Is that hardy up here anyone? It looks superb.
Gardening with Texas Native Plants & Wildflowers Part 8
I have two little ones now, from the seed that Trois sent, we shall see how it goes, but I think they will be like Texas Star hibiscus or Turk's Cap, root hardy, and with some extra mulch they should do fine.
I have seen them growing at the Dallas Arboretum, so I think they will be fine.
Josephine.
It is zone 8 hardy. With a lot of winter mulch it has survived zone 7 in SW Oklahoma. It comes back from the roots very well.
Frostweed dont trust the Arboretum they have a system in the "jungle"/rainforest area with some type of system to keep it warmer in there - they do have stunning gardens. We take the kids every year (and I come home with lots of seeds!)
I beleive you Mitch, I think they also have a system to keep plants cooler, with a mist, in the summer. Josephine.
Well, I did go to Veterans Park yesterday, to see if i could find someone there to shed some light on the aquatic plant ID, and no luck, not a soul there, it was hotter than blazes, so i don,t blame them, I did ask some of the city workers, but they don't know nuttin honey.
In any event, I did get a chance to take some good close up pictures of the compost area and the signs, they have gone to great lengths and have done a wonderful job. Sign #1
Sign #2
Sign #3
Sign #4
Sign showing compost temperatures and composting materials, and how to combine them.
The semicircular benches, for people to sit and watch. Pretty neat, made of recycled materials.
I could not get all of them in the picture.
And two concrete block compost enclosures.
Thanks for the composting pics - is that near the trail we took?
I only know about the heat due to the fact we take the kids in the dead of winter and it is still lush and tropical... Talk about zone denial! They do have great gardens - and if you ever want to plant bamboo just go look at the size and you never will...
Oooohhhh. Very nice setup! I am excited that they are teaching people how to "recycle" and make BLACK GOLD!
I was recently told that the FFA at our high school, they clean out the ag stalls in October, and if I show up, I can bring home some aged manure- for FREE of course! yippeeeeeee
We are hoping for a gentle breeze or greater... this weekend, so that we can get our compost pile into the chipper shredder, and add to the heap! It is the size of 2 piles now, and we have to get it under control before the FALL pruning! Whoo.
Yes Mitch, I t is,except it didn't look like that then, may be when we have the Swap, we can all take a tour over there to see.
Mel, I know what you mean, we shreded last week and already have some piled up. It's like dishes, never ending, but we love it anyway.
Josephine - If I am over there I am going to have to go see it - steal a few ideas at least.
Thanks John for your attempting to explain that to me. It was just a random thought. Little did I know that people had already written books about it! lol Bugs sure are a world of their own.
Thank you Josephine for that article from your magazine. That's a great idea, to use the tomato cage to protect the butterfly host plant. I have used other things, including the netting, but had never thought of the cage. I have a couple in my garage that I will try this on when the Monarchs get here!
Sorry, but I'm confused again and need clarification. There was talk about the Pride of Barbados, then it went to Bird of Paradise. These are not the same plant, right? I looked them up in the plant files and found them separate. They look a lot alike tho.
Josephine grows the Bird of Paradise tree, correct? You did give me a small one in a cup but it did not make it. I know a lady that has one in her yard and it has seeds all over it, so I will ask her for some. She mentioned "removing" it, which I hate to see her do. It is really pretty. She's 100 so I don't think she'll be out hacking at it any time soon tho, so maybe I can discourage her.
The Pride of Barbados that Trois has is just beautiful! Is this a tree also? Are these natives?? Last but not least, I'd like some seeds. :)
The primary difference in the two plants is their color. Their size is similar. Their zone hardyness is similar. The color of the Desert Bird of Paradise is Yellow with red stamens. The POB requires more water.
I might add that the Bird of Paradise is a little hardier than Pride of Barbados, I doesn't die to the roots each year. Sorry the cutting I gave you did not make it Paige,
if that lady can give you some seeds, go for it, they are not hard to sprout. And please do all you can to discourage her from killing it, at least tell her to let you have it, if she doesn't want it.
So far this year, mine have no seed because I have been cutting the spent blooms back in order to get a rebloom, and it is working. Maybe I will be able to get seeds form the last blooms.
Glad you enjoyed the article, I thought of you right away, when I read it.
Josephine.
What article?
Oh Mary, It was an article in the wildflower center's magazine about how to see the butterflies hatch by putting a wire cage on the plant the caterpilars are feeding on, and a net over that so you can keep them confined and watch them hatch. I just thought Paige would enjoy trying it out, since she loves to do that type of thing. Do you get the magazine?
I don't think the article is on the web, but I haven't checked that.
Josephine.
I think my sister in Austin gets the magazine, I'll have to ask her. She forwards their e-newsletter to me.
That's a really good idea, to make a "hatchery" right there in the garden. I've been playing around with making one of those for indoors, inspired by everyone on the Hummers & Butterflies forum. Thanks for telling us about it.
I will have to see if I can get that article on line and post it, so all that are interested can try it.
Josephine.
On my last visit to Veterans park, I saw this darling little milkweed, it was ony about 10 inchs tall, and the leaves on the plant were tiny, not like mine.
Does anyone know which kind it is? I know it is one of the aesclepias but not sure which.
Mary, the article just showed using a tomatoe cage around your host plant, like a fennel plant, and then draping netting over it and securing it. That's it, instant cage. The cats can crawl out the bottom tho when they are ready to pupate. I've put soft things around them before and they manage to get out. But it would protect them from birds etc. You do have to be careful not to trap things like assassin bugs etc inside with them!
No idea on the milk weed but it looks just like the one I recieved seed for from RikerBear I will ask over there and see if I can get more info...
frostweed. The leaves look alot like three that I got from....????? someone here but who knows who(CRS sets in). They have'nt bloomed yet but they are about the same height. I'll join you on the quest to find out so I can lable them.
Looks like A. tuberosa
http://www.wildflower2.org/NPIN/Plants/Detail.asp?Scientific_Name=Asclepias%20tuberosa
Kblond - looks really like mine, thanks -Mitch
Well, I agree with Paige, the reason I was wondering is because mine is supposed to be asclepias tuberosa but mine are a lot taller and the leaves are bigger. I have looked and looked, but it seems they are both the same type.
May be the one at the park wasn't as well fed.
I did see one other type on the web called asclepias lanceolata that looked like it could be like the one at home, but the flowers weren't right, so I gess they are both A. tuberosa. Josephine.
I am confused- not unusual!!
When you are talking about Bird of Paradise do you mean Strelitzia Regina, ( http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/2309/ ) which is what I know by that name, or are you talking about Caesalpinia Mexicana? http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/57631/index.html
Pride of Barbados is a variety of Caesalpinia - Pulcherrima I think http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2247/index.html
The danger of using common names - they mean different things to different people, and vary with different parts of the globe!!
Carol
edited to include links
This message was edited Aug 6, 2005 12:25 PM
That's the reason we always just call them POB. We have the other also.
The Strelitzia?
Frostweed
I noticed in your thread about your attempt at the standing cyrpess. Are those the plants with the red blooms. I had a couple of packages of seed from Natives of Texas and just got around to planting them about 2 weeks ago and I finally have a few sprouts so I'll see how they do. They look great at the place I got the seeds in Kerrville, Tx. I don't know if they will bloom this late but I'm hoping they grown up and come back next year with a vengance. If anyone happens to be in Kerrville, they specialize only in Texas natives or at least that's what they advertise.
jameso
Carol, The Bird of Paradise I am talking about is this one,
See plant files http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2120/index.html
I guess we need to be more careful and use the scientific names when possible, and be more informative.
Josephine.
As long as the word "desert" is in front, there should be less confusion, as the other type is much more tropical and grew all over Bermuda. We have one here that blooms every few years. I don't have a photo yet.
James, Yes that is the one Standing cypress, Ipomopsis rubra, That is the one I have tried to grow now for the third time, and I think I will quit, I beleive I have killed enough of them. I hope yours do well, they are biennial so if everything works well they shoud bloom next year for you. I hope to make it to that nursery sometime, I bet it would be a lot of fun.
Josephine.
Thanks Josephine, that explains it - I was so puzzles when you said it was root hardy here!! Strelitzia is something I would love to grow you see. The others are beautiful - just different..
Here's an image that I took of a Desert Bird of Paradise when I was out in the Davis Mountains this past June. It's located between Ft. Davis and MT. Locke (sp?)
And a closer view of the blooms
