Tropical Pictures and Gardens #104

Drew, I'll try to send some more rain your way...we are forecast for more everyday clear thru Friday. It will take a lot to get us out of the "Rain deficit" ..and "Severed drought classification.

Ga Girl, I think tat I will "keep" it here!

Debra, I think your plants and there setting is is awesome! You have so much more of a diverse group!!!

Alice, There is no way I will try to bring this inside the garage! I will just cut off the leaves in the fall and dig the tuber, mulch the soil and cover the pot with plastic.

MJS, Good for you guys! We ended up with close to an inch.

Hey MJ,
Glad you all are finally getting some rain. I feel your pain, because we have been in the same situation. Hot and wildfires everywhere. We have been getting some nice rain and I think most of the fires are out, except the swamp and it will burn for months. Bad thing is, got up this morning and it is smokey again(??), not sure where that would be coming from unless lightening started another fire or could be from the swamp. How are the fires down there?

Aww Drew, I was just being neighborly and trying to be helpful. I'm good at babysitting, really. LOL You have some beautiful plants.

Ga girl, "Bless your heart"; and yourself!

(Grin)

Hello o o o o (echoing) So everyone got rain finally, and we are all out madly weeding now, right? In fact it was cool enough today to actually get some planting and pruning done. Sharpening up my machetes for the jungle awakening!

I turned my back on this bamboo shoot and it grew over 4 feet in 2 days. Nearly 2 inches of rain will do that.

Gagirl...fires are calming down. We are getting rain...and the last two days it's been that nice lazy rain that soaks in. I am sooooooooooooooo happy ! What's crazy is we are still in a major deficit ! But at this point I'll take anything we get.
I kinda had a temper tanterm at someone today cause they were "*itching" about it raining for two days in a row.
Anyway it's much better and I hope it does it again for the next few days, then it can take a break for a day or two and do it again. "In a perfect world", right ?
I'm just itching to get the Big mower out !

I am with you MJS, Most people do not know they are in a drought until they have water restrictions!

Elaine ,I wish I could get my Borneo Giant to grow 4' in two days!!!

Goodnight everyone!

Here's one of my many tropicals that I have in the ground here in zone six. It's a mandevilla. I also have a large banana and hibiscus that all get dug up and stored for the winter.

Though for now - they are happily growing.

hi Franco, that is beautiful!

Thanks! Is that plant in your picture a monarda (sp?)? I saw them at a local farmers market for 5$ each but i wasn't sure if they were hardy in zone six, so I passed.

they come back every year for me, I have about 7 colours.. Hummers love them. I am glad I am not the only one dragging stuff in and out.. LOL

My banana is getting huge. I have no idea what im going to do with it this winter. It was about 60lbs in pot before i decided to put it in the ground. And now that it has room to grow, it is taking off like a weed.

awwww how beautiful! I hope I see some ginger blooms from all these gingers I have had for three years now..

Franco - it looks beautiful! Build it a "hoop house" with PVC and plastic for the winter? Invest in lots of mulch, too.

You might lose the whole top growth if it gets too cold, but as long as the root doesn't freeze, it will come back better than ever once the weather warms up. So lots of mulch over the base, and hope the greenhouse effect keeps it warm enough to survive.

Pretty sure it will be too big to pot up and bring indoors by fall. Unless you want to join Drew in learning how to operate a forklift and a crane.

Is that a Musa ensete Franco? I believe they are known for their hardiness but you might be pushing it in NJ.

Passi Incense hiking it up the tree...lots of buds...I thought I was going to lose this one last year, over the winter I just let it go dormant and it's doing much better this year.

I was given this little baby Stingray...tag says "Dwarf" Stingray, but only info I can find is on a regular sized Stingray..

Oh MJ, that is just too cute!

Love the passiflora! We have them growing by the hundreds on our property in south GA.
Keep meaning to go dig some up, but its about an hour drive. Too busy right now.

Here they are a couple of years ago...

close up

Gagirl...Yup we have the native one's here too. They generally never have a chance to get out of control since the Butterflies keep them "Pruned"...They have a nice fragrance too !

Hopefully someone can tell me something about "Dwarf" Stingray's

Franco,In the fall around the time of your first freeze, E.Maurelii needs to overwinter in 6-B, unless you stop watering the end of August and mulch around the corm with 2-3 feet of shreaded leaves with a 5'x5' piece of plastic on top(to keep the rain and snow off). You can also:

Take a clean SHARP knife and cut all the leaves off but the last two or three to throw. Dig up the plant, cut about 2/3 of the roots off. Store the plant in a cool area; like a basement in a pot with no soil in it until spring. Somewhere around 40- 55 degrees. If you do not have a place this cool, place in the smallest pot you can stuff it into, with just enough soil to cover the roots. It will grow (verrrrry slowly) if above 60 degrees in a room with a window. Only water when absolutely necessary; or it WILL rot the corm! Wait for spring!!!

Thanks for the tips homer! I think digging it up and storing in my basement is the best option to ensure survival.

Here is my Ixora that resides in my bathroom. It seems to enjoy the added humidity.

I do to!

Nice ixora, Franco! Stick the leaves under the shower once in a while - they will love the rain. People here grow ixora as hedges.

Debra, my gingers do like some sun in order to bloom. The hedychiums get 3 to 4 hours, and the costus and pinecone gingers at least a couple of hours of morning sun. The costus never bloomed until we thinned the oak tree above them. The only ones that bloom in shade are the little groundcover kaempferia Peacock Gingers, and the Alpinias. Still they have dappled light under the bougainvilleas and oak trees . Being further north, your sun is not as strong as ours either, so they might take even more sun up there in Kansas.

MJ, Never heard of it! I'll research it!

Hello Everyone! I'm glad to read that almost everyone received measurable amounts of rain. Ardesia and phughes are next on the list for the rain dance.

dyzzy, Did you pick up a few more of the ground ginger plants? I purchased two Epidendrum Red Glow last year, no flowers as yet but they look promising.

ardesia, love that big leaf Begonia. I made a planter box today copied from pictures of your visit to Chanticlear Garden. I will show it off, after the plants have grown .

Joeswife, please reconsider giving your precious plants away. I am sure that you will be able to find a little shade for them. Most of the nurserys have their trees marked down already.
That is a pretty hibiscus flower, I have not seen a white 4 O'Clock bloom before.


homer1958, I am sure if there was another BIG EAR contest, you would be a winner!

mjsponies, Have you fired up the big mower yet? What fun! I use a self propelled mower. We have a ZTR but I am afraid of it.
With my limited growing space, I am interested in anything Dwarf. I too, will be researching your Dwarf Stingray.

Brom.

Franco24 I enjoyed your pictures, thanks!
I have always overwintered my bananas and plumerias using homer's techniques with good results.

foliage

RachelLF, I am so proud of this philo. that you shared with me. I bet I took more pictures of it than my gk's

I don't see anything on them MJS; Did you buy it on the net, if so where?

homer, it was given to me. Actually kind of a "rescue". It's very tiny, and the tag says "Alocasia Dwarf Sting Ray" I'm sure it will get bigger than it is...I'm just wondering how much bigger ? What do they like...Shade ? I guess I would treat it as a regular Stingray and go from there...much too small to put in the ground, I'll leave it in a pot and see how it grows.
I need to do something with the Variegated Crinium also...I want to put it in the ground, but I don't have a shady spot that is consistently damp.

MJS, It should probably be grown like any other A., I believe. I need to get one of those bad boys! I was reading about some house LariAnn went to and the lady had a huge 6-7' Stingray. I would probably put in the ground @ 2' tall.

Guys ... I have a real problem. My addiction is to the point where I can't pass up a good deal, even if I have 3 of the plant already! I just got 3 hibiscus standards from work (was going to be 5 but I let a fellow employee else buy two) for $5, yes FIVE DOLLARS each. They don't look all that bad either - just a little TLC and they'll be growing like weeds.

The floral manager at my store was told to get rid of them because they weren't selling at 15$ each, so they marked them all down to five each. Let's just say there are none left.

One issue now though, where the HECK am I going to put them? They're not winter hardy here, so that means I have to dig them up and overwinter along with the other 3 i have already. What have i gotten myself into?

Franco, you have gotten yourself into the winter garden stage LOL I use my basement as a growing area for everything and the hibs and EE's just go nuts all winter. Vines too.
MJ's I still havent seen any passi blooms on any of the vines I have growing, and if anyone has natives, I am interested if the winter over. That black eyed susan vine I had blooming all winter downstairs is now blooming again ouside. 104 here today, things are turning cripsy and yellow. I am going to faint when I see my water bill I am sure..
I have two sting rays, they have grown alot. they are almost a foot tall now, and like where they are at.
Rita, I would love to send you some white four oclocks, they smell really good.

Great photos everyone.

Drew, super nice Portora and I agree with Rita on you being a winner for growing some big leaves! Keep those pictures coming as time goes along.

mjs, I've not heard of a dwarf Stingray either but it will do just fine in either a part-sun or sunny location as long as it receives ample moisture.

Rita, gorgeous photos but I especially enjoyed viewing all the Philo. pictures you posted. Your atabaponse has just about outgrown mine! It is a very pretty Philodendron to grow and I would say your grandkids are enjoying looking at all your plants while your concentrating on taking pictures;) By the way, who is the Philo. in the black hanging basket?