Momma has a new House..
Tropical Gardens and Plants #107
that tub is too heavy for me to move now.. will have to leave it in the dog run area until fall.. It should do okay there with Part Shade
Had to move the plantesis since the tree it has attached to was cut down, so now it is over in the corner.. poor thing
Cardinalis Lobelia Great Blue is blooming now..
Impatiens are finally happy and blooming.. I love these things and usually they are big and spreading and popping seeds, these are just getting started like it is spring..
I am grateful for anything to be blooming right now..
Deb, everything looks great!
I concur!
A.Portora Rockin in the pot!
A.Calidora Infructescence
E. Glaucum; Leaves approaching 8'
I think this A. Borneo Giant may outshine the other two near the Bananas!
Drew, they're all just fantastic! But . .. the delicate little heron sculpture, um, you really need life-sized elephants and giraffes to put those plants in proportion, don't you? Or maybe dinosaurs?
Your E.Glaucum leaves are perfectly intact, too! Must be a wonderfully protected spot there in the curve of the house. Nice ginger kitty cat - we had two just like him when our kids were growing up. Don't they always assume that pose when you try to take a picture of them? LOL
My fancy Coleus has reverted to plain ol' purple and green. Lost all the yellow and pink spots, darnit! Speaking of coleus, has anybody heard from or of Holly Ann? Last we heard from her, she had 1600 baby coleus plants - maybe they took over?
great pics homer..
hope ya had a good vacation.. always good to get away...!!!!
i took yours and lari anns on fertilizing...
been giving more frequent dose now for couple weeks..and my biggest
bananas sure have shown appreciation.. LOL
my biggest glaucum is really getting huge too..
we had strong wind storm last nite.. actually bent one big leaf over.. so i cut
it off this morning.. last leaf is HUGE and hasnt fully unfurled yet..and newest leaf is shooting up
we will "hopefully" have another 50 days of good warm/hot weather here.. so im hoping
the biggest bananas will get BIG !!!
never can tell with the weather though..
again.. much thanks to ya homer!!!
good to have ya back...
Elaine, You really know how to make a guy laugh!!! Looks like your pot got engulfed by the Coleus!
777, It is good to be back! I lost three plants while I was gone. Guess that wasn't too bad, although I hated loosing the Xanthosoma to the heat and then the monsoonal rains while it was dormant. I have many others to take it's place.Those guy pop up all over the place.
AeAe and E.Ventricosum
what is a E.Glaucum ? EE or banana?
bigger pot or leave it be? need to know before Saturday.. LOL
Debra,If you are watering every day or twice a day... Bigger pot. Most of the time if you have to water every day the plant is getting rootbound unless you have very loose soil.
Ensete Glaucum is a banana that has inedible fruits with seeds like small marbles, as they do not offset like Musas!
Drew, it is very rootbound, and will prolly have to stay that way until Saturday .. ;(
50 days>? oh dear.. I was hoping for 90 more growing at least here..
this is my monster datura straminum tree.. it is a monster! but it smells good at night..
new bloom.. anyone ID it? It kinda looks like a phillipine violet, but havn't a clue.. it sorta "popped up"
whole plant, sorry about the fuzziness
went to my son's place to garden for him, here is the datura inoxia I planted last fall..
That was the south side of his place, here is the north side that I planted for him..
Debra, you sexy ole broad - where were you ALL DAY yesterday?! I called you - no answer - I needed a 'DEB' fix!!!
Debra,
looks like Asarina Bridal Wreath...Creeping Gloxinia.. does it slightly fuzzy leaves ? ..I had it up to last year.....did I ever send you any? I lost mine last winter, unless it decides to pop up really really late...
Ohhh, Deb - I didn't see that one - if you have seeds to trade, I'd like a couple!
homer great AEAE !!! i think u have some good soil,growing conditions there..
i read that they are not happy with to much sun?? i see U have alot of trees in back..
is that reason for fenced in vegy garden?? animals getting into it??
ive been thinking of getting a Ventricosum.. yours looks great.. how old is it?
can U leave it out overwinter..or do u bring it in??
bummer on your Xanthosomas.. which ones did u loose..
my robustas are doing great.. one is actually pupping..
thanks for referal to durios.. hes a great guy..and super plants !!!
had another powerful rain/wind storm early this morning (1am) this is
weird weather for us..???
sigh
In the middle of summer it gets about 6-7 hours. I think it has done really well in the sun here! If they will grow in the sun in Miami(fairly tropical) they will do ok here. My biggest problem are days with low humidity and brutal heat(about 25% of the time; along with mid to upper ninties).Raccoons and rabbits like to visit and eat dinner and breakfast! Ventricosum is a year old. I lost the big Sagittifolium. It's not dead but I think a lot of the roots are toast from the heat and too much rain. They should flower for you next year.
Do you sell any of your AeAe pups? If so, let me know - I want two if I can afford them!
What I really want to see is a picture of the cute little striped bananas you're supposed to get from AeAe! I totally want to grow a striped banana!
Doesn't look like any sign of a flower yet, Drew? Let alone a pup, didn't you just get that plant last fall? I recall you posting a picture of it in the guest bathroom, don't I? It sure has grown huge and gorgeous this summer.
Kay, an AeAe has been on my 'Wants' list for months, too. They're SO expensive!
It hasn't pupped yet Kay! You can get pups on ebay for a hundred from Hawaii, plus shipping! I am going to figure these guys out first ... Everyone I talk to says they are hard as hell to grow out of there normal environment (TROPICAL).
I paid a hundred for my 2-footer last December on the 15th. (that is a good day for a birthday). It grew better in the house in the winter, than in the spring and summer outside. Having all the conditions in my control sure did help!
I will be digging it this fall and placing in the living area with the 20' ceilings. Hopefully it will pup either this fall or winter!
Kay and Dyzzy, keep a watch on ebay and you should be able to purchase your very own AeAe;o)!
Drew, I'm sorry to read that your X. sagittifolium is not doing well but I have to add that it does surprise me that it has not liked the heat and rain. You should have some pups/offsets from the mother plant if you lose it .
hi ya ll. I found the plant.. it is:
Asystasia gangetica
"Creeping Foxglove"
Hi KayJones, sorry I missed your call!
in the triple digits again.. sheesh, I came home to a trade box and it was dried dried crumbly dried.. I am not going to mail anything until I get back from Arkansas for sure, now..
Anyway... I wish I could show you the "special " mysoorensis vine climbing the heck up the front porch rail into the honey suckle vine.. so cool to see its little feet..
Good morning Deb and all! Deb, post a picture of that mysorensis - would love to see it!
Rachel, our weather here in the last month has been more like desert and way less like tropical. With our heat index between 105-110,humidity im the 30-45% range and dew points around 60 I realy did not expect them to do well. When I left for Boston one leaf had started turning yellow. Then we had close to 8'' of rain on top of the upper ninties again last week (I think much of the root system drowned). I feel fortunate that this was the only shortfall.
Now it's in the low 60's this am and tomorrow am. Highs to be in the upper 80's.
Only the A. Portoras of the larger species of Alocasias are pupping.The smaller(4') of my Blue Portoras has a pup. None of the three huge Borneos has a pup nor do I expect them too. Okinawa Silvers pupping like crazy. I will document all of these with pictures for future reference.
My AeAe is the only Banana not pupping. Of course, the Ensetes do not pup.
The Xanthosomas, for me, do realy well in the upper 80's and low 70's with humidity and dew points Very High. I have about 20 of the small Xanthosomas (in the understory). I will grow the biggest over the winter to place back out next spring and hope for great weather to beat the old record of 8'. Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda this summer had the weather cooperated!
Rachel here's one for you
Cissus discolor
noid ginger...
White Sky is very happy
Martha, I'm jealous of your white sky vine!
Kay I can send you some cuttings, perfect time of year to get them rooted.
Mj, your noid ginger is a Pinecone Ginger, isn't it? The inflorescense comes up with no leaves, separate from the leaf scapes?
Zingiber zerumbet aka Shampoo ginger, because after the cone turns red, if you gently squeeze it, this nice-smelling 'lotion' comes out that people used to use for shampoo. I use it for insect repellent. Only works for a short time, but I'm usually only out for short periods anyway, these hot days.
Now I went and looked up the botanical name in Plant Files, and saw in the list two more variegated forms of ginger that I'd like to have . Alice, you're so right, it IS a disease.
dyzzy,
Yup, bunch of cones coming up separate from the plant, at first the cones were green, now their getting that reddish cast with those little yellow flowers ? on them. Actually looks just like your photo before it got the reddish cast to it.
I did squish one, and boy was it juicy ! Slight fragrance, I did rub it on my arms and legs cause I'd heard it was an insect repellant.
They grow in the ground, freeze back and then come back again in spring.
i guess i have to get me a Ventricosum.. LOL
its a drug ya know..these plants.. :)
i just haul in good compost..and make more of my own.. spread it out in nov..
then in late spring..its ready for planting..
i put my cannas (a ton of musafolia) late this yr..but wow..with the
compost in the soil..and heavier fertilizing lately..they are shooting up..
last 2 yrs they have flowered..but we had an especially long summer last yr..
have to see what this yr brings..
already thinking of better ways to overwinter plants.. especially the
big bananas.. thank goodness i have 2 teen boys that help me out in fall..
biggest E.maurelli last nov came in over 200# easy.. this yr.its even bigger..
sigh.. oh my aching back.. LOL
got to get out there and take more recent pics... and post...