some day that rubber plant (ficus elastica) will take over this spot. At this point I'm not sure if I should let all the suckers grow or restrict this bunch to one tree branch. Anybody ever grow a ficus like this to size? This is now in its third year after it got bitten by an overnight freeze two years ago. I thought it was going to die on me as the plant was still young and small. It seems to be on its own now.
what things used to look like. Four years ago most of my property used to look like this full of saw tooth palmettos. And when I say 'saw tooth' I can give the name proper credit. Now I'm growing about 100 silver saws from seeds as I like the jungle concept but on my terms. :-) I guess I'll never see them grow to this hight but we try.
PS we left this area natural so we can always see what it used to be like. My wife was the one who was in there cutting the dead branches out but I haven't seen her in there lately.
This message was edited Mar 26, 2008 4:58 AM
Time to try to get back to sleep but one last shot of what I should have done - leave things more natural. I have this very expensive zoysia lawn between my plant islands and should have done more like this picture shows. Just plant stuff willy nilly and to hell with the lawn. I will probably go in that direction at least in the more shady spots.
Good night.
fred
fredrump.....my sago is on it's last leg....have tried most of the sprays, but the scale has made it so weak, I'm not sure it will make it. It's probably a good 30 years old.
The bromeliads you have are called Fingernail Broms, because of the red tips.
What a great neighbor you have, my fish die everytime I go away for a weekend....sheeesh....
Good night, Fred? At 4:00 am, that was really funny! LOL I'm enjoying my moring coffee and DG and wanted to say thanks for all the pictures from everyone. They are all incredible and really keep me inspired. Happy Gardening and Enjoy the day!
Mary, don't give up on the sago. They have one in London that is 225 yrs old. If the fronds are really bad, cut them off and spray the rest with organocide. Make sure the plant has a good helping of epsom salts for magnesium sulfate. I tell you mine looked pittyful when I did that. I doubt you used organocide as that is about all that really works.
Fred
Very interesting stuff, fredrump, with beautiful pictures too.
Thanks
Look forward to your picture essays, Fred. Cannot begin to imagine the hard labor it has taken to accomplish this wonderland. Gives an insight to a part of our country that I didn't know existed. Hope your lady feels well very soon. Nice to see a partner so concerned over his wife.
Beautiful day.
Christi
I will always have some lawn but I can see it will need full sun and lots of fertilizer. This sand is tough on lawns. That being said, I have plenty of space remaining for other plants. Today I'm going to pot as many surinam cherry seedlings as I have pots for. I'm going to build sections of hedges along my driveway just to set it off. I may use differing plant material to go with my less formal look. :-)
And Christi, after almost 50 years of marriage one becomes the other and every pain is felt by both. My grandparents died within 10 days of each other. The second one from the pain of the loss. He just laid down and died.
BTW she's up and getting better already. Now to go out.
Fred
fred i hope your wife is feeling better. inspiring pictures. the ferns growing up your cabbage palm looks like wart fern. these are some that i recently put in a basket eventually they start to look like a staghorn.i haven't hung up yet. it is still in an old firepit.
rita yeah those are the pink justica i was thinking of i am not sure if they are similiar to the red one.
candela, I found a picture of the giant red justica at a nursery called Almost Eden. I think that they are much nicer than the pink ones and they also have a yellow justicia.
Hi guys,
just dropped in to say I'm having a wonderful vacation, having fun with the parents. Gardening like there's no tomorrow.
Latest garden decoration..it's from toscano.com
Miss ya'll, back to work on monday.
Rj
she should be playing the flute to my vanilla orchid which had it's first bloom today. Happy birthday.
to put things into perspective
and here she is, well enough to look at the orchids and pose for a picture. I guess it was some kind of flu as we had company who had grandkids over who had been sick.
Fred
PS the bougainvilla really looks nicer in real life.
This message was edited Mar 27, 2008 4:38 PM
Beautiful, Fred. Randy, your little nymph is my favorite. What grace.
Christi
rj she is so beautiful, as is your wife fred.
this is a pink ginger in the front. the flowers smell like fruit loops to me.
this is a picture of a chalice vine from fairchild tropical gardens. i love this vine.
the peacock ginger are coming back.
Elegant Dutchman's Pipe, Calico Flower, Pelican Flower
Aristolochia elegans
I think this is what is blooming here. All these new things this year. That chalice vine I have to get too. Never saw that before.
Do I have a full fledged flower here or is this just a bud?
fred
Candela, I didn't know that was a ginger. I have them too somewhere. I'll find them tomorrow. :-)
Speaking of big vines, I think the Beaumontia is going to pop tommorrow!
Candela, I sent you a Dmail about the Chalice vines..wanted to know about getting them to bloom.
Two clusters
I think this is the largest Gerbera Daisy I've ever seen!
For scale...a hand
And some very purple hibiscus
Papayas anyone?
yesterday...well you know
Everything in your garden is uncommonly large. My daisy's are yellow and just now breaking the ground. Lot's of stuff just coming up but nothing really blooming yet.
I love looking at everyone's tropicals. Sooo beautiful.
Christi
rjudd:
Your Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow is beautiful. How tall and wide do you think your plant is? I've been thinking of replacing my Red Brazilian Cloak and this plant, along with Tithonia diversifolia (Mexican sunflower) are on the list of possible replacements.
Your garden is beautiful and lush candela and I like your pathway. Did you make the pathway? Did you put down landscape fabric first?
yes i weeded everything, put weed blocker, then the crushed coral it is pretty cheap. i have a pretty big lot for miami and hated mowing so now i pick up palm fronds and blow the leaves off.much easier.
this is not the same ist it? I took this today at the Naples Botanical Society flower show. I believe they call it a shaving brush tree.
Fred
I bought two plants from Kmart today which were named Sansevieria (but terribly misspelled). Would anybody agree with me that they are Sansevieria trifasciata or Sansevieria 'Moonshine'???
I wish these stores would put the actual name of the plants on the labels. Obviously someone at the nurseries they buy them from would know what they are growing and selling.
Fred
Freddrump, that is the largest Persian Shield I have ever seen. Mine rarely gets more than 12" high.........it is truly beautiful.
Now wait a minute, what is the largest persian shield? The Sansevieria 'Moonshine' or the shaving brush tree?
fred
ah, I even took a picture of the shaving brush tree sign
Silly! It is the very first post on this thread! (LOL)
