Tropicals & Tender Perennials: 'Phoenix' bird or paradise, 1 by pk33635

pk33635 wrote:
Hi Elaine, (& Dale & Ardesia)

Sorry i'm a bit tardy on replying...was out of town a few days for a funeral, and then between work and the 'no fun' kind of yard work (leaves, gutters, sprinklers, etc Vs. 'fun' = seeds, plants, etc) I haven't been on here much.

That sprawling nasty has hoisted itself up to almost 2 ft above the rest of the plant! lol i'm just enjoying watching what it can do...I checked to make sure the boug branch it has attached itself to isn't showing signs of suffocation, and its not. As long as the nasty seems to have a gentle, non-threatening grip its all good. I believe you said nasties will kind of die off when it gets hot, right? They are a definite do-again this fall...and I feed one of my dogs the flowers as 'treats'...he loves them. I tried a leaf and a flower...meh, too much like mixed greens! Give me romaine, or nothing :)

For fertilizer, last year we bought those bottles you attach to a hose. Do you think its safe time for me to give everything a drink, like you are the slow-release? I was going to wait til March, but as you said, it pretty much already feels like it's here. I'm hoping that boug does some vertical growing this summer. Its only now coming into slow bloom, as opposed to its dwarf cousin on the other side of the yard that is just going insane. (pic #1, gets more sun)

Ya..the oaks need to get it over with already. Or the good rains in the forecast this weekend could help out. Ah-chooo!

My edible gardening experience has been pretty limited. Have the tomatoes, a few pepper plants from last summer are waking up from a nap, and we had a cucumber vine that flowered and grew like a maniac, but never produced so much as a gherkin. The dog I told you I feed the nasty flowers to, well hes kind of a terror to small plants...but in a sweet, curious way. He just likes to eat roughage...thats why I'm handing him nasties to hopefully curb his appetite. He loves ixora leaves, impatien blooms, and sago palm fronds...has never gotten sick from a thing...and the bitter/pepper/etc sprays we've used dont deter him. He's a year old...he's fun, even tho I want to punch his lights out when he takes a big bite out of something, lol. The lesson to us? only plant outside the patio enclosure, and hope he grows out of it. That's the "Beast" in the 2nd pic

Definitely subscribe to the right plant/place theory. And luckily, I don't have many favorites from the North that I'd have to have here...(although a lilac tree sure would be cool) ---aside from the glads. I promise myself, and you!, that if they fail again this year I will just buy a bunch like you suggest, and never get sucked into planting them again. The variable is that I got them in 2 months earlier this year, and those things are already 5-6 inches out of the ground and counting! lol...I'm hoping to have pretty pics to show you in April :)

really like the plumbago, and may get that down the road. Also, I planted some pentas from a combo pot from last year...they are kind of lite purple-ish. But, they flowered all winter, and that in my book is a winner. I am in 'watch and see' mode with the yard for the rest of the year. Most things have a lot of growing/filling in to do, and I want to be wise and let them do that before I get out of control and crowd them all. Its time to test my abilities as an amateur landscaper and see how well/poor I did. Updates to follow :)

I'm happy to report all 7 of the canna bulbs have sprouted, and I can already see how cool the leaves are going to look! (pic #3, can you spot all 7?) And, out of nowhere my MIL came out with an old amaryllis bulb she's had stashed away since 05-06. She doesn't remember what color it was, just that it was pretty. Well, I researched and saw that Jan/early Feb is better for planting them here...but stuck it in anyway. After 6 years dormant, maybe it can't still grow anyway..or can it?

MVP of my yard this month: Confederate Jasmine. going BONKERS with growth, i can't wait for that sweet aroma. Who's your MVP?