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By Baja_Costero on Mar 31, 2024 3:24 PM, concerning plant: Hedgehog Cactus (Thelocactus setispinus)

Solitary (usually), globose or somewhat cylindrical cactus with stems to 5(-12) inches tall, 3 inches wide. Occasionally branches sparsely or clusters.

Lovely yellow flowers with red throats. Red, fleshy, indehiscent fruit. This is the only member of the genus that doesn't have dry, basally dehiscent fruit.

From Texas, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas from 0-550m altitude. Several varieties have been named but apparently are no longer recognized.

Relatively common, early and easy to flower in cultivation. This species apparently has extrafloral nectaries which may attract ants.

The genus Thelocactus is related to Stenocactus and Ferocactus, among other genera (all have ribs and scaly pericarpels). T. setispinus may be confused with F. robustus at a distance, before the latter plant is old enough to clump.

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By Baja_Costero on Mar 31, 2024 2:56 PM, concerning plant: Nipple Beehive Cactus (Pelecyphora macromeris subsp. macromeris)

Clumping green to blue-green or gray-green cactus with bright pink or magenta flowers. Tubercular stems are 1.5 to 3 inches wide and up to 9 inches tall. Clumps may grow to over 3 feet wide. 1-4(-6) slightly curved central spines, 9-15 radial spines. Green fruit. Stout roots.

From New Mexico, Texas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas. Big Nipple Cory-Cactus (Pelecyphora macromeris subsp. runyonii) is from near sea level on the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo) plain, with gray-green stems that grow shorter and have flatter tubercles.

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By Baja_Costero on Mar 31, 2024 2:41 PM, concerning plant: Claretcup Cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus)

Clumping hedgehog cactus from the southwestern US and northern Mexico with spectacular orange to red flowers. Stems may reach 2-6 inches in diameter, clumps over 3 feet, with hundreds of heads in old age. 5-13 ribs. 1-4 central spines and 0-22 radial spines (which are hard to distinguish), usually turning dark with age.

Two subspecies are currently recognized: Claret-Cup Cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus subsp. triglochidiatus) and Mojave Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus subsp. mojavensis) , previously its own species, which has 8-13 ribs, 1 central spine, and 5-9 often curved and twisted radial spines.

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By Baja_Costero on Mar 31, 2024 2:31 PM, concerning plant: Pitaya (Echinocereus stramineus)

Clumping, mounding hedgehog cactus with long spines and magenta flowers. Stems reach about 3 inches in diameter and clumps may grow to over 3 feet wide, with hundreds of heads in old age. 10-17 ribs. 1-4 central spines and 7-14 radial spines, all turning whitish with age. Fleshy, edible red fruit.

From New Mexico, Texas, and a few states in north-central Mexico (south to Durango). A former subspecies from the southwest of this range (only in Durango) is now its own species: Pitaya (Echinocereus occidentalis subsp. occidentalis).

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