Merry Christmas !!!!
Everyone is welcome to share pictures of their tropical plants and gardens.
We came from here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1231152/
Tropical Garden #115
Hi Rita,
That is really neat looking (above)...what is it? Hope all is well your way! What Hoyas do you have? I have several and would be more than glad to start you a few. You have been most generous with me. Just let me know.
Rita, I am so glad you bought that heart leafed hoya. Seriously, I cannot start collecting anything else myself but it was so pretty I wanted someone I knew to buy it and love it. The Tropiflora folks are nice to deal with aren't they? They ship so quickly.
Paula, how are you enjoying your new home? I haven't forgotten your gingers or the water lily, the timing just hasn't been right.
Hey Alice,
No problem, I have more than enough to keep me busy at the moment. The house is great! I just love being out in the country. Still going to the other house and sorting thru things. Another couple of weeks and I should have it knocked out...I hope!!
I have a couple of plants still throwing out blooms - here's Clerodendrum splendens:
Here's a pink Brugmansia - the tag has been lost:
Got down to 44 here last night but this Vietnamese Gardenia did not mind.
A few months ago I did a program on fall gardening and these were some leftover plants. I stuck them all in one pot and I love how it came out. They should bloom all winter on the deck. The blue is a teeny tiny viola, the flower is just 1/4". The red is a diaschia, the orange is a calendula, the tall plant is a deep pink stock but my camera does not record colors well. The dark heuchera seems to make everything else brighter.
It's a lovely planter!
Kay, that pretty pink brug looks like it could be 'Cherub' same as the one I got from Debra this spring. Mine's taking a rest but my white one 'Monster White' has buds.
Alice, that's a lovely planter. The tiny viola looks electric blue in the photo - you sure it's not a lobelia?
I've been out bushwhacking for 2 days now, pruning my huge viburnum hedge back to 6ft. from 9 or 10. I contemplated posting a pic of my piles of branches with a caption of "the down side of tropical gardening". I will be scrambling to reclaim a vestige of order from the jungle, as well as keeping flowers blooming and veggies bearing , all the way until it gets just too hot next spring. I can keep up with it for a while working in the shade, then the jungle gradually wins again come summer. It's the circle of life in my garden.
It's all worthwhile when the orchids bloom, and tomatoes ripen in December. I picked up 9 ripe passionfruits today, too!
Elaine, you are correct, I had planted that pot months ago and really did not look closely until this week. The label says viola but they are clearly lobelias.
We have to do that annual whacking back on the viburnums, the Awabuki Chindo's are the tallest and the Odoramissimum are a close second. The darn things self sow also, so when you close your eyes,you wake up to a new viburnum. I am limbing up some of the tallest Awabuki's, 15' to 20', to be trees now, it is nice to have more "real estate" underneath them to plant other things.
everything sounds loverly where you all are at... raining here right now, soon to turn to snow..we're all here just waiting, for this winter to go..
like Lou says, I am lurking, like a kid in a candy store, trying not to get the keyboard wet, while drooling over yours...
like Rita says to Drew Happy Birthday to you! I am sure your day meant all the world to your friends. A good friend is worth traveling for, even if for a short while..
Like Martha says ( everything) I echo, you are all so special to me.. I hope some day to look in my back yard and see a banana tree..
The season is here, that means it's time, to begin the wait until Spring, so lurking here gives me great Joy, so keep those posts a coming!
Deb that's a pretty little sunny jungle you've got going.
Here's the progress report from the 'brug orphanage' Doing great are 'Damian' "Frosty' and one with a tag that says "INSignia" (I think) on one side and 'l. indica' on the other. Any guesses? Also at the back is 'Stardancer x pod2" getting over a foot tall already.
Plus to the left a lovely clump of Monardas from Mj.
Everybody here thinks it's spring already! Monarch caterpillar going for the gold!
Azalea in bloom!
Begonias getting big, and Thai caladiums still going!
My crusty old begonia 'Torch' blooming.
And a trusty old canna - no matter how many times I give away the yellow ones they always pop up again.
Debra, this spring you WILL have a Banana plant that COULD bear fruit if you can keep it HOT enough.
I can NOT grow the yellow Canna - it stays short and stunted. The red indica grows like mad, spreading all over the yard, but not the yellow!
Kay, that one seems to like the cool temps and mostly shade it's getting right now. (completely unlike most cannas that eat up the sun and heat) Right now it's getting about 2 hr. of weak sunlight in the afternoon. Go figure.
If you've got a semi-shady spot for it, try moving your stunted ones there and see if that's the answer.
Plumeria pudica I got from Rita as a little cutting is getting ready to bloom! I sure hope this weather holds!!.
Very nice, Elaine - mine died - it was huge, in a 20-gallon pot, but some sort of disease killed it.
Thanks Rita, Alice! I think I would be interested in another AeAe! If he has another, could you get some pictures and show me?
Thanks Deb! Everything is doing quite well!
D-mailing you Drew
Elaine, ignore the i indica tag side. It is an insignias. ( recycled tag)
lovely blooms on that canna, mine did not make it to bloom last summer...
rained so much over night we have a small pool of water on the tile, so now the plants in pots are soaking it up ( positive thinking and action on a leaky basement)
is it spring yet? supposed to turn to ice and snow in the am.. ugh.
I hope you don't tire of my basement garden photos, some of these came from you all here..it seems good to see how things are doing, don't you think?
time to get this onto a pole, it has arieal roots now, been in this little tub since the cutting came to me..
she woke up...
Hello All !!
I guess I am the only person that does not want a White Christmas, it should stay on the ski slopes where it belongs.
GAgirl1066, I am making my Hoya list and checking it twice. lol Thanks very much for the offer, I am nursing a few cuttings from mjsponies. I'll just have wait and see how well I do with them.
The picture is of a Anthurium gracile.
Kay Jones, It sure is good to see that you are still enjoying your tropical plants. That is a very impressive Clerodendrum Splendens. I love it!!
ardesia, I am never that lucky even when I plan my containers, they are my favorite gardening projects. I used to watch P.Allan Smith every sunday morning to get container tips. It shows that you know what you are doing when it comes to plant selection.
Anthurium Marie, I can never pass one up, I now have 5 plants.
This message was edited Dec 20, 2011 6:13 PM
Joeswife, I can tell that you have been re-arranging your basement garden again, lol. I do the same thing especially with the hanging baskets, dh hates when I ask for help. He always says the same thing, "Maybe if you would leave them in one place for a while they would grow"
You seem to be doing so well with your Alocasias. I had to cut the leaves off mine because of spidermites. I have a good start of the Brug. Super Nova ready to mail in the spring.
Do you remember this pepper plant? It is so old, the plastic pot is fallen apart.
dyzzy, I hope that the weather stays warm enough for you to at least see one flower open on your P. Pudica. There is also a Pink Pudica but I have been unable to find one.
You are so good at growing those Begonias. I can keep them alive in pots but have no luck with them planted in the ground.
I have been making and sampling fudge all day, I am on a sugar high. lol
mjsponies, Thank you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your family!!
Have you brought your BIG Staghorn fern into the barn as yet?
This one is from RJ's.
LouC, Merry Christmas to and your family!! Keep on lurking and we love when you stop in to say Hi.
Rita, we are having temps that don't require the Big Stag to come in, but do produce vibrant blooms...Warm days and Cool nights...Phal Green Star....
I've been making Fudge too, with Dark Chocolate and White Chocolate topping...can really only eat about 2 pieces and then your running around cleaning the whole house and the Other Half is wondering what got into you !! Sugar Rush !!!!