Saturday, October 1, 2016

Jeremiah revisited...a carnivorous plant prodigy!

Jeremiah Harris and his incredible Nepenthes

Time flies when you're having fun! I can hardly believe six years and three months have elapsed since I last visited Jeremiah Harris, the Insectivorous plant prodigy I wrote about in a past blog. (You're supposed to click on the link in the last paragraph to unearth my first visit to Jeremiah's greenhouses...it's worth doing it to compare how the plants have grown and how the benches have filled). My visit back then alerted me to the remarkable range of insectivorous plants, and how a diligent collector can grow them to perfection. Since then I've tried my hand at growing a few--NOT as easy as Jeremiah makes it look!


The range and variety of plants he grows is such (and my ignorance so palpable) that  you musn't expect great detailed insights: but even for a tyro like me, the variety of plants and their beauty was mesmerizingh. I especially loved the many deep red Sarracenia he's gathered in this one spot.


Don't expect annotations on every picture: I think they speak well enough for themselves!




This shot shows how wonderful the Sphagnum has grown since my last visit six years ago: he says it much improves the vigor of larger carnivorous plants. He gave me a bag full to see if it shall help me with the struggling specimens in my bog at home...


What a terrific pot full of Darlingtonia, the Western response toa Sarracenia!







I was blown away by the variety of Venus Flytraps--I had no idea they could be so variable! Jeremiah had visited a German Nursery where he claims they have hundreds of selections!






One of several trays of miniature sundews--mostly from Australia...just incredible!









Bob Beer was our amanuensis in  Turkey during the trek through Turkey a year ago: it was wonderful that he could join Liberto and me--in fact, visiting Jeremiah was his idea (Bob is a carnivorous plant collector in addition to his many other talents)...


For a change of pace...a great rosette of Verbascum thapsus outside a greenhouse (a palette cleanser if there ever was one!)...





Another shot of Sarracenias...


The range of Nepenthes form is astonishing...





And here a magical put full of Cephalotus: a rarely seen carnivorous gem from Australia...


Wonderful gardens (many with seedlings) have sprung up under the benches. I regret this is the only picture I managed of his wonderful pots full of Heliamphora from the tepuis of South America...

More wild sundews....


And here in the end is the happy band of wanderers--the man of many names (Liberto, Eleftherios, Lefteri Dariotis) front and center, Bob Beer--musician, plantsman and polyglot and bon vivant upper center, myself (the chauffeur) on the right, and our delightful and remarkable host on the left--Jeremiah Harris: a name you will no doubt hear much of in the future!

1 comment:

  1. Those are beautiful carnivorous plants. However, I do not see any of my favorite carnivorous genera, the Pinguiculas. They are my favorite because they have lasted the longest through my neglect. :)

    ReplyDelete

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