Debra, you and your sister are in my thoughts and prayers, what a lot you have on your plate right now. All that and 110 too? Wow, you are an amazing woman. Take care of your family and stay indoors, if you lose any plants all your friends here will gladly replace them.
Kay, that is the constant question we are getting at our plant clinics this summer, everyone has plants that simply do not want to bloom and they are the sort of plants that you would think would bloom their heads off no matter what like MG's. All we can tell them is this is a strange year for everything.
Tropical Garden #123
Alice, they bloomed like gangbusters last year. They're in the same spot - has to be the weather. By this time last year, I had 20 blooms at a time - only 2 this whole season.
Just guessing, KayJones, but maybe cut off the water for a day or two, let it dry out and see if it sets buds? Think maybe you've been getting more rain than we have down here. A few dry, sunny days should help, too.
My Thunbergia went through a growth phase like that, making lots of big leaves but no flowers, after we had so much rain in June. Now it's started really blooming again.
Elaine, is the plant you're talking about the plant you have pictured in your last post? That looks like a Penta to me.
Oops, here's the Thunbergia. I like their funny little profiles.
Deb, take comfort from your flowers, girl dear. We'll send you digital bouquets.
Debra - sending happy thoughts to you and your sister! Your green vines look great, despite the heat.
Everyone's Pentas look so good. My neighbor has them and I swear they look electric - LOL.
Dyzzy - I'm sure if my husband would have seen me yesterday running around the yard with my phone in the air trying to get this butterfly picture he would have thought I had lost my mind! The neighbors were probably wondering what was going on :) Your thunbergia look so blue!
It has been very hot and humid here. I worked out in the yard all day yesterday, but had to come in a couple of times to cool off. It rained mid morning and I think that made it even warmer! I don't typically sweat (although women don't sweat, they mist - lol) very much but came in with my hair wet.
I love the blue sky vine and T. battiscombei - their blues are so vivid. The Pentas are wonderful, too - butterflies love them.
Morning glorys are funny... trim the tops and any side shoots, feed them a lot of food, let them get really dry before you soak them. they will bloom, but usually not until end of july or august. especially if these are prennials. the species vines have to go thru their growing period before they bloom.
I have a vine that crawled all over the patio last summer and is nowin thre separate spots vining all over huge leaves, but no blooms. I have started trimming all the off shoots to force them into bloom. Japanese morning glorys are different. I have several plants in small ots waiting to send out this fall to any takers. I setosa, brazilian morning glory, i wrighti, alata, you name it. Moon vines take the longest to bloom. Hope this helps..
Thank you all for letting me vent. I got your card, KayJones and I loved it it spruced up my lunch. My cleros are blooming here and there, moved the pitcher plants and a few of the other tropicals to the north corner of the front porch. queen emma crinum is brown but upright and solid, hate to move her now.
Shrimp plant from you, KayJones is blooming away.
here are pictures from august last year
PS: my naked ladies are up early, my tuber rose is about to bloom, my american beauty berry is flowered, the porcelain vine is loaded with purple berries..
as long as I am able to water, they can endure the 111 we had today. August is usually a 30 day full of over 100 temps. We are a little early just like last year. the mites are on the tomatoes and the moon flowers and I have been fighting those. gone thru a while half gallon of windex.. LOL
Sister said she can water while I am at work wen she is here.. isn't she just the bestest? Of course there is no way I would let her do that ..
Good morning, everyone!
Deb, in the last set of pics, what is the third one and fourth one? I love the shapes of the blooms!
Good Morning,
KayJones, that is my lobelia cardinalis finally coming up to bloom.. one is ruby slippers, a hybrid, the other is the native that grows near ponds and waters edges here in kansas
Great Blue has fialed to show up so far..but he will.
Thanks for the information. I have a L. cardinalis, one in the ground that didn't come back this spring, and one in a pot. The one in the pot has not shown any signs of blooming.
Hello Everyone, I would like to return the compliment by saying that the pictures posted are splendid !!
KayJones, the Crossandra came from Joeswife a few years back. I have been collecting seeds. If you would like to give them a try, I will send some.
Joeswife, I am praying for you both, may all your prayers be answered. Like dyzzy said previously, take comfort from your flowers.
Floridabunnie, I mailed your package yesterday. I hope you like it. Don't worry too much about what the neighbors will think of you. After a while, they will just shake their heads and go on, ask me how I know. lol
dyzzy, I am glad you mentioned that "Easy does it" roses can take the heat. I need replacements for a few Knock-out bushes that got too big and had to be removed.
Bloom on a Caricature Plant.
Foliage Caricature plant
Philo. Zanadu
Philo Zanadu gold
Canna
oops #2 is Philo. Giganteum
This message was edited Jul 31, 2012 1:41 PM
I am giving you'all a little break from me for about two weeks. Keep those pictures coming!
This is Crinum Amabile. I waited 6 years to see this bloom, it was worth the wait.
Rita, you don't have our permission to leave for 2 weeks - just where do you think your going, Little Missy?!!!
C'mon kids, let's put together our finest digital bouquets for Debra and Sherry!
My funny little Abutilons bloomed in April and have been pouting since then. Now they're busting out with buds again. I have pale yellow, pink and red.
Wish you could smell the perfume of this Dr. Moy ginger.
And one for Drew, my Blue Hawaii colocasia has two flower buds, and they're yellow!
Have a good time Rita, I sure hope I don't have to wait another three years to see Queen emma Bloom. I want to move her since her leaves are turning a funny bronze color, but since they are firm and upright, I guess I'll leave her be..
Sure have had fun watering tonight, found a tree frog the size of a dime, and the anole was playing tag with me. I have moved a few more things inside and moved a few more things into the shady corners for now.. triple digits from now till fall it seems, and no rain. We are now under drought conditions. I had a few beautiful morning glory blooms this am, but there were buds all over the place that got melted before they could open, poor things.
Sister did NOT have her surgery today, and she sounds so bad cuz she can't breathe, but she said she wants to live much much longer so she is willing to wait another day for this surgery to help her breathe better, and then she is anxious to get the chemo started again. What ever she wants is okay in my books, she is still saying for me not to go get her yet. Hope she doesn't get hooked on that stupid morphine! Sheese!
Anyway.. I am collecting seeds now as I cut down the drying prennials. Have no clue why, no one wants them LOL
I on the other hand, consider any seed a strong commodity.
Did you know some of these popped up out of no where? I wonder if they wintered over or threw seeds.
Prita - Thank you so much for the plant! I think the neighbors already think I'm a little touched in the head. The garbage men always just throw our bins down, and they had already picked up the yard waste and threw one of our yard bins down on it's side in the driveway near the edge. I backed out of the garage and didn't see it - and ran over it with my brand new vehicle. It was already a bad morning even before I walked out the door and this made it worse. Needless to say as I was chucking them in the yard and talking to myself, the neighbor across the street walked out of his front door and was standing in the driveway staring at me like I had two heads. I was so embarrased!
Dyzzy - I haven't heard of those roses, but will have to look for them. I had to rip out two of my knockouts as well because they were gangly looking. The other two seem to be ok. I did just purchase a cracker rose that is more like a groundcover and so far it is doing well.
Debra - what are naked ladies? Are these a type of sunflower or coreopsis? I love the color. I really like your lady slippers too.
Kay - I googled the L. cardinalis, the colors are so bright. These remind me of tropical salvia. Do the butterflies like these too?
Barleria Amethyst - have not been able to find too much info on this one
Jamaican Croton
naked ladies are an amrayllis that is a prennial here, floridabunnie, they throw big leaves first, they die down, and when you least expect it, surprise! a naked ladie is what my granma called them. I love your jamaican croton. reminds me of a varigated four o clock.
Good morning, everyone. Jean, i am trying to find the RED Baleria repens - pictures prove it's a real beauty.
Somebody say, "Naked Ladies"?... Where?... I want to see them!
Drew, they're all over the internet - try 'nakedladies.com' and see if that satisfies your hunger for knowledge!!!
Naughty, Kay, very naughty. I have a Barleria that has sort of coral flowers. It's a spreading lax habit, groundcover sort of plant and seeds itself anywhere there's irrigation but not terribly invasive. Needs full sun in the mornings to bloom well, and the flowers only stay open until mid-day. I sure can send you some starts if you'd like?
I think that term "naked ladies" is very loosely applied to any flowering plant that makes leaves early, then dies back and sends up flowers without any leaves later in the season. Lycoris do it here. In my garden in Salt Lake I had Autumn Crocus - Colchicum - that were also known as "naked ladies" because that's what they did. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/98056/
This message was edited Aug 1, 2012 11:35 AM
Just thought a little humor (albeit juvenile) was due! LOL
It does restore the balance, for sure.
Elaine, I think we have a trade pending for this fall. You always send me the nicest plants, so if you want to toss a start in, that would be wonderful! I'm still waiting for you to tell me when to send your Clerodendron ugandense.
Sure, I'll make a note to throw in a few of those. I think we really should wait until September to send any plants back and forth, because of the heat, don't you? It's been really cookin' here the last 10 days or so. The little starts of Clero 'Shooting Star' I potted for you are doing great. I'm feeding them sparingly so they don't get too darned big to send to you.
I do have seeds of the dwarf poinciana for both you and Debra that won't be harmed by the heat. They're almost finished exploding - the pods twist and pop when they dry out, and the seeds fly all over! I figured that might not be a great thing to send through the mail, they might think we're terrorists! So I've got them in a box with netting over the top so I don't have to hunt for the seeds all over the place.
Elaine, I am THE WORST at growing from seed - that's a kind offer, but I will let you send them to someone who can grow from seed.
I will hold on to your plants until Sept.
Drew.......we know ( and love you)....LOL...
Elaine, If you have an extra I'd like a cutting or two of the Barleria, I'm sure I can come up with something for you.
Here's Anthurium radicans x splendium...Lovey inflorescence. Philo. gloriosum in the background. Elaine this is the one you picked up for me...I LOVE it.
Hoya finlaysonii rippled leaf
Martha, that is just gorgeous!
Martha that hoya is something special. Love both the bloom and the leaf!!!!
It has been a while since I have checked in here but first I have to say, lovely plants and great growing everyone. Debra, bless your sisters heart and I am so sorry she is still having to deal with all that she is going through and I sure hope she gets better very soon. Prayers to you and all.
Rita, it sure is nice to see you posting photos again and I hope all is still going well with you and your plans. I have a couple of plants for you and I'll send them when the time is right.
Martha, I like that Anthurium (of course) but it sure looks alot like radicans x dressleri. If you do not mind me asking, where did you get it?
Those are some pretty fabulous leaves, Mj, and a killer hoya flower, too. I'm loving my P. gloriosums, too. Be glad to send you a start of the coral Barleria.
The Monardas you sent me last summer are a huge lovely clump of nice scented foliage, but still no flowers. Are they late bloomers? Any advice??
Monardas need cold temps during winter to bloom, did it get cold there Elaine?
I have never heard of Barleria.
Still waiting for one of the three hoyas I have to bloom.
*sigh*
getting ready to come inside the big pot, will be broken down and everything in it re-potted and put down in the now getting full jungle downstair..
p giganteum is pretty happy there, might leave him be..
been breaking down the plants in this area to bring in the stand, desert rose has finished her flush, will have to get a smalll stand to keep her outside the rest of the summer..
the more I cut on this jasmine, the more it blooms.. I have three rooted starts yippee!
Last pic is of the area behind where I sit at night..
just wetting your appetites for special morning glorys here
Good morning to all my Friends! Deb, those mg's are lovely - lucky you!
GM, my good friends.. where is my cheese? and.. the mousetrap? gee, it ran away with everything! LOL my morning jolt is checking those traps.
Sister called me and sounds so much better.. Se called at 6:30 so you know she feels better already .. Anyway.. windy and cool this am. I like it even tho I keep waiting for one of the neighbors trees to snap from lack of watering.looking at everything in a positive manner.... if a tree breaks, more branches grow right?
Deb, that is ONE way to look at it!
Ah ha! That must be the problem, we did have a warm winter so the Monardas probably didn't get enough of a chill. I have them on the north side of the house where they are shaded all day in the winter, so it's about the coldest spot in the garden. Still, I only had to cover stuff a couple of nights all winter against cold temps. Next winter I will put ice cubes on them . . . that's probably why some of my daylilies didn't bloom, too.
These small red ones are faithful bloomers, and even re-bloom a few times during the summer.
Hi All!
I just purchased the coral barleria this year and it bloomed a few days after being in the ground! I do have an established pink barleria and will be cutting it back if anyone wants a start.
Dyzzy - my daylilies did not bloom this year either :( Must be the same as you - too hot.
Debra - your morning glories are awesome! I especially love the multicolored. The nursery where I purchased the Jamaican Croton had a four o'clock that had kind of a caudex at the base and then it was pruned almost like a bonsai! Of course, I thought, "oh I'll get that next time". Well, wouldn't you know it when I went back it was gone - ugh!