indeedy it is!
Yes..agree on the Bungei. Remember Kell last summer I posted my discoveries from my walk>? and I found a plant in the alley..looked like climbing hydrangea...well it was..I pulled that tiny plant out- and put it in the front garden..bloomed nicely...but I can tell you that thing travels farther than ANY plant I have ever seen.
Clerodendrum Question
Randy--Are you talking about Southwest Fertilizer?
Yes-- that is the one
I finally did some much needed pruning on Saturday- found quite a few plants that I had forgotten I had, they were being overwhelmed by some of the larger growing salvia and Mexican petunia bullies........the 'Musical Notes' is still blooming, don't see any seedlings, the C. philippinum alias C. fragrans has not bloomed ONCE but is suckering all over the place. I'm digging it out and potting it up today, it is a lovely plant but definitely in the wrong place! (or places, LOL)
I won't be planting any directly in my yard. I hate it when something gets out of control.
This is the little variegated Clerodendrum bungei 'Pink Diamond' I just got a few weeks ago. I hope it does OK!
What a beauty! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you
Living in the South I've had to get used to things getting out of control in the yard....everything grows so quickly, and you should see the vicious weeds we deal with! Yikes! Plus some of the standard bread and butter plants that are in every yard in town have seeds that the birds are happy to disperse into mine....
I've decided that in my yard certain plant bullies are useful if placed properly and if they don't walk too far. I have plans for a couple of places that could use something tough that forms a group, my husband just mows over or Round Up's everything I don't claim, anyway.....
by the way, what the heck are you doing up at this ridiculous hour, Kell????
I know, I must go back to bed. My yard is too small to let something take over. Like canna, if I plant one I spend years trying to get it back up. They spread like wild fire around here.
I use Preen in my beds. For years I was sure my neighbors walked by and tossed grass seed in my garden but now Preen really takes care of that. Though I have less and less ground to even see so I do not use much anymore.
I was considering Preen for next year, I was on medical leave and couldn't deadhead when all 5 kinds of salvia went nuts and I know they seeded like crazy. The red annual tropical one has a huge trunk on it and there are seeds everywhere!!! Since one plant can get so large I can't imagine what would happen if 1,000 came up at once......
I just can't use it where my rainliles are, I know they seeded and I don't want to lose any...
P.S. this year I just grew Canna Bengal Tiger in a pot, much easier to control that way!
Kell, your Pink Diamonds bungei is beautiful; I've never seen that one. I wonder, since it is variegated, will it be less "enthusiastic" than the non-nonvariegated variety. The plain stuff takes off running around here.
How often do you apply the Preen. I notice every time I pull a weed I disturb the soil and more weed seeds germinate; it is a vicious cycle for me. May have to go the Preen route.
Did you hear aobut the terrible canna virus that is going across the country? It is all over here. It is just terrible. I wouldn't buy any more cannas if you have some you want to protect.
Ardesia, I would think it is very slow to grow as I have been trying to get my hands on this one for months. Both nurseries ehere I located it were having big problems with it. But did I let that stop me? LOL. Never. I will just add it to my I killed it list.
I love Preen, some others I tried are not as good. I just use it twice a year. Early spring and early fall. I hand cast out a thin layer of it and water and forget about it. It really works.
Did anyone mention Clerodendrum minahassae? I had a picture of it. Very pretty!
This message was edited Oct 10, 2006 8:38 PM
Gorgeous! I think you and Randy are the only lucky ones.......I saw a 20 foot tree in Naples years ago and never got over it! It was limbed up, almost looked like a plumeria!
Kell, the blooms on the Clerodendrum minahassae are so delicately looking. Almost reminds me of a Crinium.
:) Donna
Plantnutga, oh I do not have Clerodendrum minahassae, only Randy does. His yard is a haven. I saw it at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers.
Hi Donna! You are so right. I had a crinum that had similar flowers until I rotted it. It was the huge one, I want to say it was named something Emma.
OK, Kell, I will get past my severe plant envy.....
I cannot believe I grew up in the Bay Area and missed out on so many wonderful places! Now that I am far away I'm realizing what I missed. Oh, well....
I need to show your minahassae photo to my husband, he had to hear about the one I saw for years afterwards. It was "the one that got away."
Luckily he's a fisherman and understands that concept..............LOL
aaah..speaking of which....I just discovered buds on mine! also Clerodendrum wallichii is going to bloom too! woo hoo...
This silly thing bloomed Wednesday night-Thursday morning (with a back drop of fall blooming asters no less--how bizarre) and there's a whole mess of other small buds on it too. I just don't know what its thinkin' blooming this late. Did you know its also sold under the handle 'Witch's Tongue' too? Very fitting for October blooms on incisum. =)
Why shouldn't it still be blooming.....it luvs yah!
:) Donna
Deb, mine's blooming, too! there's just no stopping her!
Randy, please post a pic of wallichii when she blooms....I miss that one!
Erin
Okay - I will..
Deb, first time my clero didn't bloom at the same time! will it stop raining...
also got the Jerry jungle invite...
Rj
All this rain--great for the LA Iris' bad for getting any gardening done. I'm not complaining Oct is traditionally our driest month--now we won't have to water. =)
That's for sure. It must have excelled the Papaya ripening...I just picked 4, and they are sweet and delicious! very sweet.
First bloom on wallichii today..
I just picked one of my Papayas and am hoping more will ripen real soon. I have at least 30 or more on the tree. Big problem though with all the rain and papayas my tree is leaning over way to much. I am going to try and stake it this weekend, maybe that will help.
Debbie and Randy do either of you raise bananas? I have an extra ice cream and I'm looking to trade for an apple.
Is anyone going to Jerry's sale.
I really, as a rule, don't do tropicals. I'm real into bulbs and I do mostly natives. I make an exception for a few tropicals that aren't fussy and don't need "heroic" measures to survive. Do a lot of stuff from northeastern Mexico too.
I am just now getting into the natives. I'm with the Galveston County Master Gardeners and we are in the process of writing a native plant book for the Gulf Coast area. Tropicals and butterfly plants are what I'm really into so learning about the natives is very exciting to me. I do have a few natives and hope to aquire more in the future.
Yes, fortuneatly I had my biggest tree already supported...There was one in the front that layed over too- I was surprised in propping it up that it wasn't phased.. They are all pretty big. I think this is the first time I've gotten fruit in the fall. Must be the warm winter last year. I am very impressed with how delicious it is this year.
I forgot about Jerrys sale...I would like to go.....hmmmm...Let me see what I can move in the driveway....LOL..
Don't know that much about Bananas - except I have a huge clump in a giant pot...meant to move it and......never did.
I never knew there was an "icecream" - is that like the one my friend had...a varigated green and white -...I truly drooled over that banana tree...gorgeous..
I just planted my ice cream banana plant this passed spring. The fruit is suppose to taste like vanilla-custard or ice cream.
I wish I had a variegated banana tree. I saw one in the Stokes catalog and just about died. BEAUTIFUL!
I didn't get a chance to make it to Jerrys sale, too much rain.
Is anyones clero's blooming right now?
minahasse blooms.
I wanted a closer shot, but the camera battery ran out- I clicked it back on and took a picture before it shut off again! lol
This message was edited Nov 9, 2006 10:32 AM
This message was edited Nov 9, 2006 10:44 AM
thought if it worked yesterday- it would today...here are some better shots
2nd
ooooooohhhhhhhhhhh I am experiencing plant envy again.......
Musical Notes owners---ALERT--this plant doesn't seem to care for temps below 45--just my observation out here where its colder. I'm going to definitely bring it in below 40.
Hi Debbie-
copy on that-- I think I have a cutting. Matter of fact I'm having a struggle with the cutting.
Can you dmail me about one of the vines I am trying to propagate for you? difficulties..need advice. solanum
Here is the Clerodendrum wallichii-- second year...it's in a pot...It has blooms popping out every where..it is beautiful. I would love to put this one in the ground. I bet it's quite a show when it's a large shrub.
She's a slow grower in the ground in zone 10.....Unfortunately I moved before I got to see her get big.....those lovely racemes of flowers just catch the heartstrings, don't they? You should get a couple of seeds, too. (not many)
-Erin
Hi Erin,
cool! I'll check for seeds. Yes, this one was a slow grower too, although it took off this year nicely...especially when I see the pictures from last year. I agree, there is definately something about the racemes that lends an exotic touch.
I shared seeds and a pup with a dear friend in Ft Lauderdale when I moved to GA, he now has a beautiful plant. I never figured out if the pup (the only one) came from root or seed since this is definitely not an aggressive plant and mine only produced a couple of seeds.
I'm glad to hear it does well in a container- that means I can try it again in 8b. Do you have to bring it inside when winter hits?
since you mentioned the seeds, I went out and checked today-- it is forming seed pods!
I usually just throw that and the minahasse in the house if the temps get below 45. They stay nice and warm, then I put them back out on the deck. It's funky this time of year...move stuff into the green house, move it out- the leaves haven't fallen yet, so there isn't the preffered sunlight into the green house. I think I am going to have to do that drill tonight as a matter of fact...85 and summer humid today, low 60's and 50's tomorrow. I leave everything that's planted..right there in the ground- plumerias, planted clerodendrums, bird of paradise...(it's too big and heavy anyway...) My neighborhood has a canopy that keeps the area a few degrees warmer- use to be a pecan grove...lots of huge oaks and pecan trees.
It stays warm enough to grow papaya trees, although I treat them like anuals. I keep a copy of everything in the green house in case of freaky weather.
I will save you seeds, and try to grow some for you if you like.
Here is a pict of the largest papaya...we had to cut off 8 - 10 papayas because it was dragging the tree down.
RJ--cool pic! Solanum seaforthiana I have plenty of--last time we talked about it, you were having trouble getting it moving. It likes an acidic soil--add some soil sulfur. They grow like gang busters for me.
oooh..okay thanks..yes I lost the cutting, and it is languishing in front. I will put some supher in tomorrow.
I have tons of seeds coming along on that one and can grow you one next spring, if you loose yours.