TxT, it could be that Incense is just another popular name for Passiflora incarnata, I am no sure though. I need to research that sometime.
Gardening with Texas Native Plants & Wildflowers, part 11.
Kipper, I have images of my vine growing all underneath my yard, which is scary! lol I knew people said it spread, but mine actually moved, then started spreading. It died at the original spot, where I really wanted it, and came up down the fence. So I've been struggling to keep it out of the neighbor's yard and get it back on to the right trellis. It comes up about 2-3 feet away from the fence it's on. Oh well, at least it's not like that horrid trumpet vine that comes up in the middle of existing plants!
The white one is beautiful! Does it root easily? :) Sheila, I'll pull you up a runner and get it rooted for the swap.
Thanks Josephine, and TxT! Actually, I think what I have is the "Incense" one. The PlantFiles says: Passiflora incarnata x cincinnata
The P. incarnata petals look lighter than mine. Mine are always a dark lavender/purple. So they are both "incarnata" but the Incense is "incarnata x cincinnata".
I'll probably never remember and keep asking. LOL ok...I'll write it down.
This is the main part of the vine that came up to the left of where it should be and behind my son's garden. It's mixing now with a coral honeysuckle.
Very nice, konkreteblond... :)
I know how ya feel, my original cutting had gotten pretty large last year...and then "died" in its original location. Then, this spring, I noticed that it was coming up again in that spot...and THEN, all of these little vines were coming up EVERYWHERE..I was horrified, worrying that it was coming up in the neighbor's yard as well..lol Since my backyard fence is backed up against a crispy cow pasture, I really can't see what is going on behind my fence. Well, I got curious one day...and looked over the fence...and lo and behold, I had another passion vine waaaay past the fence into the pasture...lol Unfortunately, this drought and baking sun pretty much did away with that one...
I haven't even thought about it coming up in the neighbor's yards! Oh well...they'll just pull it up, mow it, or throw Round up on it. I do sometimes wonder if they have milkweed growing all in their yards tho.
Since mine is planted along the fence too, I sure hope that it comes back on MY side this next year!
konkreteblond, the native white roots too easily. I'm sure that I could snal mail you a rooting but remember that you will be mowing shooters after 2 to 3 years. Email me your address. I've thought of a way to get it to you and would like to try it out. The idea contains a paper towl roll.......
kipper
I wonder if they would grow as well and bloom in a pot? I'll d-mail you my address. I'm curious about the paper towel roll.
Well guys, I have something very exciting to tell. My husband built me some stair step shelving for my plants, right there by my compost area.
With all the plants I have been raising I was running totally out of space and this is going to help a lot.
There are 5 shelves 8 feet long.
They are resting on concrete blocks, and the shelving is 2x4s eight feet long, 2 on each shelf, so we didn't have to cut any wood, and the 2x4s were under $2.00 each, so the whole thing cost less than $20.00. We already had the concrete blocks.
Here is our beautiul shelving.
Here is my Hero, finishing his work.
And me doing the Vanna thing. I am so proud!
The shelves with plants, seen form the left.
Josephine - That looks soo good! Gongrats!
And from the right. Tadaaaaaaa!
This message was edited Jul 25, 2006 10:23 PM
Thank you Mitch, and so cheap too, I think everybody needs one, don't you?
We sure do - not that I have that much shade.. but one day I will!
We sure do--I hate to show you the picture of my pitiful back patio with pots of all sizes taking every square inch.
Well, beleive it or not, I still have a lot of pots on the patio, and behind the shop in the shade, the ones that I potted recently.
Soooo you need a few more of these!
You guys have done a great job!! The plants look so happy there! Your DH is definately a hero!
This message was edited Jul 25, 2006 10:29 PM
Oh my!! with all the excitment I forgot to tell you that he also installed a sprinkler head mounted on a 10 foot pole that waters the whole area just great and I don't have to do each pot separarely, Alleluia!!!!
This message was edited Jul 25, 2006 11:24 PM
That is so awesome Josephine! Frank is such a keeper! It's so sweet that he enjoys what you are doing, because you are doing it! I've never been sure if he was really into the plants or if it was just that he is so into you. :)
This is just the time to ask you to tell me what you use as a potting soil for your cuttings. I'm sorry, I'm sure you've posted it several times but I have no idea where I might find it. I thought I might attempt some now too.
I still have Queen Anne's Lace blooming!
Thank you, Paige, he is not the gardener, but he enjoys the garden, and he helps when I need him, which is quite often.
O.K. the potting mix for cuttings is;
2 parts cheap potting soil, ( I buy it from walmart $1.00 for a 40 pound bag )
2 parts, peat moss
1 part perlite.
Mix it well, and that is it, it works because it holds moisture very well.
Good luck with your cuttings.
Josephine.
Sorry--slight change of subject here.
I'm not up on my bugs/insects (basically because I leave them alone--if the plant can't handle them, maybe I need to grow something else, no?) but can somebody identify this as to genus, family etc. (I hated classification in bio)?
This message was edited Jul 26, 2006 12:13 AM
Debbie, the lighting on that pic makes it a little hard to ID, but it looks like a Queen to me...Danaus gilippus. If you have milkweeds, that's their host plant, just like the Monarch.
Wow, Josephine...I love your stair shelving...thats a wonderful idea....esp. for folks like me...with wee yards....but NO shade to speak of...And easy to build......I wonder if my honey could put one together....He isn't into gardening or the outdoors AT ALL...unfortunately... :(
Thanks Linda--yes I have milkweeds too, pretty close to this rangoon creeper.
Thanks Josephine! I'm glad I didn't need vermiculite because I couldn't find it so I got the peat moss instead. I've got what I need, so here goes...
Debbie, your butterfly is a Monarch. A Queen is smaller and has more brown.
This is a Queen.
Thank you Konkrete! I have another to ask about but am knee deep in some La Iris work...we finally got some rain today at my house; I think our house is the only one in Houston that didn't recieve any this last week. Would always just blow over my house...
Nice picture of that Queen--it could sure be useful in the BugFiles.
Debbie
You're welcome. Sure wish we would get rain!! I thought it was coming this morning, but poof, it disappeared.
I would love to put some pics in the BugFiles but I'm knee deep in keeping a 7yr old busy. lol I've got better pics, or at least Queen's in better shape, but this was easy to find. When I can sit down and sort out my good pics I'll add some.
How neat! learning about butterflies, I really dont know them very well, but I sure do like them. We have quite a few of the swallow tails.
I am still on a high about the plant shelving, especially the the sprinkler high up that gives them such a nice gentle shower.
I think the sprinkler is great... I would like to see a pic when possible, might give me some ideas for my place.
I hear ya Josephine! Battling the water hose is one of my all time peaves!! One of the reason I don't try to root more is because I usually forget them and they die of thirst. It's good when little things can make us so happy!
You got mail KB
Sunday is a great time for reflection; and although the temperature is still very hot, the days are definitely growing shorter in length. I decided to post this over here since I figured it probably would not be of great interest to most of the folks on the Tx forum. This guy, who is my favorite Texas Gardening site because he is a professional photographer, has posted two pictures of a beautiful desert willow cultivar "Brandy' on his site. Another plant I've got to have now.
http://www.soulofthegarden.com/dailymuse0806.html
Now this page of his site has some more beautiful pics, although no desert willows (there is a cool snow on his Austin garden shot and bluebonnets in spring); but if you scroll all the way down to the bottom, right above the orange rose. There is a comment there by someone ya'll might know.
http://www.soulofthegarden.com/contact.html
Since it's a day of garden and general life reflection. I've decided that I'm going to increase the natives even more this year, or at least cultivars of natives. I've recently planted five new Texas native bulbs and have managed to buy/shamelessly beg for all five actual native Louisiana iris species (two of which are native to Texas) to add to my very large collection of Louisiana Iris'. I'm working on organizing them all into my Dave's Garden Diary, but this will take time. I should be out battling the nutgrass that threatens to overwhelm my summer phlox, white Texas Stars, and mexican oregano but maybe I can get home from work early enough tomorrow night to work on that.
As I put in my order to Native American Seeds for some different natives to grow, I look at this area of my garden lovingly referred to as my wild/native/butterfly corner thinking about what would be some other good natives to mix with these red Texas stars, milkweed, and frostweed which is starting to bloom (yes--finally something else out there in bloom). While this is pitiful photography after Tom Spencer's work you have to admit, everything looks pretty healthy with no fertilizer additions or insecticides. Many people would consider this pretty messy looking--and certainly it's not going to make house beautiful's garden pages. But, on the other hand, I haven't had to lift a finger to do any maintence work all summer in this area. Can't beat that. The mulch heavily applied in spring and the bushiness of the plants themselves have completely eliminated the weeds. Even the nutgrass. I think I'm going to try some annual Texas bluebells and Salvia azurea in there next summer.
Debbie, that new Dessert willow looks really nice, such a neat color, they are all beautiful aren't they?
That Tom Spencer site is really beautiful, and the poetry too, I go there once in a while,
but lately I am too busy with DG, and handn't been there for a while.
I saw your post, that was neat.
I happen to think that the picture of your native wildflowers is just as beautiful as his pictures, you have a lot of good plants there, and they look so healthy.
I know you love your plants and you take very good care of them, and it shows.
If you need more Frostweed let me know, I have lot of plants potted.
Josephine.
Aren't they annuals Josephine? Even at that they might have a fair chance of making it through the winter....depending on whether or not we have a winter down here this year. Is yours starting to bloom yet up there? I just noticed that in the last few days. It's just a little hard to see the blooms right now (at least to photograph) as its sending spikes up higher than where its now blooming. Not sure if that makes much sense. I would love to have more for next year, I was thinking about how the seed saving on that one would go. First year for the plant, I got it either from you or someone at spring RU.
I wonder if that desert willow cultivar is out in the nurseries, I love the one you gave me and it just keeps blooming it's heart out. I need to trim it back so it will be a bit more upright but haven't the heart to cut of those blooms. Best done in fall or spring?
Someone emailed me an interesting article about nandina (is that what that bush is called? gets berries--maybe dark purple/black--people use them a lot in "builder's landscapes"--not familiar with it myself, but I know it when I see it) about possibly being added to the USDA invasive list for Texas at the first of the year. He's a plant tissue culture guy for a living and he sends me interesting reads/seeds from time to time. Seems the birds are distributing them all over the hill country in Nature Conservatories and private lands, etc. I'll see if I can dig it out and post it some time this week.
You should tell Mitch about Tom Spencer's site, his life partner is really into mexican churches (and Texas ones too--he has a whole section on there). He also has a lot of agave's, I need to do more of those in pots.
Debbie the Frostweed is a perennial, I love it because it looks so tropical but is very hardy. It does make a lot of seed too. Mine has already bloomed, it did it early this year.
The Nandina is on the invasives list, I have naver seen it growing wild, but they say it does. In any event, I have lots of it, I got it 30 years ago, and it has never jumped from where it is.
But I intend to to remove it this Fall or Winter, because it doesn't seem right, that I should be growing a plant that is supposed to be harmful to the environment.
It is going to be a really hard job, because they are tough customers.
We shall see, we always have a lot to do in the fall, with cutting down the wildflowers on the slope and all the ones in the back yard.
I will let mitch know about the site, in case he hasn't seen this poast, he is pretty busy lately.
I used to do volunteer work for various parks and one of the natural areas they acquired had a lot of nandina and other invasives exotics around some historic buildings. We went around with tools and spray bottles of roundup trying to get rid of that and some other plants. Later, after most of the invasives were gone, we planted some nice native plants.
I think it is so dumb that nurseries and landscapers put them in when they are considered invasive to native texas.
Yes, landscapers should know better and not use them.
When I planted mine 30 years ago I kenw nothing about it, and may be at that time they were not considered invasives.
A friend of mine gave them to me, and I was glad to have them, since they are so hardy and trouble free, but now, I have a big job ahead, and a lot of replacing to do, and I will need help from my husband, those roots are very very tough.
It will get done God willing, I haven't decided yet what I want to replace them with, I want something evergreen and slow growing.
Luckly I only have 2 or three and they are dwarf. But I plan on taking them out this winter. They are on my swap list in case someone really wants them. Otherwise I will just throw away.