i had to get it!!!!!!!!!!

i had to get it because.....it was sitting in a buggy with odds and edds and they had no more of them. i asked the lady how much it was 7.97! can you believe it? it also has a tag saying 1 year warranty!

kelly

the backs of the leaves are purple near black! i am in love with this beauty!

Very Pretty "African Mask" plant :)
Lots of humidity and warmth for that baby :)

Kim

I have 2 of these myself, and I had to have it when I saw it, too, so can't blame you for that!

Good price!

what kind of light do you give yours nan? do you ever let it go outside?

kelly

Mine usually goes dormant in winter but always comes back except for my first one that I kept watering until it rotted. I always put it outdoors for summer where it thrives.

love the picture!!!! the one on the left looks just like mine. do you know the name of it? the one on the left is pretty and i haven't seen one like it!

kelly

p.s. are these plants basically just dwarf elephant ears?

The one on the left is alocasia amazonica (common name is African Shield which I don't get - how does the African part come out of amazonica? Why not Amazon shield?) and the one on the right is alocasia 'Frydek'. The ones behind it are colocasia 'Illustris', a plain green one (a taro bulb bought at a grocery store), and 'Black Magic'. Elephant ears are used loosely for these plants.

Another view of the same ones. Excuse the red clay back splash on the pots.

oOpS! Double posted....

This message was edited Apr 10, 2006 3:52 PM

Kelly...mine is off to the side of an east window, so in the winter it only gets light from a fluorescent.
It does go 'kind of semi-dormant' (if that makes sense, lol! It still holds onto a couple of leaves) but starts to perk up in the spring, when the light from that window starts to shine that way.

I did put mine outdoor last year under an apple tree where it got just a bit of dappled morning sunlight.....it was really happy there!

hcmcdole....gorgeous!! Mine don't look quite that happy...but wait 'til summer!

Kelly,

Kim did get it for me...how AWSOME is she...I can not wait to get her in the mail...I have been wanting one for almost 2 1/2 yrs after i seen one in the office of my daughters school. I cant wait to recieve her in the mail the end of the week...I will have to go out and by her a special pretty pot.
Yours is georgous, kelly, and WOW at the price....good find

Thanks again Kim :o)

Char

i know you will love it char after waiting so long to get one.

hcmcdole love the black magic e.e.!!! how pretty! lol i just realized you are from ga. as well! no wonder you have red clay splashes lol. i live in the west ga. area.

kelly

I've been to Roopville many times over the last 27 years. I'm about 50 miles from you (I'm in Powder Springs now, use to be in Marietta).

Here's Black Magic with some of my favorite plants - begonias.

beautiful!!!!!!! i hate to say it but i have never owned a begonia. they are beautiful! wow i am shocked to find someone who knows where roopville is. i live about 1 mile past the heard county line.

kelly

Butch! Is that begonia up front called 'Aldous Scharf'? I have one just like it and the only pic I could find on the net was from Avant Gardens and they have it named as such.

I stop at the crossroads to Carrollton on Rt 5 (Plant Wansley). I use to spend the night in Roopville at a small hotel 26 years ago.

The begonia is 'Thurstonii'. It's kinda dull in that picture.

i love roopville as it is still a friendly town and still small!

kelly

This message was edited Apr 10, 2006 8:15 PM

Butch - love the picture. And the begonias. 'Thurstonii' is one of my very favorites. This is a couple years ago.

Are you coming out in August for Mike's big Gazebo begonia show??? August 18th & 19th. There are lots of good nurseries to visit and I bet Laurie is coming down. That woman goes everywhere!!!

Jooolz

i love the picture! very pretty!

kelly

You've inspired me to take better care of my Thurstonii!!

Okay Jooolster, quit showing off. No, I can't make it to Mike's big show. Does he have his show every year about the same time? I'm looking forward to the L.A. convention and would love to see his shop (probably can't afford anything in it). Laurie and I were just talking about next year so I know she'll be there (with bells on her toes probably).

Butch - showing off??? Just trying to keep up with you!

Mike probably won't be having a show in 2007 since the convention is in Palos Verdes and he'll be concentrating on show plants. But you'll have to take a trip to Santa Barbara to see us anyway. There'll be lots of begonias to drool over.

i love the plant on the bottom row with the yellow flowers! very cheery!

kelly

p.s. i want a strawberry begonia as i saw one in my miracle gro houseplant encyclopedia and LOVE it!

The plant on the bottom row with the yellow flowers is Begonia pearcei, Kelly. It's tuberous so right now the pot looks empty.

Now, Jooolster, quit stretching the truth - after all you are my inspiration with all those gorgeous pictures of your begonias. I really like that last one. Have you seen 'Vesuvius'? The leaves look similar to your pearcei but with red blooms.

Oh Butch, you flatterer!

I see a tuberous Vesuvius - clarkei x Sedenii. Have you got one? Let's see a picture. Sounds lovely. I planted a lot of tuberous this year. Not as many as Mike (300+). My boliviensis still hasn't come up. Probably just the cold weather. Can you grow tuberous down there? Is it too hot and humid?

Is that boliviensis or some variety of it in your picture? I didn't know the leaves were that long and thin. I want boliviensis but so far haven't gone down that road.

Does Mike grow the 300+ for himself or for sale?

We can grow tuberous here but I always lost them in the past after getting them large enough for bunches of blooms. I have a feeling I overwatered them. Now I have one or two that I've had for 3 years (yippee). Maybe one day soon I will try them again. Have you ever tried J&P's scented ones? I wonder if they still have them?

I don't know where I got this picture but I'd love to have this 'Vesuvius'.

Yes, it's boliviensis. I dislike orange but I'm willing to grow that one. And Vesuvius looks great. I've never tried J&Ps but I did order a number of new tuberous from Dutch Gardens, Van Bourgondien, Brernt & Becky's bulbs, and more I can't think of. And Mike grows his for home & shop. He is really into tuberous this year.

It's funny how these threads morph into something much different than the original idea.

Here's a shot from one of Mike's Gazebo shows. Paul Carlisle of Los Osos is the grower of these tuberous.

Jooolz

Jooolster,

That is a great display! I love morphing until it gets so off topic that it bores everyone except for the few. Is it time for kitty and doggy pictures yet? I may have to buy boliviensis later this year plus a few tuberous ones (I like the darker leaves). I can't believe you don't like orange?!

Kelly,

I saw African mask/shield this morning at Wal-Mart. I think they let it outside where it must've gotten some frost damage. Seems like they should mark it down when that happens.

these threads do have a way of morphing to their own things but i love it! yall keep up with the pictures! i have enjoyed each one!

kelly

butch my wal-mart is terrible with the plants and i never see any marked down. they just neglect them then throw them out. how sad :(

Kelly,

If they throw them out, ask if you can have them. They will probably say no, but they may also turn a blind eye if you went dumpster diving.

What I hate is when they don't water and all the plants die or leave them out during a cold spell or in the hot sun to the point of severe damage. Then they leave them on their sales benches like people will pay the full price for damaged goods. Are they crazy? (This goes for a lot of retail places though, not just Wal-Mart).