Never underestimate a brug.

I am moving my plants from the protection of my front porch back to my courtyard. This one got frost bitten the first night of our big freeze. I then moved it the second day up onto the porch. A day late and a dollar short. LOL

I was so shocked to see a few inches not only green but sprouting. For 360 degrees above it and for over 1 foot below it and even along side the green area, the wood is all shrunken and looking so dead with no hope of a reprieve.

Brugs really have an intense self survival instinct.

You can see how shrunken the wood is just below it.

I will cut it off and I guess try to root it by the log method.

Color me happy. LOL

Wow, I just snapped off several branches yesterday of several brugs, looking for anything green, not quite ready to cut them off at their base. I am especially hoping that the big yeller tree I got from you comes back. I had it right by my front door, planted in the ground and as we walked in and out, the big blooms hung over the walkway, so tall we could walk under them. I forgot to even take a picture when it was in full lush bloom in November! This is the only shot I have taken right after the house was painted in Sept and it was just budding up.
But things are coming back that that I really didn't think would, several surprises.

This message was edited Mar 9, 2007 3:35 PM

Mine is the same as yours Kell..I have green coming on it but some funky shriveled looking branches above...Jeanne

Oh Sue, that is too bad. I have another if you need it. My yard is such a mess. What is that big thing there to the right, a ti plant?? I love it. So dramatic. I am hoping more comes back here too. I was just fertilizing everything in sight.

Oh Jeanne, what is weird with this one is it is dead BELOW the green too. I just cut it off and look at the cambium layer, it is brown with no green in sight at all. And the bark just flakes off. Must have the smallest vein up the middle still alive. Amazing any nutrients can go up that trunk at all.

Kell, thats' a narrow leafed plum colored canna I found at Wal-Mart of all places, I love it! I am going to divide it to add it to another spot too, had no idea it would get that tall.

Oh WOW..Mine is hard as a rock..I squeezed it to make sure...

Good Jeanne. I can't believe a blip in the weather could cause so much damage. Kills me everytime I look at my beloved plants. I am particularly so sad about my Tibouchinas. I just got so much enjoyment out of them all year long.

Boy Sue, looking at your pots makes me want to run out and redo mine this second. I have been buying stuff to go into them all month. I need a trip to East Bay. Is that canna's flowers dramatic also?? I am so afraid of cannas now since that canna virus is killing off all them all over the world. I do not want the ones I have to get infected so I won't bring new ones in.

What a gorgeous day today was. I just love it so much.

Hurrayyyyyy! I am so happy to see signs of life there!
I haven't dared to check on my plants yet, the loss of Mister Charles Grimaldi The Great is still too painfull...

Kelley, the one which has lost the bark below the sprouts might just for new bark. That happened here last fall. I had a flava hybrid, which had its roots weakened by overwatering. I thought, why not airlayer the tree at the base of the trunk. I removed all the bark and soft tissue and wrapped a pot around the wound. When I was removing the pot after a few months expecting to see new roots, there weren't any, but it the stem had healed and had grown new bark. They really are survivors LOL Ain' t that amazing?

Oh Mrs. Colla, did we determine your CG would not come up from the roots? I am sure hoping a few of my will do that. I am so thankful I have so many roses to keep my little spot cheery all summer. They are now supplying the green too. Though some of my plants I was sure were dead are now pushing out little leaves, like my lantanas. So do not give up hope.

Tonny I have had 2 fill in big holes made by a too tight support. One was right down to the heart of the trunk. They are almost weedy in their zest for life.

Sooo Happy to see life returning to your Loved ones
Kell.
Wishing them all a speedy recovery.
:)

Kell, here in East Tx. all of ours freeze to the ground but most of mine have shoots coming up and the others will to, later. They are mulched heavily and even the seedlings are coming up. I do take cuttings to over winter in case they did not come back because of a very hard winter. So don't give up on them yet. The winter here was so crazy. It would be 85 and drop to freezing that night. I am still holding my breath on the trees and a lot of other thing.

Joan

I have life in Maya and Tequila Sunrise and Rosemond!! I am so jazzed.. I will just leave the others alone.. it's like if you quit watering.. put em in a sunny spot and forget about them for a week or two.. they will sprout.. BUT if you put them where you can see em, water them and fuss over them.. NOTHING.. They just sit there and stare back. LOL

Glad you are all getting signs that Spring is here, renewal is good for the heart and soul.
Lol, Joyce.

I just read the post about a Canna virus. Great!! just bought some for the first time and have planted them already. What should I look for and or is there a Canna forum?

Thanks Kin! Oh Joan, I am glad to hear yours are coming back. Not one sprout yet on my outdoor brugs. Not even a leaf. But on a happy note, my tibouchinas have the tiniest red sprouts on the dead looking bark. Now I just have to see how much is dead on the top. I am so praying here for them.

I should follow your advice, Joyce, I am watching them way too closely. LOL. Esp a few of my seedlings I loved so. Glad you have had some growth.

Jackie, how long till your spring hits? I bet you can't wait!

Hi Linda. Oh be very careful with canna now. It is so highy contagious, big collections have had to be destroyed. I won't bring anymore cannas into my yard because I do not want to take a chance at infecting the ones I already have. Last year I saw so many infected ones at nurseries for sale. When I asked about them, 2 places told me it looked like the virus and that they would be sending them back to the seller. I had a hard time telling at first esp with the ones that are variegated, they just look odd. But then I saw ones that were far gone and that helped to see what to look for in the ones that weren't so bad yet. I understand the look get worse and worse as time goes on.

They looked exactly like this:
http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/php/elements/view.asp?ID=2102

and
http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/php/elements/view.asp?ID=2103

Here is a blurb about it:

Important Note: Canna collections worldwide have experienced problems with virus infected plants. In Britain Ian Cooke destroyed his National Collection because much of it was infected with a virus. In the United States the Canna Yellow Mottle Virus has sweep rapidly through collections and nurseries across the county. In an effort to curb further spread of this virus, the California Department of Agriculture has ordered the destruction of any infected variety. Inspectors from the Agricultural Commissioner's office for each county has been inspecting and sending in for analysis every variety of Canna from California nurseries. We have had our inspection in May 2005 and then destroyed all virus infected plants; the canna we continue to list are all virus free and we will continue to monitor and test these plants to insure this.
From http://smgrowers.com/info/canna.asp

Wow, Kell, I am so glad you posted the link with infected canna. I think it is gorgeous and I might have wanted one!! I am such a poor judge of character cause I love variegated stuff!

Brenda

It is really is tough to tell at first with the variegated ones. A lot of places seem to have stopped selling the variegated ones too becuase of the virus. Though I guess all can get it. It is so sad.

I lost a tropicanna last year to the stinkin' virus. The edges stayed funky, and it never thrived, so into the garbage it went along with it's pot and soil. I am debating starting over with more cannas. I love them for their architectural value (if you know what I mean.)
I don't winter them over like I should except I did save one this year, Tropicanna Black. It didn't go dormant either, even though it is in the wintering-over area with temps around 40. Very strange. It's taller than me now.
Our last frost date is in May, I think. May 20th.
Waaaaahhhhhhhh.

Yes, you just never know with brugs... I was about to toss out one that was all hollowed out.. and upon closer inspection..

Teresa, it is hard to tell from here but I do not think that is a brug leaf. Could a seed of something have blown into the hole and has germinated?

Jackie, I have never heard of Tropicanna Black. Does it have stripes? It sounds gorgoeus. I was HD the other day and found a whole virused.

Kell, on the 9th you posted a picture of a tree with pink blooms... is that by any chance a saucer magnolia? I saw one for the first time the other day and bought it. I am now working on getting a dead tree out to put the new one in its place. It is in a 5 gal pot and blooming beautifully... I just stand and look at it!

Tammie

I hope none of my cannas are virused. This will be their first full growing season since I planted everything last year mid July to October.

The Tropicanna black is a sport of the Tropicanna canna, as is the Tropicanna gold.
http://www.tesselaar.com/Display.aspx?Page=Variety&ID=332&Region=NA
Kell, the foliage is very dark when young, really chocolate to purple colored, but I have noticed as it got taller,
the stripes have become more prominent, with a lighter undertone. I will have to see what happens with it this year.
The Tropicanna I lost last year looked like your HD picture.
The edges got even worse before I destroyed it. So sad.