Tropical Garden #89 - January 2011

metrosideros, Not only are you a plant expert, but also a very good carpenter and cook.
I love the picture of your maturing garden! Maybe mine will look like that one day.

KayJones, I have a walking budda belly, that I love very much.
This is my oldest Alocasia Buddah hand.

I had no idea so many plants carried 'buddah' in the name.

It always amazes me the number of plants that have the same "common"/"nick name" or some variation thereof, some of the plants are so far apart family wise that they are nowhere near related ... makes it really confusing.

Lin, beautiful cactus blooms and what a good shot of a Red Tail. Speaking of your Begonia 'My Special Angel', I think a friend of mine has the same one as well. Here is a photo from their plant from back in the Summer and I'm going to get a few cuttings from it soon. We will have to compare them later on.

mjs, beautiful JMG and Dave all those pictures are very nice. Your extension looks just about finished and what a sweet picture of Kea.

Rita, that is one very nice size A. cucullata alright and you know I will share my newest Pepperomia with you.

Debra, I like your terrarium and I am going to try a few of those myself. I cut back on watering my Alocasia's quite a bit in the Winter and some I let dry out completely before I water again. If some of yours have lost all their leaves then they are trying to or have gone dormant. Like Rita and Lin suggested, just watch each individual plant.

On a side note: It's a sad day in the Aroid world with the passing of Steve Lucas. He was such a tremendous friend and mentor to me and I am honestly going to miss him.

Oh no, I am so sorry. I did not know he passed. My prayers and thoughts for you Rachel , and everyone who knew him.

I am sorry to hear of Steve's passing - my sympathies go out to his family.

Oh my goodness, I had not heard of the passing of Steve Lucas ... very sad news. I personally did not know Steve, but like many others I sure have enjoyed his website and I always wished I could visit Arkansas and see his Exotic Rainforest in person. His passing will surely be a great loss and I send my sympathies to his family and friends.

Rachel: I'm not sure, but your friend's Begonia looks more like the Dwarf Trout Leaf 'Medora': http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/12065/
http://www.funnyfarmherbs.com/servlet/-strse-424/Begonia-Angel-Wing-%27Medora%27/Detail

I need to look and see if my 'Medora' is still alive .. it's buried out on the back deck somewhere. It didn't recover much from last winters cold and the last time I noticed, it didn't look too great. The leaves on the Begonia Medora are quite a bit smaller than My Special Angel.

Hi Everyone!

I screwed up yesterday and said Hi to everyone on the other thread. I hope that I am on the right one today. By now, everyone knows that I am eccentric.

RachelLF, thanks, you have shared so much with me already but I can't resist. I will gladly accept your offer after it has grown and multiplied for you. I saw at the nursery where they started them from leaf cuttings.

I too, am very sorry to hear of your friend, Steve Lucas. You have always spoke of him with such admiration.

In the background of this noid fern picture, you can see the Pepperomia that I bought, it was $4.

Fern Davallia, Deer Foot.

New Tillandsia

Rita: LOL, I am forever forgetting what thread I'm on! Is that Peperomia argyreia? http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54487/ That is really a nice one, and $4?! Wow, what a deal! That's sure a nice fern too, I've never heard of Deer Foot Fern and that is really pretty!

Thank you all for the kind words spoke here and I will pass them on to the Lucas family as well.

Lin, thanks for the links concerning 'Medora', I will look them over and yes, I do believe the Peperomia that Rita showed is P. argyreia. Good eye.

Rita, you always show such nice and healthy plants and that is a pretty Tillandsia.

I love the way your Garden looks so green and warm, Rita.
My hibs are still budding and blooming.. I am grateful for that.

Last nite I had to unassemble the two vine pots.. the chalice and the thunbergia and passies were all growing into the cracks in the ceiling.. Chalice is now pouting, but no buds yet..

Jasmine is blooming away again..

I thought I had lost this thing.. I THINK it is a diffenbachia?

Duke doesn't know what to think when I am down there, flitting around making messes....
I told him tomorrow was clean up day.. I have piles of soil and leaves ready to sweep up and then mop.

When I worked at the furniture store for 15 years, evrey time I cleaned out the fabric swatch from lazy boy, I would bring the swatches home. I found the bags of them, and they make good pot insulation and spot carpets on the cold tile floor.. I wished I had found them sooner, when I felt like sewing.. anyway, here is the newest set up on the east wall..

Here is my newest rescue.. only 1.50 I had to bring it home, under my leather jacket as it was only like 8 outside when I found it..

They had these little pots of plants in various stages of rot or dried up, sitting in a plastic dish in water.. I didn't think that was good for it..
I figure this Chalice vine cutting will bloom this winter, it is the cutting I took back in september.. looks good to me, but the vines next to it like it too ..I fear they will challenge it.

This is where the other moon vines are growing.. and boy, they are a growin.. this part gets cleaned up and the new shelves are going to be put up tomorrow, and then I can use my storage barrels for storage again. They are the supports for the plywood table I have made here. I am sure this will look all different when re-done and with lights on..

Here is lady margarite, Mj, is it dormant? plz say yes..

Debra,
There is green at the base. I wouldn't toss it. My Passi's in the greenhouse that are on the lower shelves, not getting as much light aren't doing a lot right now. While the ones up at the top getting more sun are growing fine and some blooming. So maybe try getting it into more sunlight and a warmer spot. Soon as you spot new growth give it some Fish emulsion fertilizer, half strength. If it doesn't come back, don't worry I'll send another one up for you. I'm not sending anything out to anybody till the weather gets good tho. Nooooo frozen babies.............

My African Mask I think is going dormant The leaves have all flopped over. It was in the greenhouse and we had a few nights that even with the heat on it dipped to 39º in there. If was after that it looked sad....I've brought it into the house, What should I do about watering it ?
Camellia has buds all over it and some are opening. At least a little splash of color.

Pink Turk's cap in the greenhouse

Martha, your plants are wonderful!

Debra, my P. 'lady margaret' (several) are in the ground and look just like yours - they are dormant. In March, they will emerge and start growing like crazy - they begin blooming in May - I can't wait for them to return - I have several different Passifloras in the ground, but l.m. is my favorite.

If I didn't know this was my own back pasture, I'd think it was taken up north somewhere.
The boys playing........"I'm not Touching You"......

Anyone know how to take cuttings of the Camellia ? When is a good time ? The thing is monstrous ! Well over 10 feet tall, and it's blocking the kitchen window I want to cut it back this spring. Kay, You have some pretty amazing plants yourself !

Martha, when I raid your yard and greenhouse, I will have some amazing plants. Dmail me if you've seen something that I have and you want - bet we can work something out!

Rachel,
here are your babies, I have them hanging in the kitchen window under a light.

Oh good, I feel better now . Thanks! Gosh I have never seen a Cammellia. That is pretty.
Love your babies, they are looking great!

A grower demonstrated rooting camellias for me recently. I would take camellia cuttings in late spring or early summer. New wood has more growth hormones and are more likely to root. Wait until the new wood is slightly firm and take short, about 3", cuttings that have at least one or more nodes, and remove most of the leaves except for the baby ones at the top. Dip them in rooting hormone, stick them in damp sand or other medium, burying them deep enough to cover several nodes, and cover to keep the moisture in. It often takes several months for roots to develop. Hope this makes sense.

If you have any young seedling plants under those old camellias you might try grafting a branch onto one of them. You will get a large, blooming size plant much faster that way.

Here are some camellias for you Debra.

Oh how pretty! Really? Did you smell them? Are they wonderful? I love them! Look at the beautiful pink one in the middle. It is lovely! and the white one to the left looks like it smells really good. Yummy eye candy here this morning... ;)

Sadly most camellias do not have any scent but a few do and they are lovely. There is an old timey C. sasanqua that is white and has a scent like a gardenia. I have been trying to find a source of cuttings for that one for a while now.

The sasanquas start blooming in early fall and continue through early January. The C. japonicas are just coming into full bloom now and will continue through April. The best part is that there is always color in the garden during the winter months. This year the open flowers are all fried from the cold but the buds that are still tight should be fine.


Oops, wrong picture, that is an azalea.

This message was edited Jan 15, 2011 10:16 AM

Here is a NOID.

Geez!! Got bumped off again, undoubtably this thread does not like me. Its gonna take awhile to read all the post.
Meanwhile here are a few things..

orchid bloom of the day