Awww, you are so sweet to offer cuttings. I find it in the box stores in the spring, so will buy more and grow in containers.
Tropical Garden #115
So right, Kay. You can likely buy them for less than postage would cost. I'm going to dump these cuttings on one of my neglected beds and see what takes root. Cold weather might git them, though. That durned forecast is getting colder, not warmer - 35 for Wednesday morning, they're saying now. BRRR!
Here's the pretty red thing I got from Rita last spring - putting out flowers from its big red bract. I still don't know what this plant is.
Elaine, your red shrub is beautiful - I received a cutting from a DG friend, but it died. Can you show us the whole plant?
I think I got it - Red Justicia or Brazilian Red Cloak. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54077/
I looked at this entry before, and didn't think that was right because mine didn't have the little white flowers yet. Looks like it will make quite a nice big shrub! It's about 3ft. tall now, with one new shoot from the base at about 18in.
Yep, that's the one I got - maybe from Sweet Rita, but I don't remember for sure.
Yup getting ready for the big freeze here. I can't possibly cover everything, so I guess it will be ugly around here for awhile. Lots of stuff blooming or budding.....Brugs in the ground are all budding up again too.
And the .E. pulchellum is covered in flowers.
Good morning, everyone! I am as prepared for the cold spell as I can be. It's supposed to be back to 70 degrees on Thursday!
Happy New Year! Hopefully something will be left of the garden for anyone to see-- calling for freeze warnings in Coastal Collier County! I think I'll move the phals under the eaves by the koi pond and hope for the best. The phals on the trees will just probably lose a bud or two, and that's just the way it is. The Hawaiian Sunset vine is blooming it's heart out and will probably shed a leaf or two., But- hey-- that's gardening! On the bright side the citrus will get VERY sweet!
Friday the boys moved the Pink Lemonade from the pot at the garage door to the back yard, the Key lime up the hill and into more sun , and the Norfolk Pine/Christmas tree to where the Key lime was. Decided to move the cardboard palms on the side of the house to the bottom of the hill where our neighbor in the back ripped out all of the lovely underbrush(bougies, philodendron) that kept the sound down from their yippers. Also decided to take out all the aging shrubs on the west side of the house and replace with bromeliads and more Bleeding heart vines. Should be a different look and kind of nice for that side. Two + more yards of shell were spread and I still need 3 or more yards!
Let's keep our fingers crossed that the weatherman are VERY wrong!
Debi
Debi, I'm tired just reading this post! Where would I get some nut shells?
We'll be below freezing here for a couple hours, and in the mid 20's here tomorrow night. Ugggh, so we spent part of yesterday and till about 1:00 today bring in plants and getting covers ready for what we can cover.
Here's Salvia vanhoutti Burgandy form today, it's huge...got a pot of rooted cuttings in the greenhouse.
Don't know about nut shells-- Any composting places around or a pecan grower?
Kay, I think the shells Debi has are seashells. Y'know you buy them by the truck load for driveways etc.
Don't put any near your citrus trees, though. They can change the pH of the soil because they're basically pure calcium.
I think nut shells might be kind of sharp to walk on, don't you? Not great for mulch especially if you have critters.
I got new orchids today! Bc. Little Lulu
The sea shells are a little hard on the feet as well-- the dogs have gotten accustomed to them-- and they last a LONG time!
I was thinking of using them as mulch around my yard plants.
How's this for a heartbreaker? Charles Grimaldi in full bloom this evening as I was covering everything and the wind was getting cold!
I did cover the whole plant up after this, but I'm not optimistic that the flowers will survive. It sure smells good under that tent, though!
awwww. you are so lucky to have him blooming for you! YAY! My sticto is all over the jungle room, huge bloom buds, can't wait.
back to sleeping in my chair, I am so tired. sorry you all have to get a cold snap, ours is here, but warming up to almost 60 again later this week. I expect to wake up to snow and freezing winds anytime after mid month. Feels like spring is already coming. I am tired just reading everyone's posts, so much work being done!
all daturas blooming again, along with sharp pod morning glory, little bue mg, and now the wood rose looks like it is finally budding up.. yippee!
Ugh...all I can say about a morning like this is that it would be better spent hiding under the covers........
35 here and I would still be in bed if I didn't have so much family visiting this week.
For the begonia lovers - this thread on the begonia forum has some interesting growers and varieties. I have never heard of some of them.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1235421/#new
Elaine, did you place a light bulb under your "tent"?
Nope, it was really windy last night and since the tent isn't wind-proof I figured what was the use. Think I will resort to using the strings of Christmas lights tonight, though. It's going to stop blowing our socks off and really drop the temp.
Bet you're going to have the heat on in your garage tonight, too Drew?
Was going to plant a color bowl with these pretty gazanias, but . . . they're cowering under the patio table now.
Elaine,
Actually I have everything in the Garage dormant this year!!! About 25x12 feet(my side of course) of barely able to walk around huge Aroids and Bananas!
Next year it is all staying in the GROUND; except my Anthuriums and Philodendrons. You guys are very fortunate to live where you do! I would really love to be down there growing some Mac Daddys!!!
happy new year everyone! i haven't checked in for awhile. last night it got in the 50's but tonight in the 30's so i have been busy building a little tent. hope it works.
the good thing about the cold is the clerodendrens are flowering.
We'll have alot of "mush" after tomorrow..down to 28º long enough to toast most everything that's not covered or in the greenhouse, barn or house. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
I just checked the E.E.s - they are badly burned - the wind has been atrocious!
Looks like 'Occupy Sarasota' out in my back yard with all the tents over things. Oh well, all we can do is hope for the best and that it doesn't last too long!
So the cold will help my clerodendrons to bloom? Last year all they did after the first cold snap was lose every leaf and sulk until April. The bushes are covered with buds that have not made any appreciable change in weeks. I do have part of the huge 10ft. hedge covered so maybe I will save a few buds from tonight's freeze.
Any way you look at it, it's bad - Kansas City, Missouri is 10 degrees warmer than we are!
gosh , you guys are making me feel warm...
well, i was greeted with two blooms of the stictocardia this am, and two blooms of different hibs, and the little blue butterfly clerodendrum is still flowering, and the cape honey suckle is covered again with blooms..
banana and plumerias lost their leaves again, they had spider mites so now I am letting them go dormant in a closet until I can get them under some good bright light in a totally dissinfected place. Jungle room where brgs ee's and vines are mite free.. not taking chances of moving things that have the into that room..
found another tomatoe growing, that vine is rambling along the shelf as if it is going somewhere..
Yikes, we are right at 32 this morning and we are headed out to Ocala, FL in a bit where the computer tells me it is ony 21. There is something very wrong about this picture. So far I do not see anything that has been fried but I suspect things will melt as the weather warms up again. The pond is open but the bird bath is frozen today.
Hard freeze here too, Only Clerodendrum( thompsonii red/white bleeding heart) I'll have blooming now is the one that's in the greenhouse, The red bleeding heart, blue butterfly and pagoda are all crispy this morning. They'll come back, but jeeze, we are gonna be back into the 70's and everything will look like "do-do".
I have Monarch butterflies in a cage emerging, had to put a pot of Impatients in the cage with them hoping that will be enough for them to nectar from till it warms up enough to let them go.
Oh well, could be worse...Like Last year !!
Alice, Ocala is farther inland. Typically get's pretty chilly there. We are just a few degree's higher here at 25º, even tho my "address" is Deland, I'm really more north, slightly west, and no concrete to help hold the heat.
I just checked and my bleeding heart is fine - it would not have been a problem if it wasn't because the darn thing has never bloomed for me. It is the marsh that holds the heat around my house. Just a block or so away things are frozen hard. The dilemma now is if I should uncover the plants I protected since is is supposed to warm up or should I wait until Sunday when we return?????
Seems like we dodged the bullet this morning. It is 40 outside, and my 'Shooting Star' clerodendron with all the buds is looking perky! Seems like maybe the wind kept up a bit during the night so that kept it warmer.
I'll still have to deploy the tent city tonight, but not nearly the worries.
Alice, if you used the frost cloth that lets light through, you could leave the coverings on, but if you used regular cloth or cardboard you should remove it. But it is supposed to warm up to 75/58 here by Sunday.
Suspect I've seen the last of my caladiums for this year, though.
i bet your cladiums come back..
I put mine to sleep, eyt inside they insist on stayng awake.
here is a pic of my stictocardia blooming..
not a great shot, but as long as I can see it blooming, I am happy.. not in the closet this year, it is climbing some wooley strings all across the ceiling in the jungle room.
wish I could send you all some old sheets LOL
I LOVE this little hibiscus
Where is everyone? Jan 4 last post. Just not much to post in this cold weather. We finally had two noghts of 25 and of course it toasted eveything that was outside. My ten foot brug is mush. Now we are back to 40s at night and high 70s during the day. I am SOOOO ready for spring!!
I have been so busy with the 'moving' thing and running back and forth with my dad (back surgery) that I did not even realize it was three weeks until my daughters Sweet 16, so now I need to plan a party. She said she didn't want one, but she didn't have a problem rattling off 26 names right off the bat that she wanted to invite (not including family, 16 of them local). Oh well, you only turn 16 once. I just hope I can get some landscaping done before then.
Yesterday at Lowe's, took some pictures just to make the springtime hunger worse for y'all. Lovely little mini-phals with 1in. flowers and 4in. leaves blooming their hearts out.
Beautiful purples on the cinneraria in the foreground, but it irks me a bit to see them selling those to people who think they'll last a lot longer than they will. Even with religious deadheading, I've never been able to keep one blooming more than a month or so.
Cape honeysuckle were just lovely, in big pots, too.
