Okra blooms

I think i wasn't able to catch the first flower in full bloom before it fell off so i took this one of the second one i've seen before it spoiled. it should look beautiful when it fully opens with that dark center it has.

i remember dad calling me one day when i was out of the house and telling me the plant had okra all over it and i told him that one of us had to be mistaken b/c i thought they were flower buds. turns out both of us were right. what looks like happened is that, as with any other fruit bearing plant (duh!) the flower is on top of the actual fruit, as the ovaries are situated in the middle underneath all the stigma and stamen and what-nots. so really it looks to me like the okra (which you can see to the bottom right of the flower) is just beneath the actual bloom. it's kinda like a 2-for-1 deal i suppose. that or okra just liking to fake me out. for some reason i imagined the actual pods to form further down along the stem of the plant.

and i do love the idea to plant a few (2 or 3) seeds together in the same spot so that you can twine the stems together. it helps out well especially when they are young b/c they support one another as they rapidly seem to grow taller much more rapid than they get thicker. plus it looks nifty : )

sadly, i still have no idea what this is yet. the super sad part is that i actually went and looked at the old seed list i bought and then looked up the pictures of the plants again and i still can't figure out what it is. i'm pretty sure it's not a weed that just randomly popped up in there. and it's nothing i've seem growing in the yard... i donno. i'm starting to think it's a balloon flower, which would be so great. \/ see any resemblance?


but its growing really really well in the SIP planter and i'm super happy about that. it's time to change containers, no? roots are evac-ing out of the bottom, look at um go.

these planters are pretty great b/c they're like that one oven with the timer that you used to see on all those info-mercials that goes "just set it and .... forget it!" and the crowd screams the "forget it" part. my god, so ridiculous. but really the only thing i have to do is make sure there's water down there for my little plant babysitters. and actually, for the next veggie job i do i'm gonna make a larger one out of a tote box (one of those rubbermaid ones) b/c it seems very simple. saw a nice youtube video of some nice canadian guy making one that anyone could do like a knockoff earthbox. i'll probably do that tomorrow. i'm all about some sub-irrigation.  : )


datura metel and my angel trumpet are going great too. the datura is getting a little yellow in the leaves from the veins - nitrogen deficiency, so i'll fertilize. the trumpet is showing no bad signs other than occasional slight wiltyness now b/c it's so darn hot.

i cannot wait till they bloom! prolly not anytime this season though. i'll still keep my fingers crossed.



< angel trumpet.