To all the tropical peeps; Please enjoy thought provoking pictures, gardens and other odds and ends from the world of heat and humidity.
We came from here;
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1272026/ Tropical Plants and Gardens #123
Thanks Drew, I was just thinking I may start a new one, but you beat me to it. My baby, lol, seems to be doing great. I did find a little caterpillar on it yesterday! I looked for other but didn't see any.
All of my plants are being eaten alive by spider mites - I've sprayed Neem oil on them, which helps, but I can't afford to do ALL of them!
How about just giving them a bath with a very mild solution of Dr. Bronner's soap. A teaspoon to a gallon in a hose end sprayer, it is just enough to break the surface tension of the water. Do that several times a week and "wash" everything in the yard until the subsequent generations of the mites are all gone. I often do this just as a preventative.
It's amazing how close tree frogs will let you toward them before they will move away. Somebody had a "brood" in the petiole region that probably holds a pint of water in one of my big Alocasias. There are 15-20 of those little guys about a 3/4'' long on the leaves in the morning, when, I go out and sit to drink my coffee.
Yes, Drew - it is amazing. I have a bunch of babies in the greenhouse and they just don't know fear - they hop away at the last second.
awsome pics....
That is a great tip Ardesia, I have used Neem this year to try to keep the lubbers at bay. I have had an issue with spider mites in the past so I will have to keep this in mind. I love Dr. Bronner's products!
My cheaper sprayer mix ...... Windex, non scented soap, mollassas ( make it stick) , epsom salts, a can of beer, a splash of ammonia,a dollop of vegetable oil, and I add miracle grow or some kind of high nitro ferts along with a mosquitoe dunk in the sprayer ( it sticks to the bottom of the sprayer) and this year I added some mosquitoe killer, ( pyrethins concentrate) and some worm killer to my mix. It seems to help.. Mix a Gallon, shake and fill sprayer. That should last ya all growing season. drench soil with heavy soap suds. I use anti bacterial soap for that, it has really helped with all bugs in soil. I wish I had some more Forbid, one ounce lasted me two years in and out. I only used that inside, as it is not good for friendly critters. I also add a mega B vitamin tablet to th gallon. In winter I substitute the vege oil for tea tree oil. It makes the mix smell good.My local feed n seed store has the pryetins concentrate, but it is only 10%. I use a 70 Percent I get from Amazon, and after shipping, it is the same price as my local store, only stronger..
I've missed you all!!! Here is my plumeria in bloom!
Debra, I guess you are killing the worms because these are mostly indoor plants? For outdoors I encourage worms, the more worms you have, the better the soil is.
Alice, I am talking about the loper worms and inch worms and all those ones that chew holes in leaves and eat the centers out of the zinnias.. ;/
did I scare everyone away? Helllloooooo.. LOL
tuber rose is blooming.
milkweeds are blooming again.. I had cut them back earlier..
Salvia from MJ is blooming..
Hey Deb,
my tuberose is blooming too...buy there are so many weeds around it I can't take a picture. that last pic I think is Agastache..
I've been swamped. College kids cramming in extra riding lessons before they head off for school. Several are enrolled in equestrian programs at their colleges so it's been like
"summer school" around here.
gotta go picture shooting soon, it's a jungle out there with all the rain lately.
Hi All -
I've been away visiting my family for a week. I just walked out into my garden today, it looks like I will be trimming and pulling weeds tomorrow! It's been a full time job just to keep up with everything with all of this rain. I will have to take some new pics as well. My new barleria amethyst is blooming already.
Hello Everyone, like a bad penny, I am back. I enjoy these threads so much. Thanks to everyone for their comments and pictures. Like Kay I am fighting pests. It is something I go through every summer, it just seems to be worse this year.
Hi LiliMerci good to see you!
RachelLF, I will d- mail soon concerning a trade. I would like to see how much your aroids has grown.
I have nothing blooming at this time except a couple of Bromeliads and a new ginger but wanted to post something anyway.
Aechmea Del Mar
Anthurium with noid Bromeliad bloom
Bromeliad with grasshoppers
Bromeliad with frog
Bromeliad with pups.
My little house and jungle in Placencia, Belize. It will probably take a month to prune and tidy this little yard but I love it!
house
Travellers palm and Oleander
Cashew tree in background
Orchid tree and red ginger to hide septic tank
Dock
Curcuma Red Torch
Dock with orchid and mango tree
Hey guys! Just got back from our honeymoon last night! I'll try to post some pics, along with a list of plants in each sometime later tonight (they had some interesting plants at the various theme parks, including those tropical epiphytic pitcher plants in the Hogwarts greenhouse at Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure).
Rita, everything looks wonderful!
HT, welcome back - we would love to see pictures!
If you ever need any help down there Rita...
I'm with Drew - just send me a 1-way ticket and I'm there!!!
Hi Rita - your place in Belize looks so cozy! I love all of your flowers and foilage. I really like your red curcuma too.
OK, as promised, here's a FEW pics:
First one is a pic of the exterior of Hogwarts Castle at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure. Second one is the hanging Pitcher Plants in the Hogwarts Greenhouse, which was part of the waiting area to get into the "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" ride.... These Pitcher Plants are 100% real. Third pic is my wife and I standing in front of the Tree of Life at Disney's Animal Kingdom, and lastly, a pic of our wedding rings.
Hello, I too am turning up like the bad penny, from a trip up to Canada. Got in at midnight, but my brain thinks it's 9pm so I am wide awake . . will post pictures tomorrow, hoping there's lots of new blooms out there.
Great pictures, everyone! Rita, what a lovely spot you have down there in Belize. HT, congrats, you two sure look happy.
Going back a bit further, wanted to comment on the various spray recipes - mine involves using my lavender liquid hand soap along with Deb's additive of a slop of Windex in each 2gal. sprayer. Lavender is supposed to be insect repellent as well as anti-bacterial and it does seem to have kept some leaves on my Brug. Charles Grimaldi which was heavily infested with spider mites the week before I left. I sprayed it thoroughly 3 times that week, and rinsed it off with the hose the day after spraying each time. I think the life cycle is so quick in the warm weather that you really have to stay on top of the little bugs, and spray repeatedly to get all the generations as Alice mentioned.
I also spray my brugs and other things with the weak orchid fertilizer that my orchids get misted with every day. That's in another sprayer. Read somewhere that lots of plants that live in warm climates feed more heavily through their leaves when it's hot and humid.
Rita, I am envious!!! So beautiful!
Lots of growth out in my garden since I left on vacation - I'm especially thrilled with these heliconias - H. Lady Di - which I bought just before I left, and just plunked the pots out into the border where they would get watered.
Congratulations on your marriage, HT!
Drew, the leaf in your last post is big enough to be a jib for our sailboat! Wow, gorgeous.
I know I keep posting these, but the flower heads on my Brazilian Red Cloak just keep getting bigger and better - they are a foot tall and 10in wide now. It's the prettiest thing I see when I look out my bedroom window in the mornings.
I also got a new Mandevilla that is dark velvety red, the picture really didn't capture the flower color very well at all. My little pale yellow Abutilons are much happier now that I potted them up - it sure is a good thing to go away for a vacation, you get so much done before you can leave!
Where is everyone? It is a perfect day here in Red Oak today, we must have done something right.
Thanks for all the nice comments on my vacation house. I have had a few visitors that planned to help me with yard work, but it all changed when they found the ocean and the beach side restaurant bars. lol
homer1958, incredible growth on your Alocasia!! It seems as if your white chair is shrinking.
Hikaro_akayama, Congratulations, wishing you a long and happy marriage! You guys make a very cute couple.
dyzzy, glad to have you back, I hope that you had fun on your visit.
Love the H Lady Di, I will have to check my local nurserys to find one. I seem to have good luck growing Heliconias.
It made my day to see you enjoying the Brazilian Red Cloak. I bought a purple Mandevilla a couple of years ago. It's still alive but no blooms so far, lets see your's.
I have a few oldies (shown before) still blooming
Golden Crinum
Crinum Queen Emma in the sun, it is great in pots, the leaves are 6"-8" wide, with Beautiful big fragrant blooms. I will have a few starts to share of each, with people on this thread, next month.
noid vine from my first trade on DG
These are a Blue potato bush from Rj, Castor bean from Kimarj and Red Ruellia from mj.
Kopsia fruticosa, with a few blooms today. Can't wait for it to be covered in flowers. from rj
Canna from Joeswife. The flowers are smalI but quite the hummingbird magnet.
I have to throw in a few Bromeliads, the last basket is a new noid from the sale rack
Amazing flowers, Rita!
I am amazed every time I come on here and see the incredible plants you guys post!
Thank You All!!!
Rita, the Heliconia 'Lady Di' came from Home Depot, and they had lots of them. You should try there first if you want some. I had my garden helper plant them out in the front yard, but now I'm missing them where they were, so I'll have to go get some more.
Here's the dark red Mandevilla . . . I just can't get the color to come out right in the pictures, it looks magenta, but the real color is a velvety burgundy shading crimson. Love it.
I have that same Caesalpinia Pulcherimma, a dwarf form of Poinciana. Those flowers are so great, and it just blooms and blooms. My kind of plant! I've given up on the Crinums although I do love the flowers and fragrance. They just don't last very long here. So nice to be able to enjoy yours in pictures!
This message was edited Aug 20, 2012 8:34 PM
The drawf poinciana is beautiful!
Rita, I am envying your garden and yes, I would spend all my time at the beach too, but it would be a hard choice - garden? beach? :) Oh, Rita, I think I killed that Vietnamese ginger. I have to take a picture of the one I have left to see if it is the one. No flower, just leaves though.
I am amazed every time I come on here and see the incredible plants you guys post!
Thank You All!!!
Deb, you haven't called me back from a week ago - everything o.k.?
LOL....Rita I just wanna go park in that Hammock !!
It's been raining like crazy here...I think we might be caught up now...
A few Philos from Cassie....that girl hooked me up last year !!
Painted Lady, and not sure of the id's on the rest....maybe someone can help...
The last Philo grazliae I got from Efg...I keep wrapping it around the pot otherwise it would go straight up and flop over.
Those are some awesome Philos, mj. The second one looks like a giant passionvine in the leaf shape. Love the shiny dark green leaves on the grazliae. I see your Looking Glass begonia in that first pic, too. Looks great! Keep your gumboots handy, more rain in the forecast. We haven't had nearly as much as you, but it poured last night.
Cassie sent me a Philo awhile back that is so pretty and going strong, but noID. Anybody? Dark green mature leaves, red stems.
Speaking of begonias, Alice, my Don Miller from you has seeded itself and even came true! Check this out! There's a third seedling around the other side of the pot, too.
Red and pink Abutilons. Last pic shows a seedling of C.Pulch (pic above in my last post) that popped up while I was away. So the seeds are viable! Who wants some?
This message was edited Aug 21, 2012 11:08 AM
Rita, your unknown red-blooming vine (in post Post #9247971, above) is Manettia vine - lovely plant - I have them in several places in my yard.
