Holding my breath.....Will I be dazzled?

Hi, you all lovely people!

FINALLY!!!! My "good" Brug is covered in buds! Lots of them! It is October 4. Most of them will open in a day or two. I am drooling....This is the one that was ( by Daves Garden Concensus) christened "Dr. Seuss". My dillema is that in two more nights, our temps will be in the high 30'shere! I am so nervous about what to do with all these buds about to open! I DO want to see the glory of about 30+ blooms open at the same time! I will post pictures for sure!!!! Can I just throw a sheet over them for that night? Will it help?

I HATE the unpredictability of the weather here! We may still have a month of summery temps, BUT! there is always ONE night that ruins it all! And it comes early and unexpected! Then, later, we will have 60 degree days in December and also in February! Really random! That is the zone I live in! Never a dull moment! I should be used to it by now!

If you have followed all my woes with my first year with the 2 Brugs I have, this one was the "good one". The other one, some kind of pink--NOT pendulous-- was destroyed by mites twice this season. Spraying with Neem helped, and it re-grew leaves, but then it succumbed again. Never saw another bloom on it after the first two. I still have NO clue of the name of it! I think I will not bother saving it over the winter--but, I do feel a bit "guilty" giving it the "death sentence".

I like my other one a lot better. However, I would love to have a GOOD pink one--just ONE! If anyone wants to send me 2 cuttings of a good pink Brug for SASE, I am willing to try one more-- again. I am keeping the "Dr. Seuss". It is beautiful and SOOOOOO fragrant! I am in z7a--Baltimore. Hot summers, cold winters, unpredictable weather. Lots of humidity. Can't leave anything outside. Our frost-free date is May 10th.

Question: If a Brug has been infested by mites 2x in the same season, and all it's foliage and leaves chewed off at the ends, will any of the infestation carry over in the stems and cuttings? If I rooted any of the stems for next year should I be concerned?

Do you all think that the sun-exposure would have had anything to do with the mites atacking one Brug, but not the oher??? Dr. Seuss is in morning sun. The "Pink One" was in full afternoon sun and heat. Are some varieties more susceptible to mites than others? Looking for some "education" here! I am a "newbie" to Brugs! But, BOY! Have I learned a lot!!!!

ANYWAY! I am holding my breath and hoping that all the buds on Dr. Seuss open and survive so I can show you all how beautiful they are. Then, I will have to start plans for the "digging up" and the "Taking cuttings" and the "finding room in my basement" for the buckets of going-dormant stems. Still unsure of all this, but I have read all I can on this and will just "wing it"!

Today, I spent all day in my garden trying to get all my hoseplants and HB's ready to bring inside. Whether I like it or not, it is time! I sprayed them all for insects and did the "Systemic" thing. I accomplished it all! Carried all the heavy pots inside. I can hardly move! My back and my knees are hurting and now, once again, my LR and DR look like a jungle! So does my basement--with about 8 pots of Amaryllis (going dormant) and all the Brugs to come. This seems to be a yearly "ritual" for me. Today was beautiful and sunny, so I thought I would go ahead and get all this done! It is DONE!!!!! I feel good about it! One huge chore out of the way!

Gita

Toss a sheet over it!

You DO have a predicament! I have everything dug and under cover, roof/patio/garage/porch.

If your pink was a Sauveleons, they are much more prone to mites. Mites do not chew the ends off leaves, they suck the life out of the plants, tiny little buggers, underneath leaf, sometimes you can see the webs in center of new growth where buds form.

Spray at least every 7 days for 3 wks. with Avid, Neem Oil, or any good spray for mites, change to different type of product after 3 times of using, as they become immune to spray. Be sure to spray backsides of leaves. Then I only spray in summer if I see them again.

Welcome Gitagal to DG & the Brug Forum!

I'm in your "neck of the woods" too. You're so right when you say that our weather is very unpredictable. Very hot humid Summers, frosty cold Winters, but Spring & Fall are by far the best seasons for growing plants, especially Brugs.

My Brugs are still outside and putting out a lot of buds. Hope the flowers won't get nipped by "Jack Frost" this week! I haven't brought them inside yet. I plan to use a lot of old sheets and throw them over the tops of my Brugs. That will protect the tender leaves. Hopefully, I won't have a lot of blossoms drop. I'm trying to hold off on bringing them inside, since our weather can be nippy one week and warm the next.

I use insecticides on an "as needed basis". I hate to use to many harsh chemicals. I spray them daily with the garden hose and hopefully that blast of water will get rid of some of those nasty aphids. If I notice yellowing leaves or a lot of leaves dropping, than I'll use an insecticide for Roses made by Bayer, called "3 and 1". It feeds and kills the bugs all at the same time. I have a lot less bug problems outside, than when I bring them in the house for the winter. Then its trying to stay ahead of the spider mite infestation!

You are correct when you say that some Brugs are hardier and less susceptible to bug problems. I have some that are bothered very little by the insects and other Brug leaves that are beginning to look like Swiss cheese!

Good luck! Hope to see you posting more often on this forum!

High thirties will be okay. Low thirties is another story. Sounds like you have worked your behind off. Everything is under cover here too, but there is still a lot to do in the beds and some brugs to remove and toss. Can't wait to see your picture of the Dr. The smell on that one is wonderful.

Thank you all for your understanding and support!

I threw an old sheet over my DR. It covered about 3/4 of it. Where i live, i do not think we will actually get frost--just pretty cold temps.

Shirley!--Glad to meet you! Thanks for the welcome! I am new to Brugs (one year now) but have been posting here and on GW for 2 years now. I live in Perry Hall--near the White Marsh Mall--35 years and counting! A few months ago, I posted an entry titled: "Help! What's happening to my Brug"??? I have no idea if it is still in the "pages" on the bottom. Seems every day, all the new posts fill one page. I had pictures of the destruction my "Pink" Brug was going through! By many, it was diagnosed as Mites.

I used Neem and it seemed to help. Forget "Avid"! I know it is good, but the wholesale price of it was over $200!!!! Not in MY budget! I don't know how many people in MD even know what a Brug is. No one I have talked to--unless they are from S. America or Spain. Shirley, which Brugs do you have????

I would love to communicate with some local person here and share all the gardening woes and pleasures. Feel free to e-mail me!

Thanks to all, Gitagal

Progress notes.....

Did I say there may be 30 blooms earlier in my post? May be more like a 100! There are buds everywhere! The weather is cooler now and they are taking their sweet time opening up. One opened tonight! A bunch should open tomorrow. And then tomorrow again!

I will post some pictures when there is a canopy of blooms.

I am dreading the whole cutting back and digging up of this plant. It is huge! Will have to do the "Lizzy Borden" thing.....I am also dreading a night with frost predicted that will put an end to this late show of bloom. Not much I can do! 3 sheets to the wind might help.....

Gitagal

Better yet ........ the 3 sheets covering your brug ... lol

Try not to cut off the Y if you have the room. Sounds like you have a great plant there. I just love it when they have a good flush. You can post more than 1 pic , LOL. We all would love to see a day by day progress picture.

Scooterbug...


That's what I meant about the "3 sheets"! Kind of a "play on words"! I will use as many sheets as i have to to save this flush of bloom on my Brug.

Kell! Thanks for your input! I will try to root all the main stems as I cut them off. I will have to keep them in a dark basement in a dormant state. I have gathered enough information between Daves and GW that I think I know what to do. Still feel a bit insecure!

Next year, since i will have rooted a lot of stems ( "Y" and all), I think I will see this BIG flush of bloom earlier. It IS my first experience with a Brug! I have been reading up on it forever now! I do not want to get "adicted"!
I don't get "addicted" to anything to do with plants. I refuse to! They are ALL replacable. I have worked too many years in Garden Centers to get stressed out about some plant "not making it"! You can always buy another!

NOW! I have never had a Brug! This is my first go with it. I am loving this late display of bloom. I hope I see it to it's completion!

If I have to use my neigbor's garden (next year) to plant all the cuttings I will root! She does'nt care! She does not do much gardening. We are good friends and I think I can plant anything I want to in her beds and, as long as I take care of it, It will be OK!

This past summer, I had all these tomato plants coming up everywhere--b/c I used my compost in all my beds. I would dig them up and plant them in 4" pots not knowing what kind they really would be. When my neighbors went to Spain for 6 weeks, I planted all these tomato plants in their side bed. They turned out to be oval Cherry Tomatoes that were like vines! They are half way up their 6 foot Rhodo bush and constantly producing tomatoes! Their 2 year old grandaughter loves them! She eats them like candy!

I will take some pictures this weekend and post them (for sure) by Monday.

This weekend, I have to do Face Painting (both days) at a local Nursery's yearly "Octoberfest" Fall Fair. Been doing this for 12 years. It is a great family Fair! All for the kids!
Oh, Lord, give me the patience!!!!! Gitagal

I would love to work in a nursery! lucky you!

I am not sure if I misunderstood you Gitagal, but if you cut them off now, they need to be well rooted and way past that trauma before you have them go dormant. Rooting can take longer now because it is not in the natural rhythm of the plant to root in fall. In the spring they just take off but now they can go slower.

Have fun this weekend. LOL

Kell,

Now you're scaring me!!!!

Do you mean I cannot just cut off all the stems, near the soil, trim the tops and put them in my basement in a 5 gal.bucket with some water in it? That is what I have understood from all the advice I have read!

Then I will dig up the pot, sever all the roots that have grown out of the drilled holes, and bring THAT in my basement also. This is what will go dormant. Is there anything in this scenario that I would be doing wrong?

My basement will have no light to speak of. There is a only tiny window high up near the ceiling. This is the environment that my brug cuttings and the Mama pot will have to stay in all winter. Will this be OK? Could you explain again what you meant about the rooting and the trauma?

Kell, just for you, here's some progress pictures from my Brug. If it truly is a "Dr. Seuss", it is not showing much orange on the blooms as it did in the summer, as the temperatures have cooled down somewhat. We now have upper 60 and low 70's during the day and fairly cool nights. Nice!

My "nursery" experiences are mostly in big retail stores in the Garden Dept. I work for a Home Depot. I have not been in Garden now for 2 years. Had severe knee problems, so they put me in the Phone Center as an Operator answering all the incoming calls. This year, in March, I had a total knee replacement. Still kind of recovering from it. 7 months now!
In the past, I heve worked for a Grower and for a landscaping business. Too old now! Everything hurts!

Anyway, here's a picture of the whole canopy, which is covered in buds! It is October 8 now. I am worried that I may not get to see all of them open. We could get a night of frost--just like that!!!

Here is a closer look at some more blooms and buds.

This is the first (of about a 100) bloom that opened. I love the scent when evening comes!! It is sweet and heavenly! Can't describe it!

Just FYI, Kell, I am a European also. From Latvia. Left there when I was 7 years old to escape Soviet occupation (in 1944). I am a young 67 years old now--divorced and living alone. Gardening keeps me fit! It HAS been hard, this year, with my knee.....

Are you an American living in Europe, or a native there? Your English is perfect! So are all your Brugs!

And...Lastly....I would like to post a picture of my Lipstick plant blooming. ( I know this is a Brug Forum--so forgive me!) Just in case someone has never seen one! They come out like on the picture, like from a tube of "lipstick". Then the bloom opens up. Mine blooms about twice a year. Once inside, once outside.

Gitagal, that is one neat plant. The Brug too, but this lipstick plant is neat. I had not seen one before.

The Boweias you sent are doing great, have some shoots coming out of them. Talk to you later. Antoinette

Gitagal, I love the looks of the Lipstick plant.

Somehow I missed this thread. What a great picture of the lipstick plant.
Oh dear Gitagal, I am American. Born and bred! A Californian!

Think of me as a surfer girl in an orange bikini!