Elaine, I will snatch one of those AeAe's up in a heartbeat!
Debra, Yes, but you probably know that by now!
Rita, You can do it! I bought an Evasnsii about 6-weeks ago from... mda1515 on ebay! Leaves are suppose to get huge! I would be in Hog Heaven if that was the south facing wall! I could keep everything alive as that whole side of the house is windows.
Tropical Garden #110
I think it looks great, Deb. Give it all the light you can. I'll bet it will put on buds as soon as you get it out in the sun next spring. Mine got a bit of shade in summer from the bamboo overhanging at mid day, but the rest of the time, it's all sun all the time.
D'you ever use aluminum foil as reflector to increase the amount of light your plants are getting? I do this outside when the days are short. Helps the veggies make more sugar in the winter. I would stick foil on the wall behind that plumeria, so it would get twice as much light from the same bulb.
that is an idea.. or.. I am thinking mirrors.. I use mirrors on the south end of the basement, which Joe thinks I should be using, cuz there is a little natural light down there from the very small windows, from the east and the south.. I usually have plants down there, but the area is reserved for the tall stuff..
it is pretty bright in this area tho..
Anyone know what this plant is? I will show the flower on the obverse; it stinks!!!
#2
Drew I think it's call Carrion plant, Steplia or something like that.
Thanks Martha!
Elaine yes I would like to go I missed the Manatee one car problems
Yes, Drew, that is what it is Steplia gigantea. It will attract flies too if you put it outside.
Yes Paula, It stinks and it has a beautiful Starfish looking flower! Friend gave me a tiny piece last summer and now it is blooming...way cool!
I saw one at the local nursery up the road....horse poo smells better.....
oh goody, Drew, I have some too, ( stapelia) can't wait for smelly starfish.. waiting until this weekend to get rest of brugs out of ground and sent away..
blooming on the arbor.... again.
Ok, I'll bite. Why? Why do you want to grow a flower that smells that bad??
Maybe if you really dislike your downwind neighbor . . . hmmm.
awww is that a Ginger, Elaine? Really is it? wowzers... *sigh*
I don't mind smelly blooms,and if they look cool and I can't go to see them in their natural habitat, it is a real treat and accomplishment for me to grow anything to a bloom. It is kinda like, bring the countries of the world to me, since I can't go there. or something like that.. ya know?
The last batch out front to go, almost..
I wonder if you could just hang one of those little air fresher thingies from it.
Deb, what are you wanting this fall ?
Yep, Deb those Dr. Moy hedychiums are just blooming machines for me all summer. They smell really . . y'know . . nice. lol
Speaking of plants that attract insects, though. I was thinking of growing a pot of something like Venus Flytraps inside my pool cage to try to catch the no-see-ums and other tiny bugs that get in through the screening. Anybody recommend a source?
The 'Skeleton Rose' geranium, which is really a citronella plant did not seem to repel a lot of insects this summer. It grew wonderfully, smells great and is huge, but you need to crush the leaves to release enough scent to repel the bugs. I grab a few leaves and rub them on my ankles when I head out to the garden in the evenings. Works fine.
That's it in the big urn behind the 'Durban' canna.
This message was edited Oct 4, 2011 10:16 AM
dyzzy,
that's a beautiful canna...are the leaves as big as they look?
Look what I found....spider lilies. These things are growing everywhere in peoples yard near our new house. I was going the back way yesterday and noticed some on the side of the road (no house in sight). So this morning, I took my little shovel and stopped to dig them up. There were about 8 blooming, BUT as I dug them up, there had to be 75 or more bulbs sitting on top of each other. I planted three different patches with about 20 in each one at the new house and I still have some. I am so excited, I will be noticing the ditches more now. LOL
I was just looking at some in a catalog and they are $2-3 apiece, so I struck a gold mine.
Broke these off and I was digging
Then I also saw these too, in a ditch, crocus..you think?
another view
Sweet!
Paula yes, the Durban canna has big leaves, they're about 18in. long on that big one in the picture. It grows pretty big, although I must admit mine didn't exactly 'reach' its potential this year. My daughter grows them in Utah, and hers get 5ft. tall and her leaves have much more color - pink and gold stripes as well as dark green and dark red. I had them in the urn in the pool cage, so not enough sun to make them color up, I'm thinking.
You really did strike gold with the spider lilies, but the white flower, if it is Autumn crocus, those bulbs are really expensive, too. Especially the white ones! You really need to rescue some of them, too.
I posted it on the ID forum and it seems its a rain lily. I'm still going to dig them up. Its just two little clumps beside the road. Makes you wonder how they got there.
Browsing McLure & Zimmerman fall catalog, those white Colchicums are $4 apiece!
JackPot!!!! good deal, Paula! I have three spider lilys, I dug up two of them, and leaving one in ground, to see if it will come back. I don't understand how iris, crocus, allium , tulips, ditch lillys and day lillys, which all have tubers, come back every spring and peruvian daffodil, cannas, Gingers etc do not?
Photot of the moment.. african marigold with bee
love that dr moy.. i am going to put that one on my want list.
can't think of too much I do want right now, but wait until spring, my spring fever will send me into wanting frenzy..
Deb, that's a gorgeous datura flower. I sent you some starts of Dr. Moy last spring. I remember clearly thinking 'she probably doesn't want these'. But I had a lot of them and they went in the package with the gloriosa tubers.
Bet you'll find it growing in your jungle out there. It's hard to kill. It has distinctive variegated foliage with white 'slashes' on it, and the more shade it's in the more white it gets. But if it's in too much shade, it won't bloom.
I am psyched about my 'ground orchids' which the orchid forum folks tell me are spathiglotiis. Anyway, this one flower spike has been blooming for over 2 months! That's great value for a plant I got off the 'rescue' rack at Lowe's. I'm going to scout out more colors of these next spring.
This message was edited Oct 5, 2011 9:53 AM
Very thrifty Elaine!
Yeah, Drew. My Scots ancestry leads me sometimes. Then I spend a fortune on orchids the next day . . I just hate spending money on plants that bloom magnificently for a week and then just have boring foliage and take up space the rest of the year.
(note, I said 'boring' foliage which sure as heck doesn't count the gigantic gorgeous foliage plants like yours)
How's your new room mate AeAe liking the new place?
Hello Everyone!!
We have been a little under the weather lately. I have to show my box planter, inspired by ardesia's visit to one of her nurserys. The sweet potato vines and petunias were devoured by the squirrels.
homer1958, that is quite an unusual bloom you have, I bet your dw will not let you keep that one in the house.
Joeswife, I received your package today, I am thrilled to have that vine! Thanks very much. You're the greatest!
I find plumerias the easiest plants to care for, I put it in a corner and forget about it until spring. The foliage might fall off, maybe a little water if you are feeling generous. I have about 3-4 plants about 6-7ft tall, that I uproot and put in a cornor of the GH. No Problem.
I am starting my miniature plumeria collection for when I can no longer tote those big plants inside the GH.
Two years old and 1ft tall."Mini Siam Volet"
dyzzy, I am enjoying reading your posts! that is a beautiful ground orchid, I wish that I could grow them.
GAgirl1066, I recieved your postage today, Thanks.
My dh came home from one of his bike rides with a handful of those little white lilies, it was hard for me not to show my disapointment not having one bulb in the bunch.
I have one crinum blooming.
mjsponies, what plant did you decide on for your big old root planter? I have dh trying to find me one.
This Aechmea blanchetiana lights up the garden in the morning sun.
Caladiums
You make me crack up all the time!!!
Doing great! The last leaf out has grown away from the pseudostem about 2.5'' So It is slow right now, but when the sun gets a little lower in the sky (around the end of the month), it will be getting a lot of sun for about 3 hours a day, until, (of course on the opposite side of that) ,the end of February!
Of course, it will be going back out then! I will have to plant it next year in a more shady location! DW wants my tomatoes more abundantly next year! Ae Ae was shading them on that end of the garden.
I knew what you meant by boring!
Rita' I cut it off today! the Dining room was smelling like funk!
That variegated Monstera Deliciosa is rockin!!!
This message was edited Oct 5, 2011 4:45 PM
This message was edited Oct 5, 2011 4:45 PM
Hey all,
Well we are getting some much need rain before our "real" dry season sets in. Good thing as it's not been all that "rainy" during our rainy season.
Rita, I'm "planning" when I can find the mini Dendrobium I want, or possibly and mini catalaya, ( I'm going to talk to George up at EFG and see what he can come up with for me ) , I have a bunch of different shell dischidia's, and I'm looking for a mini bromelaid. I'm going to prop ( or maybe hang) it in the corner of my greenhouse for the winter, and then I have a spot picked out for summer. I'm thinking I can use a wide clay pot for a "base"
Well miracles never cease, no id Brug bloomed....color looks kinda like one of the orange creamsicles. It's got lots of other buds on it, Milk N Honey just went thru another bloom cycle, and it's got more to go.
Hi, Everyone! I'm home - had a wonderful visit with Sean Alexander - he's BEAUTIFUL!
Call me "HAPPY KAMPER" tonight - thanks to Martha! Martha, your check was just taken to the post office.
Have any of you ever seen a 15 FOOT musical note Clerodendrum?!!! Someone sent me a small plant, I put it in a pot and forgot about it. Now, it's blooming and is AMAZING!
ok Kay you need to post a pic of that. I love that plant...I have a small one.
I will take one tomorrow and post it - if I am wrong on the i.d., please let me know.