Tropical Garden #114

The osmanthus is also called sweet shrub and, IMO, the fragrance is better than anything out there.

When I saw that romaine on steroids I thought of birds nest fern also - for a very big bird, LOL (maybe for a teradactyl)

Elaine, that does loolk like the B. ordorata alba. Woo Hoo, hope mine (and yours) get that big.

Do you believe this? My purple odontonema never bloomed this year and now it is full of buds. Pray for good weather for a while so I can finally see this thing bloom. It is over 5' tall now. My red one is still in full bloom but you can tell it is not setting any more buds for this year.

mj you have to put the osmanthus to the top of your wish list. unfortunately i dont think it grows from cuttings? i went out in the yard and could tell it was flowering because the fragrance is incredible. kind of a sweet candy smell?

ardesia i was thinking of an ostrich but your right more like a teradactl it is so jurassic park! lol. only my red firespike are blooming and not the purple.

So glad to hear that begonia might be what we have, Alice. It was really gorgeous and smelled lovely. I'm keeping my eye out for a Sweet Shrub, too. Love those fragrant plants! Sounds like it might bloom readily for me here, as we get more cool nights than Cassie does.

Rita, I have this blooming for the first time, and it is a cutting I got from you last spring. Of course, I have forgotten what you said it is . . . and the tag is long gone ?? Maybe Brazilian Red Cloak? Looks like the bracts are hanging on, but the flowers may have succumbed to the cool night we had last week. The leaves are a foot long and 9in. wide. My purple firespike you sent me at the same time has a flower coming, too!

So very nice to be having a warmer December (so far) this year! I may - finally! - get flowers on my Shooting Star clerodendron if the weather holds, too! It appears to have buds starting.

Thanks, Cassie - dmail me with trade details.

I think Rita sent me the Brazilian Red Cloak cutting but it didn't root - if anyone has a plant to trade, dmail me.

Everyone's plants just make me drool - SO PRETTY and unique!!!!

Good morning, everyone! Warm and muggy after our rain last night. Debra, I'm so happy you are on the mend!

Hello All!!

Thanks to everyone for keeping us entertained on these gloomy days in Texas! The pictures from candelas garden and mjsponies make me want to move to Florida.

mjsponies and Dyzzy, I am so happy to see the plants we traded are doing so well!!


Dyzzy, thanks for sharing your vacation pictures with us!! Got more? Pretty please?

This is a sweet little ginger, Burbidger golden brush

joeswife, that is a very handsome Alocasia! I have been burying the trunk on mine, in hopes of getting bigger leaves. I had to look up the hibiscus cannibus plant, lovely blooms!

Kay Jones, thanks very much for the ID on the fern. I will make sure that I tag it properly.

ardesia, good job on the purple firespike. Hopefully, your weather will stay warm enough for you to enjoy that bloom. Mine usually blooms after I put them in the GH for winter but spidermites are usually a big problem until I put them back out in the spring. This fall, I cut them way back. Perhaps by spring, they will be ready to bloom. I hope this is not another foolish mistake.

Medinilla myriantha

homer1958, I would venture to say that our succulents are a variety of the same family. Look out for offsets.

Today is our Patty's (phughes) birthday.

I hope that you had a Great day!!

LOL, let's all remember that hibiscus that Debra and Rita referred to is H. cannabinus, not that very different plant mentioned above. None of us would even know what that stuff is. :-), :-), :-)

ardesia, thanks for the correction!!
















This message was edited Dec 12, 2011 5:41 PM

Rita, come on down - there are houses in my neighborhood for rent and sale.

Alice, of course none of US would know about that 'other' plant. Heck, I grew one from seed, thinking no one would realize what it was - wrong! My father-in-law came to visit and said,'better get rid of that pot plant before the cops see it'!

LOL, that is what most folks say about the Texas Star hibiscus, H coccinea. Easily mistaken for the other.

If I could get the seeds, I'd grow another one in a heart beat - they are beautiful plants!

LoL Alice! Y'know, I was sort of wondering if Debra was going to have a visit from the authorities about her H. Cannabis . . if anyone had a 'grow operation' like hers in their basement here they'd be having regular visits.

Rita, I do have a few more shots from the gardens in Grand Cayman - plus tons of underwater shots, too.

This vine was just labeled "Garlic Vine" and it sure did smell like garlic despite its delicate appearance. DH likes flowers that smell like garlic better than the perfumy ones - that's him wearing his weird 'Lawrence of Arabia' hat. What can I say? Engineers are really out of their element in a botanical garden. He did come away with some great ideas for building plant supports, though.

This looked a lot like Blue Sky vine to me, but it was labeled 'Argentine Trumpet-Vine' Clyostoma callistegioides

A gorgeous Desert Rose doesn't seem to mind the tropical climate there.

Pinstripe ginger in bloom - thanks for the start of this you sent me, Rita. It's going great! I love the elegant leaves, and this is the first time I've seen the flowers. They're just spiffy, too.

I'm a nut for gingers in general - that golden one you posted above is really pretty! Is it a low-grower like the Peacock Ginger?

One more, a pretty poinsettia in the spirit of the holidays.

Elaine, I think you are right - it's a Thunbergia grandiflora alright! Each plant you post is more beautiful than the previous one - thanks for the slobbering opportunities!

Yep - Deb IS LUCKY the Feds haven't visited her - they'd never find 'that plant' in her jungle, though - they'd be too busy oohing and ahhhing over all her other gorgeous plants!

My spouse could wear a hat like that anytime if he would build me some trellises. :-) (Actually I like hats llike that.)

You know some of the supplies for people that grow illegal crops are pretty cool. They have these indoor greenhouses that are like pop up tents and they are silver on the inside to reflect light and black on the outside. They zip up so no light shows on the outside. They have these huge lights inside to encourage growth. And, before you ask how I know, LOL, I do frequent a store that carries these supplies and they have outstanding organic fertillzers and other goodies. These folks grow a lucrative crop and can afford to use the best.

Rita, Is that Gloriosum?

Alice,
There is a fellow that lives in Vermont that grows his Hoya's like that...
http://vermonthoyascom.fatcow.com/

What extraordinary flowers. After seeing Aloha Hoya's beautiful plants in HI I almost succumbed but I used discipline (for a change) and held off starting yet another plant obsession. Tropiflora had a beautiful variegated heart leaf hoya on sale this week, I was tempted.

We're listening, Alice - do go on!!!!

If anyone is interested; there is an AeAe at auction on Ebay! The person selling is MDA1515!

How do I find this seller - a search on EBay turned up no results. Can you provide us with a direct link to this auction, please?

Get out your wallet !! Holy Cow...more than I can afford. It's gorgeous tho

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARe-Variegated-Royal-Hawaiin-AEAE-Banana-collector-1-2-/330657746225?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cfcbccd31

I agree, Martha - too rich for my wallet!

Having a major case of zone envy here. Thought I'd pull up a chair to watch and ooh and ahh over so many of the gorgeous tropicals you all are growing and showing.

OOo, I'm tempted on that AeAe. At least it is in Florida so wouldn't have to be shipped a zillion miles to get to me. But that price is very high for a pretty small plant.

Think I'm going to wait until Tropiflora has some for sale, and go buy one that I can see first hand, and bring home myself. I'd also like to wait until springtime, so I can get it established before cold weather comes back. If I bought it now, sure as a gun there would be a huge cold snap and I'd be schlepping it in and out of the house for months.

Ipomoea horsfalliae

Elaine,
Is that your I. horsfalliae yours or was that from your trip. I've been trying to find that for a long time..

Fruit of the vine; I am zone 7-B! It's a lot of work ...but, oh so well worth it around the end of July when everything is stupid huge and lush!!!

Mj that one is in the botanical garden in Gr. Cayman unfortunately.

prita i love that golden brush ginger

these are little meyer lemons i have in a pot. i haven t had much citrus until recently because of citrus canker we werent allowed in dade co. fingers crossed.

wow! homer they huge and the canna too. i love those big leaves.

my mother and i went to fairchild recently this is her under a borneo giant. hopefully mine will get that big some day too.

does anyone have a tankless hot water heater? my hot water heater just went and am thinking about getting one. of course the washer dryer went at the same time. looks looks like hot water and clean clothes for christmas!

begonias

Cassie, your Mom is beautiful!

Kay don't even tempt Rita. She's already told me that she and her husband are retiring closer to my location and I just can't wait to have her within a few minutes driving distance. I need my plant partner in crime as well as my margarita buddy.