hmmm! I should add my water crystals to the soil when I put them in pots. That should help them.
Touring Jungle Heights, Rj's tropical garden.
Randy
Thank you so much for the tour! I have been holding back a bit with 2 moves and the change from zone 10b to zone 8b but I am now suffering from tropical envy.
Your garden is absolutely gorgeous. Everything pulls together so well! I have a ways to go.
As I may have mentioned before, Clerodendrums are a favorite for me. So glad to see yours doing so well!
Erin
Hi Erin,
You have been missing for a while. I wrote back to you, let me know if there are any others I can help you with.
Thanks for the help with the duranta. Will plan on the pot. Can I leave it outside our will this be something else I need to bring in..........oh, I soooooo need a greenhouse.
I leave mine out...course it's 9a zone here..but still..it froze pretty good last spring and nothing died permanently
yes. we have had the coldest winter in our zone and it still lived.
I do hope we have a better winter this year..It's usually 80F and hot on easter, this year the baby birds were freezing to death...
Still, it was good to see that the tropicals were alot hardier than I previously thought.
According to Farmer's almanac--we are supposed to have mild winter and mild summer next year. I am counting on it as I have replaced some of the tropicals back. Lot of the fragrant tropicals I like tend to be on the expensive side.
Oh lovetropics, I am so glad to hear that. Hope its right!
One day last Summer birds were dropping dead from the heat.....
let's hope the weather is much kinder for everyone and everything
in the next few seasons......the wild swings do a great deal of damage....not only to our plants and animals but to us....we need a little gentleness......please
Definately! I could sure go for a milder winter! Both for me and my plants!
Whadayamean..."don't tell the others!?!?!? Beautiful Chrissy!
Shari, Chrissy was trying not to brag! Trying to keep it a secret that she can grow them soooo big! Too late Chrissy, Shari overheard your secret!! It's out! I promise I didn't tell!
I did get my orchid as I think I told you, but the picture is still in the camera. We have to reload some drivers (software for the computer). Hopefully DS will get that done tomorrow. We may have to go online to find some of them. But I will try to get you a picture asap. It looks good, I think anyway!
This message was edited Oct 12, 2007 10:32 PM
Shari...didn't catch the comment about Spiraling Ginger...those are usually Costus...still in the Zingaber family tho'.
So...Randy...looked at somemore guava leaves...still convinced it isn't that. Say...Why don't you send me some leaves and I will compare to the wads of different fruit we have???
Carol
Chrissy, Oh, I know! If it makes it great, if not I tried! I will bring it in when the weather starts to get cold tho. Then if the weather is nice I'll take it out for fresh air.
My Mom raised them when we were in Hawaii and a couple in NC so I've always wanted one. It was marked down from $25 to $8, so I thought I'd give it a try!
I love all of the pictures of your plants. They look wonderful. RJ gave me a duranta. So far so good. Everything looks OK from being stuffed inside a hot trunk for 30 min...welll not everything...some things were in the back seat! They had A/C!
This message was edited Oct 12, 2007 10:40 PM
Chrissy--I do love your pictures.
Not only the weather but also the type of soil will make a difference I am sure. RJ is giving me tips on how to make them thrive in this part of the country. I had seen these in HI in ground thriving as well. I like to learn the tricks to fool plants as much as I can!LOL!If that does not work, then I get fooled.
So, I have a concensus of 2-1 to put in the ground. It is so beautiful today would like to put it where I can see it all the time. Did you say it is evergreen?
yes. They are evergreen. I would put them in the GROUND in a container to be root bound to make them bloom.
Good. Thank you for helping.
Guess that would be the best of everything.
Howdy Rj...I will be helping you spend all your money at Jerry's Jungle this coming weekend...heheheheh....I'll be there bright and early to get the first pick of all the good stuff....and run and go hide it...sshhhh.....
Hehehe...I will be ...! I get all my best varigate plants from Jerry...should be a beautiful weekend too.
I'm hoping we have a mild winter. I feel like we're going to. Certainly this month has not seen a huge cool down here yet.. Matter of fact the south wind kicked in again today and is warming up quickly..had to water.
Chrissy, good to hear of other experiences on the Duranta.! I'm muddling through like everyone else, although UniqueTreasures also experienced similar. It's probabably a matter of right location, sun and water. I've only had them for about 4 years and it is my suspicion that root bound is what's causing them to bloom..if we interpret that...that would be I guess, LOL...this is one of my favorite quotes
But anyone who practices organic gardening knows that it is made up of a huge volume of hints, tips, ideas and practices—some of which, when tried, work and some don't, despite the fact that the organic gardener just down the road did exactly the same thing and got incredible results. "
soo...mabe the duranta likes hard pruning too? blooms on new growth?
You 've got it ....but you only need to cut a few inches back behind the finished flowers.......to me you treat it the same as a crape myrtle....you can lolly pop....or let it have it's way.......chuck some cow poo at it every now and then (or whatever manure you have)
and then just ignore it (if it's in the ground).
Bear in mind whatever I may experience may be very different in other places and soils......my soil....hard red clay!.....that in itself may inhibate root growth to a certain extent .Anything I plant gets a whole lot attention at planting....soil improver....compost ...manure....sharp sand
mixed at a rate of about 50 percent of those goodies and about 50 percent of the clay.....then once planted .....thick wads of newspaper about three foot around the plant (not right up to the trunk) wetted down (after watering the plant in)......and this is covered in more goodies like lucerne hay (you call it alfalfa) to hold it down.....more manure.....sprinkle of blood and bone....until a few inches thick.....water again .....and that's it!......stand back!
I hate to admit it but I would prefer a winter that is a teeny bit less warm than the last two. My Angels Trumpets, Firespike, Buddlia and Gingers need a hard freeze to knock them back so that I can cut them to the ground and mulch them. That helps them really flourish when spring hits. The last 2 years have fooled them into growth during winter, when the cold weather finally hit they were confused. They were wimpy as heck this year.
Even my Plumerias thought that winter didn't exist. I know that they will be toast within the next couple of years but they have rooted through the pots so strongly that I let them be.
Erin
Just cut them back anyway.....you can lay the foliage over the bases......and they will come back just fine....after an unexpected "freeze "here the Strelizias have been given a fright I guess... they are covered in dozens of the big heads....looks great1
more flowers than I have ever seen on it (the giant one)....I do think some things get a fright and flower more due to that.....ha ha ha unfortunately we can't control; the weather! only how we deal with it.:)
The soil is the same here, except the clay is grey.
How convenient that the yard services bag leaves separately and set them neatly on the curb! It makes it so convenient for pick up! I only have to go 1/2 a block and I'm fixed for leaves. Lasts seasons leaves are nicely baked into a delicious mulch ready for the spreading...That is if I stop picking overtime up at work and spend a bit more needed garden time. I feel moonlight gardening coming on tonight..laalaaallaahaaa
Your garden looks great RJ! I know there are always things to do, but it really does look nice! Just love it!
Rj,...Ready ...get..set...GGooooo...I am ready for Jerry's this coming Friday.LOL....WOW!! got me a neighbor- UniQueTreasures, Beaumont is about 35 min from me..mmm..I would have to look her up...
I'm right here Moodene. (waving atcha!) Come on by and we'll have some iced tea.
I'd love to go check out Jerry's, but at this time of year, I'm wondering where in the heck I'm going to overwinter the plants that I already have. My little deck that gets covered up in plastic is only so big. I've already (at least) doubled the number of plants I have this year. They all fit nicely last year. It may be time to put some shelves out there somewhere so that upper space isn't wasted.
Janet
Oh cool, Ice tea will be just fine with me...I come to Beaumont to go shopping there for groceries and to visit some people there...maybe once a week..LOL...just there on Friday...lol...my boss is a great mechanic who works for the school district in Liberty,Texas. I am his bus service tech and a school bus driver...lol...had to get my Blazer worked on...I am in the middle of getting my hothouse rebuilt due to Rita messing it up some...14 x 20 foot long..lol..so that is where my overwintering plants are going into.....
I know I've heard of Devers, but can't for the life of me think where it is. My mind is saying it's out 90 West.
I don't think I'd have enough patience to drive a school bus. I remember how loud it was just being a rider. HAHAHAHA
A Hothouse sounds neat, especially one that big. What type of plants do you grow? Do you like in town or in the country? Any photos of your garden? I love photos. :-)
Wow, was out cleaning the deck, and a rain storm came through with big drops of rain, with the sun back lighting the rain..was very cool looking. Hope we can see it with the pictures resized
The drops kepts getting bigger
didn't rain that long though
And then....while I was sweeping up branches and nuts from the squirrels, I litteraly found my nose in the orchid, and it smelled soooo good. I never think to smell the orchids anymore since all the others in my garden have no scent. So that was a happy accident
It almost smells like a brug. yuuuummm
This is a new one too...it's a micro orchid...I almost need a magnifying glass, although I think the fly can see it just fine!
