I am from Nashville and right now am in Houston visiting my sis. I have a question I need someone to answer for me. I had a parasol plant for years that I got from one of our DG members many years ago. This year it didn't come back for me. I was sick. I have no idea why! Would moles or voles eat the roots by any chance?
While here, I looked out my sis's back window and there to my wondering eyes did appear a parasol plant in her back yard. I am so excited! When is the best time to take a start from that plant? She can always send it to me later if it needs to be dug in the spring. Are there any tricks to getting it started? I gave DG's Melody a start one year and she couldn't get it to live. I know she would still like one too so any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
Opinions needed concerning parasol plants
Hi Elena ~ apparently most of us aren't sure what a parasol plant is much less know the answer to your question. I know I wasn't and went to look it up. I still have no idea. Perhaps someone here will be able to help.
You sure picked a hot time of year for your Houston visit. I do hope you stay cool and enjoy your stay.
think it is an unbrella plant--i grow mine as a house plant so can't help you with growing outdoors
Thanks gals. I don't know any other name for it but that one but I will look back in my plant photos and see if I can find one that I can post. Maybe that way someone will know what the true name is. I got mine in a trade with a lady in Louisiana back in the early days of DG. I have no idea why it died because it seemed so healthy for such a long time.
I just got home tonight and I surely don't feel like going through photos right now but will try to do that just as soon as I can catch things up here at home. I had an absolutely marvelous time and it wasn't as hot or miserable there as it has been here in TN. That was really strange to feel better there in the middle of the summer than we have been feeling here in Nashville lately. I would have never expected that in a million years but that is what happened. Back soon with a picture.......
Elena, does this look like it? If so, I'll try to get you some more info!
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/75120/
I have 4 or 5 of these in my yard but I don't have leaves all the way down the stalk. Mine look more like trees w/leaves @ the top & some are taller than my roof!
That is a pretty tree. Does is have seed pods rather like nuts? I was thinking Elena might have one of the Scheffleras.
This plant doesn't get much taller than 5 feet, or rather mine didn't. It has leaves that are more palm like. I am still alive today after all my traveling and cramming everything we could into 4 days of fun and two of travel so I can probably drag out some old pictures and start looking for a picture by tomorrow. I have so much catching up to do here after being away so I will start to look just as soon as I can put the house and yard behind me. I talked to Melody last night and she is thrilled that we might be able to locate some new plants for both of us. I gave her a start sev years ago and it started off doing fine and then just died. I have a feeling that this plant is sort of like bamboo in the fact that you can only start it a certain time of the year. She may show up on this thread any time since I told her I had started it.
PlanoLinda asked if it was an umbrella plant..... Like this maybe?
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/55692/ If so I can tell you a little about it.
Yes, Sheila! That is it!!!!!!! Good for you! So, how do we get starts of it and what time of year?
That is not a parasol tree but I think my neighbor has a clump of it. I'll ck & see if I can get some for ya'll!
Sheila, isn't that the one that you put the top in water to get new plants?
:~)
You can dig up a clump at the bottom with out any problem other than it being very tough. To give it a good start, clip off the older growth (fatter stems). If you have a pond, set the pot in shallow water. They are winter hardy in the ground here and also in the pond. They die back but will put out new growth in spring.
However, it is easy to root from the umbrellas. Get starts before it sets the blooms (star sticker looking things at the top). You simply cut the stem off at about 8" long trim the leaves back to about an inch; then turn them upside down in a glass with water covering the leaves. They will root from that point and send up new growth; the cut stem and leaves will die. Plant in soil as soon as you have roots about a half inch long.
edited to say sorry smockette....cross posted...yes it is that one.
This message was edited Aug 15, 2010 8:17 PM
Okay, Elena, I have access to some so I think your search may be over!!!
:~)
One spring I dug a new small side plant with roots that had come up from the main clump and gave to Melody and she said it did fine for a while and then just died. She is very good with plants so I know she didn't let it get too dry or anything. Is there some particular time of year that could be done or is it best to root our own in the manner described above? That sounds crazy but I know you know what you are talking about.....putting the top of the plant in water rather than the bottom, etc. Is there anything else we need to know? Smockette, wouldn't the leaves you get from your neighbor dry out too much in shipping and just die? Is it possible to get plants from the main one in the early spring? Mine did quite well for many years and then just died. It wasn't a harsh winter either. That is why I asked about voles since we do have them. Headed to bed. I am dying to hear all you gals have to say about the umbrella plant. I will give Melody this thread link and see what she thinks we should do. The plants will be forming seeds soon so we probably need to get this show on the road with whatever we all decide is best. Thanks gals and nighty night.
Here I am at Galveston Bay on Wed. I do wish I had carried my swim suit. I love to swim but it has been a long time since I have been able to swim anywhere other than a pool. This was taken about 20 minutes before we were supposed to meet a bunch of relatives for lunch. My sis thought she was going to have to drag me out. LOL
Smockette, That is GREAT news. I will get back here tomorrow and see what you think should be our next moves.
It is only hardy to zone 8a as far as I know. You need to container it for TN I would think.
I had it for at least 8 years here and several of them were really cold winters. I know the winter wasn't harsh the year we lost it. I could only surmise that the roots might have been eaten by something although there were no signs of tunnels. I can put one in a large container if need be but probably will just try to have one outside also. If I can get the hang of getting starts that will be good because I will always keep more than one. I have a gardenia that is 52 years old (I rooted it from a stem taken from a bouquet) in a container and I do know how to take care of container plants that need to come in.
Wow, that is a long time...maybe it died of old age! LOL!
Like what will probably happen to its owner one of these bright days. Old age has its benefits I am sure but I will just have to work at finding out what they are. LOL
Hi ya'll.I'd love to get another start of this. I think my problem was the time of year and I probably didn't give it enough moisture. It got watered, but it also was sitting out in the bed with full sun. That probably wouldn't have mattered, except, I didn't treat it like a bog plant. I'd love to take another stab at it though! (I don't do houseplants, so it will need to live outdoors)
If Elena doesn't get one in Houston for you both, I will ship a start your way as it gets cooler. Right now it would be crispy when it arrived.
Love the Galveston Bay, haven't been there in many years though. Nice picture, glad you could get your feet wet at least.
This message was edited Aug 17, 2010 6:33 AM
Thanks! Early spring might be best, as we might not have time to get a good root system established this fall.
I am with Melody on the early spring thoughts. Let's put this on hold and get back to it in the spring. It is a bit too late in the season to expect success of many different kinds of plants. The fact that once the plant goes to seed you can no longer get a good start leaves me thinking that it is just about time for it to go to seed and that isn't good. I have my serious doubts as to whether my sister can have the strength to dig a start for us so maybe someone else can. If that fails, we can start them from the umbrellas. Maybe if we have several different things going at least we can have some success in some method. The start that I had years ago was a plant dug from the edges of the big one for sure. I am putting my money on that method if it comes down to betting on this. LOL Melody, if you will help me remember where this thread is located come spring, we may be calling on these nice ladies to send us a start. Only time will tell if my sis has the ability to dig that start we each need. Thank you each and every one of you who has responded to my thread. You are the greatest.
Linda, I'd really like to know what that plant is in the first picture you put up there? I just love that.
I would like to know also.
Either I am missing something or you two are. The only thing I see is a plantfiles link and it has all the info.
Oh, Sheila, you are right! For some reason, I didn't notice all the info when I clicked on it before.
Actually I didn't remember anything about the link other than the fact that it wasn't the plant I was searching for. Sorry!
LOL!
Obviously we weren't doing a lot of reading when we went to that link. You would have thought that one of us would have read it however. As my little old grandmother would have said, "If it had been a snake it would have bitten you."
Well, whatever it is, I guess it's an exotic invasive, and I'm trying to get rid of those. So I guess I won't be looking for it. Sure is pretty, though!
I hate this STUPID thing on the rightside of my mouse on my laptop!!!
TWICE it has erased my reply!!!! Gggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!
I don't have a laptop and haven't really wanted one because of such problems. Hubby has one but never uses it. He likes the regular key board we are accustomed to with our home computer. Guess I am just too set in my ways. Age will do that to you, ya know! LOL
I have a laptop that I use on trips or outside and I bought a wireless mouse when I got it. It has a thumb drive that was always getting in the way. Then the other day I upgraded with one that the thumb drive is so small you leave it plugged in all the time and just turn off the mouse. I love it. I could never get used to the mouse on the laptop...too flustrating.
I think you found the perfect solution. That is what I have been thinking of if I need to resort to the laptop in the future. Hubby has thought he needed a laptop twice and has never done more than turn either of them on more than a few times and this latest one will soon get outdated. I don't know why he always thinks he needs one. Just because everyone else is using them, I think. This one was given to him by my son-in-law and came from his father who thought he just HAD to have one too. Same deal! He doesn't even want to bother updating a computer, seeing to virus protection, etc. It is just one of those things that he considers an unnecessary pain to deal with. I have him set up and am willing to keep the computer up to date but he still never turns it on. After a while, I am going to tire of keeping up with updates for no reason whatsoever.
While take pixs when I go home tomorrow & try & catch neighbor to see if I can have cuttings & pups.
When I was so frustrated last nite, Smock said 'didn't you save it?' LOL
Here is the nano wireless.....I didn't get the real expensive, I think mine was $29 at Best Buy. But I love it.
http://www.bing.com/shopping/search?q=wireless%20mouse%20nano%20for%20laptop&qpvt=wireless+mouse+nano+for+laptop
This message was edited Aug 23, 2010 8:09 PM
I think I am going to have to get me one of them!!!
Thanks for the link.
:~)