The girls were out and about yesterday!!

Calif_Sue (Sue) came by to take me to the Berkeley Botanical Gardens and to do a little plant shopping. Just a little. LOL She started by giving me a few cute succulents and a gorgeous daylily from her superb collection. Incredibly, it was just the kind I have been coveting!! We think a like. Oh NO!!

She saw one of the places I grow some of my brugs. I have been giving away lots of them (they are so root bound in 5 gallon pots) so they weren't that many of the pretty ones left to see.

Here she is with a few tall suckers I broke off for her to start some standards. She is so much FUN!!! We are dangerous together though.

My husband doesn't know it yet, but he will rue this day.

that's a photo of a happy woman!

=)))

We complained all day about how we had no more room in our yards, as we bought every plant in sight.

kell, you just gave me an idea! i'll just cut one tree and bring it to my mom's in san diego!!!

Hi Annapet! Yes, we both were so happy. I was at work when she snatched me for a day of fun so I was thrilled too. And fancy that, I just happen to have tons of brugs there too. LOL LOL LOL


We went to the Berkeley Botanical Gardens to see Marilyn (pekasky) and have a look around.

Here they are in the Tropical House. A place I could call home.

LOL, thats was so fun! The yellow one is a huge unknown. My husband drove up just as I got home and he saw me carrying these two trees out of the back of the Yukon (SUV's may run high in gas but for plantaholics, they sure are handy!) and just shook his head.

Oh sure Annapet, these root so easily. I do it all the time.


We saw so many incredible things. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/

My favorite at this moment was Chilean Bellflower, Lapageria rosea. Tell me I didn't buy 2 big ones. LOL And I would have bought more but I may kill them. If I don't watch out, I need one in every color.

oh, my. such big smiles! looks like a natural habitat for us all.

hmmn...hubby will have another chore when he gets home. i'm supposed to pack the car by the time he gets here. he still has to cut down a brug for me.

do i soak it overnight in san diego, or just stick it on the ground?

thanks.

edit:

wow! what a beauty.

thank you ladies!

This message was edited Sep 23, 2005 2:20 PM

Marilyn is so nice. She runs their cactus and succulents house. Volunteers all her time. She is so knowledgeable. She made sure we had the best time and let me buy way too many plants.

In fact both she and Sue are not good for my marriage.

Cut it, put it in water. Strip all the leaves except the smallest from the nodes. Cut off all the side growth. Cut off the top down to and just above the 2nd Y on all branches. Then put deep into a 5 gallon pot of dirt. Water well. Put in complete shade under a tree, do NOT (very important) water until soil is dry. Takes 3 to 4 weeks to root and grow all new leaves. GOOD LUCK!


We then went to a great nursey after a great lunch and eued and ahhed all the way thru. We are so dangerous togther but so much fun! LOL

All in all it was a great day!!

Thats soooo cool Kell

and you bought my dream plant...........

Looks like you all had a great time Kell. I see a photo of Sue, and the a photo of Sue & Marilyn ....... so did either of them get a photo of you?

that chilean bellflower is to die for! I want, I want!

on the pic posted today at 5:20, is that some kind of anthurium? another to die for. I bet it would take eons to get one to look like that.

Great pictures and sure sounds like you gals had a fantastic time. I'm jealous. I need to do a little plant shopping too. Can I come and visit so I can shop too?

Would you believe my battery died after one shot and besides, Kell's pink hair wasn't up to snuff she she said no pics! LOL! That's what happens when you are the photographer, you never get in any shots.

Wow, what a nice outting. I know you girls had so much fun. Each of you twisting the others arms and making each other buy plants, knowing it wouldn't make your DH happy at all. LOL
Kell, I love that vine.

What a fun Day it looks like you had.
It's fun going out with someone sharing your addiction to plants and not feel guilty about it!! LOL
IF Sue's Husband didn't like all she brought home she could have tied a hobo pack to that brug sucker and move on......LOL
Love seeing your excursion pics. Kell & Sue.

We did have fun. I saw some great sights. So many plants I never even imagined. Life can be grand.

ISN"T SHE LOVELY

Isn't she lovely
Isn't she wonderfull
Isn't she precious
Less than one minute old
I never thought through love we'd be
Making one as lovely as she
But isn't she lovely made from love

Isn't she pretty
Truly the angel's best
Boy, I'm so happy
We have been heaven blessed
I can't believe what God has done
through us he's given life to one
But isn't she lovely made from love

Isn't she lovely
Life and love are the same
Life is Aisha
The meaning of her name
Londie, it could have not been done
Without you who conceived the one
That's so very lovely made from love

That is too cool!!!

Uh, Ok, I guess 'she' is lovely...in a sorta odd way. She certainly is interesting.

This is a Pachypodium lamerei. Looks like horns. They had tons of weird looking plants.

This message was edited Sep 24, 2005 4:52 AM

Wow, that is really cool looking. It does have it's own beauty. Reminds me of an ancient Mayan head dress in some ways.
LOL
My mind is strange you don't need to tell me....LOL

Looks like some wild and crazy plant ladies having a great time running the streets! Sounds like a great day! I still cannot tell you how, but, there is always room for just one more plant.

kell that plant looks so interesting untill you really see all those needsles lol.
It sure looks, and sounds like you two had a great day.

Actually we found one for sale in the nursery we went to after we left the Botanical Gardens. I wish I could remember how much. I was just reading up on them and I bet I could keep it alive in my dining room. It may have been over $200 though so forget that if it is. It was short and fat as I recall. Do you remember it Sue?? How much was it?

If it looked like this one I would get in it in a heart beat.

Sounds like you two were meant to be! What a wonderful time you had!
Sue has that very happy look in her eye! Watch out hubby!

So glad you two got a chance to meet. I haven't met kell yet, but I know Sue is a real doll and fun and adventurous! We met at GW a few years ago and my life has never been the same. She came so innocently and brought me some daylilies and then invited me to the daylily meetings...then we went to the Nationals in St. Louis and shared a room...and then the National in Cinn. this summer. She is a blast to travel with! She is daring and loves to drive besides! She drove us to John Rices...a 2 hour ride there and back before catching an early evening plane. I would have been sitting at the airport! She is so much fun. Too bad she will not be at the Castro Valley RU today. You too kell! I would love to get achance to meet you!

I can see this day being a memorial day for you both! Everything before and everything after "The meeting day" !!!

Margie

Kell, re: pix posted on Sep 23 at 5:05p. How do I make by brugs have the "Y" high up, like in the ones Sue is holding up? Do I just keep trimming lower branches? or does it depend on variety yo grow?

I hope you have a great day Margie!! Sounds like a great time will be had by all. Sue is quite the driver, I bet she gave you an exciting ride. LOL.

The truth is, she and I have been emailing for quite awhile. We egg each other on. We both are flirting madly with aroids. We are in that exciting first stage of love when all is so exciting and we want every one we see.

We do nursery alerts to each other then make mad dashes. We also now are having a big love affair with hibiscus. No good has come from this alliance. We seem to be attracted to the same plants, and reinforce our must have mentalities. LOL I tell my husband, I could be buying shoes.

vossner, those were just side shoots off the main tree that were in a 5 gal. pot, except hte unknown yellow monster one was in the ground. They had leaves all the way down and Kell just striped them all off. i get those shoots off the sides of mine that are in the ground, I just let them grow straight up and Y and then snap them off, wha la, instant tree!

Hi Vossner!!

Yep, suckers or seedlings are the way to go to make standards. I leave the suckers on the host plant too as long as I can for they grow very fast when attached. They go straight up and Y then flower in such a short amount of time. So if you get an above the Y cutting that bushes, you still can get a standard if it likes to sucker. They sucker from the ground or from a lower limb.

Seedlings too can make very tall trees. Just make sure you stake them so they stay straight as they grow tall or you won't get a pretty one.

Aww Margie, you make me blush! I do love to drive, that's why I got the extra big SUV, so I can pack everyone in and the plants too.
I am just glad we didn't get in an accident while I was driving, Kell was 'oh look' everywhere we went, which I do on my own as it is anyways!
yeah, aroids, passion flowers, hibiscus, and now Marilyn sent me an epi link, (oh look, it's nearby!) http://www.epiphyllumworld.com/.
if I had room for them somewhere when they weren't in bloom, I could easily go there too!

Oh NO, did I drive you crazy when you were driving, Sue?? I drive my husband nuts. I am turning into my mother as I age. She was a terrible back seat driver. LOL

I got a postcard ad from Regans check out last time I was there on this very place. But I didn't really read it. Have you gone to the back of Regan's? They have lots of epis in their GH but they are never for sale. I thought the owner had them as his hobby.

My neighbor has a HUGE red epi on her porch. It goes all the way to the roof. I may have to get one! LOL

See, it's starting already! Now we have to visit it, Marilyn knows the manager of Reagan's, who is the epi collector in the back and owns the one listed in Castroville. She suggested we all meet & start our next nursery hopping adventure there, we will really have to get an early start!