Expect some serious changes to the Triffid Ranch through 2013. It’s not just in an expanded list of shows, or in cosmetics such as new banners and plant nametags. (That said, though, the Triffid Ranch inventory is now color-coded for easier identification. Red tags are for carnivores, while green tags are edibles, blue are succulents, and black are toxic or poisonous ones.) Besides a desperately-needed revamping of the main Web site, it’s time to change focus on the plants themselves. In the last half-decade, first-time customers who couldn’t believe they were looking at actual carnivorous plants at a horror convention are now sophisticated enough to want something new and not immediately accessible, so it’s time to expand for them as well. We’ll still continue to carry old stalwarts for those finally ready to take a chance on a beginner carnivore, but it’s time to expand further into pygmy sundews, Mexican butterworts, and even more terrestrial bladderworts, among many others. This is in addition to an expanded line of custom arrangements and environments, including the long-promised ultra-hot Capsicum bonsai.
And along that line, yes, the photo above is of a year-old Trinidad Scorpion pepper plant. It’s just one of many babied all winter long, and it’s going to be joined by a new batch of exotic peppers. If things work out well, this just might convince my little brother to come out to visit for the first time in two decades, because he’s a chilehead to end all Capsicum addicts.
