the two bent palms are from hurricane wilma from the winds. i thought they were going to die but you can see they are now growing back up toward the sun.
Tropical garden #4
ms. rita (can i call you that? i can never remember your entire DG name.) i have several bouganvillas (sp?) and they are so pathetic! i don't have many leaves or blooms for that matter. i know i'm not suppose water much and i think i remember rj saying he uses his hibiscus fertilizer on them, but mine are just not making the cut. i know you have the magic touch, but any recommendations??
rita is that bouganvilla varigated? it is gorgeous with that white flower in there.
ashley i don't really remember how often they flowered last year because i just planted them last year. it seemed as if they flowered on and off through out the entire summer.
this is one of the new brugs i got last weekend.
that brug is beautiful! you just got it last weekend and it's already blooming for you!? so unfair! i was hoping to get a white one. do you know the name?
candela, are those Queen palms? they are lovely, I especially like the palm in the other picture too.
one of my plumies has leaves too.
That was a variegated bouganvilla. I will have to cut them back before putting them out .
Papayas starting to turn yellow.
the brug above is called fantasia(the flower looks shredded) and the other new one is super nova(the flowers are huge).
the palms that are bent are alexander palms (i think). the palms behind the plumie is a robellini palm. i did have 13 queen palms in the front but i lost 5 to the hurricanes. i replaced them with foxtail palms that are much easier care. the queen palms are so messy with seeds and they get so huge that you have to have a truck with a boom on it to clean up the palm fronds.
this is one of my favorites brunfelsia.
Those blooms are huge. Wish I had that problem with the palms.
my home in Belize.
candela, I love the smell of the brunfelsias. I have a purple one called Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. It is covered in buds right now.
Lemon blossoms.
In the greenhouse
Ashleykelly, I am so sorry that I missed your question. My computer is very slow and so am I.
Please forgive me.
I am no expert on any one plant species. I have had those bouganvillias for over ten years, and from my personal experience with them, I found that they thrive on neglect. I would trim them back severely in the spring, give them a feeding of bloom booster, and let them go. I would repeat the feeding every 2-3 months, then another trim before putting them back in the greenhouse for winter. Works for me.
I personally think that they do much better not having any blooms or leaves over the winter, so that they can save their energy for that first big bloom cover in the spring.
Of course you can call me rita. Placencia is the name of the little village where I am from.
again my apolagies. rita
wow what a view you have in belize. is that literally a lemon blossom or a plant called lemon blossoms. (forgive my ignorance). i would love some citrus but i don't have enough sun left.
this orchid is taking its sweet time.
Very coincidental. The pictures of your home in Belize caused me to try to find Belize on the map. Of course, that led to Placencia Village and I assumed that is where you home is. Come back to DG and you confirmed it. The pictures of the peninsula are beautiful. Very easy to see why you would want to duplicate it wherever you are. Red Oak, Texas is a far cry from your paradise home. I live much under 10 miles from you in DeSoto and am encouraged that by the end of the coming summer I will have a much different scene in my backyard than I do today. Big, big difference is the greenhouse. At this time, the tropicals I have are all root hardy and are not quite visible as yours are. The garden you have created is very inspiring. I had the privilege of visiting RJ's garden in November, 2007 and am still reeling from the beauty.
Christi
no big deal ms. rita! thanks for explaining your name as i've always been curious...how interesting! your home in belize looks beautiful! (i hope you get to visit often!?) you're an expert in my book...thank you so much for all the advice on the bouganvilla. i will definitely try that!
Hey Rita are you going to save Papaya seeds from your Papayas?
Candella, are you the one that has those large firespikes? I have something growing that I'm not sure what it is...may post to see if you recognize it.
Christi...will you please bring me back a yellow hibiscus cutting? They're in any ABC store over there, pre-packed and okay'd by Agriculture.
I certainly will. Glad to know it is possible. Can't wait!!!
I know you can eat them, but i'am not going to try! Jerry
Candela, that realy is a lemon blossom. There were little baby lemons on the tree, but I thought that the blossoms would make a better picture.
Ruby Red grapefruit in the greenhouse.
LouC, If you ever decide to build a greenhouse, I can recommend the perfect builder. He built mine and was very thorough, he thought of stuff that I did not even know that I would need. I have been enjoying mine for the last 5yrs.
My village used to be paradise , but then the tourists came and you can guess the rest of the story. But it is still pleasant and semi quaint.
Rj, it depends on how sweet the fruits are. I think the seeds that you sent me are going to be sweeter papays.
Placencia translates as Pleasant, hence Pleasant Rita is from Pleasant Village.
What a shame that the very thing that draws a "tourist" to a location is destroyed by their presence and actions.
Very appropo. Thank you for the offer Rita. Perhaps by next year I can be in a position to follow that dream.
Christi
texasbigleaves, the cutting that you gave me.a couple of years ago have not grown very much. The only leaves that it put out are solid white, and whenever I put it in the sun, the leaves burn. What do you recommend that I do this year to get it to look like yours.?
Please save the seeds, don't eat them.
wow! Have never seen a leaf completely devoid of chloryphyll.
RITA, this is the mother of your plant. Jerry
They are both beautiful even though appear to be very different. Doesn't look real. A true wonder.
Christi
The same mother plant.
that is amazing just how white they are.
rj.
were you talking about these firespikes.
did someone say the big ear fest is in march or may?
The " Big Ear Fest " is in MAY '08. Jerry
texasbigleaves, shoud I give it any special ferterlizer or more sun? The mother plant does have some green on the other leaves. It is not growing as well as the other monstera variegata.
Rita, Is the white one a cutting off of the first one i gave you?
Texasbigleaves, Yes it is.
This message was edited Feb 10, 2008 7:37 PM
Rita, The cutting how long was it? Where is it growing and in what? jerry
Jerry, the cutting is about 2ft. long, in a pot with miracle grow potting soil. It is in the greenhouse right now, but I usually keep it in the garden on the east side of my house. It has been there for the last 2-3yrs with no growth at all. I am just trying to help it a little.
Maybe I will have better luck with the yellow version.
Rita, How big is your mother plant now? This is a pic. of a cutting off of the same plant and time that i gave you, your mother plant. Jerry
Here is anothe variegated monstera. It's climbing up a white bird o.p. and it's reverting to all green at the top.Even the seed pods solid green. But the bottom half is still variegated,so are the seed pods, go figure. Jerry
texasbigleaves, the plant in my picture with the little all white leaves is the one that you gave me sevral years ago. It should look like the one in picture #4521820 but is not. My problem is, after doing a little research, I found no solution to the lack of chlorophyll
I have decided to plant it in the ground this year, then cut the tip off, hoping that the new shoots might have some green on them. Wish me luck.
A replacement plant sounds better. Jerry
Are they the same kind of trees? I like growing them for ornamental...I have Hawaiin ones now..so am just trying different ones.
Nice Philodendrums..I just started getting a few last year. I really like them.
Here is a picture of this giant Castor bean AFTER I cut the entire left side off. I was going to cut it down, but..I've never seen one so big, so I settled for a trim up instead.
