I'm All Ears

Many know that I am one of those gardeners who like a challenge and will push the zone whenever I see something I like. Sooooo, I don't get too crazy over tropicals, since they are so everyday down here in the tropics.

But I do have a shade garden back in the corner and like to put in some unusual or exceptional or uncommon plants. How many ears do you see? Do you know what they are?

Also, if you have been following the coleus forum at all, that coleus behind the small palm tree is a cutting taken from the Guiness Book World Record 8 foot coleus grown by our own Happy_1. I got that cutting in February and it's in a race to catch up with the parent plant, already grown to about 3-4 feet.

Molly
:^)))

Let's see...
I see about 4-5.
1. Black Magic
2. Colocasia Nancy's Revenge
3. Colocasia Antiquorum Illustrus aka Imperial Taro
4. Alocasia Plumbea
5. Colocasia Fontasii (next to Portodora??)-not sure about this one, can't see it real well.

Beautiful pic Molly!!!

This message was edited Jun 12, 2005 9:43 AM

Dang Janet! You are good at this game. LOL

Molly, they look awesome!!

Janet,

Thanks Janet, Good Job!!!!, although on a couple of them I can't confirm or deny, what is a Portodora? I have one of those? Where?!

Illustrus and Nancy's are easy (don't you just love that big white streak?)

Two of those out there have tags, but they are here in the cup on my desk, who they belong to, hmmmmm. The tags say A. Plumbea Nigra and A. Zebrina Reticulata.

I think the Zebrina is the big leaf shaped like an arrowhead.

Molly
:^))))

Molly,
Portodora and Plumbea are also close, so the one I thought was Portodora is the Plumbea(I edited that one). I was thinking you had a A. Reticulata in there, also. Yes, that's the arrowhead one.
Wish Nancy's Revenge would do that well for me. Got a baby in a trade once, and when the foliage died back the streaking never reappeared. Now it's gone for good.
Janet

Janet,

Maybe you need another Nancy's. Mine hail from Louisiana and did well there, can't see why they wouldn't work for you too.

After I get some chicky poop (per Ely's advice on EE) maybe I can get some pups on my Nancy's to share.

Molly
:^))))

Molly,
Maybe that's really what they needed(chicky poo!!)
Still have that mickey mouse baby for you, keep pinching it back so it will get bigger!!!
Janet

That is a great pic Molly. Oh how I do have zone envy! LOL I see a little Hilo Beauty peaking out in the upper right hand corner, right?

janet, typically the young leaves on nancyana do not display the white streak--it appears as it matures. You must get another one, they will do well in your area. In my experience, the only problem w/ very tiny EEs is that they need to be babied because their survival rate is low. Experienced that 2 years ago w/ black magic. This year I took better care and thing is thriving. By better care I mean, I planted little plant in a 6" pot and let it grow about 1 ft before I transplanted inground. Doing the same w/ hilo beauty and a black stemmed taro.

Molly, how long have you had the hilo beauty? Brinda those are some sharp eyes you have

Janet, Yes, Mickey Mouse, you mean cuphea, right, or is that bat face. Oh woe is me. It's wonderful either way. Got my son here helping me to spread mulch, need to take advantage of that opportunity. Be back in here later.

Brinda, yes you are right, and I missed that in the picture before. Thank you for noticing. I put the root beer plants in there to help provide more shade for some of these plants. That single citrus tree just wasn't enough.

Molly
:^)))))

Hot dog, Molly! Lookin' GOOD!

Looks great, Molly!!! I lost my little piece of the rootbeer plant I got at the trade.
:( Donna

molly you need a red stem/rubard, affinis jeninigsii, black ruffles, chicago Harlequin, Excalibur, fallax, Ruffles, and a violet stem to finish an agristarts collection...LOL

janet I have pots full of c.NR if you want some it is a hardy strain.. I will bring them to you at the ginger jamboree,,,, oh yeah thats right your not going.... =( "had to through that in..." the strans of the eley ears there suck better off buying off of ebay...LOL roz also has an hardy stran..

ely

Ely,

That sounds wonderful.........you do have my address......:^))))))

Molly

Molly, no fair you live in FL the rest of us have to push the zones and have greenhouses to grow what you do in your yard. I am green with envy and I only live in 8a. Very pretty ee.

Bward,

Not counting the colder weather yall get, I am a bit zone envious of you as well. I have a hosta and heuchera bed on the north side of my house. Some of the heucheras have not come back from the winter dormancy (maybe they still will, I don't know). My hostas are now all pretty much waking up and starting to put on new growth, but they will never be as big and robust as yours, and for me, they require additional pampering to survive the heat and I'm told they won't live as long either. But I still try. I do like a challenge as long as it's not totally beyond my grasp.

Molly
:^)))

Like these?

2 weeks ago we cut about 4 trash bags of these out from the center so I can plant Passiflora to climb up the wishing well! HA! It's already grown so thick you can hardly see which sides I dug into. JRush had trouble with voles this year, so I am supplementing her borders. I hope she can keep up!

This message was edited Jun 12, 2005 10:18 PM

Everyone always wants what they can't have, right?? Including, and especially me. LOL!!! I would love to be able to grow my orchids outside yearround and plant all my palms in the ground, and never worry that one of my gingers might not come back this year **sigh**
Oh, well, I am thankful that I can push the zone a little and grow queen palms, hibiscus, and most gingers!!
Janet

And it's only mid-June. I'm almost scared of what's gonna happen by the end of the season!

You are very lucky Janet - I try to "push" once in a while and end up with nil! Nada! Nothing! Emptiness!!!

This message was edited Jun 12, 2005 10:16 PM

sequee, that hurts; that really, really hurts. LOL (insert knife and twist it a couple of times)

Beautiful hostas Sequee!!!

Molly the ears are taking over here also.Here's a bed of illistris that just keeps putting out more babies. As soon as it stops raining I intend to weed. LOL

Which way are you throwing the weeds Jim? LOL

Very nice ears Jim! So pretty against the green grass

:^)))
Molly

We built an arc and I will be putting a few in it. I swear if it hasn't been the wettest spring around here. My grandson plays baseball and they had so many games rained out that they couldn't make them all up. Finally they were having make up rained out games rained out. Finally they cancelled the rest of the games and chose an all star team. They can't practice the field is too wet. Every bed I have is that way, just full of weeds. I bought a truck load of mulch to help keep out the weeds. Guess where the mulch is? Still sitting in a pile in the yard. Hasn't quit raining long enough to spread it in the beds.

oh goodness Jim that is a lot of rain. Your ear corner is beautiful Molly

molly I will work on that monday-tuesday..... and through in some extras.. I am good that way.. and since I know the address exchage link now I can hook you up with all my findings...

=0)

ely

if you like c. illistrus you would like c. illistrus "black princess"

c. panther illistrus is way way way aswom too. but c. illistrus blue nile looks like c. illistrus.

ely

ely, do you have a link or photo of colocasia pather illustrus and c. illistrus "black princess"?

Wow Ely, and what do you have a hankering for that I can send to you?

Molly
:^)))

molly nothing... =) just keep me in mind about that plant

ely

Vossner, Sorry, I was just reading back, I have had the Hilo Beauty since late September 2004. I won it at the silent auction at the Kentucky Roundup. It was good sized then too. I think it's growth slowth a lot during the winter and it's kicking off again.

Molly
:^)))

Molly,
Do you know which palm this is in the picture?????
It's hard to tell.
Janet

Sorry Janet, I don;t know right off, but I can ask my landlord when I see him. I believe he planted it.

I'm not real good at palm i.d.'s

Molly
:^)))

Molly,
I just figured you were going to say "it's one of those coconuts I just used for mulch, and the darned thing sprouted" LOL!!

You're funnin' me again. :^))) Hey my son has been hanging out for a bit. Let me see if I can get him motivated to go with me to round up some more coconuts. I have just a few sitting on my porch now.

I have not forgotten.

:^)))

Yup!! :) :)
Thanks for remembering. I wasn't trying to remind you of the coconuts, though, just the stories you tell LOL!!!!
Janet

Oh Janet,

I think that story is probably getting old, funny I was just telling it today to some guy. heehee

Molly
:^)))

Okay Larry,

I know it wasn't either of these.

I can't believe I didn't have any more Masks in the shade garden. I guess that last one died in the winter. Well, got one now.