This started blooming this week,great colors!!!
Little shrimp from the bayou anyone?
hi tropicman, I love these plants. Down here we see 'em get to be mini trees. I love seeing them at old homesites because I know they have survived years!
we do, lisa?
how come i dont think i've ever seen one!
what type of conditions do they like?
they look pretty, though.. dont think i would mind having one :)
Miss Kitty, I don't know why you haven't seen them. Perhaps they are not around as much in your area? or maybe it is one of those things that have never caught your eye..I know sometimes that happens to me. I dunno, can't answer your question. I've seen them here as tall as 6 feet. I noticed even bigger ones along Bayou Terrebonne, traveling towards Cocodrie, Bourg and Point Aux Chennes, where the tropicals are warmed by the Gulf of Mexico winds.
i'll have to keep a closer eye out for them!
hehe
there must be some here and i'm just missing them
you and i arent *THAT* far from each other.. we should atleast have most of the same plants in our areas!.. or you would think, atleast
:)
Don, that is very pretty. Is it easy to grow? Shade, sun, what?
Brugie,
Only had it a short time,but its in full sun and doing fine,don't know what it will do when it gets in the 90's,but its handling the 80's with know problem and started blooming like crazy,time will tell,Just me lisa,I hope I can keep this alive long enough to see a tree.
Tropicman, I hope you get to see it grow also!
The Shrimp Plant, (Justicia brandegeana)It is only hardy to zone 9, so be sure to bring it in!(it is a tender perennial for the Gulf South Louisiana, with the harddiness being questionable in upper Louisiana)
You can prune it often to encourage it to become bushy, if left to grow by itself, it will become "leggy". The cuttings root very easy. The more you prune it, the better it blooms. Good drainage is not crucial, but avoid soggy conditions. Water it during dry and hot periods. You can fertilize it now and again in July with a general all purpose fertilizer. I hope this helps!
oh.. it's a "tender perennial" here?!?!
maybe i wont try to grow it, then! lol
i've got a thing for not wanting to baby plants...
i'll probably get over that, eventually, though :)
wait.. would keeping it in a pot so i could move it up onto the protected patio (with all of the "tropical" plants, cept the banana tree) and mulching it heavily work?
hrm *ponders*
I planted my shrimp plant in August, 2002. It was blooming then and it's still blooming. It reseeds readily. I started with a one gallon plant and now have a bed full of it. Here in Corpus Christi it blooms year round. Great plant.
It does the same think here in Houston. They can get to be tall shrubs. I have White & Yellow shrimps. I love them too. You can take cuttings in early fall for next years plants if you think you will lose them to winter..or just pull the whole thing up. I treat them like sun coleus...they love the heat!
hey guys you put the cuttings in water to root?