Actually, just 2 or 3 dozen plants make up most of professionally installed landscaping. While arranged in different combinations and/or patterns, it is mostly the same mix of plants, sort of Taco Bell-esque. You can generally tell where gardeners live because they tend to have a wider mix of plants.
PLANT ADDICTS CHAT # 2
That's really interesting, Greenthumb! Around here, one of those 2 or 3 dozen is definitely Liriope muscari!
For me, one of the interesting things about driving to other areas (e.g., up to PA) is to see a shift in the landscape-favored plants.
We drove up to PA on Saturday and stopped at a rest stop near York. It was really cool--they had a garden there that looked like a real garden rather than a cookie-cutter landscape area. It was nice to see.
Yeah up here though the big ones are so tired and boring. Let's see, if I was a landscaper for a builder, I'd plant, arborvitae, leyland cypress, boxwood, spirea, knockout rose, liriope, bradford pear, red maple, clump birch, golden mop cypress. There's the list for up here. The go-to plants, which all serve a purpose and I even have a few of them but like GT said, gardeners have more variety. People like low maintenance. A lot of the new houses going up here are huge 350-400K houses and they are right on top of each other because they have no yard.
Azalea, yew, forsythia, and crabapple used to be de rigeur around here, either builder or new Harry and Hazel Homeowner installed.
Nobody plants yew these days. I guess all the kids grew up who were brainwashed 'don't eat those red berries (on yew) they're poisonous!!!!!!! and they're afraid of them.
Funny, Sally---
The other day a man came to garden and he was looking for Yews.
I was not sure we had them...
Wei walked around to see if we had any...and VOILA!--there were
4 of them in the back. He bought two....happy as a lark.
At my place--3 of the shrubs i still have in front of my house were from the builders.
My two big Junipers and a Yew. Quite an accomplishment--as my house was built in 1969.
The two Hemlocks are pretty old too...
Regular trimming has kept them "presentable'....but their size sure has increased,
blocking access to the area behind them near the house.
G.
Yeah Yews were so popular in the 70s. A lot of houses in our neighborhood have them. Now they are gigantic! The house next door to us has a yew that is about 5' tall and 12' wide. It doesn't get berries though otherwise it would look nice.
Seq, I got all excited this morning, I thought I saw a pink blooming sapling ROS for you, But it was a pink knockout rose I forgot I had moved there in fall- rats!
pfft, style even affects plant sales, people want novelty. I think it's time they bring back the Swedish Ivy that Gita has kept going but you never see in the nursery.
Hey, Gita, my son has a cubicle now and will need one!
Oh man Sally, I'm going to have to look up your previous post with the pic so I can oggle the bloom :)
Sally, is your son in need of a curly spider plant for his office? I have a few of those.
I have an overload of Curly Spider plants....as well as the regilar ones. Loads!
I have an overload of AV's--most have not bloomed for me now for 4 years.
Must not have the right light. I have them all under the hanging lamp.
I have an overload of smaller Holiday Catus--all growing well...most have bloomed...
Re Swedish ivy---I have a HUGE HB of it--the "mother-lode"...
and I have a tray full of rooted ones that i will take to the Swap. been pinched already.
It IS weird that this plant is no longer sold anywhere! It is SO easy to
propagate from cuttings....and SO beautiful--shiny green leaves--disease-free...
Big Swedish ivy---
Cuttings growing. This is from June. They are now bigger.
What is the secret with spider plants? I have rotted the last ones I've had. They rot down at the base. I must be overwatering. Yet they do great when I grow them IN water, lol.
Sally--
Yes--I would guess it is over watering....They make those "cloves" all over
their roots which store water--and these "cloves" can totally fill the pot.
THEN--the plant becomes miserably root-bound and needs more watering.
Not that it is worth it--you can take the whole plant out of the pot and toot-prune
it quite severely. Re-pot in fresh soil and allow it to recover...it will grow again.
Not that this is a secret of any kind--but I root all my spider cuttings in water first.
They will grow oodles of white roots--a continuation of the stubby roots they
already have when you pick them off the plant.
Sometimes they sit there--roots filling the glass--for a month or more.
I think Spider plants could, actually, GROW in water...
Then I just take a small pot-- fill it with MIX and gather up all the roots
in my fingers and stick it in the soil...where it just continues growing...
Are you sticking your cuttings straight in soil? That may be the problem.
Or--are you talking about your whole spider plant rotting out at the base?
That could be too often a watering...
Here is a rooting cutting...roots all over in the water...
I'll get around to potting it up--some day...
I've actually never rooted spider plants in water. I just put a baby in potting soil and it roots on its own.
I think the water starts the roots off better... Kind of a "head start"....
YThey don't have to be as long as in my picture--just some small, white roots
to get things going...
They will root in a soil MIX too--just takes a bit more time,,, IMHO---G.
actually, for me, keeping it in water would be easier than dirt. I could see exactly when to water.
I'm a big fan of starting cuttings in water. Like Gita said, you can leave Spider Plant and many other indoor plant cuttings in water for a long time. That really works for me because I spend the bare minimum amount of time possible with indoor plants.
Yes, Muddy--
Plants like philodendrons and Pothos will grow in water indefinitely.
But--I like to pot them up and let them grow in soil, as then it is easier to
share these plants. You can't just give someone a dripping wet, rooted plant.
I also have a belief (right or wrong) that water roots are different from soil roots.
IF I allow something to root in water for too long--it makes it hard to transplant them
in a pot of soil. Sometimes I cut a lot of the water roots off and then pot it up..
Spider plants seem indestructible..... G.
Gitagal, I think you're right about water roots and soil roots being different. They apparently process water and oxygen differently.
Sally, you could try a HB with a self-watering bottom (like the ones sold at WM)... water by filling the bottom reservoir, so you don't get too much wet at the base of the plants. It is amazing the kind of roots you see when you un-pot a spider plant!
Appreciate the suggestion, critter, should work great, maybe I'll do that for my son. He's concerned that he will UNDER water his plants, and I think it's much easier to overwater an office plant.
You know that new-ish marbled Pothos with the small leaves, Jill, that you bought and shared? That's the one of my three or four office plants that does seem to need to stay moister. Well, maybe Hedera, variegated ivy, too. It really hates my office and revives great when its on a shady deck in humid summer air.
sally---
Did you ask me a while ago that your son wanted some Swedish ivy
for hid work place? or--was that you??
I can pot one of the started ones up in a bit nicer pot if you like...I think
I even have one of those self-watering ones...
Re my Computer--
It is not all "up" yet. mark has sat here for 2 days trying to
get the most important things loaded up. Like--my access to DG.....;o)
I still do not have "My Documents" or "My Pictures"--or "My recipes" functioning.
trying to replace many of the icons on my Desk Top. Sloe going....i DID make a list...
There are a slew of Icons that came with the upgrading. I have NO idea what they are--
except my Recycle Bin.
It is so hard for me to be without all these things.....Monday!!! Mark will continue..
My hard drive is mow in the "Tetra Bytes" size......Pictures DO take up a lot of space...
Need to weed through all of them.. Hard--you never know when you will need
THAT puny shot of something...
G.
Gita, Swedish Ivy for my son. It doesn't have to be fancy.
OK! But better than a 4" black, plastic pot....Will do! Like....DO I HAVE POTS??????
Would he like a HB? LMK---G.
I don't know if he has a way to hang anything. I'm picturing it sits on top of filing cabinet or some such.
What happened to your computer, Gitagal? What kind of computer and operating system do you have?
I recently bought a new laptop with windows 8.1. It sure is different. I love the laptop and am finding the new win 8.1 a fun challenge.
The coleus are getting big finally! First pic is tabasco, or hot sauce, second is mariposa, next is bonfire and fourth is brillancy in middle with a little alabama sunset to left and electric lime (I think) to the right.
Woweee Coleuslover, those babies are just beautimous!!!! =)
Windows 8 is very different from the previous versions. Not sure if I like it.
Look at all that coleus! Such happy colors. I have some that swallowed a fuchsia that was planted in the same pot.
coleuslover---
I LOVE the deep magenta in pic. #1. So intense!
The one that is growing gung-ho everywhere for me is "Carnival"--a speckled one.
I also LOVE the bright chartreuse of the "Wasabi" Coleus. Goes with everything!
If you go tot he previous part to this Thread--and scroll up--I am sure you will
find pictures I have posted ...
There's nothing "wrong" with my computer. Mark (my SIL) is building me a
powerful, new computer with an immensely powerful hard drive...with 'tetra ### gigabytes.
It has been complicated for him--to sit and watch while things are backed up--installed--
glitches to correct, etc. He is good about these kind of things...all new innards to my "C"..
I will have Windows 7 when all this is done. They have it and like it.
I have heard bad stories about Windows-8.
Tomorrow--he will activate/install "My Documents" (a HUMONGOUS File) and other needed
things. I hate not having any access to "My Pictures" as they are under Documents.
EVERYTHING i had has been backed up by "Cloud". So glad I got it!!!
A couple more days--and (I hope) things will be back to normal. Then--I have to learn
the new system (W-7)...
Gita
I had to get Windows 8 on this laptop, and I'm trying to ignore it by running an ap that makes it mimic Windows 7 in appearance. I think it's called "Start 8"
I had a great week in Winston-Salem... my MIL and I went with Joyanna to Reynolda House Gardens, which we always love. I saw what looked like Woodland Phlox growing in full sun -- in the middle of a sunny garden -- must try that.
I was also reminded ot look for Leadwort again. Such a beautiful blue flower, and I always have space for groundcovers! I got some last year but didn't get it into the ground for the winter (left it in a windowbox where I was propagating it into a bigger hunk), and I think it iced over & didn't drain.
Still keeping my eye out for Japanese Cedar, but I got my little Japanese Cypress and vertical Norway Spruce installed in the front foundation bed! Makes me feel better about losing the contorted filbert there.
Looping back to Coleup's post about Hibiscus coccineus (Swamp Hibiscus):
I just got back from Assateague Island (the Virginia side), where Hibiscus moscheutos and Hibiscus palustris (Rose Mallow) and Kosteletzkya virginica (Marsh Mallow) are in full bloom: http://www.assateague.com/ros-mal.html
These native Hibiscus plants were beautiful, but they were growing right at the water's edge so I don't know how they'd like the much drier conditions in my yard (not that I brought any home to try, seeing as they were growing in a National Park!). They would be really nice alternatives to ROS in consistently moist garden areas, though.
Oh, the hibiscus I saw at the lotus garden was probably the swamp variety, then. I wonder how they'd do in part sun.
They do fine in part sun and have just started blooming, too. I got 4 of them and I think Catmint wants one so what say ye? SSG, you could swing by or or and take one home to try it now when it is big and blooming!.
I agree with you Muddy on the ROS alternative, I've seen them growing in drier conditions locally. Also, they are about as slow to emerge/green up as ROS.
First bloom two days ago.
Muddy, how tall were the ones you saw? Bloom color?
How's Assateague doing? I hear they have been doing some native plant restoration over there.
They were 4-5' tall and there was a beautiful mix of the white- and pink-flowered species.
The Assateague wildlife refuge area looked great! The only other native I could positively i.d. was poison ivy, which was everywhere.
Sounds beautiful Muddy. They are supposed to have some nice stands of the Goldenrod that is salt tolerant but maybe it wasn't blooming yet.
I don't remember the poisen ivy, but I do remember the ticks! I hear there was a nice breeze this weekend so the skeeters were at bay.
Mostly I remember sleeping on the beach and waking up to dolphins frolicking in the sunrise golden light.
The first time I ever camped there was on one of those Super Moon nites. Wow.
I just got all itchy reading about that poison ivy!
Coleup, I'm hesitating because I have a bunch of astilbe that I need to dig up first, and I can't handle another container right now. But I'm still interested for later this fall!
LOL SSG no pressure and no hurry! Just some reports and some pictures of a plant you might like that I am trying here for my own reasons and research.
I have a number of Show and Tell Plants to bring to the Fall Swap and Swamp Hibiscus will be one. Other possibles are 'Silver Gem' Viola, assorted Milkweeds, assorted fall blooming nectar plants and some deciduous azaleas and other native shrubs and trees from my 'collection'. that are looking for forever homes. I'll put up a list soon.
I've had my eye on two nicely grown out pots of Plumbago @$5.29 each and a four pack of white flowered Obedient Plant @$4,29 very local to me if anyone is interested. LMK
I'll probably go down to Ace Outback this week to see what is looking good and see what is now 'reduced' We all got some great things last year!!!!
Coleup, how big is the 4 pack of white obedient plant and is it 4.29 each or for the whole 4 pack?
Seq, the root ball size is about 2x2x2 and terribly compacted as you can imagine! It is $4,29 for all four. Catbird, Catmint and I got some 4pks earlier in the Spring of Lobelia, Echinacia, monarda, rudbeckia and others. This is the only nursery I have seen that does these 4pkgs.
Are you interested?
I have a huge patch of Plumbago in need of dividing and sharing. It has very thin wiry roots, that drop all their soil, but has survived digging for me.
Hello everyone, I just had a dmail from Gita and she reminded me I have not checked in here for awhile. I am sorry for the neglect, but I am trying to start some new things in the stores and I had been really under the weather for the month of June with allergies (new for me) and sinus and Upper Respiratory Infection that just would not go away. Now I am back feeling fine again but really trying to catch up with things.
I have been trying to find the real old fashion Peace Lily...does anyone know where I can purchase a mature plant? My daughter gave me one about 20 years ago and it is finally headed for the dump. I hate seeing it go, but there is nothing more I can do to keep it alive. I think it is just tired.
I am also starting a new collection of spider (Airplane) plants and am looking for all the different ones I can find. If you have or know of anyone who has any real different ones, please let me know. They must definitely be marked and authentic since I am selling them.
That about sums up what I am doing. Researching the internet takes so much time and that is what seems to be happening. I feel sometimes it is a waste but then you never know what you will find. See you soon again. I am sorry if I left you feel neglected. It was not my intention.
Hugs to all. Thanks in advance for any info you may come up with.