Bed changes

Weather: Overcast, high of 88oF with high humidity

First thing in the morning I watered the Cyathea cooperi and the the Petunia baskets in the main exhibition hall. The main exhibition hall is a lower area of polished stone, with a inch thick layer of water on its surface that gives it a reflective sheen. Historically it has been used for parties and is still used for exhibitions such as the tree at Christmas.

After that I started ripping out and composting some Lillie's that were on display in urns to the south of the exhibition hall. It was a bit of a shame as they still looked great, though they were beginning to turn. It also seemed a bit wasteful throwing out bulbs that if planted would produce blooms next year, but...
I replanted the urns with a Chrysanthemum hybrid. It is a little early for the mums, but the hot weather has hastened flowering.

At lunch time Yoko did a brown bag (a lunch time presentation on any subject that employees, including me,  do at some point) on Chrysanthemum festivals in Japan. She described all the different cultivars, history. she had some impressive photos. One fact I noted, the mum society in Japan has 3 million members! The US has 600. They take mums, and horticulture seriously in Japan.

After lunch I helped Lauren and Jess (a seasonal who is applying for the PG program) do another bed chance on the south side of the main conservatory. This time it was Chinese Hibiscus coming out (it never flowered but got leggy, maybe too much nitrogen?) and another mum cultivar going in. After composting, it was the end of the day.