November Blooms 2013

Thanks Becky and Josephine! It's always a work in progress and I add new areas every year. The yellow flowers are mums that I dug up this summer at my Granny's house in IA as they were overtaking her annual bed and she wanted them gone. They have flourished down here and I was surprised at how well they bloomed considering I moved them later than I thought I should have. They have a "simpler" flower than the ones I've bought here but don't know why. She said when she planted them there were lots of different colors but they all reverted to yellow. Here's a close up picture of one.

Thank you for showing them, they are very pretty.

Beautiful!

My Copper Canyon Daisies are really putting on a show. They're not blooming as prolifically as last year, but it's still a pretty sight.

I'm looking at planting some Blackfoot Daisies this weekend! Help provided :)

Aw I have been looking for Blackfoot daisy seeds ever since I saw them blooming along the highway enroute to Austin. They are gorgeous, but I may be biased as I'm part Blackfoot Indian! Lol gooood luck!! :)

I love those. Would like to get them started here. Dont know if they will grow here or not. Have to do some research.

Blackfoot daisies are so finicky! They are difficult to grow from transplants. Not sure if they produce seeds??

Yet they grow on the side of the road!! That is truly frustrating.

I love Blackfoot daisies but I have given up on them, they don't like me.

I agree! I love them, too, but can't keep them alive a full season EVER. My neighbor, who kills practically everything she plants, has huge clumps of them in her backyard. Frustrating!

They really like to be ignored. You can kill them with too much kindness.

Thanks for the info! I'll be sure to ask the nurseryman. He has been reliable so far :)

Mine don't always live a long time but they reseed a lot.

No Blackfoot Daisies until Spring. Although he has them for sale, my trusty Nurseryman suggested I wait. ID like to give them a try though.... For sure. In a portion of my lawn, I'm aiming for a wildlife sanctuary. They would fit in nicely.

QUESTION
The shrubs I put in have suffered foliage damage from the cold. They are well mulched, and I have confidence the root systems are well on their way. Should I cut back the foliage to allow for greater root development.
Just a reminder* I come from cactus/succulent territory. Shrub care is new to me. Bear with me. I'm a very quick study!

That depends on the shrubs you planted. What are they? that will help to tell us whether they need cutting back or not.

Hi Josephine. I hope you are having a nice day so far. weather is gorgeous here!
My Fire Bush looks really sad although it has been in the ground the longest by a few weeks. The Esperanza and Bird of Paradise look sad but are holding their own.

I have read that foliage needs to be cut back to redirect energy to root development....

Thanks for answering.

Kiley

kbh69---I planted a Firebush last spring. I found that it had to have daily watering or it drooped and looked really bad. Of course, that was spring and the temps were higher. But, I read that it needs a lot of water until it is established then not so much. I would think that it true of almost any newly planted shrub. Needs help getting some roots established.

Hello Kiley, I see that we are in the same zone 8a, so a suppose the same handling applies to both of our yards.
The Fire Bush, do you know the scientific name? sometimes common names can lead to misunderstanding.
I think you are referring to Hamelia patens
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/cemap/firebush/firebush.html

If so, it can be root hardy with good protection, you can cut it back to about 6 inches and put a good layer of mulch around the stem extending all the way to the roots, this plant is tender in our zone.

Do the same thing for the Esperanza it is also tender in this zone but can be so beautiful.

The Bird of Paradise is a little hardier and you only need to cut it back if you don't want a tree form.
Otherwise you can mulch it and let it grow in the shape you like.

Yes, it is a Hamelia patens. Apologies for not being more specific earlier. I took care to water well up until recent temperature drops. After planting, I fortified all my new shrubs with a "quick start" type of solution followed by frequent, regular watering.
That being said... I planted all three shrubs 4 weeks ago.

Am I hearing a collective GASP?

No Gasp here, fall is the best time to plant in this area especially shrubs.

Glad I didn't hear a gasp. All research I had done suggested it was a good time to plant! Didn't want to think I had lost my mind!!

I took photos of the shrubs I'm concerned about. Would you mind taking a look? I'd appreciate some more insight.

Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Tecoma stans
Hamelia patens

Thanks.
Kiley

I thought you had Caeselpinia gilliesii.
http://ag.arizona.edu/pima/gardening/aridplants/Caesalpinia_gilliesii.html
Pulcherrima is not hardy here, you will have to cut that one back too. But you can wait till cold weather sets in, cutting back too early can be counter productive.
I would extend the mulch a little wider and make it thicker since your shrubs seem to be very exposed to wind and cold.

This message was edited Nov 16, 2013 10:14 AM

We have lots still blooming here, although most are finishing up.
Belinda's Dream, has big cabbage roses, hopefully I can get a pic of one fully open before the rain hits.
Tx flower child, this is my torch aloe, yours will bloom in a couple years.
My Beauty Berry, I have it tied nine ways from Sunday because it has so many berries it can't stand up.
My duranta is starting back up, much to the bees delight.

My weeping bottlebrush is blooming yet again.
Coral vine still going strong.
Creeping lantana.
My lespedeza is happy by my koi pond.

Joy,
Do you have a picture of your 'Belinda's Dream' rose bush? I want to put a few rose bushes in the new area I'm doing and that was one that was recommended to me. Has it been a healthy plant for you?

Here you go, the first two are my Belinda's Dream. It has only been in the ground since last fall and was fairly puny then. It has thrived even with neglect, bad soil, and a few nibbling goat kids. And although there is no scale, that bloom is at least 5" across. It will only get better.
I know that isn't flowers, but in a land where we don't get fall color, I couldn't resist showing my little persimmon.
And my Peggy Martin is gearing up again, it is covered with buds.

Not growing in my yard but it is a bloom and I waited a year to see it!

Aw little cutie, lithops right? Was it just propagated last year? I've never seen one with purple blooms.. Really pretty.

Argryoderma actually. Spelling?

Aah okay, I thought maybe it was a lithops "shedding".. I'm new to the world of succulents but I so love them! I did a bit of googling and someone likened argryoderma to a turtle's head, some of them really do look like one! Look at these "turtle" buddies from succulentguide.com :D

Here is another shot of my firespike with a couple pink brug blooms and another shot of my large turk's cap which is just covered with blooms now.

steadycam3--You gave me a Firespike at the fall RU. Can't wait for it to look like that. How tall and how wide can I expect it to get? I also read that it is evergreen which is a definite bonus to me.

Here it gets about 5'X5' but keep in mind it seldom freezes to the ground here. In 2009 everything here froze to the ground when we had back to back series of 4-5 days of

Thanks. I must give it plenty of room then. Much of my stuff just freezes half back if at all. But considering the temp today, who knows what will happen this year!! Richard built me a tiny greenhouse for my birthday, so the firespike is currently warm and happy.

I am now living in the greenhouse. I have about 15 varieties of coleus to overwinter and they cant take anything below 40* so the window in the guest bath is full, the master bath window is full, the stair landing is full and the 6X6 living room window is full. In addition my kitchen bar which has grow lights is also full. One window has all my African violets which are permanent residents in that window.

Now, am I supposed to feel guilty about giving you the Henna coleus? LOL I still have all the windows full, because I did say "tiny" greenhouse. We have a boat parked in the side yard, so there was only room for a 2 1/2 X 8 foot lean to on the side of the house and it is stuffed full already.. It is the south side which is great. Tonight may be the test of the small electric heater I put in there. I still have a lot of large plants inside. The part I hate is with the plants come a gazillion gnats!!

You definitely are living in the greenhouse, but what's a flower lover to do???

It looks like you are overloaded too Marty, but what else can you possibly do?

Bezzie, you might try hanging a couple fly ribbons above the plants. It controls the gnats for me. If I bring in any new soil it catches those that hatch out and so none to lay eggs for a second batch.

No, Bezzie, I love that coleus even more than some of the others I have. Ive pinched until I have about 6 of the ones you gave me.

Jo, Ive got something rooting all the time so Im used to living in the green house.

I have gnat problems in my greenhouse "room." I've used a combination of things.
I dust seedlings with cinnamon and it works like a charm. For my larger containers, I had a VERY difficult time. I really wanted to keep things organic, but was left with no alternative other than a systemic, granular pesticide. I used a Bonide product because it came highly recommended by a MG friend. Once they go back outside, I will stop using it. I hated doing it, but the plants are in a room inside my house. Necessity dictated.....

The three shrubs of concern I posted on Nov. 16th have been chalked up to ignorance. I've cut them back, spread more mulch further out and continue to water if the sun has been out and the temps agreeable. We'll see what happens. I should have eavesdropped on you Gals a little longer.

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!
Kiley

I hope yours was good too.
Don't worry about the shrubs, I think you did the right thing.