Monday, September 19, 2022

The pitcher plant project headquarters

I finally made a visit to Rob Co's garden! He and his wife Dahlia came to visit my garden last October and extended an invite—a year later, I finally took them up on it!

Before we get too far in, I should introduce Rob. I've known "of him" for  years—before he was an Oregonian. Back when Derek Powazek was a bay area resident, I think I came to know Rob thru him, or maybe it was Megan and Matty of Far Out Flora, they had a fun plant people group going there. Rob is the guy behind the blog The Pitcher Plant Project and is @ix.rco.xi on Instagram. 

Rob built this custom greenhouse during the Covid times. I am completely in love with it.

Shall we step inside?

I've been obsessing about basket ferns (Aglaomorpha coronans) for awhile now and I was all gaga over Rob's...

And then I spotted these planted up nepenthes pitchers! 

Plants growing on plants is one of my very favorite things, plants growing IN plants however, that takes it to an entirely different place.

I don't have any pitchers quite this large, but you can believe I'll be saving the dried up ones I do have and hoping to coming up with something like this. Don't you love the furry fern rhizomes?

I could have spent hours in here inspecting every last plant. Rob was very patient with me as I surveyed the treasures.


Look at this bowl planting! Those small Darlingtonia californica are planted right into hollowed out spots in the rock.

So cool! You know this got my mind a working on what I could create with a darlingtonia pup. Rob is a very creative guy!


Wanna see some amazing nepenthes pitchers? Here we go...








There were also several heliamphora...

And a carnivorous bromeliad! Brocchinia reducta I think (?)

There was also a flying whale, planted up with a shark fin cactus, Epiphyllum chrysocardium.

Check this masterpiece out! I think it's a Oceaniopteris gibba/Blechnum gibbum (?) planted up in a nice piece of cork. Instant trunking tree fern...

Okay, finished in the greenhouse it's time to see what's outdoors—I should note that my visit fell on a very smoky (wildfires) day, hence the odd coloration in the sky and on the plants.

Here's the view from above. Rob took me up to the back deck to survey things...yes, that's a lot of sarracenia! Rob built those custom tables himself.
And tree ferns to the left. Rob is growing a large number that just might be hardy here in the ground. Fingers crossed he plants them out as he's thinking AND they do well.

While I do love flowers in my home, I don't always pay them their due in a garden—so I wanted to be sure to stop and snap a couple shots of Dahlia's lovely dahlias.



Rob does collect plants that aren't sarracenia too (which we will get to soon... )...

Including agaves!

Sinks make great pitcher plant planters, who knew?

And how cool is this creation? Sarracenia, moss, and a creepy cool dragon eye—check out Rob's post on it here.

Have you ever seen a more fabulous mass of flytraps?

Well, then there's this one...

And this one!

But you know what? I've made you wait long enough to look at those pitchers...





Rob pointed out the different Sarracenia species and was very generous with his knowledge. 

The fact I can't share names with you is only because my brain didn't retain that level of info.

I pretty much stopped at the "oh! that's cool!" point of identification.




Rob is very good at the selfies! (it is an art form). Here we are, like Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin—only we're in the sarracenia field.

I came home with plants! I'm trying (again) to get the hang of heliamphora (my last attempt didn't make it), Rob trusted me to make a go of one of his Heliamphora heterodoxa x minor.


And check this out, a division of his Aglaomorpha coronans!
I have planted it up in this black hanging pot, gawd I hope I can keep it happy! 

Thanks Rob for the tour, your time, and the plants!
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All material © 2009-2022 by Loree L Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

12 comments:

  1. WOW!!! I don't think I ever appreciated how many varieties of pitcher plants there are - or how pretty many of them are. Is he planning to go into business? Packed as they are, he must be running out of room.

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    1. He is already wholesaling his plants, and he's also created several hybrids that are among those pictured.

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  2. What Kris sad. Major WOW. This is collecting raised to a whole new level.

    I'm the kind of person who wants to know the ID of every single plant, but I doubt I could have remembered half of the plant names, seeing how many there are!

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    1. You would have had a blast with Rob, he's so knowledgeable about these plants.

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  3. It was great to have you over, Loree! Love the photos. That's such a cool pot for the fern and a wonderful container pairing for the heli! Can't wait to see those grow for you. Happy Growing! :)

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    1. I hope they do, grow that is! Fingers crossed!

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  4. If you wait overnight, will the Great Pitcher bring toys? That is the most sincere Sarracinia patch ever!

    Very impressive, especially the good health of all the plants. Happy and carefully tended.

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  5. Rob's custom greenhouse is a gem, and the planted up nepenthes pitchers are astounding! My jaw dropped. I purchased 3 tiny Sarracenia earlier in the year, (trying something new on my 5th floor patio), so I'm particularly impressed and fascinated with Rob's operation. Lucky for you to have visited and go home with plants: I love how you placed them. The hanging black pot is stunning! Good luck!
    Chavli

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    1. Rob is an artist as well as a bit of a mad scientist, and I mean that in the very best way.

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  6. What an incredible collection! Each photo just kept escalating the wow-factor. The most incredible collection of insectivorous plants. I bet the neighbourhood insects tell horror stories to their offspring about this garden.

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