A new thread for February Tropical's! We came from here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1150849/
That somehow sounds a bit odd (Tropical's and the month of February), but from looking at everyone's photo's, even those who live in the North can have beautiful tropical plants in the middle of winter!
A few of my plants that have made it through the winter so far!
edited to add link to last thread.
This message was edited Feb 3, 2011 9:33 AM
Now GAgirl, your photo here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=8346362 ... Now that's my kind of place, looks like my dream home ... I'd love to live in an atrium! ^_^
Thank you Lin., looks very summery! I will be glad when we can keep them out!
If only I could afford a GH like that, I would be in heaven. LOL That is one beautiful place!!!!
coleus from summer
Thanks GAgirl, it looks wintery to me ... I can't wait for the weather to warm up for good so things can get back to looking better. It's kinda dreary and cloudy here today.
mjsponies: Oh, please don't tell me we are going to have temp's back in the 30's again!! I'm like you, so tired of moving things in and out, in and out! maybe the weather people will be wrong. ^_^
I wish I had a greenhouse ... that's the screened pool enclosure and deck. I keep telling my husband we just need to cover the entire screen with the clear fiberglass stuff they use for greenhouses and then I wouldn't have to worry about moving plants in and out when the weather is cold ... haven't convinced him yet.
This is an old picture but how it looks in the summer time:
Looks like I goofed and put Tropical's #92 as the subject name of this thread and it should have been #91. Maybe someone else can begin another thread #91 and we can let this one fade away or actually I can have Admin. remove it so it won't cause confusion. I don't think I've had enough coffee this morning ... maybe I'll have a fifth cup and then I need to get out of here and get some errands done. Have a great day everyone and I'll see y'all later ...
GAgirl, cannas sure can get out of hand. I had 'Stuttgart' which was supposed to have gorgeous variegated foliage. Just rousted them out after they took over a whole bed - they're still popping up every time the weather warms, though. Never had a single stripe of variegation, and they were about 8 feet tall! I'm having much better success with the dwarf Canna varieties especially "Futurity" ones that drop their dead flowers instead of hanging onto them. They don't spread nearly as aggressively.
Now replacing the 'Stuttgart's with Dr. Moy gingers (hedychium- see pic) which have lovely splashes of white on the leaves and lots of fragrant flowers from June through Nov. here.
Lin, wish I could tell you "it aint' so", looked at the 10 day forecast. a few nights low 40's, then several in the low 34 range. You don't get quite as cold as I do here. We are out in the boonies and no concrete to hold in any heat.
dyzzy: Wow, those are gorgeous Ginger's!
mjsponies: Pfffft, Blaaah, Ugh! Arrrgh! We Floridians are getting sick of the cold weather, LOL. I sooo didn't want to have to haul plants inside again. Grrr.
* blushing * here ... I should be ashamed of myself for complaining, all I have to do is look at the news/weather reports of the awful weather so many people are suffering through. I better give myself a good talking to and be thankful that I'm living where I am!
My thoughts and prayers go out to all Aussies who were in the path of that Category 5 Cyclone "Yasi". I hope everyone is safe.
Would it be ok if each of us started an entry on this thread for plants we are really wanting? If/when we get it, we can edit our thread and remove it. I'd bet all of us have something we really want, and all of us have those plants from which we can get starts. Maybe this doesn't make sense, but it MIGHT!
Kay, it sounds good to me, but I wonder if it would get lost in the thread and as new threads are started it would be hard to find again. I wonder if we could have a wants/haves list as a "sticky" at the top of the Tropical Forum like they did over on the African Violet/Gesneriad Forum. They asked Admin. to make it into a "sticky": http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/943616/ so it's always there and people can list what plants they have to swap and what plants they are looking for. Do ya suppose if we asked really nice Admin would be willing to do that for us here? That way folks can add/delete to their list whenever they want.
Kay,
I have been thinking the same thing. I was considering asking admin. to add another forum just for "Plants I really want". The plant trading forum is pretty much useless anymore, every time I find something I want, its either 'not for trade' (well it is a TRADING forum) or they just don't respond. I know I have lots of plants and don't mind sharing, especially with people I know have a passion or that can't find plants that are available to me. Pretty much anyone on this thread will share what they have and there is some I would still like to have, but I feel bad asking all the time. If there was a thread you could request something on, then anyone could reply if they had that particular plant.
Let me know what you are looking for and maybe I have it. I will be glad to start you a cutting of anything.
I don't post much over here but I thought you might like to see what it is like in Mid-central Pa.
Outside it looks like this.
Clump White Birch almost laying flat from the weight of the ice.
Inside Raspberry Ice Bougainvillea just going to town.
I think it would be nice to see everyone's want/have list in one spot. That way we can see if someone else has something we want.
I know we have the Trade Tracker feature here on DG but I don't use it anymore, it got so every single plant I saw someone post a picture of I wanted, LOL ... the list was getting so long with so many different types of plants.
It would be nice if each particular Forum (i.e. Cacti/Succulents, Amaryllis, Begonia's etc.) could have a have/want sticky at the top of the forum. That way we don't have to go through sometimes hundreds and hundreds of different types of plants on someone's trade list to see if they have the type of plant we are looking for. Does that make sense? I'd love to see a "Wants/Haves" Sticky for the Tropical Plant Forum!
Oh my goodness Holly Ann ... look at that snow and ice! I hope the birch tree will survive the weight of that ice!
Pretty Rasberry Ice Bougie!! ... and, you should spend more time here with us on the Tropical's Forum, we'd love your company!
I don't know if this would be considered a tropical LOL, it's a shrub down here in Florida but thought I'd share anyway.
Loropetalum rubrum:
Carolina Yellow Jasmine smells so sweet!
Oh Maybe one of you could ID my plant? I picked it up in Fl. last fall. I got it with the pot for $5 at a yard sale while Ric was loading up the boat. The leaves are pretty thick.
Forgot to add yes Lin that pic was taken yesterday and the tree is standing back up today after the melt.
This message was edited Feb 3, 2011 6:45 PM
HollyAnn: It looks like a very healthy variegated Devil's Backbone: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1716/
more images: http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&sugexp=gsis&xhr=t&q=pedilanthus+tithymaloides+variegatus&cp=12&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=wy9LTduuEsGs8Aak752cDg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&sqi=2&ved=0CEMQsAQwAw&biw=1280&bih=726
Holly
At first I thought it was a Devil's backbone but the leaves look too rounded.
Here's the link to some different ones.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/b/Euphorbiaceae/Euphorbia/tithymaloides/cultivar/0/
This message was edited Feb 3, 2011 5:51 PM
Thank you Lin, That looks right to me. Especially the stem structure.
LOL...we were posting at the same time.
mjsponies Here is a close up of the leaves.
I'm not real good at comparing photo's for identification but it still looks like Euphorbia tithymaloides to me.
However you folks want to do it is ok - I just think it would serve well to convey this information. Another thought - there seems to be a clique of us here on THIS thread -- that's what I had in mind - we know each other (cyber buds) and I feel that if I send someone a plant, it would get the care it needed. On the trading forum, there seem to be the same folks jumping on a listing, whether they are in the right zone or have an idea how to grow it, or not.
It probably shouldn't bother me, but I work hard to get my plants to adult size and to send one to a novice grower (by their own admission) causes me to get hives! LOL
Before I send someone I don't know a tropical plant that costs money, I always ask what tropicals they currently are growing. If they tell me they are just starting out, I won't send the plant out to a certain death - I guess I'm terrible, but.....
So, I guess I was thinking: could we make up our lists (in a WORD document), copy and paste them in a dmail to the participants of this thread? If someone has a plant another could use, they could work out a trade or postage - in this economy, no one should expect free plants. I think it's vital, to make this friendly and fun, that it has to be one or the other - trade or postage reimbursement!
Kay, I'm with you. I will start on my list soon. I will have to get my son to show me how to link the file to here. LOL
LOL, Holly, I think we are all in agreement. It's a Variegated Devils Backbone.
Here's a pic of Variegated Devils Backbone..I grow it in mostly sun. Get's some shade from a tall, well over 12 ft Ligustrum in the afternoon
mjsponies: That's a real beauty, love the color in that foliage! I rec'd a small cutting of the solid green type as well as a cutting of the variegated type in a trade a few years ago and planted them together in a small pot but mine looks really pitiful. It's extremely root bound, suffered last winter and didn't recuperate well, then lost all but a few leaves this winter. I need to plant it outside or re-pot to a larger container.
No bloom yet, this little guy is finally taking off. Variegated Bleeding heart. has the white w/ red center. Can't wait till it blooms.
I'm finding more things with some green poking out of the ground. I hope next weeks cold snap doesn't get them.
Thank you both. It will be interesting to see how it grows for me this summer.
Re: posting our wish lists and haves lists - take a look at this thread in the A.V. forum - this is what I had in my mind:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/943616/
Kay: That's the link I spoke about and posted earlier. I think it would be great to have that for the Tropical Plant Forum! I think it would be much easier to go right to the top of the forum than going back through old threads trying to find the particular thread with everyone's lists. Why don't you contact DG Admin. to request a "wants/haves" sticky for the Tropical Plant Forum, I think they'd probably agree to it since they allowed that feature on the AV Forum.
Lin, I'm sorry I didn't see your reference link - probably did, but forgot! I have dmailed Admin. to request a "wants/haves" sticky for the Tropical Plant Forum. What I think will be the BEST part of a sticky is that it can be edited by its poster! I know I will constantly edit mine, to add MORE plant wants!!!
Kay: So glad you contacted Admin. about this feature ... I think folks will find it a great asset to the Forum since many of y'all do lots of trades and I agree it is nice to be able to edit and make changes to your list as needed.
I'm headed to start a new 'Sticky' thread.
Kay: You have the sticky listed as Tropical Garden #91 ... it should probably read as:
Tropical Plants Have/Want List.
Debra, I just sent you a dmail. TTYS!
Kay: Do you know why Admin made this thread a sticky? I'm seeing the sticky for the have/want lists as well as a sticky for this particular thread .. I'm confused.
Lin, I will ask for it to be removed.
