Another Euphorbia ("Pencil Tree"):
Tropical Garden #89 - January 2011
I have a large Ric Rac Orchid Cactus that needs re-potting in spring. I dread that job because I don't like thorns and this plant is so thorny! It blooms in late May and I wonder if I re-pot this spring it will deter the lovely blooms?
Closer view of the lovely bloom:
Debra: I forgot to say I like your terrarium! Aren't they fun ... just put a lid on and watch the plants grow! I've always enjoyed planting up glass jars, plastic jars ... a few years back I even used a little plastic Dairy Queen ice cream cup and planted a little plant in it, wrapped a cord around it and hung it in a window.
We had a low here of 33º last night and it's still only 35 outside, with wind chills in the upper 20's. Florida, ya gotta love it ... and it's supposed to be even colder tonight! I tell you ... it sure makes me want to move to the South Pacific!!
Well, I'm bundling up and heading out to fill the bird feeders which I usually do @ 7:30 or 8:00 every morning and the birds are not happy that I'm so late! Then I'm venturing out to run a few errands ... maybe I should buy a winter coat while I'm out? LOL, I haven't owned a coat since 1967 but the way these winters are getting I just might have to seriously consider it, along with boots, gloves, scarf, hat ...
My thoughts and prayers to Aussies in the path of those horrible, devastating floods. It's the worst natural disaster in Australian history and I can only imagine the terror some are experiencing.
Take care everyone and have a great day!
Lin, I want to move with you - let's consider Panama! I have a friend who owns a nursery, here in PCB, and she left last week to spend the winter in Panama - I think she's on to something.
It's predicted that we will see our lowest temps ever here in PCB - low 20's with wind.
Thanks Rita, with this cold weather the heat had been on almost non stop so the plants are not happy in the house. I have small jars of water hidden among them but it is of little help, the leaves are drying up. Between the dry house and the lack of good sun, it has been a challenge.
One of the Ti's is Willii's Gold and I am trying some horizontal cuttings on that one. I watched a program on GA Public TV where they showed how to scrape the stem on one side down to the cambium layer, brush rooting hormone on that side and then lay them horizontally, treated side down, on the soil and you should get several plants from one cutting. Nothing is happening yet but the stems still look good. I'll keep you in mind if this works. I also left one WIllii in the ground and often you will get several shoots when they come back in the spring. Of course, this year they may not come back. I am so ready for spring so I can see what has survived.
Look what I found on a cheesecake leaf that was unfurling - in the house. Yikes it was huge.
Well I think I posted a picture of this one before but the buds dropped off now here it is starting to bloom again.......
Brugmansia Pink Perfektion
Good morning everyone!
There's stormy skies over Hawai'i today.
The weather can keep work from getting done.
Yesterday I got one sheet of siding cut, placed, and nailed before the storm clouds began to gather.
The comedy for the day was me holding the siding up with my shoulder, a hammer in one hand and nails in the other. The concrete-fiber siding is very heavy. This is a job where one can really use their head!
Kea likes to help with any type of job!
With two days of thunderstorms on the way, the work will switch to gardening.
Here's the 1st pineapple bud of the season.
Peppers are starting to produce.
Taro is looking good!
Dracaena fragrans beginning to bud.
Black Sugar Cane about to flower.
The garden overall is maturing.
Dave: That is going to be one really nice addition! I bet it is a lot of work ... if I was younger I'd offer to come over and help, although I'd probably get to the Islands and not remember the meaning of the word WORK! I bet Kea is a good supervisor! I love her markings, she is really a pretty girl. Your garden looks magnificent by the way!
Thanks Lin! Yes, a lot of work. My neuropathy keeps me from working too much at any given time, as my muscles begin to hurt. I have built the entire edition without any help though, and have come up with some interesting ways to hold up heavy boards and nail them at the same time.
Kea is always nearby during any task; rain or shine.
Another good project for a rainy day is Lentil Soup!
Yum, That does sound good for a rainy day! Wow, you've built that entire addition to your house without any help ... Hats off to you young man, that is really a big job and it must complicate the process when you have muscle neuropathy. I can't imagine how you'd hold up a heavy board and nail it at the same time. I'm afraid I'd have to result to duct tape, LOL. As they say, "where there's a will ... there's a way!"
It was cold here last night (33º) and it has only been in the 50's all day. It's supposed to drop to 27º tonight and we are due for a freeze of @ 8 to 10 hours. :( Poor plants.
Since it's winter here in Florida I decided to make a big pot of Chicken Noodle Soup this afternoon. I got the chicken cooked, chopped all the veggies and realized I didn't have noodles in the pantry. I didn't want to go back out to the store again so it's going to be Chicken & Rice Soup instead of Chicken Noodle.
James congrats n the new forming buds! I bet you are happy!
Lin, those ric racs are pretty. I can't wait to see blooms on those things.
Ardesia, just to let you know, those bugs are good at eating worms off of plants. I would never have dreamed it, until I witnessed it this passed summer on one of my brugs. Soon you will be able to get your beautiful babies back outside. This shouldn't last too long for you all.
So sad about the flooding in Australia, I have a friend there I need to see if she is okay.
Came home for lunch to let Duke out today, he couldn't seem to navigate the snow like he used too, poor guy. I am tripling the newspapers downstairs around the plants, so he can feel welcome to stay in and be warm. It isn't really bad to let him do his thing down there, with all the newspapers around the plants, he stays right on it. Kea looks like a good helper for you Dave, and I can't believe how awesome your place is. Yummm lentil soup. !
My blackeyed susan vine is really loaded with buds.. go figure.. I will take a pic tommorrow when they are open. I just don't get it.. it had all summer outside to bloom.
Is the Dracaena fragrans a brom or an aroid? Mine is still doing nothing.
Does anyone know the name of this? It came frm a tree at work, I kiped three cuttings, sent one away and stuck the other two in the macho fern pot, it is really growing.
Debra, oh look at Duke in all that snow! I'm so glad to hear that you are allowing him to stay inside where it's warm!
Is that last photo a Dracaena fragrans, maybe'Janet Craig'? http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=dracaena+fragrans+janet+craig&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=g1MuTZj7H8OC8gaR6eCCCg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CDEQsAQwAA&biw=1225&bih=696
Any more photos?
Kinda looks like Callisia fragrans.
Callisia fragrans: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/180660/ was my first thought too until she said it was cuttings from a tree.
Maybe a Dichorisandra without much light?
Photos of the whole plant would help.
Not a plant or bloom ... well actually there's a tree in the picture, LOL. This morning I went out to fill the feeders and spotted this Red-tailed Hawk perched in one of the Sugarberry trees. I guess he was waiting for breakfast!
nope, none of those. the leaves are very soft and silky.. I will take a picture at work and post it.
It has thin stems.
WOW! That is a GREAT photo! We heard our hoot owls last night, when we let Duke out, and it was like 4 degrees cold. ugh.
Reminds me of Dracaena, like the D. sanderiana but I can't find a decent photo of a mature plant.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ehouseplants.com/images/Large%2520Bamboo%2520in%2520miami%2520pot.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.ehouseplants.com/luckybamboo.htm&usg=__0awUd3kuxJhKhiUp97Mrf_RSYpw=&h=606&w=504&sz=84&hl=en&start=23&zoom=1&tbnid=5u4Q3OjbQkFdqM:&tbnh=121&tbnw=102&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddracaena%2Bsanderiana%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D701%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C478&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=291&vpy=341&dur=75&hovh=246&hovw=205&tx=103&ty=134&ei=u2cuTcbnKcT38AaZg7z5CA&oei=tWcuTavrAsG78gah75C3Cg&esq=2&page=2&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:23&biw=1280&bih=701
well gee, it looks like that link isn't working. I'm having problems with DG taking forever to load pages tonight but I will go see if I can find the link to the picture again.
Wow Debra, that's a lot of snow y'all have there!!
This message was edited Jan 12, 2011 9:56 PM
Debra, how about this D. sanderiana for comparison - second photo down this page: http://www.tropicsphere.com/main/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8768&p=71602
That looks more like it, the solid leafed one, only the one at work is big, and tall. No flowers, but it is inside. mostly in the dark. ugh. the limey green one is also one that I have, mine is still not doing anything. I am ready to send it away. My patience is thin , right now, with this one, and almost all my special polys and alocasias have lost their leaves, except for buddahs hand. baby sting ray, african mask, and the anthuriums are all just bottoms. *sniff sniff* whine whine.The philos on the other hand are all going crazy. The Es are too. what is up with the others? is it cuz they are so small? This buddah belly hasn't done a thing since I brought it inside.. what is up with this one?
I guess some of them are resting while others just don't want to go to bed ... sorta like human children sometimes!
I'm curious, what are Buddah's Hand and Buddah's Belly? I'm not familiar with those names.
buddahs hands is a nick name for an aroid cullta? I think. It came from Rita. It is very happy. Budda's Belly is a caudex plant that has a fat bottom and alot of foilage on top. AuntB's BB was all over the place last summer when I went to see her.
here is a link.. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2445/
My budda belly is leafless and blooming - looks so odd!
Buddah's hand is also a type of citrus - a lemon with fingers.
My budda hand citrus tree has about 10 leaves, 3 fruits and one bloom - really looks weird!
plantladylin, I do agree the blooms on your Ric Rac cactus are very pretty!
It's my first time seeing one.
I am sorry to hear about all the cold weather you all are experiencing now.
I had to vist my Mom in Belize over the Christmas Holidays. The weather was always the topic of convestion, it got down to 52 F, one night. She demanded that I get her an electric blanket. lol
That Red Tail Hawk is good bird watching subject. I hope that it did not disturb the other birds at your feeders.
This Fiddlewood tree is 2 years old. Is anyone familiar with ths plant?
ardesia, I am glad that you mentioned the jars of water, I have been using my empty birdseed buckets for the same purpose in the GH's.
I would love to work out a trade for a start of your Ti Plant. Hopefully, they both will survive the winter.
Don't you just love the cheesecake Philo? I will have to quit squashing those bugs, now that I know they are the good guys.
Joeswife, I agree with plantladylin, you will have to watch the individual plant. Sometimes they need to rest. I pulled out my Ti Giant today and will let it dry bare root until spring.
I am glad that you asked for a ID on that pant. I have a couple of starts from a DG (sendsometome) she died last year. They are treasured plants to me.
