Mimosa pruning and shaping

Wow!! those pictures in the article are amazing, i had no idea something like that existed. i knew about the braiding and those things you see in bamboo gifts and hibiscus. but the furniture and lattice work is stunning. i would love to see it in real life. i remember trying to braid the young flexible branches on my saucer magnolia in new york. it works, if youre patient and dont mind fussing over it. - maybe you could braid a mimosa and have that crazy DNA trunk look. lol.
im currently starting to grow impatient with my annuals seeds. why did i bother.

Isn't it just amazing? The living chair just about blew my mind! And the people shapes?
I tried braiding 3 little mimosas together but by now they have lots all their leaves (others haven't yet lost their leaves) so I don't know if they didn't like my braiding job or if I just have to wait till spring and see. I also have a triangle-shaped one that started to do it on its own and got me started on this idea. I used RR spikes and ribbon and then went to clothes pins on two mimosa that I am trying to bend around each other hoping to get one huge pompom with the smaller pompom blossoms. I also am trying a couple of corkscrews. This "idea" came from a combination of watching the natural formation of a few of the little mimosas make themselves into shapes when influenced by sun, etc and then also from our chat about how to get them to bloom at window/eye level. It occurred to me that is the trees got to be the same age as the one that's blooming but were shorter or grew horizontally as well as vertically that it could work. Then I started reading about bonsai on this forum--obviously that wasn't what I was trying. I googled various things and finally last night I found that article. I figured someone had to be doing something similar and lo and behold, that's what I found! Now I have to learn the great art of patience so that I can let the trees do their part. I totally know what you mean!

I also got my nerve up today after reading the articles to try to encourage two of the trees (that are bending around each other) to attach. I hope they get my idea and that I didn't cause them harm...

you should be able to connect them, sounds interesting.
theres so many other shrubs that people have in their yards that make you just wonder where they could have possibly gotten it, if they were the ones to get it. i dont know if youve seen this other plant thats very similar to mimosa : powderpuff. its less hardy and it blooms in the winter. its one of those shrubs/plants you reallllly want your local garden center to magically start selling. i know they never have them but you never know.

I don't believe I've seen the powder puff you are describing. I'm going to try looking it up using that name. The has to be more information to read on grafting but I haven't found it yet. I'm not ever sure why this fascinates me so much (?) It would be very interesting to be able to graft different plants together. I am working without the proper tools which is why I am worried about harming the plants. I suppose a good old fashion straight razor might be ok to use? It's impossible to me to tell where the cambium is! I tried connecting two very tiny mimosa stems that I have in a pot and I tried the same on slightly bigger (but still very small) stems that I am bending around each other in the yard. If they do alright I am hoping they will eventually look like a strand of DNA.
I wonder if this is all an expression of my lack of patience for spring to come...like I can't just be dormant with the plants...lol.

yeah the powder puff, although not exactly the same, the flowers can easily be mistaken for one another.
mhm, i find it interesting but i guess not as much as you, since im not trying it with any of my plants......yet :)
im guessing as long as you make the cuts exact and clean then there shouldnt be a problem. and you might want to clean between cuts.
i believe the cambium is between the bark and the middle. so you can scrape the bark and consider that the cambium, maybe.
maybe you can try training vines as tests and also to wait for spring. perhaps their natural tendency to be manipulated by surroundings will help you get a good idea of the practice.?

correction: apparently the powder puff blooms periodically through the year. it also has a more reddish color than ive seen in a neighbors yard.

Do you have a picture of the powder puff plant? I'd love to see it.
I had a strange thing happen today...all this talk about wanting to learn to graft and as I was simply untangling a branch of bouganvillea from my steps it broke off. So there I stood wondering if this was the opportunity to try it. It is much more complicated than it sounds in the articles I read. I could not get 2 clean cuts that matched up and when I got as close as I thought I'd get I could not attach them properly. Yikes.

And yes, training vines and trying to learn with them is a good idea. Thank you.

oh ok. the plants, theyre speaking to you :p i could see its a delicate procedure. ive been getting lots of mixed things on powderpuff, some pictures have leaves similar to mimosa and others have rounded single leaves. but heres one pic off google.

That's very pretty!The flowers have a similar shape And yet the leaves look different. I think they'd look very sweet under a mimosa. Thank you for finding the picture. I already can't wait for spring :)

lol. since i usually have a hard time waiting for spring, i make sure that i have plants to work with that dont mind the cool. its easier to busy yourself here than in new york. there you would have to have indoor plants if you wanted active plants in winter. so thats why i have my cool annual excitement, didnt plant pansies yet, but i will limit the pansies this year and mix in some snapdragons. are you planning any flowers for now?

Snapdragons are beautiful.
Since I know so little about which flowers like what environment etc I am still gathering information and not making any decisions yet. I am back and forth between wanting to grow from seeds or buying sm,all plants to put in the ground.
I want to focus of plants that will come back each year and continue to add to them.(It's too sad to plant a flower and love it only for it to die off that same year). I'm open to any and all suggestions about flowers too.
The way I have aquired most of the plants or limited amount of flowers I've grown in my life is through serendipity. A friend or family member offers me seeds and that tells me those plants should have a try with me. Or it is spur of the moment, where I'm browsing seeds and the picture says yes.
I'd love a garden that blooms for the longest season, so I want to find plants that bloom in spring, other is fall.
I know I'm going to ghet a hydrangea for the memory of my grandmohter; I always plant sunflower seeds because they're "happy". This past spring I tried foxglove and columbine--no successthere. I tried a bulb called "dangerous mood" (really that's what they were labelled!) but also no success.
I'm sure sometimes there are no-so-good seeds on the market but I also think that there was so-so=-good research on my part.
I am sure that being here on DG I'll have the best advice and make better selections for spring...I have the whole (2 1/2 month) winter to nest.
I did go out on a walk today and plant-nap 3 different yellow wildflower plants~!

I'd like to learn about the powder puffs too and put a couple around the mimosa sculptures.

oh yes...gladiolas I definately want!

i see. keep up with the sunflowers though, they feed our bird friends lol. sunflowers are great and they come in surprising colors. where the annuals are concerned - i would get the plants if i were you. i like that better but this year i felt like challenging myself with seeds :p - - i also dont like seeing the annuals die, especially when you spend $. so look for the best deals and choose the best plants. i always buy the largest one if possible cause you get more for the price. -
dangerous mood sounds so familiar. was it a rhizome (horizontal root)? because i really think it mightve been bearded iris 'dangerous mood' which, unfortunatly, wont grow here.
perennials then. ive been trying to do the same., use perennials instead of relying on changing annuals constanly. impatiens and coleus are actually longlived annuals, they act like perennials in florida sometimes.
p.s.: its nice talking to you about these situations. i want to work with plants when i grow up...after college.


This message was edited Nov 18, 2011 8:13 PM

glads are gorgeous, sadly i lost mine somehow. i guess they mustve become part of the soil by now. but i encourage you to rack those babies up! they apparently bloom 3 months after planting.

I think you're right about the dangerous moods that they were irises. They were selling them right next to the vegetable seeds in the gardening section (walmart I think but it might have been home depot).I can't stand it when stores do that, selling something that won't grow. Out of curiosity why don't they grow here?
I'm just a basket of questions but that's how I learn.
I'm excited to know that gladiolas grow well and quickly here.
I am already thinking about creating an area in back of the house to plant as well.

yes! its also annoying when they sell plants out of season and you get confused. and when they dont have what you want. and when you think they realllly should have something. and when they mislabel Jeezz!!
the type of irises(bearded) that you had, which i love and grew in ny, will not tolerate wet soil or hot humid weather. as you can imagine, florida is this plants enemy. the rhizome must be planted with at least the top exposed. theyre zoned (i think) zone 4ish to 8.
fortunately we can grow other irises: louisiana, african& walking. might think of trying them?
when you make your plan feel free to share :)

Your powder puff picture above looks like a Calliandra, probably C. haematocephala. There are several different species that have similar looking flowers in red or pink but the leaves vary by species. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=calliandra&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&searcher%5Bgrex%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search

wow, well would you look at that, that explains why i couldnt find just one plant with one type of leaf! the one i said is the only in my neighborhood that i know of, appears to be surinamensis, feathery leaf texture and airy look. thanks ecrane!

Thanks Ecrane for this id. Now I'll know what to look for or what I'm looking at. They are all beautiful.
Coastal I will let know as the ideas develope! Please do make any suggestions that come to mind. And as you make your plans I'd enjoy hearing about them too.
For me clearing and readying the rear are to plant is going to be a big job...but at least I have all winter to do it :) I spent some time last night doodling pictures of the areas I want to plant andfilling it in by colors I'd like. Very childlike but it's a start. I have one sun in front that has "hot" colors, reds oranges and yellows. I'd like some cooler colors and pastels for the other side.

ok! thats very good, its actually similar to what i do, i make circles for the plants, label and color them what color bloom i want. its very useful to make designs like that. its very versatile. i see, so youre designing using a color scheme, i do that in general. its easier than going by textures. often times you end up having a good variation of foliage textures anyway. one of my books suggest hot colors in the cool months and cool colors for warm season.
OH did i share the website floridata.com with you (if you didnt look st it before)?

Thanks for the website--I'll check it out. I don't think I've seen it yet.
I'm glad to know someone else is designing this way. I think all plants are beautiful and with my limited knowlege of what to look for it kind of gives me a guide. Of course it may not happen the way I plan it...but planning it is fun.

the website is very useful because its specifically for florida, and it covers all regions, in most info and pics come from a founder's garden in 8b. so the plant info is a bit more detailed than other places. you know how some places tell you zones 6-10 and thats it? well they tell you if a plant is known to come back after freeze or grow in a microclimate etc. two thumbs up.
yeah its nice for me to, especially because we garden in florida, and things often dont go at all according to plan lol.

Thanks for the website recommendation. I am enjoying it very much!

hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving!

Thank you and I did enjoy. I hope you enjoyed yours too!
I got an earlier start than I planned today and started to clear out the huge weeds in back (where I get full sun) so that I can plant in the spring! What a big job!

yes, i did.
thats good, i completely agree, what a large task it is to clear out weeds. especially since they grow so fast & year round in florida.
i am starting to get a little nervous about winter. i have two hibiscus waiting to be planted. and they arent being patient, they wilt everyday from water loss. did you notice its been windy everyday since forever!? well maybe not since we arent in the same part. but its quite annoying, having newly planted plants flopping around. and staking doesnt help. wind also means wilting, so its bad both ways.
i am most likely going to make/buy a holiday planter, just to put out by the door for a more festive look.
im not sure if i asked earlier: are you planning annuals for the new bed?

It has been windy here too, just not as much because I am in a wooded area. It got to 41 degrees again last night...but it will warm up again tonight and for the next few days (or so says the weather report).
I am reluctant to put out annuals because I know so little about them and I also will be very sad as they are "supposed to" die off in the winter(not to mention parting with a bunch of dollara). I'm not sure yet I guess is the best way to say it.
I've been browsing through the plantfiles here and also the floridata website to get ideas. If at all possible (especially since just about All flowering plants are new to me) I want to plant most plants that at least have a chance of coming back in the spring.
What annuals might you plant and how will you mix them in with perennials?

yeah it was 46 here last night, hope itll be warmer for a while
i know what you mean, losing annuals is tough because of money and also losing the plant.
perennials and annuals actually do work well together in a bed. 1) while the perennials aren't in bloom, the annuals provide color. 2) annuals can mark where a perennial is(if it is dormant. but anyway, you really can devote your bed to perennials and use small annuals for the border of the bed- its probably the most efficient way to go.
some annuals last a long time in florida: coleus, geranium (zonal/pelargonium), vinca/periwinkle, and wax begonia. these can grow over a year under good care, but they still suggest replacing-although cutting back is an option.
if you want to border you bed with annuals, you can use almost any, but stick to small-medium ones. but to choose what kinds- you should decide what type of garden, like butterfly or cottage etc. -- hope i didnt just swamp you with these issues :)

I've been away from the computer for a few days...you didn't swamp me with too much information--although I don't understand all of it yet. I don't think there is such a thing as too much informations! If I am interested in something then I am open and excited to learning as much as possible!
I read your post about deciding on a type of garden and have been looking at my ever increasingly chaotic group with this in mind.
In theory I would like to have a butterfly garden area--reasons are obvious.
I don't even know what a cottage garden is. Can I see pictures of the various types and styles on DG? If so, what section?
I love tropical looking plants and it seems many of those are attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds too (the mimosa is a humming bird magnet!).
I also have been aquiring decorative grasses. I plant them amoung other plants and when I look at it as a whole it looks kind of ridiculous.
As I plan what to do with the back yard area (that is west facing and full sun)I rationalize that I will move some of the plants to that area and thus it will be more balanced...but I can see a big congestion brewing if i don't make some decisions...
Typically where does decorative grass go? I figure at edges of the garden but anywhere else?
I think one side of my front garden (the more sunny side of the front of my house) is coming around nicely.
I have yellow bouganvillea at the stairs, cannas behind and to the side of that and also cannas at the far end (corner of house). Mid way between canna beds is the costus woodsoni and then to the side of the costus I planted the original pineapple sage plant (that someone insisted was a weed and kept trying to cut down untill I saved it). I just planted a firecracker plant there too. I have some St. John's wort in the front of the cannas and at the moment I still have some of the willow primrose blooming yellow between the costus and the pineapple sage.
That side is mostly yellow-orange-red tones. I also have a few mini mimosas on that side that I am sculpting into braids, corkscrews and loops.
The other side which is shadier but till gets great morning sun is the side I want to do in cooler colors and pastels. I have a smaller bouganvillea at the stairs, a few mimi mimosas that I am scuplting and grafting. I have gardenia there and the original large mimosa, and a few different kinds of decorative grass and lots of pastel wildflowers...so far.
On the circlular pice of land that is center of the circular driveway (Mary's Island) I have the start of a hydrangea bed. I just put in some crazy looking lavendar stalky flowers (pictures will come soon). That is where I want the gladiolus too. Around Mary I have the mimi scuplted mimosa thing going on to try to get them to bloom, very low and around behind Mary.
Sorry for the very long post. Pictures would be better! I'll work on that. Any ideas are invited!

if youre a subscriber i think theres forums you can look at, just look through the communties and there should be one. i cant find a page right now. a cottage garden isn't exactly very florida like, its generally for places with cool winters. but no one said you couldnt copy the look. its generally relaxed and somewhat whimsical. use mainly biennials and perennials, and also self seeders. herbs, heirloom style flowers and old roses are key.
i would like a butterfly garden myself. i notice butterflies almost ignore garden flowers and go to flowers on weeds or something else. what you need for butterflies is variety and quantity. and basically have nectar flowers. if you want returning butterflies, mix in host plants for them to lay their eggs on. you might have to ignore caterpillar's hunger.
i dont have any of the ornamental grasses. i personally dont like them that much to have in my garden. however i probably will change my mind lol. they are pretty useful according to other landscapes. they can create balance and harmony, as well as texture and movement. many come in attractive colors and some can be used in shady spots and some in wet areas. lirope, mondo grass, fountain grass, gulf muhlygrass, carex sedges, pampas, and elliot lovegrass are all good grass plats to keep in mind. i like black mondo grass alot, dont have any. fountain grass is really popular.
youll see grasses used to fill in the spaces between palms in public plantings. they look good under the cabbage palms. place clumps of the same grass at even intervals for unity. use them to contrast bolder leaved plants. use them along a walkway for a natural feel. type in "ornamental grass planting" in google images and theres tons of great gardens. you can even use the grasses to break up the beds a little to provide more balance and harmony. you might like a bed of a taller grass variety to catch the wind and do the wave in full glory.
it sounds like you have a nice warm colored garden with the cannas and costus.
just an idea: perhaps you might want a lily in honor of mary, since lilies are a classic bible symbol- belladonna,surprise, and easter lilies would function well.
sorry for the lonng long long post :)

Those are great ideas! I had planted a calla lillies near Mary last year but I see now sign of them now. I will definately get some lillies into Mary's area! You've given me lots of food for thought. I'll google the grasses and see what I can do. I recently collected some ornamental grass that is an aqua color, very pretty.
I am going to visit south west florida tomorrow for a long weekend and I hope to find some nice plants that I can bring back.
I'm very excited about this idea you have offered and I'm going to look up different types of lillies!

Is this related to a lily?

im glad i helped with ideas.
i honestly cant say what that plant is. something tells me its not a lily however- do you know what type of roots it has (bulb etc) or does it flower?

I posted it in the plant ID forum too. I'm guessing it's cal.led tuber because when I dig them up there is a think ligament-like connection between the plants and their offspring. I've seen these kinds of roots on the annoying grass/weeds that are so hard to get rid of.
I looked up the belladona lily and I am in love! The easter lily is also gorgeous. And I am liking the daylily.
Believe it or not on my last plant shopping trip I saw bulbs for sale called amaryllis. Not knowing what they were I didn't buy them. Argh!

nooo!!! well cant change the past, hopefully youll see some amaryllis elsewhere that are better and pick those up.
yeah someone should know. and yes sounds like a tuber or rhizome. yes yes! daylilies are absolutely stunning, and the belladonna quite lovely. i think it was the belladonna that flowers without leaves.so they name it surprise lily also, it surprises you by popping up with flowers.

Thanks! That comment (not reliving the past) is right on the money! I will open my eyes as I walk forward and I will see lilies available everywhere!

lol its a good way to make progress isnt it, i try to think whatever i find in the future will be better or at least ''right'' for the time being.
i havent gone 'plant shopping' recently. i love that you go shopping specifically for plants!