A new thread for a new month!
Rock rose
Red Ruellia which I though I'd lost but it's back!
Obedient Plants and Flame Acanthus
Frostweed
Passiflora Foetida
September Blooms
White Pampas Grass
I saw some pampas grass on my walk this morning! I remember when I was growing up, some neighbors had it on the outside of their fence line beside a drainage ditch that we kids liked to ride our bikes on.
Liatris mucronata has started blooming. Each year it flops over, so this year, I set a tomato cage over it to keep it upright. Not sure how well it worked! LOL
My Liatris sprawls all over. I am seriously considering whether it is worth the space it takes up. It too is just starting to bloom. I am more into quicker gratification and may take the Liatris out.
That's why I decided on the tomato cage to free up the ground space underneath.
I pulled out the tall liatris, just too ugly too me. I am trying a short species but it too is laying prostrate.
I think someone gave me these bulbs. Are they school house lilies? I bought a few on sale but have no idea where they are or what they were...
Those might be the hurricane lilies I gave you two springs ago. They were from an old homestead near me. They have many names but only bloom in the fall, during our hurricane season. They look very happy.
Joy
Yes, Cheryl, they are schoolhouse lilies AKA hurricane lilies or oxblood lilies.
Night Blooming Cereus---just given to me by a friend.
Thanks for posting. I had never seen one. It's really beautiful.
They're all so pretty! I have a night blooming cereus that I've been trying to grow for awhile now but I can't get it to bloom. Is yours in full sun?
My cutting came from this one, growing up a palm tree in Palm Beach,FL.
That is an amazing plant Sweetmommy.!!
My friend who lives about 3 blocks from me came down here last week, leading her 98 pound dog and lugging a Night blooming Cereus in a heavy ceramic pot. She said that I just had to have this plant and have it before it bloomed. So, I can't take any credit for it. She had it on the east side of her house, so morning sun and afternoon dappled shade. She also has 2 others that are about 5 feet tall and bloom more. Is it possible your cutting is just too young? I really don't know much about these except what she told me and what I read after she left. I do love that bloom though.
I'll keep trying, thanks! They smell heavenly, too!
And, Josephine- It was! The palm tree was about 30 feet tall and the cereus went all the way to the top. I nabbed a few FL plants that I'm determined to grow here. Does anyone know someone who has a Royal Poinciana that has survived in TX? Mine is 2 years old now and about 2 feet tall but I'm determined!
A pretty wildflower-Josephine, do you know what it is?
Pink Ruellia and oops, I forgot
Pentas- They never fail!
Butterfly Pea Vine
Pidgeonberry
It looks like Low Wild Petunia, Ruellia humilis. Is the plant slightly hairy?
I know y'all could be tired of looking at my Esperanza but I thought it looked so good with all those dying plants in the foreground (chuckle). 2 is my golden dewdrop duranta and then 3&4 are my frostweed + bee.
Those are mighty nice plants Marty.
Josephine, it is and your right! I looked it up on the Johnson wildflower files.
Marty, who would ever get tired of looking at Esperanza??? They're all beautiful and you're lucky you have a bee!
Royal Poinciana is my dream tree. I grew up with one on every corner. Here in Andrews, I have been told there is one growing in town but have yet to check it out. I would REALLY risk a lot to grow this tree here, but I know in my gut I don't have enough husbandry knowledge to make a go of it. I have the spot in my back already pick out!
Yeah for you Sweetmommy! I would really like to know how your progress is going. Not sure where you are located!
I'm new in this forum! :)
Welcome to the Texas forum Kbh69, I am afraid that zone 8 is much too cold for Royal Poinciana.
I'm 30 miles west of Houston. It barely survives here in 9 but I baby it hoping that if I can get it big and strong enough, it will survive. Of course, I'm probably dreaming........
I've grown a lot of night blooming cereus, but I've never seen one as full as the one in your picture, sweet mommy. That's a real mind blower.
As for growing, they do like filtered light and good air circulation. And humidity. Be very patient with your cereus. It will eventually bloom. And then it will bloom again. And again. They're so magnificent.
When I was living in Austin I was driving by and saw that an older man was having a plant sale in his yard. I stopped but didn't see anything too exciting. Then he said he thought I'd like this little plant that bloomed at night. And it was little alright! Feeling kinda sorry for him, I bought it and took it home.
It took years for the first bloom to appear. Then we started cuttings and finding other varieties of cereus. We had our timing down pretty good so we could tell exactly when a bloom was going to open. My XNDH would put up a ladder (all of our cereus plants were in hanging baskets) so we could watch as a bloom opened and the fragrance popped out. We would invite friends over for cereus watching parties. The blooms would die by sunrise.
I still can't believe that shortly after I left Austin that a red one bloomed. Rats! Waited years to see if that particular cereus would ever bloom. Oh, well.
Just want to add that there's confusion about the botanical nomenclature for the cereus. They're generally referred to as Epiphyllum or Epis for short. Since I'm not good with bot nom, I'm going to leave it there.
Don't mean to butt in, but I have a very old Cereus that has only bloomed once for ME. An old friend of my mother's gave it to me I was in Brownsville about 6 weeks ago. It started to bloom once, but the bloom did not complete it's cycle. It is probably not humid enough up here for it to be really happy. I am thinking of moving it into my "greenhouse" room with a humidifier. It is SOOOOOO dry here!
I garden cacti/succulents and xeric plants with reason!
Thanks for the welcome to this forum. There is much I need to learn!
Peace~
Kiley
How pretty Kbh69! Was yours fragrant?
And Txflowerchild- A red one? Now I'll be hunting one of those down!
I love the cereus, there are so many plants out there and I want to try them all after seeing them in y'all's gardens, but I only have a pale green thumb I think, and need those plants that can be abused.
kittirana gave me a tiny piece of Turks Cap that I stuck in a bed and totally forgot about. I spotted it yesterday while picking yellow tomatoes, I am so excited!
My Jack bean vine is going crazy, I have to just about cut my way out of the porch every morning.
My hurricane lilies bloomed and are such a delight. Last year my pups totally dismantled several labeled pots of rain lilies I had set out to plant. Yellow, pink, white, copper and red scattered all over the yard. So back in pots they went so I could label as they bloomed.
My red lantana blooms nonstop.
Very pretty, Joy!
Just putting 2 orange Lantana in the ground after Husband finishes lunch! Really glad I spied this forum! Familiar stuff!
Yes..... My dreams if a majestic Royal Poinciana in Andrews are just that.... Dreams! :) Still want to here about yours, Sweetmommy. If you would be so kind!
The bloom on my Cereus did not smell! My daughter and I stayed up to watch it bloom. We made a night of it! It was fun. She is entering her TWEEN years, so I appreciate any time she and I can hang out. The photos I posted were the last night shot and the first shot before sunrise the next morning. Still don't know why the bloom didn't open all the way. Culture shock! Maybe I'll start singing to it in Spanish every evening!
Mine had a very strong smell. Can't put my finger on how to describe it. I have heard sweet, but I don't think that was it on mine. The bloom was so beautiful though, especially the center.
Ok. A couple of tidbits. I have in my very possession a catalog from Rainbow Gardens (Vista, CA) that I bought in 1995 or so for $2. (Yes, I do occasionally throw old stuff away.) The catalog is for 'Flowering Jungle Cacti and Other Succulent Plants'. I remember that I was totally awestruck when I saw the different colors, sizes, etc. Fortunately I didn't order any b/c that was about the time I moved to Dallas and would have had a hard time with them here, esp. while I was renting an apt. The catalog itself has a wealth of info on planting and growing epis, etc.
Don't remember which I stumbled on first, but I also have a spiral-bound booklet that I bought for $3.95 from the Rainbow Gardens Bookstore. Don't know if it's still in print, but it's 'Epiphyllum Basics, A new gardener's guide to growing Epis'. Author is Sean Minogue.
I didn't do a search before posting this so I don't even know if Rainbow Gardens is still in bidness. This was in the early days of the 'net so the catalog does not include a website. If they're still around, I would imagine that they do have a website nowadays.
Kbh69 - when we first started growing epis we had some buds drop off before blooming. Could just make you cry!
Jordyn and I were a little bummed when the bloom never came to fruition. It sure was fun anticipating it though!
The photos I've seen of Epis in the wild are BEYOND cool. So is that Cereus growing up the Palm further up this thread!! Just seeing that would have made a trip to Florida worthwhile!
It's strange.... I have been using this website daily for a few months now and never thought to visit over here. May sound silly, but I feel like I'm talking to neighbors! Love it. Thank you. Texas is home ya'll!I
Kbh69 - yes, that's a picture of cereus growing up a palm. And I've also been using DG for quite some time but only recently have I let me inner chatty cathy out.
BTW, I once lived on an island and somewhere I have a picture I took of an old deserted building, a mill of some sort. I took the pic b/c I thought the vines on it were extraordinary. It was decades later that I learned about cereus and when I look back at that picture, I'm pretty sure that I was seeing cereus. Will post when I find the picture. And contrary to how I might sound, I am NOT a hoarder.
Hey. It's okay.... :). Just kidding!
That was loaded with sarcasm and good humor. Wish you could hear tone of voice on threads!
We need Emojis here! :)
I have too be more careful b/c I know that my written words can often be misconstrued. Any seeming sarcasm is really self-deprecation on my part. No offense too others is ever intended. (At this point it would be easy to add 'except to my XNDH', but I wouldn't do that.)
I promise too try to be clearer in future posts. Gotta run.