rita has asked that we start a new thread to accomodate all the friends that are on dial-up.
So, good morning.
LouC
www.davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/798884/
This message was edited Jan 3, 2008 7:22 AM This is where we were.
This message was edited Jan 3, 2008 7:23 AM
Tropical Garden #2
LouC, Thank you very much. I was trying to find a picture with color and sunshine just for you, but this is all that I could find.
That is certainly not a "runner-up". I am yearning for spring. wishing my life away.
Going after my grandaughter. Talk later.
Have a beautiful day.
Christi
Good morning!!!
Travel safe Christi.
Hey Rita..what is that multi-colored plant?
Texasbigleaves garden.
Kimarj, It is a stromanthe sanguinea "tricolor". I know that it likes shade (had to look it up). How about those pictures from florida and Rj backyard? Wonderful.
Rita those pics were awesome!! My head is swimming with dreams tropical gardens :*)
I want everything that I see LOL.That blue flower is heavenly...I will look into a "tricolor"...
a girl can dream right!!!!
Rita, what's that Anthurium in the picture with the Stromanthe? Looks like something you need to bring a piece of with when you come to the Big Ear Fest!
LariAnn, I really do not know. My friend Matt gave it to me. He brought it back from one of his plant finding trips. I will be happy to bring you a piece.
Rj. I have two papaya plants in the ground and two more in pots. I picked a ripe fruit from one of the potted plant yesterday. Oldude mentioned a variety that fruits faster. I am trying to find some seeds from those. I am in zone 8a.
This message was edited Jan 3, 2008 9:55 AM
I'm not sure what my variety is, as I bought the actual Papaya from Fiesta Super Market, about 5 years ago.. I have propagate the subsequent generations from the fruit it produces. It is a hermaphrodite variety and all trees produce fruit. I suspect by the leaf habit that it is a Central American variety as I saw simlar trees in Costa Rica. They produce fruit the first year, and I have loads of seeds for the asking. I grow them like annuals in the event of weather like we are having now...So if I lost all of my trees, I have 2 year old ones in the green house to take their place, and smaller ones I started last season. The 2 year old ones planted in Feb or Mar usually are 8 to 9 feet tall by the end of the summer with fruit. This varieties leaf has an extended stem, and really looks exotic. The fruits are delicous and amongst the sweetest. Hurricane Rita year when that winter was really warm, my trees produce so many fruits that I just let them fall from the tree. As a result there are little wild ones growing here and there.
Christi, Red Oak is pretty close!
Dammage status report from 2008 Deep South Freeze-
A bit early to tell, but so far the dammage is isolated to the usual Brugs and AloCalacosias. I see some dammage on my Iochroma, but the darn thing is getting so tall it's cresting the eve of the roof on the house..it's blooming too. The Papayas are looking okay, but they can be deceiving as it seems they are a bit slower to show the dammage. Minimal dammage really, even the wood rose is showing no dammage, but we'll see tomorrow. My location seems to be spared more often than not. I suspect we had a couple hours less of below freezing than weather reports indicate in this particular area.
I think that part of the dammage comes from the temperature swings, like we are about to have. Last year it froze and was 80F the next day..wreaked complete havoc.
Seeds for the asking? Can I ask pretty please for some seeds? Sounds like you found the one in the million fruti to start everything from.
You bet, I already have them pre-packaged and ready for transport. I'm not sure about other Papayas, but these trees like half a day sun. I've had them all over the front and back gardens, and they do best when shaded part of the day. They don't seem to be particular about morning or afternoon exposures.
There are two techniques I've discovered that will accelerate tree growth and blooms..it's a soluable Hibiscus Fertilzer 18-8-28 made here in Houston by Houston Fertilzer www.yardgeek.com
The trees go beserk using that everyother week. I've given some trees to a friend and he uses it everyweek in the summer or so..amazing results..
second tip is: taking off the lower leaves will accelerate the growth and height of the tree.
Send me your addy as I'm too lazy to look it up..how is that for honesty! :)
Rj, I wouldn't mind a few of those seeds sent to me as well. We love papayas but haven't tried growing any. Yours sounds like the ideal one for us. I'll dmail my address if you have some to send me!
RJ, FYI, Mitch lives between Red Oak and DeSoto.
LouC
Sure LariAnn...no problem.
The propagation rate is pretty good. I've been giving away trees all year. Need to start some more soon.
I see he has Red Oak addy too Christi... your going to have to arrange a tour when I'm there! :)
LariAnn, Well i'am back from huntin them thar cans that i can trade for them old plain ride ( you know the ones that fly you away in the the blue ) yea ha. It's up to 31* and my hands ,feet are frozen. What about you and south FL. did you get the big freeze or did it not happen? On the news they were showing the owner of a strawberry farm in Homestead in a panic!!!!!!! In this picture from this morning all dead, yesterday it was as green and tall as the sky!!!!!! ( well all most, you'll know about TALL Texan tales ) Jerry
Placenciarita, hay GAL you mad at me??? You did'nt give me a name for this tree, i know you know it's name! So it's a????? Jerry
Jerry,
I'll have a better report either this afternoon or tomorrow when I can assess whatever damage may have occurred. This AM at about 5, when I was hosing everything down with 70 degree well water, most of the Ears looked OK. Almost all the little Ears that I'm growing for the Big Ear Fest are OK, but there may be a little leaf damage here and there on some of the big specimen Ears. Plenty of time, though, to grow out new leaves there. No ice or frost was seen, but it sure FELT cold, especially when I was out for my morning run.
The rarest Ears and Anthurium plants were in greenhouses or inside a heated room in the house.
I could do hose duty for only about 30 minutes at a time as my hands would get wet, very cold and hard to move.
Jerry,
I'll jump in; it's Calliandra haematocephala, the Red Powderpuff Tree
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/59616/
LariAnn
This message was edited Jan 3, 2008 1:34 PM
LariAnn, I'am glad it was'nt as bad as the TV said it was going too be ! Can'nt do with out those big EE's or FL. strawberries. Do you think they have them in march? What kinds of fruit will be available in march? Thanks for the answer. The flowers are so neat! Jerry
aah..thanks for that name..it's been driving me crazy! I have a couple of them and I was searching all over my blog for it.
Jerry,
I'm not sure about fruits in March; you planning to come down that early (Big Ear Fest is in May)?
rjuddharrison, Do you have them in the ground or potted up? How about some of your pictures from last summer or ? Jerry
The powder puff trees? I just got them last summer, one is in the front garden in the ground, the other is in a pot, and will go in the ground this spring in the back garden.
Here is a pict of a papaya I planted in Oct...it survived last night...just took this pict..it was 2 feet tall when I planted it..it's now 7 and half feet tall..and has a small fruit growing. See how long the stem leaves are.
What is the pink bloom in the background?
rjuddharrison, I had a papaya that Placenciarita gave me. Oh about maybe a foot tall so i planted in my ghouse. I take off the poly cover in spring and put it back on in fall . Anyway it grew 4ft.taller than ghouse and 5ft.out from the side. It had fruit for two seasons.But i had to cut it down way to big . I gave Placenciarita the fruit , she loves it. Me i think it tastes like "#$#@%^&****?????*_+_+_#@#$## " " NASTY " Sorry but that is what i think! RITA please forgive me. Jerry
LOL...wow..sounds like it was big tree! I have to admit that it took me some time to develop the taste for Papaya..the ones I grew in 2006 were delicious, had a nice peachy flavor to it..and very sweet.
aah...the bloom in the back ground is a Brazilian Cloak.. it's looking a bit pathetic.
Last year was the first winter I had lost Papaya trees to a freeze..
This is what it looked like...I called it Papaya on a stick.
I lost a couple of trees...but believe it or not...this one in the picture came back.
This is the same tree, this morning...doesn't look phased from last night.
Not only did it come back, but now it has 3 tops on it. It's about 15 feet tall..it's pretty big..
Interestingly ..the leaves are alot stockier and shorter after it came back. the original leaves were about twice as long.
There's the next generation of seeds on there.
Oh to live in Houston....
Good pics. Nice tree.I do'nt know if i could ever have kept it alive outside of ghouse but it was a beautiful tree. The only pic. of it was with a film camera. I'am going to find out how to get old film pics. transfered to CD or DVD or ? I've only had this new about one year, it has too many bells and whistles that i will never use or understand. It took me forever to master, sending pics. to email. I'am more of a brownie camera kind of guy! By the way seeing you are in Houston, there was a nursery on the east side of I- 45 and i think on south side of Houston that sold a large assortment of tropicals. I was wondering if you know any thing about it ? that was about ten years ago. Jerry
Has any one heard from the SNOW BUNNIES ---- AuntB or 2pugdogs ????????? Hope they not still covered up in the NASTY SNOW stuff!!!!! Jerry
I'm like that too...too many bells and whistles on the gadgets and gizmos will have me closing the instruction booklet and heading out into the garden where my real priorities are...
It looks as though your garden is just as great as any here!
Hmm...not familiar with East of here...I hear Caldwells is a nice nursery, but I'm thinking it's south from here....Check out this list..mabe some of the names my jog the memory.
http://davesgarden.com/products/go/advanced.php?zip_distance=25&zip=77008&state=tx&country=US&type=gardencenters&search_text=&sorter=company_name&submit=Search
Re the Papaya trees...that's why I grow them like annuals...take the risk, let it grow as much as it can...then start over again the next year.
I think I got an email from Sidney a couple weeks ago...but haven't heard from her since
wow it took me forever to catch up on this thread from last night.
lariann you are in miami? so am i. what is this big ear fest?
some of these tropical garden pictures are like the game where's waldo except trying to figure out what plants are in the picture. love it especially with such cold weather.
it felt like it was in the thirties at 5am. i covered everything with moving blankets last night, so i thought. i left this orchid out front but it doesn't look too bad. everything else looks good
cassie
candela, Sorry no Fl. people allowed, it's just for us poor texans that can not grow them ol big EE's! HA-HA just JOKING Every one is welcom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's going to be wild weekend of seeing and buying new hybrid elephant ear plants. It's going to be great, i can'nt wait. Come join us.Meet and make new friends. KEEPEM TROPICAL!!!! Jerry
where and when.
candela, PLACE=== Florida City, FL. at LariAnn's place. WHEN === MARCH ?? date not set yet, 2008. Jerry