Tropical Garden # 95

Debra ... On March 3rd I sowed the seeds you sent me for Purple Splash Japanese Morning Glory and they are sprouting! I can't wait for them to grow up and bloom so I can see what they look like!

ardesia: That's it! "Aztec Grass"! I couldn't for the life of me remember what it was called. I like adding it to mixed container plantings just to add a different texture.

Wonderful spring pictures! I found a pretty surprise hiding in my jungle today!

I've had butterflies around for a few weeks now, and guess what?? Caterpillars everywhere.

This milkweed won't be pretty for much longer.

Good to see warm weather setting in and everyone's plants growing and blooming!

Here's this season's spikes of Jaguar Oncidiums.

Close-up.

Planning a tea garden!

Xanthorrhoea quadrangularis beginning peak inflorescence.

Hope to get seeds!

Hi Lily,

Yes, Camelia sinensis. As money is short, and time is free, I am planning crops (small) for future income.

Green tea, cocoa, and vanilla are looking good as prospects. Anything that likes rain!

Wish I could have brought home of some of that tillandsia stuff hanging in the trees in Jamaica. I could have had. HUGE ball, instead of the dinky little thing I bought of a catalogue.

I am posting from my iPad, since I am not home till the 25th....I noticed before I left that my clivi a had 6 bloom stalks and all had started to bloom. A pic when I get back home.

How about orchids? :))

Orchids are everywhere!

More Orchids!

Wild Orchids!

So happen those "wild orchids" are a treasure here. :))

More wild Orchids.

Still yet Orchids!

dyzzy: Pretty Amaryllis ... do you know the name on that one? I had quite a few Amaryllis but dug them up and gave most to my sister in South Florida when she was visiting and fell in love with them. I like them when they are in bloom but not when they just sit there doing nothing, LOL. I had Pasadena, Apple Blossom, Aphrodite, Red Lyon and a couple of others I can't remember. There are still a few in the ground around the yard but they haven't done much the past couple of years so I don't know which ones I have left. I'm going to dig them all as I find them and pot them up for my sister.

Dave: Very nice Tea Garden you've got started there! Love all the orchids! I have a couple of dozen here but of course they aren't growing wild ... oh how nice it would be to live in a climate where I could sit on the porch or in the garden and gaze at them growing wild!

... Oh my goodness Dave, what's the name of that beautiful orchid in your last post??

LilyLove: That's a nice specimen you have there too!

Anna_Z: We've got plenty of Tillandsia usneoides ("Spanish Moss") growing in the trees here ... if you are seriously wanting this stuff, send me a d-mail with your address I will gladly mail you some.

Hi Lin,

I just know it as a Dendrobium.

Oh my goodness ... and that beauty is a Cattleya, any fragrance?

One of my amaryllis that bloomed in November has sent up another bloom stalk. It has been outside for weeks and is very happy there, even with it;s dusting of pine pollen. A. Benfica.

Dave, C. sinensis does well here and there used to be many tea farms in the SC lowcountry. Only one large commerical one left outside of Charleston. Don't mac nuts do well in your area? I would kill for some fresh ones, the canned Mauna Loa ones are nothing like the fresh ones.


Oops, forgot the picture.

This message was edited Mar 20, 2011 11:10 AM

Here it is.

Plantladylin........is that the same stuff thT is called the airplant? What is in the pic looks different. But if it is the same I would live some.

Prita,

Treat the Lutea as if it were a cactus (well; maybe just a little more water! HA!) and downsize the pot an inch or two unless it is rootbound. Of course in February or so, it will let you know when it wants more water.

It's been working for me for a while.

Ardesia,

Very beautiful Amaryllis!

Metrosideros,

Very nice! You must be in heaven all the time living in Hawaii!

Macadamias can grow here, too. Trees took some damage the last two winters, but survived.

But everyone I know that has a tree never gets any nuts, they just have many happy squirrels with fat little bellies dragging on the ground . .. .

Hadn't thought to try growing tea, though. I'd imagine it would do fine here, too. Most of the flowering camellias I've seen here are gorgeous for about 3 days a year, then just have their nice shiny foliage. Wouldn't mind finding garden space if the foliage was useful! Hmm. I have a dehydrator, too.

Dave, do you know if there's a curing process for green tea, or are the leaves just dried and shredded?

Lin, there were amaryllis in the garden when we bought this house. Judging by its location, it's one of those. No clue.

I've bought and planted out a few different ones. I got one called 'Black Pearl' for my daughter Christmas before last. She had them bloom beautifully that year, then the next spring I brought them home, and plunked them in the garden. They have some good foliage but no flower scapes yet. Can't wait!

Some of them have definitely crossed or reverted because one year they are the hybrid color, and the next they are solid colors. They seem to revert to all red, or all white.

I agree they are short-season things, but I'm setting them amongst Texas Longleaf jasmine groundcover. They make a nice surprise in the spring, then just supply textural contrast with the big bold foliage the rest of the year. Some cannas and gingers are amongst the jasmine, too. It seems to limit their spread but they still bloom nicely. I just give them extra water when it doesn't rain.

Plus of course the milkweed pops up throughout. Once the caterpillars have eaten them to a nub, I cut them back and they hide in the groundcover until they bloom again in fall.

Macadamias are easy to grow, and are good eating, but are not a good choice to grow for income as plantations are all over the Islands.

Macadamias nuts, Dave that reminds me. I brought home some unshelled Macadamias Nuts from the Island last spring. Their 'coats' are so tough, I haven't been able to crack them open to eat them. lol.

There are hundreds of ways of curing and preparing the tea plant (Camellia sinensis). India, China, and Japan produce many varieties of green & black teas from the same species.

As the tea business has become very popular worldwide, many smaller country's, such as Korea, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia, have started producing tea.

The trick to competing is to produce a higher quality product, than is commonly found on the market. The Japanese have become experts at such!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_production_in_the_United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea

http://www.theteafaq.com/tea/information/tea-production.html

http://www.fmltea.com/Teainfo/tea-production.htm

http://www.teazonline.com/major-tea-producers.htm

http://coffeetea.about.com/od/advancedtea/a/TeaProducingRegions.htm

http://www.thefragrantleaf.com/greentea.html

Lots of info, I was just going to post this link to Camellia Forest's site on tea.

http://www.camforest.com/category_s/53.htm

Dave, if you know any backyard growers that ship shelled mac nuts, I am interested.

I guess Hawai'i can be considered a paradise, because of it's mild climate. But, to live here one must deal with the fact that there is very little work to be had. Most general public jobs are in services such as restauranteering, construction, and landscaping.

As long as one doesn't mind living with little income, life is good here.

By the way, did I mention that I'm a gourmet chef, carpenter, and botanist!

Hey Ardesia, here's a few sources:

http://kumufarms.com/information.php?info_id=9

http://www.kuaiwifarm.com/

http://www.hawaiiorganic.org/organic-marketplace?p=1&title=Macadamia+nuts

http://www.ailaniorchards.com/

http://sweetokolefarm.com/aboutus.aspx

http://www.farmerspal.com/organic-farms/region/hawaii/page/1/

Hi everyone!
It seems as if everyone is getting a touch of spring fever!
Lili_love and Anna_z, it is good to see you both!

Plantladylin, ardesia thanks for the info. on the Aztec grass, I think that they will make great fillers for my pots.
I love the Painted Bunting picture, I hope that he comes back for his close-up shot. We've seldom never seen them here in Red Oak.

Dzy, ardesia, lovely Amyrillis, to me they are like Brugs, I have never seen one that I did not like.

Metrosideros, Good Luck with your new endeavor!
I hope that you get lots of seeds from the Xanthorrhoea quadrangularis.


Homer1958, thanks for the advice on the Lutea. It will be #1 on my to-do list for tomorrow.

Thanks Dave, I am salivating already.

Also wanted to mention that some (only some?) of us are plant geeks and would welcome the opportunity to order some exotics from a reliable source in HI. Just mentioning.......

This message was edited Mar 20, 2011 8:00 PM

Hey Ardesia! What is a "plant geek"?

Lin, I really like the picture of the Painted Bunting as well and you will have to post a picture of your Xanthosoma sag. when it grows up.

Dave, wishing you the best with your tea garden.

Rita, I think the flowers on the Akebia vine are so pretty but it will be a little longer before I will see any from that vine here. Loved the Anthurium's and your A. veitchii sure has been a trooper for you. I think I remember you saying it's a bit easier to grow vs. Anthurium warocqueanum ?

As far as your noid Anthurium, someone with better knowledge on the "birds nest" section of Anthuriums would surely be able to supply you with an I.D. on your noid. I am not too familiar with that group but my first thought was it may be A. spectabile or one of it's hybrids but that is only a guess.

I had to have a Philo. mexicanum from Brian W. as well;)