I am in North Central Texas 14 miles out of downtown Dallas. We got nada, zilch, nothing. What little rain hit the state was along the Gulf coast. The rest of us are still in extreme drought conditions with humidity in the low 20's. Wildfires everywhere. Fires raging all around Austin for two full days. Many, many homes lost. 2 lives taken yesterday in East Texas fires. Doing a good imitation of hell on earth.
Tropical Gardens and Plants 108
too bad for texas no rain yet, hope the cool down is permanet. Cool Brom, Dyzzy, and I can't believe I was trying to talk my Joe into retiring in New Bern.
Poor everyone who has suffered so much already, prayers for them all.
Deb, if Joe ever wants to 'retire' from helping you lug all those tropical plants in and out, you really need to retire to Florida, don't you? Gotta tell ya, real estate is dirt cheap here these days.
Jmhopinion but, so far this year we've had the least to complain about, weather-wise of anywhere in the country! Still could have a hurricane, of course, but . . . so far, pretty good! Counting our blessings.
LoveForest, here's my one little clump of red pentas that have been hanging on for at least 2 years now. They have not been protected through winter, and just bloom and bloom. They are excellent plants. I have new white ones in my 'all white' flower bed that have been blooming non-stop since March, too.
The state of Texas is ablaze tonight.
Feel for you guys Christi! Hopefully the cold fronts will start coming and draw up the gulf moisture for some much needed relief!
Drew
Thankyou for the info & pic Dyzzy. They are pretty. Glad to know they last a while. I just can't see doing the back-breaking work of putting flowers in the ground in this heat unless they are the type that's going stick around a while. I have the white ones too, the flowers are as white as snow.
LouC, hope you get rain soon.
Not enough... and, too much rain!Weather patterns pretty rough this year! I had to place them in the garage. It has been raining cats and dogs for the past day!
The weather is a puzzle this year for sure. Parts of the map are under water and the other half is on fire.
La Nina is no lady!
My sympathies again, Drew! Have you grown gills and flippers yet?
Next year, get a load of topsoil and plant all those Aroids on 'islands', maybe?
Everything is pretty soggy here today, too, including the cat who just jumped on my lap! We have two more tropical systems with potential to come our way this week, too. I thank goodness for our fast-draining sandy soil in weather like this.
Cheers Elaine
Elaine that last group shot is awsome..
Drew I am so sorry for your plants, just get them to safety
Lou.. praying for rain for texas and fires to go out asap..
Debra, love that arch very pretty and "cool" looking there. What's the Sunflower you have growing there, that looks like a vine tho ?
Drew, it seems like it's dehydrated or drowning sometimes doesn't it. I think gardeners all over have been faced with challenges this year.
Blue walking Iris made a repeat appearance.
mj's that is a sunflower, covered with all kinds of vines, making it arch LOL
I like that walking iris.. wonder why they call it that?
Debra, it's called 'walking' Iris because that's just what it does - each leaf blade is jointed and it lays on the ground and roots - runs like bad Bamboo! Do ya want some walking Iris?!
Thanks, Deb. I truly never appreciated the potential beauty of all the fabulous foliage plants until I started 'hanging out' with you Tropical Plant nuts on this thread! So you plant the sunflowers and let the MG's climb their stems? Sounds fun, I might try that next spring.
Walking iris bend their flower stems down to the ground after the flowers finish, and they root at the nodes, so they 'walk'. You really have to watch them here, they will walk a long ways! Here's my big clump of yellow ones walking out onto the walkway (left side of pic) . . . let us know if you want to try these, they're so easy! Small flowers, though.
What's that coral one in your last pic? Four o'clock? Very pretty.
Mj, you sure get up early! I had another thought about your brugs not wanting to bloom - Deb says they don't like too much phosphate in their food. If you've planted your brugs in the ground, your native soil might be too high in phosphate, d'you think? I know they mine phosphate for the fert industry in parts of Florida, and we learned that most soil here is naturally enriched with it.
Maybe if you kept the brugs in big pots and just sink the pots, then you can control the soil conditions better and it might help? Or make a raised bed for them with tons of compost?
My one old pink is in the ground, and it blooms just about once a month for most of the year unless it gets really cold. I top-dress it with compost every spring. Just planted Cherub in ground too, as it just got too tall to keep in a pot but I enriched the planting hole a foot out, all around it with compost and stuff. It's putting out new buds already, having just dropped the last batch of flowers. Btw, I do deadhead the old flowers off immediately, maybe that stimulates more bloom, too? I'm sure you do the same because they're not all that pretty once the trumpets drop off.
Deb's Monster still opening new flowers!
I just planted a brug in the ground, got frustrated with it because it never bloomed and low and behold, when I looked at it this morning it had buds! That is a first for me, Yippee. Now I have to try and remember what the name of this one is. LOL
They mined phosphate along the rivers here too and most of us who live on the islands have off the chart phosphorus in our soils. I never use balanced ferts, only compost because the levels can go toxic if I add more P.
Is this thread also for people who live up north of you all and have to keep our tropicals in the house or greenhouse?
Or would it be better to try the houseplant forum because they are tropical houseplants. It is so difficult to know where to go with so much good information everywhere. LOL I am trying to get better acquainted with the different forums. Thanks for your help. JB
You're good right here JB!
JB, you are in ther same zone as I am... Check out some earlier postings from May June and July from all of us here!
This message was edited Sep 7, 2011 2:36 PM
I am from deep in the Heart of Texas and everyone on this forum/thread are extremely kind and helpful.
If you've got tropical plants, you're welcome here, JB . Doesn't matter where/how you grow them.
We have people from Washington state, up in Canada, and also Australia who contribute here.
That sounds great, but you all seemed to be below the Mason Dixon line and in the nice warm climate. Not in this crazy area I live in. My problems are different than yours I am sure, but I will hang around and see what happens.
Thanks for the warm welcome.
I propagate Jasmine, Gardenias and Christmas Cactus mostly. When the greenhouse gets full I sell the starter plants on eBay. I am here on Plant Scout also. I am listed under JBsbirdsandmore if you want to look. I was in Market Place but I tore that down and must re do it. Things have changed over the summer. I had some really hot weather, as most of us did, and the greenhouse was like an oven. I am still getting cuttings planted for winter sales and today the temp went up to over 90 in the GH as soon as the sun came out. Shade cloth is still on in case of more hurricanes or tropical storms. It is difficult staying ahead of the predictions..........just paid the tree men to take down and cut up six old locusts that Irene made a mess of. We also have a Christmas Tree Farm here and fortunately those little lovies take a real beating before they die especially if they have water. The heat destroyed an entire field of new plantings earlier this year. Not been a good year for weather. LOL That's enough about me. I will lurk for awhile and try and learn something. I will pop in and ask questions I promise. Thanks again for the welcome. JB
Hi Jb, good to see ya still gardening! Hadn't seen you for awhile.. u are in a great group here..
Elaine, what is that bloom there? wow!
Deb,I got them all inside with about 6-hours to spare the night before the rains came!hopefully the Borneo Giants will make it through this cool spell and all that rain... Highs back in the upper 80's by Saturday, with no rain till Sunday!
As far as gills go, I do have some really good lungs, and wearing a size 14 shoe should qualify me for (foot) flippers!
Drew, LOL.... Okay I got the little zingers in, tommorrow I am bringing in the others.. I know I have until Mid October before first freeze, but really do not want things to go dormant...
Deb, it's one of my little dwarf cannas. I like them a lot better than the big ones because the flowers aren't so messy looking.
That's a cool shot of the purple brug, . . or is it a datura? I'm still not sure how to tell them apart except brugs have flowers facing down and daturas face up. That one's sideways, which is it??
Drew, glad you got everyone into the lifeboats before the deluge! Or at least the women and children . . Mr. Borneo and his brothers still out there, huh?
Elaine, that is my datura black current swirl from seed last year, I kept it inside all winter, it bloomed even inside, I am bringing it in again before first frost.
Daturas smell good, like brugs, their blooms pointing every which way sideways and up. I counted over 60 pods on lilac de fleur datura tree I have, am going to let him die back, but keep the smaller ones I have going for winter inside.
getting some cool looking colors on my four o clocks, which is what the coral or peach or salmon what ever you want to call it that i posted above there somewhere..
They are still hanging in there Elaine!
JB,
In the past few years, I have gardened in North Dakota, Oklahoma, and now in Texas. I lived in North Dakota for 6 years and successfully grew many tropicals there.
Tina, Did you grow your tropicals outside in ND? Or as I do now, as houseplants? Stay safe. Hopefully you are in a part of TX that is not threatened by the wild fires.
JB, not intending to sound sarcastic at all. Presently the entire State of Texas is in danger. We are in an precedented drought and everything is brown.....not like fall......worse. Strangest of all is our humidity is in the range of 15 to 20 percent. The least little thing can start a raging fire. Many have lost everything. I am near Dallas and the smoke from other parts has kept us in smog. I pray that is the worst we experience. Advising all who have breathing difficulties to stay indoors. I know, I am off/topic but these fires are at the top of my attention.
Pray for rain.
Definately know how you feel...we had our share of fires this year also, over 300,000 acres burned this year and over 600,000 5 years ago. It has been awful!! Praying for rain for the whole state of texas.
I haven't posted much lately...been so busy and I have just neglected my plants this summer with us building a house. But here are a few things...
Bouganvilla
Would someone please start a new thread?
Drew, a size 14 you say, that is the same size as my sweet hubby, but then he needs a big one as he is 6' 7" so they help him to stay upright, at least when he isn't tripping over them....LOL
Texas folks I've praying I was so hoping that last tropical storm would go off corse and head to Texas.
Elaine love the combo shots.
Jan
Texas is now way over 3 million acres burned and no where near under control.
LouC, I feel for you. That is such a terrible thing to go through. I really hope they get control of the fire there soon.
We have someone around here who is starting fires on purpose, (they must be bored with their lives, I just call them losers). They started about 7 separate fires so far (burning down houses, etc).