That's an awesome find Rachel.
As far as fertilizers, your system seems to be working real well Rachel! I use about 20% Miracle Gro every time I water, with a little Superthrive. 1/2 teaspoon Supertrive / 5 gallon Miracle Gro water mix, Elaine! The variegated Philodendron Giganteum is beneath the Monstera Deliciosa in the picture!
Debra, MJS great pics!
Tropical Gardens and Plants 108
More pics!!! Yes... same one that was in the compost pile... first of what I would call a "mature leaf".
Xanthosoma Atrovirens
Passi's blooming - that is a cool looking yellow one, Mj. Yeah, it seems like it's a puzzle! My 'Lady Margaret' has bloomed off and on since it was planted on Memorial Day. Very polite and obliging just as a lady should be (my mother would say). It's been getting morning sun and regular water, that's all except the time-release Osmocote I gave it when it was planted.
BUT my 'Purple Possum' was planted a year ago on Memorial Day on the back fence. It proceeded to do what yours are doing, Deb. Scrambled along the fence for 30ft. in both directions but never put on one flower until this spring, when it exploded into bloom all at once, after the first big spring rain storm. It then produced a huge crop of delicious fruits (that are all gone now, the squirrels discovered them . . ) So, frankly since about the end of May I haven't seen another flower on it. It might bloom again in the fall, someone told me. It might need to be stressed to bloom. Maybe it likes cool nights - that ain't happening for another 6 weeks here! It gets no help from me whatsoever, except a little water when it's been really dry.
The red one P. coccinea out in the back 40 crawls around unchecked, and blooms at random even in the deep shade. It has climbed the oak tree where every once in a while I see a lovely red flower 'way up 50ft. in the air.
Oh, and I forgot, P.quadrangularis has decided to go walkabout up into the bamboo stand. No flowers yet there either. You guys will be the first to see a picture if it does bloom - big, shaggy purple blossoms, so the brochure says . . .
Drew, that is one happy little orphan Monster you got there! Look at it's shiny beautiful leaf. Survivor plants are always the best.
Dyzz, I have a different experience with P. lady margaret - she sends out runners all over my yard, almost as bad as my white P. incarnata. She blooms non-stop for me, too.
Elaine; I have decided I am going to grow it big enough to fruit! If it continues to grow as it has, it will be a monster-Monstera in a couple of years!
Are those Passifloras deciduous? Do they grow well on an arbor? Will they survive 7-B winters?
I'm just so amazed at what types of plants there are in a tropical land...
Ok I've got this vine that I let go and I'm wondering if any of you can ID it? Please don't say it is something to keep.... as I'm in the process of ripping it out.
this pic is of the vine the yellow flower, which was pretty and why I left it unchecked, never realizing (still learning here) that down here how fast something can take over.
edited for wording
This message was edited Aug 20, 2011 9:14 AM
the pod is very hard and bumpy... if that is a description...
here is the inside nothing really to eat just a lot of large red seeds, so this is telling me it is more of a weed, since there isn't any pulp to eat... hope this isn't something poisonous.
Elaine, I remember as a child, my brother and friends of ours, wood harvest some bamboo near our house and make "Cane" fishing poles. About a mile as the crow flies from our house was "Dog" river. We would fish for mullet, and quite a few times over the years mom and dad were glad we did as times were lean growing up in "LA" in the Mid to late '60s. The menu was usually; fried mullet,fresh tomatoes, corn on the cob and squash and onions. I enjoy seeing that same type of bamboo!
Jan, glad you are ripping that one out! It is Balsam Apple, and will, indeed take over and seed itself everywhere. Also, the red seeds, although they do look very appetizing, are poisonous, so don't let the local kids get hold of those pretty little pods either.
Drew, my passion vines are evergreen down here. Hardiness varies by the cultivar from incarnata that goes down to 6b to my quadrangularis that says 10a (which is warmer than here . . we'll see!) But the last two hard winters we had did not phase them a bit! I just got the quad this spring, so will very likely cover it up on the cold nights as a precaution.
My nieces up on Vancouver Island, BC grew one from seed (aided and abetted by yours truly) and they overwinter it in a big pot in their unheated garage. They'd be Zone 7 I think.
New baby! 'Looking glass' begonia I bent the cane down and pinned it to the ground, and it has rooted - Yay!
Thanks Elaine, I knew you would know what it was. I have been by your place several times on the way to the chiropractor, but since I didn't call ahead I didn't stop in. Maybe next time, provided I get my act together I'll give ya a call and when I'm through with him I stop by to see all your lovely plants.
Jan
i love all the pictures here everyone, but it is dangerous because my "want list" gets longer and longer
stapelia. i heard that it smells really bad when it opens but thankfully it is outside.
begonia and philodendron warscewiczii?
meadowyck that vine is everywhere here. it is so hard to get rid of.
another philo florida beauty?
you can t tell in this picture but this mock orange is loaded with flowers and with the humidity here it just carries the smell all over the yard. yum.
this is a lime zinger from prita. thanks! i hope your garden in doing well. we miss you here.
these heliconias are pretty but messy.
no id but i love the long leaves on this philo.
this gets a gorgeous red in the full sun, but of course it is green because i have no more sun in my yard because of my addiction.
pink powderpuff.
I wish my heliconia would get large enough to be messy. LOL
Yes, we sure do miss Rita. If she's in Texas, her garden is getting fried by the drought and heat. In Belize, they have TS Harvey coming ashore today . . . too much rain there! Good thing she has lots of pictures of her wonderful plants, and lots of plant insurance i.e. DG friends to re-supply her with any she loses.
Lovely flowers and foliage, Candela. Is your mock orange the Murraya Paniculata? They do smell wonderful.
I went on the hunt for a Passi coccinea, and found blooms on the ground, on the fence, in the tree, and even . . . wait for it . .. in the boat!
Here's a shot of 'Purple Possum' passi. I am standing at least 70ft. from the gate! It made a liar out of me,too, as it does have a few more fruit coming, so there were flowers, I just missed them. The trunk on this puppy is 4in. diameter already - barely 15 months since I planted it.
Just when you think your garden can't surprise you - a reblooming daylily 'Elegant Candy' on its 3rd bloom cycle of the season! Some daylilies just die out here, but this one seems to be doing fine!
Then there' s this poor brom! It's in the big oak beside the front driveway so I drive past it all the time and say "hm, that brom needs some water" etc. Then, well, it's outa sight, outa mind most of the time.
Thought it had died in June when it was so hot and sunny for weeks on end but here it is. I think I'm going to remove it slowly so that the tree can heal up where the bark has rotted under the plant. No clue what the flower looks like - hey, I've only been ignoring the poor thing for 4 years!
My poor Broms freeze back each year and look like dead mush, but come spring, the pups make an appearance and bloom beautifully.
i am so jealous dyzzypyxxy i have had a purple possum i got from logee s 2 years ago. not a single flower yet. i do have it in a huge pot. i guess it just needs to be in the ground. maybe i will go out an treaten it with the machete.
this is the second set of flowers for this hedychium.
What is the botanical name of 'purple possum'?
Kay, the tag on mine says Passiflora incarnata v.'Purple Possum' so it must be a hybrid of the native Maypop. Only the fruits are deep burgundy purple instead of yellow when they ripen.
Flowers are white with the purple corona - let's see if I can find a picture from last spring:
I'll have to look for this one - I have the solid white and the solid purple P. incarnata.
Candela, my Purple Possum is in full sun most of the day, as well. I think that plus a bit of water stress (let it dry right out, then it had a big rain storm) is what inspired it to bloom this spring.
Kay, I'm starting some from seed to donate for a plant sale in October, so if they are successful I can save you one, if you like?
Debra's Monster White blooming and making the whole garden smell divine.
aww those passi's are so sweet! I think I have a bud on mine, and showed it to Joe, hope he gets a shot of it for me.
got a car load of plants and pots to take to sisters, we wil be Gardening while I am there..
new blooms this AM.. Oh, I divided the big EE in the small pot , one has two pups in a pot, and the momma is now in the ground where the pot has been sunk all this time.
exactly what is a hedychium ?
Candela , you sure have some cool plants. Gosh, I miss Rita, hope she is okay..
I lost my big lime zinger from Rita, it dissapeared into the ground out back somewhere.. hope it re-appears soon..
these seeds were from Martha.. I was kind of surprised to find them.. ( growing as plants)
Elaine, I do not envy you having to clean out your brom in the oak tree.. well, maybe I do.. LOL
the arbor is bursting with splashes of color, now
the hummingbirds must be having early breakfast since this damage is done before I get out there..
