The Streptocarpus someone (who was it?) brought to the swap were gorgeous - it is making me re-think my vow to do no (well, very few) house plants -- though Ric's caution about their care is sobering.
ladysoth: Your aquariums are lovely.
your Mid At and Friends indoor gardens 2013
Happy, it was Marlene who brought the Streptocarpus. So pretty!
It was wilted when I checked on it last night. I definitely need to put it in a bigger pot asap.
Marlene: I'm sorry for not giving you proper credit -- the Streptocarpus were gorgeous!
ssgardener: The one think I remember Gita telling me is that the streps need to be pot-bound to bloom.
ladysoth- such lush aquariums! I never got beyond Anacharis, and plastic plants.
Scroll up about twenty posts to see what Va Wild Rose says about care.
Ladysoth, I was nodding as I read Sally's post, lush is the word! As well as the plants in our water features and our gardens do, we have never been successful with aquarium plants. We can even turn elodea into brown mush in record time, hence our aquarium in decorated with rocks. LOL Back when I had Mollies and Guppies I had to use those floating yarn thingys to protect the young. Ric
Really nice aquariums Ladysoth. They look so healthy and lush.
I'm trying streps for the first time this winter thanks to those gorgeous tempting photos that Va Wild Rose has been posting. I repotted them from the tiny 2" paper cup pots that they were shipped in to a 4" pot - still small, so I'm hoping that will be ok. If they really start growing, I plan to move them up to a 6" pot at the 6 - 8 month mark which will also change out the soil as per Va Wild Rose's tips. One question though, she said that she wasn't putting them in her window because of too much light, but has them under a T8 light. Is the light from a window that much brighter than a T8 light, what is the difference? I'm going by her recommendation and have mine under the T8 lights along with my early indoor seedlings. I'm really enjoying them. I can see myself going overboard with streps if I have any kind of success with these first few!
aspenhill- My one and only and first ever strep looks really happy, about eight inches or a foot from a south facing window and to the side a bit. It may be getting a trace of winter sun each pm.
My biggest issue with windowsill growing is that soon you get those blazing spring days where the sun just cooks the windowsill in an afternoon.
The sunlight from a full southern exposure is too much... it burns the leaves.
If my only east window in one bedroom was available, it would be perfect!
But that window is occupied by our birds!
I keep the T-8s on about 14 hours a day now. I can't explain it, but the fluorescent lights don't burn my plants.
Karen
Ladysoth... Your aquariums are gorgeous!
Happy---
I don't remember telling you that Streps need to be pot-bound. I have not had Streps long enough to
make such a statement....Maybe just a year and a half--and I only have two--from donner.
They are not blooming either--and i was asking for advice on why not...
Now I have three--thank you Marlene...
I may have been talking about AV's??? Or maybe Epis?
I resolve to feed my Streps more--and maybe they will bloom....Gita
The next time I have a day off that is dedicated to plants, I will take photos as I pot up, and post some tutorials soon.
Karen
Karen,
That would be a great help!! Maybe make an article out of it. We all have gotten a bit of strep this winter from you and your gorgeous plants. Marlene bringing some to the swap was such a treat. Thanks Marlene and Karen!
Karen, such a nice offer.
HA! "Strep Fever"
Maybe my sore throat was related to "Strep Fever instead of the flu after all. It can't be coincidence that I only got better once I had a few potted up and on my plant shelf LOL...
You must be very careful with strep fever!
Once you get bitten by the bug, you may never get rid of it!
LOL!
I think I am about to get that fever also. I was on The Violet site and oh my goodness my wish list is full. I do not want to ship anything this weather but I found several I would love to try. I must wait until it warms up to have anything shipped into here. With the USPS delivering most of the priority mail from places these days, if they do not ship on a Mon. or Tues. it will sit in a truck overnight in this cold weather and puff, there goes the plant. It is best to wait until the nighttime temps are above freezing. Even the severe cold could stress a young plant too much to expect it to survive and bloom in a few months. I would rather wait. But, I can feel the fever coming on and I think there has to be something to take for that other than a credit card held in your left hand for ten minutes. JB
JB.
My PO man swore to me that mail NEVER sits in a truck--anywhere. I asked....
If it's on a truck--it will be delivered.
Oh, my! Do I even dare to go look at the Violet barn? I really don't want to get sick with Strep....
G.
I'm going to get everyone in the mid-Atlantic sick with the strep bug!
It'll be bigger than the flu!
LOL!
The Violet Barn is a great place to buy streps, as well as other gesneriads too! And I even hear he has African Violets! ;o)
OK, Gita, far be it from me to argue with you regarding the USPS because I only know what happens in NJ. If it is not in a truck it is in another unheated place and either way, it is not good for the plants. I have been shipping plants for years and have begun to notice some of the bigger places are even delaying shipping depending on the type of plants they sell.
The Violet Barn gives you an option this time of year to ship on the date they choose, delay it or ship Express to insure overnight delivery. They will not guarantee plants on any type shipping except Express delivery. When you are in the business and people want their plants now, there is no way you can guarantee your plants will live through the process of the sudden changes in temperatures. Beginning in the Fall when the weather turns cooler, I always take the plants to be shipped out of the GH a few days before they ship and let them cool down from the warm GH to the normal everyday house temps. That saves them the stress of a very sudden change. If you live North of the Mason-Dixon Line and order plants in this weather you are shipping at your own risk for sure. This is just something to think about...that is why we have wish lists. LOL
Karen, I hope you have a Strep 101 ready for all of us. I can guarantee I will need some assistance or maybe just moral support. I am going to wait to order until the weather at night is above freezing for several nights. I want to be sure they are given a good chance. I must look and see where The Violet Barn is located. That will make a difference also.
Looking forward to the fever. JB
Dearest JB---
it is NEVER my intention to argue with you. I would, surely, lose.....:o)
Just passing on what I have been told. G.
I'm not a fighter Gita Honey, I am a lover. Especially on this thread. Everyone is so helpful and kind. I am happy to be here to learn what I can and get the fever too. JB
JB,
I recently ordered from Violet Barn (shipped Feb 6th), and want to pass on that the packing was pretty elaborate for protecting against the cold - the whole box was lined with some type of insulation. USPS will not deliver down my dirt road, so I have to pick up at the in-town Post Office. Box was on the delivery truck for the day, and then I'm guessing in the Post Office overnight. No damage at all to the plants when I picked up the next day and although not freezing, temps were pretty cold. Probably still a good idea to wait until temps are above freezing in your area, but with the type of packing they do you wouldn't need to wait until spring :)
Thanks aspenhill, that is good to know. I still am going to wait a few weeks at least. The temps at night are in the teens and it is just too cold and windy at this time. I am not shipping even South right now. Until they leave here, go to North Jersey to the sorting station (where is is colder than here),before going to more trucks or the airport, I know my tropicals or even the cactus will not make it without some damage and I pack pretty good too. (Ask Gita) I would rather be safe than sorry. If I am going to get Strep fever I want to do it right. Hugs. JB
You bet JB knows how to pack! Look and see!
1--Here is the big box that held 6--4" pots of CC's.
2--here is the way they were layered and packed inside
3--Each pot was wrapped in packing foam and the top of the soil was completely covered
4--AHH...All unpacked now. the only casualty? That one little segment broken off.
5--A couple months later (Jan.)--they are happily growing on my kitchen counter top.
under my task light. Still in the same pots...Waiting to see if they might bloom again.
Each one is a different color. I can't wait!!!!!! Gita
I have ordered from Rob's three times this winter... End of Nov. and twice in Jan. I did not opt for the express shipping because I refuse to pay $35 for shipping. I opted for the regular Priority Mail shipping, for which they do not guarantee the plants from November 1st to April 15th. I have had no problem with any of my orders. They pack incredibly well. Now that being said, our winter up through that time had been incredibly mild, and I would place my orders with the following week's weather in mind. I personally have a P.O. Box and I have been told by my postal people that packages sent by USPS Priority Mail never sit outside. For the past 2-3 weeks, we have had very cold temps, as have most of you, and I would not personally place an order from them at this time. If/when our temps get back onto the 50s day/30s night, I would not hesitate to place an order from them. The other nice thing about the VB, if you have ordered from them before, you can write a review about a plant you have ordered, and then write "FREEBIE" in the comments of your current order, and they will send you a free plant!!
JB... I will be working on a photo tutorial of how I pot up my streps... possibly even tomorrow. It may take me a day or two to get it posted.
I appreciate all the nice compliments everyone has made about my streps. As I said before, I have had my own learning curve and have killed a few to get where I am now. These are not the kind of house plants you can neglect, but if you are willing to give them a little TLC and a few specific requirements, they are very rewarding! The blooms last for 2-3 weeks in the cooler weather. My DS-Polar Summer started with two blooms on Feb. 2nd, and it now has five blooms, with the original two blooms still going strong 17 days later!
I love my streps, and I can make converts of all of you! LOL!
Karen
Karen, USPS Priority Mail is routinely left outside at destination addresses here and in Vermont. Also, depending on weather flights can be delayed or rerouted to alternate 'hubs' Example, plants shipped from Fla to Md usual hub Atlanta...alternate hub Pittsburg then to BWI Baltimore. As far as I know, all freight shipped via air is shipped in the unheated holds of planes. lol even indorr gardeners need to be aware of and watch the weather!
I like your approach to ordering and shipping of plants JB and Karen. Seems wise to me.
Coleup, you are correct about the Priority mail being left outside. The other day a priority box was left in the mailbox by the road. The day before that a Priority Mail envelope was left on the porch in the rain and nearly blew away. That is why I am so fussy about not trusting the USPS even with priority. So much depends on your mail person, too. One of my mail men will bring it up the lane, get out of the truck and ring the door bell and hand the mail to me. When he knows the package has plants, he is especially caring and careful. On the other hand, the other one throws the pack of mail on the porch and drives off, not caring it if blows or what, just knowing it did not fit in the box by the road and he had to drive up the lane with it. He is such a jerk.
And, Express...forget that. You pay for it but that does not mean if you live on a farm that you get it delivered until they are good and ready. When I worked for the Horse Breeding Farm, we got checks delivered by Express and many times they brought it with the regular mail. No special deliveries anymore. LOL. Just food for thought here. It may be different in every State. Off to process orders and tell them I am not shipping until next week if it warms up. Later.
Since we are rural, I like when the timing is right for our daily mail carrier to bring express and priority mail with her. She usually brings them to the door, unless it's just an envelope, the express and priority drivers usually just throw them on top of the mail boxes by the road. They may slip it into a plastic bag if it's raining. Definitely not the service we pay for. I think Fedx and UPS ground is almost as quick and from what I've experienced, better cared for. Ric
Have had probs shipping and receiving packs with UPS and FedX, too. Current best way for me to have best chances of timely receiving a package is to have it delivered to my local UPS store for pick up there. The FedX store is open 24 hours but haven't tried them lately. Like gardening, we find what works for us and keep doing it til it stops working or we find a better way.
This Easter being earlier than most (1st Sunday after the !st full moon after the Spring Equinox =date of Easter) is pushing growers/shippers and retailers weather wise so they can catch those Easter plant sales. Most big box store growers ship straight out of greenhouse conditions in unheated tractor trailers and trucks. Most stores are still loathe to deal with 'live goods' as their models are for hard goods with plants being a loss leader to bring in customers to buy high ticket or more durable goods.
JB I like that you acclimate your greenhouse plants to real world conditions before you ship them.
Kudos to all delivery people out there who serve their customers well, under- appreciated as we are!
The Alsobia is blooming it has 4 blooms open and a few more buds that haven't opened yet.
Holly,
Wow looks great!!
Ric took cuttings on this so I should have some plants to share this spring. It is a really nice plant.
Great, I'll keep an eye for it.
I can't wait for the spring swap, I should have a bunch of rhodos for it!
Cool! Sorry I didn't get around to cuttings for goodie bags... good intentions and all that...
Believe it or not, I'm just now trying to finish up potting amaryllis bulbs! Poor things. When I have them squared away, I'll start sowing seeds and sticking cuttings. Looks like I may have to put a few amaryllis pots on the heat mat to encourage them to break dormancy, but most are starting up on their own. I did find one little bulb that tried its best to bloom upside down in the bottom of a pot. Oops.
Just got a notice from the Farm Bureau regarding a problem that began last year and seems to have plagued the flowering impatiens plant. It is called "downy mildew". It surfaced in NJ last year and has no known antidote. I am not sure if this is just a NJ problem or not. You may want to check with your growers or suppliers and see if they have a problem with their impatiens plants. This is a very challenging disease and the growers here in NJ know about it and I am sure the consumers will soon be aware of it. Have a good evening. Jb
JB we have thread where we are discussing the problem. Come on over and check it out.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1298071/
Holly, nice plant. I've been more interested in houseplants this winter than ever before, especially anything that blooms. I'd love a cutting when the time comes. Paul, bring on the rhodies! Hopefully I'll have a variety of shade plants to share this year at the swap too...
Terri - Devon's always ISO of shade plants - sure she'll be happy to hear what you have. One of my supervisors LOVES to talk plants (and dogs - how happy am I?!). Her yard is mostly shade though. So I'm happy to take any extras you might have of plants you've had good luck with in the shady areas.
Yes, Chantell's right -- I'm even considering changing my DG name to Shady_Macomb! Or maybe Clay-ey_Macomb. Sigh.
And I'm all ears, especially this year, for shrubs that can handle a mostly shady area and no supplemental watering.... We water the near part of our yard, but I want to put shrubs around the perimeter in the back, and I don't want to water there. (I know that baby rhodies and azaleas need a lot of water to succeed.)
Paul: What is your method for propagating the rhodies? The only one I've had success with for rhodies and other azaleas is to put a stone on a low-hanging branch and wait a year.... Cutting just having worked for me. I know timing is everything with cuttings, but I've tried really hard in the past. What I haven't done is stick them in the ground (well-prepared) outside and turn a glass jar over them -- that is what I'll try next.