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Flower bed intruder

I planted a few sprigs of a certain Artemisia (unfortunately I don't know the exact species, but probably not the one used to make absinthe) out on my balcony a few weeks ago. A dove soon invaded and laid a couple of eggs. I was a bit concerned about the wellbeing of my freshly planted Artemisia, but couldnt bring myself to evict the mother-to-be.

Thankfully, the intruder was outside the walls, unlike similar doves who took over our balcony room in Mecidiyeköy in 2011. We couldn't manage to evict those ones either. I took this shot soon after the Artemisia was infiltrated. The problem is that most of my plants are on the other side of the balcony, so I am constantly disturbing her while I water them in the blazing Istanbul heat. Between that and hanging out the laundry, this bird has zero private life.

All birds aside, let's discuss the original idea behind the Artemisia. Last time I visited the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden, I told a friend who works there my Alocasia had a bad case of mealybugs. He then grabbed a few handfuls of the Artemisia, telling me to let it set in water in dappled shade for a week, then spray the resulting liquid over infested plants. The garden uses this technique to ward of aphids, spider mites and any other undesirables, apparently with great efficacy. They do not use any chemical pesticides. The jury is still out on the mealybugs.

Since a few of the plants he gave me still had roots, I decided to try growing some of my own. I am the lord of plant infestation problems, so I figured this plant could come in handy. I think some of my other weeds still have thrips and spider mites. The Artemisia looked droopy at first planting.

The dove used to fly away whever we used the balcony and I was worried she would get sick of us and abandon her eggs. Instead, she got used to our unneighborly tendencies and I can now take closeups. As an added bonus, the Artemisia looks cheery. Apparently its happier in her care than in mine. I haven't watered it since she came around.

These plump little sea monsters are actually Langsep (Lansium domesticum) seedlings from Indonesia. I had them wrapped in a damp paper towel in a ziplock bag, apparently a good incubator.

They got good drink before being planted in soil.

A day or so after being potted, they developed enviable posture. I wish I would stand up this straight.

I also wish I was this skinny, oh and had a bat on my head, like these guys after a few weeks in the dirt.

This is their first fully developed set of leaves. Hopefully they are well on their way to making more!

Pines of love

Two of our friends were giving away conifer seedlings as party favors at their wedding. I know it looks like I got all-tree happy/greedy and took two, but one of these freshly potted specimens belongs to BK. We decided it was best if I kept the both of them.

Their little limbs are killing me with cuteness. I also like how the new growth has a bluish tint. I feel like this should help with identification, but I just cannot tell conifers apart at this age. I hope I figure these ones out someday.

#pine #conifer #seedling #container gardening #apartment gardening #green #marriage #wedding #gymnosperm #needles #love #baby #my baby #party favors

Propagating Kraid

My Nepenthes, affectionately known as Kraid, had shrivelled around the waist, and got leggy to boot.

I'm not sure why he is doing this to me, but people often trim their Nepenthes back each year to get fresh new growth and pitchers. So, maybe it's normal. You can see the healthy green growth coming up from the bottom.

New pitchers and everything down there! Anyway, I decided to chop him down, leaving that fancy new understory of course, and see if I could convince the green growth on his top to root.

The monster is as pixelly as the video game he was named from in this pic. This is the chopped part, about a foot long.

The idea is to get a nice, clean cut on the green, living part of the stem, and then keep it moist until it roots. My cut was more like butchery, which is what I get for having nothing but a rusty razor blade.

At this point, I put the cutting in pure perlite in a vase to keep moisture up, making sure that I only used distilled water, because carnivores are classy like that.

Put the cap on and wait for a sign of life.

#nepenthes #carnivorous plant #cutting #gardening #apartment gardening #container gardening #tropical plants #propagation #green #Kraid #pitcher plant

Finger ginger

This murderously beautiful pair of sprouts belongs to Boesenbergia rotunda, a plant in the ginger family known for its long finger-like rhizomes, which I planted earlier. Unlike other gingers, which are rather grassy-looking, fingerroot has these big, broad leaves.

I had two separate rhizomes potted up for many months with no sign of movement and was worried they wouldn't sprout, but I guess they were just waiting for the summer to set in. Once the weather warmed up, I noticed a few little green knobs, which later turned into devilish little red horns, before turning green again and shooting up into leaves.

B. rotunda is grown in places such as Thailand and Indonesia for culinary and ethnomedical purposes. Blooms are apparently pink and orchid-like, but with foliage like that, I can forgive it.

#Boesenbergia rotunda #fingerroor #temu kunci #container gardening #apartment gardening #rhizome #shoot #ginger #sprout #ethnomedicine #alternative medicine #roots #green #tropical plants

Plants de Résistance

In Turkey, we are hearing all about the Gezi Park protestors, the authorities, the government supporters and even dogs who were gassed excessively by riot police. What we aren't hearing about are our myriad floral friends on the front lines. No really, these guys are out there risking their lives to save Gezi Park and its beautiful Sycamore trees.

The fact that the Gümüşsuyu area has more large potted street plants than many other places in Istanbul has proven to be a boon for the resistance movement. Gümüşsuyu connects the two major contested areas of Beşiktaş and Taksim Square, making it also a major battleground.

Some potted trees have brought their large ceramic and cement pots to camp out in a barricade overlooking İnönü Stadium.

A troupe of buxus complete a barricade built by protestors near the German Consulate in Gümüşsuyu. Buxus are one of the more popular city plants in Istanbul, likely due to the fact that they are highly resilient, which also makes them suitable candidates for defending the park.

A withered, but proud oleander camps out on Gümüşsuyu road after donating his planter to the resistance movement.

What is likely some type of Strelitzia withers under debris in a marble planter used to build a barricade. Strelitzia is a genus that includes the bird of paradise flower. Such plants exist here.

A ragged conifer (cyprus, perhaps?) comforts his comrade, a hydrangea failing to thrive in the warlike conditions. A line of sycamores looks on.

Some common annuals (Im terrible at identifying garden flowers) work to keep excess trash off the ground.

A buxus in a cement planter stands guard near a barricade as several pines look on from Gümüşsuyu Park. Trees like the pines are working to clear the air of residual gas and pepper spray.

(Please not that the A does not so much stand for anarchy as it does Beşiktaş JK's fan group, Çarşı, which is at the forefront of protests).

Another buxus rests in the shade to escape Istanbul's summer heat, still standing strong after several days without a pot.

Abandoned planters in a barricade of bricks pulled from the sidewalks.

Buxus are crushed under a cement planter, which was overturned in the building of a barricade. I hope they have not been flattened in vain, and that more plants do not have to die in this struggle.

Mtskheta in the mist

On my recent trip to Georgia (the country) we visited the town of Mtskheta, which has several churches. Jvari Monastery is on top of a hill.

It has stunning views of the country's lush countryside. Besides a few knowns, such as yarrow, I found some interesting plants up there. Again, I don't know what these are, so any help would be appreciated.

This one had big swollen joints. I feel like I should know what this is. It feels familiar.

Its a big bushy things a few feet across.

There were also some shrubs with bunches of yellow flowers.

And black angly, twisty branches.

This shrub was also very beautiful with ovate leaves and orange flowers, but the grasshoppers were also pretty exciting.

I have never seen flowers arranged on top of the stems with leaves below like this.

The flowers face down, in spite of being on top of the stem, which reminds me of some hellebore I've seen. Doubt it's that though.

The whole plant consisted of several of these stems. Look how perfectly aligned those leaves are. That, and the fact that they are facing sideways, basically defies the laws of nature as I understand them. Leaves are usually staggered to collect as much light as possible!

With his glaucous leaves with yellowy new growth, this guy demonstrates what I meant about staggering the leaves or optimum sunlight snatching.

Possibly a Euphorbia? I love how a pair of stems emerges from each pair of leaves.

Gnarly, black-trunked tree with frilly ferny leaves at the Jvari monastery. This is a stunning tree. I wish I knew what it was.

#travel #plant #tree #leaf #monastery #georgia #mist #green #shrub #flower #yellow #mtskheta #grasshopper #branch #twig

Mystery of the soap nut

Then there was that time in in a park in Georgia (the country), when I saw some strange and unknown fruits. I asked a taller travelling companion to grab one for me.

They were green and hard and smelled herby and citrusy. How exciting! I rolled it around in my hand and became fragrant for a good long while after I had pocketed a few specimens in the name of science, and perhaps growing more random stuff from seed.

When I brought the fruit back to Turkey, I cut it and instantly recognized a walnut - unripe. The mystery fruit became slightly less exotic, but apparently still edible. I bit part of the "nut" and it tasted like soap. My flatmate bit it also, but went for the green shell, which is apparently not that edible (and stains your skin green-turn-brown for days). Apparently it was so nasty it tasted like cilantro, but may have some sudorific properties (it makes you sweat, which you are probably doing already if you live here).

It also turns black rather quickly. I took this photo very soon after cutting the soapy nut (an hour max, but I think it was more like 15 minutes). This experience has me intrigued though. If I ever come across enough of these guys, I may try to see if you can defeat the soapy flavor and make food. I mean, at least nocino must be delicious, right? Or perhaps this Greek dessert.

#georgia #walnuts #discovery #green #fruit #plant #tree #leaves #food #soap #citrus #herb #travel #nature #park #foliage #fragrant #aromatic #wild food #outdoors

Tbilisi park flora

I recently went on a trip to Georgia (the country, not the state) and managed to take a few pictures of plants that I really have no idea about. The first set comes to us from a lush park in the capital Tbilisi, where I saw these exciting pink cloud bushes.

Then there was the time that I saw some freaky fruits, only to realize that it was more likely a strange pestilence that causes massive tumor-esque growths on the leaves. If I hadnt been so sleep-deprived from travel and distracted, I would have thought to investigate further.

Here is an unknown little guy on the park floor. (By the way, if anyone has any leads as to what these are, I would appreciate a heads up)

Some more undergrowth, this time with gorgeous orbicular leaves.

I think this may be a mulberry tree. We did eat a bunch of those in the park, but I was a bit too delusional at the time to remember if this was one of the trees.

#georgia #park #garden #green #plant #plants #trees #leaves #walnut #tbilisi #flora #unknown #mystery #travel #caucasus #botany #leaf #gurcistan #agac #bitki

Spoils from working at the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden. They didn't even make me pay for them. We have some form of lavender at the top, but I dont know which. The second is Valerian, looking a bit droopy, but preparing to bloom. Valerian root is commonly employed as a sedative or sleep aid, the leaves are used to attract cats.

#zeytinburnu #zeytinburnu tibbi bitkiler bahcesi #catnip #cat #plant #herbal #leaf #root #tea #medicinal #istanbul #gardening #green #flowers #buds #garden

Budding kencur

Its alive! One of the kencur rhizomes Ade sent me from Indonesia was getting a headstart with the sprouts. Kencur is the Indonesian word for Kaempferia galanga, which is related to ginger, as are many of my Indonesian transplants. The rhizomes are used to make a drink apparently involving rice, called beras kencur. I bought some instant beras kencur powder and its pretty sugary, but I'm a fan. The dried rhizome is milder than true ginger, but with a slight piney taste if I recall properly. I wouldnt say it's delicious, but I actually love it.

This is what the previous rhizome looks like right now. Its devil horns have greened up from basking in the spring sun of Istanbul. There is a third, teeny tiny spot coming up too.

Another piece has also decided to put up a ghostly little nub. This one isn't sitting in the sun, but down in the corner. That is why its white. I thought I would try multiple planting methods, as I am no expert at rhizomewifery. Luckily, kencur doesn't seem that picky.. Or does it?

I found this third chunk all rotted out and nasty, complete with worms inside. Strangely, it was in the same pot as the previous picture. I guess that pot wasn't big enough for the two of 'em.

#ginger #kencur #jamu #green #rhizome #gardening #garden #plant #istanbul #sprout #rotten #worms #root #Indonesia #drink #kaempferia galanga #beras kencur

My last visit to the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden was short lived. I woke up so late I had to leave by the time I got there, so I didnt do any work. I did photograph this Senna (probably alexandrina, but I'm not going to bet on that) I have memories of Senna, in the form of a tea I bought in Indonesia. I dont recommend more than a shot unless you have a nasty case of constipation, in which case this will likely cure you. They also showed brought me to look at their bees, up close and personal! Apparently babies have just come out and the bees are fairly sedate at this time of year. He was even poking at them, hoping to find the queen, but to no avail.

#bees #honey #queen #senna #herbal #tea #plant #garden #gardening #green #organic

These loquats (Eriobotrya japonica) are looking rather tropical in the spring sun at the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden, aka heaven in Istanbul. Loquats are beautiful trees, and grow readily in all corners of Istanbul, sort of like weeds, or bananas in empty Indonesian lots. Our feral specimens are not yet ripe, but loquat fruits are available for purchase in super markets here under the name Malta eriği ("Maltese plum") or Yeni dünya ("new world"), although both of those place names are misnomers. The fruit actually comes from China. The young, fuzzy leaves can be infused into a drink, called Biwa cha in Japan. The seeds are sometimes used in alternative treatments for cancer.

Anatolian sarsaparilla (Smilax excelsa ) reaching for the sky at the Zeytinburnu Medicinal Plants Garden in Istanbul, where I recently began working as a volunteer gardener, because three jobs is not nearly enough!

#Anatolia #sarsaparilla #smilax excelsa #zeytinburnu tibbi bitkiler bahcesi #istanbul #medicinal plants #leaves #beauty #spring #volunteer #gardening #garden #work #sky #summer #green #life

The newest edition to my desk plant forest at work is a little carob bean tree (Ceratonia siliqua) peeking over the devils ivy. I throw the seeds of most everything I eat into the nearest pot to see what will come of it.

#carob #green #plant #seed #seedling #surprise #gardening #luck #volunteer #legume #devils ivy #desk #work #garden #forest

Soursop (Annona muricata) seeds "from the village" going into the pot below. They were sent in my care package from Ade. Apparently the fruit these came from was a particularly delicious one! I can only imagine a soursop more delicious than the one I had. Lets hope its seeds are as solid as the fruit.

#seed #gardening #green #seedling #plant #soursop #sours #tropical fruit #Indonesia #delicious #annona muricata #container gardening #garden #care package

Here we have a red ginger rhizome from Indonesia before planting and the same piece about a month after. That fresh white growth on the first picture is a good sign that your rhizome is ready to sprout. You cant tell much by this dreamlike, angelic second picture, but the bulbous rhizome at the bottom is tinted a pearly pink all over. This is the first rhizome I have ever convinced to sprout, and if I had to pick one to work out, this would probably be it. I still do not know what exactly red ginger is. Indonesians say it is much stronger than normal ginger, but I'm not sure if its a variety, cultivar, species or fable. I am very lucky Ade found it fresh (and got it too me way over here). Generally, red ginger is sold dried, apparently, and thats no good to my garden, though my tea cup would welcome it with open arms.

#rhizome #ginger #plant #garden #sprout #leaves #leaf #green #pink #red #indonesia #gardening #gift #lucky

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