And I love the primary colors of Salvia coccinea and Esperanza...
The bittersweet blooms of Fall...
Okay, I was going to put my cypress vine on here, but Syrumani beat me to it. My picture looks almost exactly like hers.
The next day the wild morning glory that grows with the cypress vine burst into bloom. So cute mixed in with all that red. But, the morning glories are becoming an evil plant at my house, and I'm pulling them up. So it seemed kind of hypocritical to talk about how cute they are. LOL!
Here's one nobody has talked about: toads. My plants went over a week without water in August, and they are really damaged. But nothing stops those guys from blooming. Such pretty little blossoms--I just wish I could get good photos.
Blue Wonder is a rowdy teenaged boy who opens up way before he's supposed to. He's been going since mid-August. What a rebel!
This message was edited Oct 9, 2007 10:42 PM
Now here's poor little Raspberry Mousse. She's a tiny little lady who opens up exactly when she's supposed to.
I like the personalities! Do you have a pic of the toads?
Pbtx lady- Dmail me on the var. tropical hib. Bet we can do one for postage.
I have the lantana in many colors- yellow, purple, fruit loops (ha), white, orange and the new buttercream. Have a lot rooting, we will see how they do, some have taken. Also doing some pink turk's cap. it is really pretty.
Seeded several colors of poppy, hollyhock, straw flower. Also trying to get another crop of arugula. Wife loves that stuff in her salads.
DD
Pbtxlady ~ what's wrong with posting your cypress vine photo too? After all, I posted my esperanza TWICE duh! LOL Might even do it again if the mood strikes.
I love the "toad" lilies this year. Mine had sat on its' toad stool for years and done nothing. I was ready to chunk it and this year it has had a field day! The foliage has been feasted on by somebody so here is the bloom only.
This is a toad tucked down in the Stapelia gigantea. It was a hanging basket and boy did he make me jump when I poked him to check the moisture level in the soil. Unusual coloration but never could get a really good photo of him...
This is the bloom from that pot... S. gigantea or starfish cactus or carrion flower in bloom now.
Pod, when you mention 'toad' I was wondering why is my friend planting Toad lily with Stap. lol. Then I enlarged the pic. to find your Toad. More pics. of him/her? lol. I'm going to check mine and see if it has bloomed yet. :-) (I meant the toad lily, and not the toad, lol).
Blue-eye baby. Not sure what is its botanical name?
Kim I love the common names for plants but always want to know what it really is... Your blue-eye baby ~ any idea? I would like to see a direct bloom picture ~ I thought Blue daze but not quite.
No more toady pictures of that guy. Guess he didn't like getting poked (lol) he moved on.
Pod, you're on the money! Here it's.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/7689/
And yes!!! My toad lily bloomed!
The little blossom is darling, don't you think? :-)
Have been following the tropical gardens forum with the under the sea pictures.....this reminds me of some of the fish. What beauty in such small things.
Yes, we've jewels of the seas, then there are land's treasures. :-)
What marvelous world we live in. I'm thankful today, everyday of our blessing.
If you out and about, give this plant a try, most nursery may put them on sale for end of the season, grab 'em. They've proven to come back year after year in our climate. Even though, they're classified as 'tropical' but it has behave like herbacious perennial in my garden for the past years. :-) Charming blue flowering vines. Large blossoms.
This message was edited Oct 10, 2007 10:46 AM
O.K. I'll bite... lol What is that last one Kim? Pretty foliage too.
Pod; Tsk, tsk, you mean you haven't followed my thread on this vine on MSG forum? Bad, bad, Pod. Here we go. Enjoy.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/765894/
Anna, those are my hybrid toads--Blue Wonder and Raspberry Mousse. My regular T. hirtas are a little late and are just now budding out. I lost Miyazaki completely to our watering mishap. :(
DD thanks for the info on the variegated Hibiscus. I was told it will be a small red bloom. I will not overfertilize then. I have it in bright shade ~ is that enough light?
Kim- funny thing, I have the Blue Sky vine on my home made trellis with a clemantis too. Did not know that it could survive the winter. That baby is going in the ground today. Also grow the Snail Vine. Is it hardy too ? It is on another home made trellis with JMG and cypress vine. I am trying to hide my ugly shed/shop. BSV has more than done its part. Have air layered and rooted several of both vines.
My Dutchmams Pipe is next to a tree and has grown to the top. The large strange blooms look like baloons hanging in the tree. Is it hardy ?
Pod- I have several very large pots of the Snow Queen var. hib. I find them so easy to root. I have them in filtered shade, bright morning sun and one in mostly sun. All bloom about the same- not great. The bloom is a single red and not as large as other hib. I like it bloom or not.
When, soon, I bring my 25 + tropical hib. into the greenhouse, I trim them up. Can't throw the cuttings away so pot them up. I put many in a large pot with mostly perlite, place pot on deep saucer and keep saucer full of water. Many root but some die. Pot the survivors up in spring.
I think I need a GH stretcher-anyone seen them for sale anywhere : )
DD
sounds like you are in need of a GH rubber room ~ LOL I cannot stand to throw cuttings and DON'T need more plants! Interesting to root in perlite... may have to give that a try.
Ah, using perlite to root is/must be an effective method. For I've seen professional nursery done so with certain plants such as "ghost plant" a succulence.
DD, to screen a problem area ~ all seasons? May I recommend this gorgeous vine instead of, Dutchman Pipe which I found aren't tough enough for our winter. I planted a dozen vine last year. 2 survived, one rebloomed, the other was "too sheltered" so didn't bloom at all. (Most flowering vines in general require lot of sun to flower adequately for us) Protecting them from winter frost and wind, thus shade all those factors help in some ways but take away the photosenthesis process, thus impedes flowering potential. Snail vine? I haven't grown them. But they're very attractive from what I've seen.
The vine that I found is a winner in our hot climate, and that is evergreen for screening is this beauty. It's easy to be mistaken with the prolific/invasive of Campsis Radican. But it is actually Bigonia capralata....Here is mine. Sunny area? This will bloom abundantly in early Spring, and sporadically until Sept. The shiny lance shape leaves will turn bronze orange in our winter, but green back up as spring approaches, and stay lutrous shiny green, beautiful all year round.
I use it for sure in the late fall. I may have 6-8 5 gal pots stuffed full of cuttings. This gives them some air and just enough moisture. I put the pots under my benches and forget about them until next spring- only be sure to add water and not let them dry out. The saucers are the deeper ones. I get about 50% or better results. I then pot them up and sell at the Master Garden Spring sale. I sure don't need more tropicals, that has me in the rubber room now.
If I had some that I really valued and want to be sure of success, I would use another method and be sure of humidity and other conditions. I use this method for the cuttings that I can not throw away.
Another evergreen that's proven itself in our climate? Clematis Armandii, there are difference cultivars, all are beautiful snowwhite blossoms in early spring. This require more water than the Bignonia, but the blooms are fragrance, and the Bignonia is not. :-) To coformize? I interplant these vines in same spot. They happily share same arbor, the Bigonia blooms a little later than the evergreen clem.
Kim-Your area of Al and east TX looks very similar, so bet our growing conditions are too. I do hate the removale of the dead vines on things after frost and would like to try some evergreen things. You are so much better with real names than I am as I only know the local or common names. I am also a tree hugger and know the shade issue causes many things to not bloom great. Every member of my MG club tells me to cut trees but I will only take out a few each year.
I have several areas that need hidden.
I live on 6 acres and have a jerk neighbor. As soon as I started to build, 5 years ago, he put up a ugly hog wire fence only part way down the property line. He then had loggers come cut about 15 foot strip down the line which I am sure you know leaves a awful mess. Woods are between us so that is good. Along this fence I put the perennial Heavenly Blue MG which has taken the fence and looks beautiful now. First freeze then it is back to ugly. Also have some of the passion vine Maypop growing on it. Like it for the butterflies. Might try the Bigonia. The fence is 100 or more feet long. This does look like the native vine here but did not know it was evergreen. If this roots easily may need to do a trade come spring.
My Dutchmans pipe is growing up a tree and not screening anything. Will cut it and then pot for the GH.
I have the Autumn Joy (?) clemantis in several trees. It does bloom some and nice smell. There is also a native vine that looks and blooms just like it but has a blotched looking leaf. Have let a little of it grow. Need something for the fence that does its job in winter.
Your arbor is beautiful.
DD
Those toad lilies are marvelous!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=3344627
Here is another look of the same arbor with the bigonia after the Clematis' blossoms are spent. Our native vines in some regards are more challenging in the garden in our zones. These hybrids? Wooohooo, they're an asset.
Do you want me to bring a Blue Wonder to the swap for you? It seems to root very easily--I'll bet there's still time to get one going.
Raspberry Mousse is too small and scraggly to cut. I'm hoping it will be bigger in the spring.
Pbtxlady ~ when you say bigger, how big are you talking? Mine stay rather puny...
Your Raspberry Mousses, or your species toads?
My T. hirtas get about 3 feet tall. Blue Wonder gets a few inches taller (and very full, huge leaves--extremely vigorous). R.M., on the other hand--and Miyazaki as well--are spindly and only about a foot tall, and haven't branched or spread very much.
This message was edited Oct 12, 2007 8:35 PM
DD ~ Although it only blooms for a fragrant month in the spring, another evergreen vine that puts on a pretty winter color is Confederate jasmine ~ http://davesgarden.com/community/journals/viewentry/110186/
Pbtx ~ my generic toad ~ I've no idea which one but it is definitely toady ~ low to the ground. Your collection is definitely beautiful!
Really! Well, how long have you had it? Mine didn't get very big their first year.
Do y'all have those nasty webworms? Seems like they've been really bad this year, I guess cause of all the rain. You know, the white fuzzy ones that drop out of the trees. I just figured out today that they are eating my toads.
These are the nasty little critters. http://www.digitalarborist.com/webwormsx.html Scroll down about half the page. I have those worms EVERYWHERE. And their droppings. Icky, icky, icky!
This message was edited Oct 13, 2007 1:10 AM
Is that what is eat the toads! The foliage looks crappy! Actually we don't have the webworms as bad but the oak leaf caterpillar is tough this year. That is probably what is eating my toads for dessert. They turn the oak leaves into skeletons and what a mess they do make! Green caterpillar poo all over...
Mine are older but this is the first year they have really deliver. I had threatened to toss them a few times in years past.
The poo is making it impossible to enjoy our deck. Big pecan right over it and they are really taking it over. Just waiting for this last wave to be over.
Oh, yeah, the latest wave. I thought they were finally gone. Then they came back worse than ever.
Yes, it is nasty. We have a brick patio off the back porch. It is unusable. I use a leaf blower to keep it cleaned off. But minutes later it seems to be raining... grrrr! If it rains, it turns yucky and is easily tracked in. So much for going barefoot!
The squirrells are just making my life miserable with the oak tree..nuts..branches and leaves raining . I clean it up and the next morning and it's thick the next morning...The deck is built around the tree...the nuts are round as marbles and roll everywhere...grrrrr...They drop them like a harvest and then stuff them in every pot on the deck.
We had bad infestation of web worms too, but I climbed up at cut every branch that had them early in the season.
Ahhh, oak's with their nuts. Then sweetgum with their gumballs! I can't walk barefoot around my deck because those really hurt!!! But the sweetgums and blackgum trees leaves turn so pretty in late Autumn. I'll post some pics. when they turn.
Those acorns hurt when they nail you! At night, even the flying squirrels will throw them down half eaten.
Speaking of squirrels, we've a family of abino squirrels in our Island. Hope I'll be able snap a pic. of them to share.