Well, the poinsettias are just about ready to go now. Last week we sold 45 which is good because it freed up a lot more room for those plants still in the greenhouse. Although I have not lost a plant yet, many of my plants lost several leaves because they had become to large and were starting to crowd each other. I had been checking them, and not noticed anything the week before, but since all of last week I was home sick, I did not have a chance to monitor them.

Sick today. Stayed home. not fun

Well I was really bummed, but since Tamar took the time to compose a new limerick on my blog, I will repost mine, minimally edited so as to reach a fair compromise with the language police here at blogspot.

It was in response to the lesson Peter gave us regarding the Roman farmer who was commissioned by the Emperor Tiberius to grow cucumbers for him all year round. The process was as simple as it was definitively Roman. The farmer dug a pit, filled it with excrement, planted his seeds and covered it with mica, which kept everything out except for the sunlight. Given my personal perspectives regarding the Romans, I found this so amusing that my laughter must have caught the ear of either Erato, Polyhymnia or Thalia. Whichever Greek muse condescended to grace me with the spark of inspiration, apparently I warranted no further attention than a quick grope, as my flash of creativity was limited to a simple, five-line limerick which I now humbly submit to you, my friends, classmates, colleagues and instructors:

There once was a bright Roman git
Who once dug a deep Roman pit
For the Emperor's hunger
He would grow cucumbers
But started by shovelling..........uncomposted animal solid waste!!!

Oh, and my poinsettias are starting to colour up nice

Well it appears that one of my posts is missing. Of all the posts to vanish, why did it have to be the one with the limmerick?
I'm really bummed. Is this censorship?
Not much new. There is snow on the ground so I guess the raspberries are ok for the winter.

Well it has finally started. My poinsettias are actually turning the colour for which they were named. The creamy yellow has been replaced with a still somewhat muted red.

The rest of the class has matured much more quickly (doesn't that sound familiar!), but Peter thinks that that means that when mine do turn they will look spectacular. I remember my mom giving me a similar speech once during my middle teens...
Anyways, this has brought up an issue that a greenhouse manager may face. Left as is, the more mature ones will continue to do so and may flower out too early. If they lower the temperature, then mine might not mature at all. The obvious answer would be to move the more advanced plants to another greenhouse, but which one? It is these practical, logistical quandries that terrify me. Anyhow, here is how the rest of the class's plants look:


Here are the reds...





...and the whites...


...and finally the pinks.

Nothing new learned today on account of Peter's illness. However, I did notice that the lilies are just starting to break colour. Also, my poinsettias, which are a late bloomer, after having begun by turning a creamy yellow-white, have now begun to assume the red colour for which this cultivar was named.

It's November and my flowers are coming along nicely. My pot mums are filling in well, as seen on the left. It really is amazing how much they filled out with just one pinch. I wonder if I will even have to do another.

Also, my poinsettias are starting to colour up!! It is hard to see in the photo below but the bracts are turning yellow. As awesome as my Precious (ie my iPhone) is, it cannot take perfect photos.