Tropicals & Tender Perennials: All my pretty blooms, 1 by flowerjunkie

flowerjunkie wrote:
Ladies,

I was spared!!! The front yard has frost on the grass an all my lovely tropicals. But the back yard has none. The back yard is almost 100% shade and I'm sure the few leaves left on the trees has saved my blooms. None of the brugs look like they've been zapped. I have another repreave. LOL. When i get back today I will check them again to make sure.

Mary,

I plant all my brugs in the ground. I cut them all down before our first real freeze. I then put the huge cutting, some are 7 - 8 foot tall, in large 5 gallon pots. I put the pots against the fence under a huge cypress tree canopy. They will root in these containers. If we should get a freeze before I know they have rooted I will move the monster rooted cutting into the shade house where I keep all my tropical and rarer brugs. The rare ones never go into the ground unless I have two or three back up rooted plants in pots. Last year was the first year I attempted leaving all my brugs in pots under this cypress tree and simply threw plastic and blankets over them. They kept from freezing. So I will do the same this year. In the spring I stand my blooming potted plants right by thier originals roots so I'll have blooms while the stumps grow back to form thier own Y's and bloom. In the fall I have a huge plant sale in conjunction with the neighborhood garage sale. I sell these monster brugs for almost nothing. I have to get rid of them because first frost I will have more. It seems that by doing this you produce more shoots which you will have to cut when shaping your brug into a canopy. I prefer the canopy vs a shrub.

Which btw...'everlasting' seems to sprawl all over the place. Does everyone have this problem with it??? There is no making her into a canopy. In addition it seeds readily without intervention. I have no idea who the little hussy has been fooling around with. Super Nova, Coral Glow or Sun Ray are the closes too her, but I really think it must be Super Nova with its huge blooms...how can a girl resist.... If anyone wants seeds from her last little fling...please let me know as she is setting seed as we speak. I hope the pods don't fall off with this cool weather. I gave Nadine (Moodene) her first pods, I'm sure she will do well with them...I am awful with seeds, they never get past the 2 inch size :-( so I gave up on trying to grow any out.

Caren,

Any time you want to come visit just let me know. Mi casa es tu casa! I asked Rambo if he would bite he said he was insulted that you would be afraid of such a handsome guy so that's why he barked. He will be nicer too you next time. Here's a photo, he's camera shy!