He is going to turn 1 sometime this month. We got him last May when he was @ 8 weeks old.
Not looking forward to the next couple nights in the 40s after this awesome spring warmth we've been having. The jasmine is smelling nice on the warm wind out there tonight.
...quickly realizing that the words "I'm not going to plant anything else this year" are little lies one tells themselves, akin to "I'll quit smoking when i'm 30...35..40.." or, "I'm going to lose 20 lbs by this summer"...it just isn't happening.
So, along with the gingers you sent up Elaine (thank you again!), I also got some seeds from a neighbor who has a bloodwort (?) milkweed, and some 'duet rose improved' portulaca from the green thumb nursery where I pop in from time to time jumped into my car. is there an end? or is this just the beginning....???
The absolute most beautiful nasty opened the other day, I'm continually surprised at the variety in these. (pic 1)Patterns, colors...just great. Makes it easy to forgive them for trying to take over the yard...this over-achiever is about 4 feet away from its parent plant! (2)
Mmhmm. Gardening is an addiction, did I forget to tell you?
Nasty is gorgeous! Don't worry, just when you think you'll be buried in them, they'll start to decline from the heat and you'll be able to yank them.
I will miss them! When i'm in that part of the yard their fragrance fills the air...it's wonderful
OK, so nervous papa here...haven't seen any action from the gingers yet. Frame of mind I'm referencing: a few of the cannas were through the ground 3 days after planting. Are the gingers slower growing than canna? I followed your instructions to a 'Tee', ease my mind Dr. Elaine!
No worries, Phil, this is a plant I've been unable to kill. Short of running over them with a truck or some critter taking a liking to the taste of the rhizomes (very doubtful) I'd bet my boots on them. (hm, do I have any boots?)
They do like the weather a bit warmer than the Cannas. (my cannas have bloomed off and on all winter) Nights still getting pretty cool, they may take another few weeks to make their debut. Just keep them damp! These are summer/fall bloomers although mine have started blooming as early as June in the past. The one in the second pic was in bloom June 21st last year, but it's in a pot on the south side of the house, so gets warmer sooner.
Also the cannas are in full sun, but where you put the gingers is maybe a bit more shady? So, the ground isn't getting warmed up quite as much.
Mine in the main clump aren't making any new leaves yet, either. Still dormant. (see pic) I've left the stems from last fall on them since they were still green (due to the warm winter) but they're really scraggly looking now so I'm going to cut them all off this weekend, fertilize, add some compost to the bed and mulch. That will let the sun get to the soil and get them jumping up. If the winter weather had been colder, they would have died right back to the ground (and I would have cut them off long since).
We've been in mega-clean-up mode in my garden the last couple of weeks, and I just didn't get to them yet.
You got the Spring Fever, kiddo!
Cheers Elaine
Alright, as long as you would bet your illusory boots on them :)
Yes, the 2 places I put the gingers are on the SE and NW sides of the yard, both in about 4ish hours of sun. I guess I was just 'spoiled' by the cannas that went from this (#1-2.18.12) to this (#2-3.18.12) in a month's time.
Decided to try and do something creative with a big old terra cotta pot that was left here by previous owners, and has spent the last year on its side in a front bed. (#3) crown of thorns and a 'sensation' cordyline. they apparently both like it hot and dry, so in the front they'll stay.
It also needed to move because the neighbor who gave me seeds to a butterfly bush last week showed up at our door with a plant in hand (#4)! nice surprise, but i'm running out of space on the south side where the b.bush needed to go. Hence, a 'project' was born.
I'm ready for this east wind to lay down and swing to the south! ready for some humidity, and no longer being downwind from the live oaks...grrrrzzgzgzgz. lol
Hey, all looking good, Phil. Increase the water to the cannas as the weather gets hotter. They'll take every bit of water you want to give them. Bet you'll be seeing buds soon!
I love the pot with the cordyline and crown of thorns in it. The CoT might crowd a bit, looks like you have two or 3 in there? They get to be shrubby plants, 16in. or so high and wide. And yes, super thorny! One might turn out to be enough. Get some armored gloves before you try to prune. OR use a pair of long loppers.
Butterfly bush will be pretty and smell nice, too. I haven't tried one here, but I grow them in my daughter's garden in Salt Lake.
Looks like you're having fun, there! Cheers Elaine
Really? buds on the canna already?? I thought they had to get 5-6 ft tall. that will be fun. i've been giving them water every other evening, sure wish it would rain! Love the hot tho, and so do all my rooted kids :)
those crown of thorns (3) are allegedly a dwarf, with 'supple' thorns according to the nursery guys. I described the size of the pot and said I didn't want a crowd in there. I forget the cultivar he called it...
are those pics you put of those knock off roses? gorgeous.
These zinneas are keeping their eye on me...
Actually, my Knock-outs are pale yellow, and not as double as those. (I'll see if I have a pic from before) They've all just finished a bloom cycle. The coral one is called 'Easy Does It', another landscape rose bred to be disease resistant etc. I got these for a steal last summer when my local nursery was clearing them out for $3 each and planted 7 of them in a big clump out front to see how they do. Interplanted with some pentas to give the roses a bit of relief in the height of summer, but the rest of the year, and when the pentas are resting they should bloom like crazy. It's another experiment - we'll see how it pans out through the year.
They looked really good last week when they were all in bloom and now they're putting up new canes. We got a bit of rain last evening, so nice!
Btw the zinnias are something you could seed along with the nasturtiums in the fall. If we have a mild winter like we had this year, they'll bloom from February, maybe even before. Don't forget to thin them out so they'll be big plants! Each of those seedlings could be in a 6in. pot now. OR they make a great window-box plant, too. Keep an eye out for mildew on the leaves - things with fuzzy leaves like that are prone to it. A spray bottle with 1/2tsp. of baking soda per quart of water will keep the fungal diseases from ruining your plants. Spray often, it is soluble so it washes off easily.
Elaine, I will be curious to hear how the easy does its do for you, I spoke with the grower at a conference and he did not recommend them for this area but strange as it seems, we have far more days in the 95 - 100 range than you do. We also have humidity that probably exceeds yours due to your proximity to the gulf. Even though we have a breeze, it blows over the marsh and brings moisture with it.
The knockouts are another story, they can take the most glaring sun, they are even used in highway plantings up here.
I'm curious too, Alice. As I said above, I got them last summer. They 'suffered' through September all the way to January in their pots before I got them situated in the new bed out front. They were in partial shade and got a bit leggy, but bloomed faithfully all the same! Now, they're coming on strong, and at least will have a good root system by summer. They are in the full, blazing sun out there, but I'm hoping the pentas will hurry up and fill in around them to help keep the ground cool, at least. I'm hunting for 'Indigo Spires' salvia to put along the edge in front of the roses, too. It will get tall in the summer to help shade a bit, but I can cut it back for the winter.
I know you're right about the temps. I've never seen it get over 97 here in 10 years! We do get a nice breeze off the Gulf most summer afternoons, and also some cloud cover each afternoon, even though not always does it come through and rain like it used to.
It was easy to grow fabulous roses in Utah even though the summers were much hotter, regularly over 100 for weeks on end in summer, but no humidity of course. Plus the sun is not as intense there. (air pollution as well as further north) My daughter has an 'Easy Does It' bush that is a real prize winner, so it must be the humidity more than the temps that give them problems down here in the South. We'll see.
That is what the grower said, it would not be resistant to black spot in extreme humidity. I wish you luck, it may just like Sarasota and be happy there. I remember seeing roses in Boulder, CO, the lack of humidity makes all the difference. The one in the first picture was a full 6" across.
Pinning some hopes on the good air circulation where they're planted. The afternoon westerly breeze blows right along the street out there, so hopefully that will help keep the leaves dry most of the time.
I got another yellow Knockout on the weekend on a clearance at Lowe's for $7. I think I will plant another bed of the yellow ones in the same area as the 'Easy Does It' bed. That will make a direct comparison. Should be interesting.
Should be beautiful too. I love the yellow ones.
Elaine, thanks for the tip if the zinneas get funky looking! I'm going to let them fill up the pots they're in, i'm pulling, pinching, and thinning to keep them happy! Believe it or not, I haven't seen seeds on any of the nasties yet...but there are sooo many flowers I can't keep up with looking at them all! LOL Seems butterflies do like them tho, which has been a nice sight.
WOW did we get a good rain last night, too. It felt like a mid July day with the thunderstorms we had. Then after the noise and light show was over it lightly rained a good 2-3 hours. I would swear that some things grew a 1/2 inch overnight!
Speaking of which, one of the gingers is poking up today, and the glads are looking...well, glad after the rain! B-fly bush also happy today.
Also hoping your rose experiment goes well!
Wow, that's some macro shot of the ginger shoot! Good that you finally got rain, too. Isn't it amazing how things jump up after a natural watering? One of the gurus at Extension said that the early thunder storms in the springtime actually release nitrogen from the air, so there is fertilizer in that rain, too! Cool, huh?
The milkweed is so pretty . . BUT . . if you planted it for the butterflies, it is a good idea to plant something else around it. Once the monarchs lay eggs and you see caterpillars on the plants (green, yellow and black stripes), very shortly you will have just sticks sitting there. The monarch caterpillars are absolutely voracious and devour everything - flowers, leaves, da works! Amazingly, it doesn't kill the plant, but it doesn't look nice either. If you have something else planted around the milkweed plants, the other plants will hide the naked stems until they recover.
Pentas (full size, not dwarf), salvias (get one called 'Indigo Spires' if you can) beach daisies, or beach buttercup all interplant nicely with the milkweed. About the same height, so they don't smother them, but tall enough to hide the milkweed's exposed stems.
Cheers Elaine
Would you believe the camera I use for all these pics is just my cell phone?
That is very interesting about the nitrogen in spring rains. Must be a little shot in the arm to get things going this time of year...our planet never ceases to amaze!
I'm kind of limited with what I can do where the milkweed is. Its between two concrete borders that are maybe 2 ft apart. (#1) To the left is one of the c. pulch (which is going to get BIG this year) and to the right falls the shade of a 3-headed robellini palm. I guess we will have to take solace knowing when the plant is fugly looking, we helped nature! What time of year do the monarchs do their thing? --Also in the pic, can you tell what that creeping stuff is on the lower right? We bought it last year, and I forget its name. Because of the all day shade there from the rob. palm, this creeper was recommended to us. I'll get a better pic tomorrow.
I don't know why...but I have a 'crush' on portulaca!! lol
Hm, the groundcover creepy thing might be prostrate jasmine of some kind (there are 3 or 4 different kinds). I've got Texas Longleaf under the mango tree and also Tricolor (see pic) planted under my robellinis out front last year. It's great once it takes hold, covers well, smothers weeds, eats up leaves (works well under oak trees) and needs very little water or fert. Only down side is it can take a while to cover. Get yourself a really cheap serrated knife (mine was $2.95 from WalMart) for trimming it. Works great. I go along the edges of mine about every couple of months in the summer to keep it from creeping across the walkway. That might be ok for disguising the milkweed plants, too. Once the monarchs have lunched on them, you can cut them down to the level of the jasmine groundcover (once it's established, it will be 7in. or so deep) to hide them.
I love portulaca, too. Great colors. Did you know you can eat the leaves and they're very nutritious? They have Omega-3 (or something?) in them. Tasty in a salad - slightly tart as I recall. The weedy sister of your pretty hybrid portulaca used to grow wild in my garden in Utah. Until I started putting it in salads, that is.
Cheers Elaine ps. Confession here - the serrated knife is actually my favorite garden tool, I have several of them hiding around the yard stuck into pots. You can prune, edge, dig, transplant, work plants out of pots and cut open bags of compost and mulch etc. with it. I once felled a 12ft. banana plant with my old bread knife! (watery stem, not really a woody trunk like you might think . . . )
LOL, I use a bread knife too! It is really great for dividing overgrown potted plants, just slice it in half or more then I have lots of new plants. My very favorite tool is the Cobrahead, I use that for everything that does not involve slicing.
Oh, yeah! How could I have forgotten dividing plants - I used the bread knife to divide those gingers that I sent to Phil a couple of weeks ago. Also use it to cut back the big fat invasive iris in my fish pond, rhizomes the size of my wrist!
Sounds like I need to get me a Cobrahead, though.
Haha, sounds like I need some cheap serrated knives, been using old boxcutters here.
Got a few snaps of that groundcover this am, tough to do since its so shady under there. It has just in the last month started to get that vertical behavior going, and only in a few places. But boy it sure did move outwards quickly! After you mentioned Jasmine last night Elaine, it rang a bell in my head that may be it. The leaves look just like the confederate, only smaller.
....what is a Cobrahead? lol
...after a little searching, turns out I have 'oodles' of nasties going to seed. Do the seeds need to 'age' on the plant a bit, or are they ready for picking as is? They are pretty lite-green and soft yet, which is what made me hesitate before pulling them. I'm referencing in my head the c. pulch seedpods which needed to get brown and fat before they were ready.
..thanks Drs. Elaine, Alice & Dale :)
Hm Phil, if you want your plants to keep blooming, you actually need to pick off any seeds you see for a while. IF you let too many seeds mature on the plant, then it says "phew, my job is done" and tapers off with the flowers.
Towards late April, you can start letting the seeds mature. Mine self-seeded from last year, it turns out. I even got some of the pretty pale yellow variety that I had planted. Sometimes they cross with other colors and you get flowers of a color you've never seen before, too. Sort of fun, actually. The dark red ones I really loved didn't come back, though.
Elaine, I took the time yesterday to really go thru all the nasties and pinch off spent flowers and seeds. It took me a while! Also, a lot of the leaves appear to be showing signs of sunburn now that the area where they are is receiving more sun. (and heat) I think somewhere in the mix are some of those deep red you showed.
I have a question about a weed that seems to be spreading rather quickly all of a sudden. It looks like some kind of clover, maybe? I am 100% against using chemicals for weed control (except in driveway/sidewalk cracks where it doesn't harm any other plants) But it seems the more I try and pull them the more they spread. Any hints as to what it is, and ways to control without chemicals? Thanks!
It's a type of oxalis, which they do sell another variety around St. Patty's Day because it looks like clover or shamrocks.
Yup, it's an easy spreader, because it spreads by underground stolons or little bulblets, so even if you yank off the tops of the plant sometimes the little bulby things are left underground to pop up again in 2 days.
There are limited ways to discourage weeds without chemicals. Hand pulling is the most effective, but as you say it's really hard to get them all, and endless. IF it gets sun for some time during the day, try spreading clear plastic over the leaves and letting the sun burn them. Plastic bags or painting drop sheets work great. Just be sure to remove the plastic after a couple of days, then watch for the plants to re-emerge and do it again. Don't leave the clear plastic on too long or it will heat up the soil under your C. Pulch and other permanent plantings.
This is the downside - weeds will grow wherever you water. If you can tune your sprinklers to only water the plants you want, that's the ideal way to limit your weeding chores. That's why micro-sprinklers work so great. You can really fine-tune them to just water the plants you want.
Sorry for the delayed reply, just got back last night from a week of sailing in the BVI's. Didn't see the C. Pulch's in bloom but really didn't spend a lot of time on shore either. Best thing about going away is coming home to the garden with new treasures in bloom! Daylilies, agapanthus, amaryllis.
Cheers Elaine
Hi Elaine,
Boy, its tough keeping you in the country! lol sounds like you had a nice time down there. I was up in Charlotte for a few days...not quite as nice as the BVI's i'm pretty sure.
Sooo..it sounds like i'm pretty powerless against the oxalis. Haven't gotten to try the plastic yet tho. They are right where all the splashed-out water from the pool drains under the screen frame-with the dogs, it is an endless stream of water. As far as weeds go, I think I am beginning to sort of get used these in a way, they aren't as ugly as sandspurs or the other zillions there are.
Fun stuff you came home to see! The amaryllis bulb I got a while back finally sprouted after 2 good rains a week or so ago...but, someone stepped on it and broke off the leaf. (We suspect the softener salt guy) Hoping it grows another and gets to bloom.
1. the one ginger on the move....2. glads soon! 3. yummy new hibiscus
Yup, your ginger is right at the same stage as the other pieces I planted at the same time as I sent them to you. About 8in. tall and moving slowly. Don't worry, they will jump up. The ones in the ground are taller, as they didn't get set back by being divided. Remember, water a LOT!
That's a pretty little hib you've got going there. Keep your soapy water spray hand, some of them are very prone to aphid and spider mite attack. Especially young ones like that who will be putting on a lot of luscious new growth. If you're going to plant it in the ground, they like acid soil, so lots of amendments before you plant.
I'm heading for an orchid sale down in Venice today, hope I can keep control of myself!
Cheers Elaine
Elaine, how many carloads of orchids did you bring back? I went to some friends' in Lakeland to watch to sun'n fun fly in 2 weeks ago. They built an entire 'shed' for orchids! At least 40 kinds, and a few that were(n't) smuggled here from Aruba.
The yellow hib did go in the ground, i'm behind in my DG pic duties. I gave it coffee grounds, vinegar, and a banana peel to munch on :)
1-1st glad that opened. lavender/white-ish. happy camper!
2-gardenias starting to pop. WOW are they strong smelling compared to jasmine!
3-discovered evolvulus to satisfy my blue craving.
4-for as small as it still looks, noticed buds forming on this c. pulch. Yay for a hot spring!
5-cannas pushing past 2 feet tall
Doing some awesome growing there, Phil!
Wait until that gardenia bush gets to be 8ft. tall and wide, you'll be smelling it from a block away. Glad you found the Blue Daze, I think it's a great plant. And those Cannas need more water MORE WATER! (just kidding you, they will take as much water as you give them).
The orchid sale was a bit of a bust, as it seems they had sold off most of the 'good stuff' before they opened their greenhouse up to the public. So I only came home with one new plant. But, I have another grower just down the street from me who has been selling off a big collection (his father's, now in a nursing home sadly) and there are fantastic bargains to be had there. My collection was only about a dozen at the beginning of the year, and I'm up over 40 orchids now, too. Lots of fun, and a lot to look forward to, if I can just keep them all alive!
Here's a Canna that will pique your interest, with the dark foliage setting off the blazing flowers.
Cheers Elaine
8 ft tall, AND wide? wow! there's 2 of them out there...we'll be suffocating in it!
I swear I've been giving the cannas enough water to float a battleship!!! lol..rainy season needs to get here and do its job, i've got 'hose burn' from being out there so much. That dark one is definitely 'pique-worthy' and I think you called it before, what appears to be a bud is forming on one of mine. (Thick pod emerging from top, rather than the hollowed, swirl of new leaves) I think the package said assorted colors, so no idea what i'm in for.
I found that blue daze for just $1.50 in a 4 in. pot. Its already noticeably growing, and has been in flower since the day it got here.
Wow 40 orchids! If any of them have those feet long spikes like I saw in Lakeland a few weeks ago, I'm wondering where you're putting them. I didn't know they were a relative of those air plants we have in trees here. Learned a lot about them that afternoon! I don't dare take on such a fickle plant at this stage of my career lol
So, talk to me about Coleus, please! I have 3 diff kinds I put in in Feb and March, and I've managed to get them established (i think) because they are filling in and finally gaining height. How tall can I count on them to get? (apologize if I've asked before, this thread has gotten long!) I'm hoping @ 2 ft. One I think i've narrowed down to 'sedona', another 'limelight' and the 3rd...well, still trying to pin it down. They all look so similar, and mine are just now not so faded looking because they are receiving more shade than they were. (They also get hosed regularly with the canna)
Oh, coleus is a great plant. So much fun and easy to grow and such a range of interesting colors. Unfortunately, it's hard to tell how big it will get, as the different varieties grow to different sizes. BUT the good news is you can just pinch it back and keep it where you want it.
I'll entertain you with my latest coleus story here. I ordered a fancy colored hybrid last spring called 'Florida Sun Rose'. Got a little plant in a 3in. pot and put it in a big pot with a couple of other plants. Well! It sprang up and overflowed that pot, completely swamping the other two plants. So I pinched it back. In my misplaced Scottish frugality, I stuck all the cuttings in a jar of water. A week later I had a dozen rooted cuttings ready to plant. Long story short, by the end of last summer that one little coleus plant was everywhere around the yard, at least wherever there was a bit of shade in the middle of the day. No, they don't seed themselves (at least not much) but they sprawl when they get big, and wherever the stems touch the ground they will root. So they "walk" all over.
Fun thing was, it changes color according to how much sun it got, and how warm or cold it is. Oh, yeah, it survived the winter and is taking off again in a few clumps now.
All the pics below are the same variety, as it changed color through the summer. Now it is back to calico green/purple/pink/yellow. What next? Have fun with that one. Try some cuttings in a glass of water when the plants get big!
Cheers Elaine
ps. the orchids are growing in all the shady spots around the yard, too. Well, a few are still in the pool cage . . . but I'm purposely buying types that will potentially naturalize.
This message was edited Apr 20, 2012 11:48 PM
Welll....guess we won't have to water for at least a week after today! Woo hoo, Got at least 2 inches here after a few lines of storms came thru today and tonight. But there sure is a chill in that air behind it!!
...hit send instead of preview, oops. oh well, had lots of pics anyway.
So, upon another look today, what almost appeared to be a banana growing out of the canna today looked like this (1)
and, you know im excited for this...c. pulch flowers in about a week I'd guess :)))) (2)
Sounds like you def. got your money's worth for that fancy coleus then! Yours looks a lot like what someone ID's for me as 'wandering jew', at least in the coloration.
I took pics of the 3 diff. kinds I have, and I'm really glad you also mentioned how yours have changed shades, because I almost thought I was seeing things.
(3) what i think is the limelight
(4) " " " " " " sedona
(5) very similar to above, but the leaves have a definite more defined cream/white outline to them.
For as much as I seem to have read that its rare for them to flower, I've pinched off little lavender-ish blooms on almost every one of them, and the flowers look the same on every type.
Yup, they do bloom, and the flowers are pretty blue to lavender spikes but very fleeting. Seems to me I saw one on mine a few days ago, too. Maybe it's a spring thing, or a dry weather thing ... They even sometimes seed, but probably won't 'come true' which means that the seedlings may revert to one of the parent plants of your hybrid. i.e. they may be the same or completely different. Better to nip them off, really.
Here are mine this morning:
1. in the shade, soft delicate colors - this is what it looked like when I got it.
2. in about 2hr. of sun, mostly red
3. green with purple centers and remains of a flower spike near the bottom
4. burgundy
The last two are right side by side, in 1/2 day morning sun, no clue why they look so different. I need to prune them to shape now that they are all leafed out nicely. These are all still cuttings of the original one.
Yours are so pretty - I like the lime green one, but have had trouble getting it to 'fit in' with other colors. I always end up with a pot of it away on its own, if I buy those. Love the reds!
Can't wait to see your Canna!
Elaine
This message was edited Apr 22, 2012 10:48 AM
This message was edited Apr 22, 2012 10:55 AM
My son gave me this cutting from one of his coleus a while ago, I love the splattered look of all the colors.
Louisiana Iris 'Black Gamecock' has been going strong for weeks now, this it the best year ever for this one.
Ooo, I love the Black Gamecock iris and I have lots of them, too. Mine did not bloom this year, at least not yet! I think I need to divide them and spread them around. Maybe they like more chill, too? Here's my B. Odorata Alba happy in its big basket with white caladium and a variegated liriope for interest.
Phil, just caught this canna doing it's reblooming thing - see the new 'banana' bud on the right of the flower scape that is nearly finished. (lousy pic, I know.) Anyway, as soon as the first flower scape is over, (all flowers have flopped) I'll cut it off so the second one can come on. See last pic, where I've already cut off a spent flower scape.
orangy/peach/red-ish. Makes me a fan :)
And oddly, as you were discussing irises with Alice, that's what the canna flower most reminded me of.
That's a gorgeous color, Phil. Congratulations on the new baby. LoL
Phil, here's a better picture of my second bud on this canna. It just popped out of the calyx (sheath) a day after I cut the other spent flower stem off.
So, I'm just saying, don't give up after the first flowers go, give the sheath a gentle squeeze with your fingers, which should tell you if there's a second flower scape on the way. Sometimes there are even three!
After you're sure the last flowers are done on a stem, cut the flower stem down to the first set of leaves, and then when the leaves start to look a bit ratty, cut the whole stem down at just above ground level. This will stimulate the rhizome to put up another stem. I know it seems drastic, but that's what works with cannas.
Once they are well established, you can cut the stem right off immediately after the flowers finish. But at first, the rhizome will do better if you leave it some leaves to re-nourish it.
My cannas are coming on now, too!
I just bought one new one this year, a white variety called 'Ermine'. It's not putting up a flower just yet, but soon!
