new tropicals...

..At least think most are.
We just returned from south Florida & brought back some plants. One of them didn't have a name tag but I liked it so bought it anway. Maybe someone can ID it for us. I need to read up on how to care for it.
Some others we brought back are:
Oleander
Desert Rose
Hibiscus
Billbergia
Dipladenia
Wormwood Artemesia SP (can't find much on this)
Bougamvillea
Sanchezia- nobill
Cigar plant
Jasmine Asiatic tri color
Bromelaid Neo-poquito (Menescal) compacto X Camucemiana
Bromelaid (unknown type)
Confederate Jasmine
Here is the one we need IDed & any help on the others will be appreciated.

Strobilanthes. I know this one because I buy it whenever I can find it and then I kill it. I haven't a clue what I'm doing wrong.

also called Persian shield. Loves sun and from what I could tell last year, lots of food. One of my favorites.
wow Sugar, y'all got some great plants!!!

So tell me tiG, what am I doing wrong? Is it maybe that I don't have enough humidity?
Sugar_fl, you scored some great plants!

Liz, if you're doing that, I don't know. Some people tell you they like shade, some grow them in full sun (I did)
Mine last year were gorgeous, about 3' tall and about that around. I only have a tiny piece now, thinking I need to feed it or something.

Now I just saw a Desert Rose in a gallon pot yesterday, it had an obscene price tag. I passed because it was SOOO obscene, but maybe I should look it up.
tiG, I tried sun, shade, I'm a Strobilanthes failure. But they are so gorgeous I keep trying. I would die happy if any of mine got that big. But I might not live that long.

hey Sugar, how did your brugs do? what system did you end up using?

Tig my brugs looks great. I did the wicking one. I think a lot of my plants did not receive the care they needed (water)but all are alive not too much worse for wear. My peaches & cream brugs don't look too good as something is eating them.
My cannas in the ground looked the worse but perked up with some water. My sister gave me my desert rose. it was a little expensive. Most of the new plants are on the small side but could get more that way. I hope they grow up. I know we will have to take them in this winter but will have a small greenhouse then. After Liz gave me a name I looked it up.. seems like cutting do good the next year. I plan on trying that & also saving the mother plant.
These plants are all new to me. I hope I save most of them this winter.

i have pershian sheild and i was told to plant in shade...since i don't have anyplace that's completely shaded, i put it in a spot where it gets late afternoon-early evening sun...it seems to be doing well, but sometimes i notice its a little wilted by the time the sun goes down, and i have to water it to perk it up some.

if what i have is desert rose, which i think it is, i have a ton...i mean at ton...of seedlings popping up all over my flower bed. i will try to post a pic tomorrow but today i had no luck trying to post pics of my reblooming fragrant bearded irises. is it a weeping bush that looks like miniature hibiscus flowers? mine are pink.

oh, and sugar....asiatic tri-color jasmine?????? susie are you hearing this? can we have pictures? i'm a jasmine nut!!!

Gee, I saw a Strobilanthes last year and now I can't remember where! It must have been on one of the 3 days a year I gather the willpower to walk on by! Of course I just must have one now........LOL..........3 ft up and around sounds too good to be true.

I am so pathetic, just 2 days ago I finally tossed the last of my mandevilla from last year, all hated the winter, even those in the hoophouse so much that they preferred to die. So as I tossed it I thought well this year I will not buy any of them! And then today, I am at HD and they have them in 5 gallon cans............ ruby star and alice du pont and red riding hood........... and I buy all 3. I am SO PATHETIC!! Still hiding in my car. My DH thinks I am totally nuts but when the Visa bill comes in I will have to leave home for he will try to have me committed!

How draught resistant is a Oleander? Will water about once a week be enough? Where I want to put it will not be as easy to water. I see them by the roadside & I expect they only get water when God waters them which sometimes isn't very often..I believe I see Oleander here in yards so hopefully it will be OK with our winters. I need advice on lots of my new plants & not finding too much on the net. I want to do good by them.
I hope I didn't bite off more than I can chew *LOL* I know with all your help I'll do fine. I'll try & take more pictures today.
Sugar

Liz,I grow my Persian shield in shade,I failed many times also,I feed it well,and give it shade maybe good morning sun,when I did get it to grow in sun,I noticed the color was better,just could not keep the water too it.I will plant one today,this time strong afternoon sun,I want it by my yellow butterfly bush,sure hope it doesn't clash.
Bob

Sugar, do you have a GH? In zone 8a you get freezes right? I am in 9B and get some frosts.
I have oleander and they are not ever touched by our occasional freeze, no top damage or anything so I think you maybe OK there. Once established it should not need much special watering. Though depending on the kind of your bougainvillea, I would think that will never survive in zone 8a or at least die back to roots. I am in cold pocket here and mine in pots or out in the open (as in a standard tree not a vine) always die. Even this year when it was so mild. However the ones I have in my courtyard protected never die back. Some are much more cold tolerant.

The Desert Rose (ADENIUM OBESUM) will not like it below 50 I believe. I took mine in last winter to my kitchen and will put it back out in another week or 2. Just do not over water it. I water maybe once a month outside and inside I have watered it twice all winter.

Good luck with all your beauties!

Kell we will have our GH up before fall. I'm not sure how warm we will be able to keep it though. Most of my plants were pretty cheap so if I do lose some I won't be TOO upset.
I know the Desert Rose will be coming into the house as we won't be able to keep the GH warm enough for it. DH who lived many years in the keys said maybe we can cut the bougainvillea back & cover them on real cold nites as I don't want them in pots. I guess what I am doing is experimenting with tropicals...others do it in colder areas.
We got almost 2 inches of rain today. I think if we get more I'll move my Desert Rose where it will stay dry on my porch.
That is one plant I may be upset if I lose as my sister gave it to me. The Bromelaid Neo-poquito (Menescal) compacto X
Camucemiana Is another special one as the new Son-in-law gave it to us out of his tropical garden. I really don't know how to care for it ..sure need to do more reading.

I've not been lucky with Persian shield either, and I want it so bad. I know I'll try again too. With good advice here, maybe I'll make it the next time. I would love to have one like tiG described.

The oleander is perfectly fine here, Sugar. They are in yards here and a lot of huge ones at Eglin AFB. The cigar plant(cuphea?) is fine. I have one that comes back every year,well, this is only the second year, but it is coming out fine and roots easy. Confederate jasmine is okay here (have had one for several years outside), but I'm not familiar with that other one.

The bromeliads will have to come in. I've not had good luck with bouganvillea, but I've always thought it should come in. We are in an area you can stretch those zone recommendations on some things though. The hibiscus probably depends on the type. I've been told you can put them in the ground. Been scared I'd lose them so I haven't done it yet. Maybe I'll experiment with that one this winter.

I think I can find some info on the wormwood. The other things I don't even know what they are. You must post pictures when they are at their best. Might be something I will just have to have.

I think I have pictures of mine on Johnnies computer. I had two in the brug bed, and they were stunning.

This message was edited Thursday, May 15th 8:26 PM

TiG, U asked what method I used to keep my plants watered while away.. I really used several, The wicking of course but also put the seedling brugs in a 1 gallon pot & placed them in a large container (flat) of water. They look great & really grew in the week. I did the same with some seedling Gardinia & crape myrtles. They would have died for sure if I didn't do that. Next door did very little watering from what I see. I think he filled the buckets a few times & my bucket pond is losing water somewhere & it kept that full. I probably would have lost the pump without him. The 3 dogs & cat received good care. All in all it all turned out fine.

Ginger...
Sometime before too long I'm gonna call U & we are gonna head your way. Greenwood may even have a surprise or 2 for U :)

well, I'm glad he did help. And I'm really glad everything made it and you had a great vacation!

Sugar, unless your bouganvillia is really big, like nearly five feet or so, I would bring it in this winter. I have one in the ground that comes back, but I cut it back and put pine straw on top of it; but it is a very big plant. The ones in pots never make it through a winter. By the way, I have tried everything to make it bloom - putting something over it, then suddently taking it off, holding back on water, all kinds of things, but what works for me is to fertilize it with miracle grow with the number in the middle the biggest, or any kind of bloom fertilizer. The "blooms" are not actually blooms, but bracts, like the poinsettia, and they stay on for a long time. They like lots of water, hot heat, and well drained. you will love it.

Come on Sugar. Ya'll can come see how po' folks live. Rich in friends though.