Rita, what is that beauty in the first picture ?
LOL, sorry about all of the edits. I went back to #24 and got most of my questions I posted answered there.
This message was edited Dec 3, 2008 2:19 AM
Tropical Garden #25
Good morning all! beautiful photos as always.
It's only 43 degrees this morning. BRRRR this is really strange winter, so cold so soon.
YOu are at 43, we are at 29 a couple hours above you in Gainesville. This is the 4th time we have dipped below freezing so far this winter, definitely strange for us...we usually hold out til at least mid-late December on the 28-29 stuff. But its supposed to be in the 70's again in a day or so, go figure. I have so many 'free loaders" stacked in the door of my greenhouse I can't even get in there to take a photo or anything right now!
I had to laugh when I read your earlier comment. And NO I would not want to share my garden space with Craig. I want it just the way I want it. He already uses some of my clippers and tools too and he either leaves them out or leaves them in his truck which really gripes me especially when I go to use em and he's out working.
texas--what is this please? So pretty and I'm a pink addict.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=5852733
A few things are still blooming but not much.
'starfire' cuphea
went out in the front yard to see if anything was blooming--Not a thing.
poincetta is coloring up nicely
Mabe we stole some of the Florida weather. It's balmy and warm today. The weather has been like the stock market though. 60's yesterday, High 70's today, 50's and 30's tomorrow. While I'm sure it won't last, I had to take a note pad out to write down everything blooming. It's definately odd for the beginning of December.
Here's what's blooming right now
Abutilon 2 types
Aster
Azalea (miniatures)
Battescombei vine and shrubs
Beaumontia Grandiflora (setting buds)
Black Eyed Susan vines yellow, light orange and dark burnt orange
Brugs a few trees
Bougainvillea
Candy Corn Vine
Cestrum (purple)
Clematis (president) maroon
Clerodendrums: Delectum, calamitosum, Indicum, Minnahase, Philipinum, Wallichi, Ugandense
Chalice Vine- bud phase
Dombeya Pink Cloud
Erythrina x Bidwilli / & Firemans Cap
Ginger (Blue) & Butterfly
Hibiscus 5 different shrubs
Impasiens
Iochroma
kalanchie
Powderpuff
Shrimp Plant
Rubber Vine
Solanum vines 2 types
This message was edited Dec 3, 2008 8:29 AM
The Dombeya is going to be really pretty soon.
Phughes, It's a = Rangoon Creeper = from Zone 9 Tropicals in Houston. It's worth a trip to go visit them! Hope to go back this spring. Jerry
Okay I recognize it now--it looked different in the other picture. I have a rangoon, but for the life of me I cannot get it to bloom. I have threatened RJ that I'm going to make a midnight run to Houston and steal his. Now that I see everything he has in bloom, I know I need to make that run soon, with shovel in hand and plenty of room in the van.
RJ, What a great list of blooming plants. I only have my Bougainvilleas and one Plumeria blooming. Jerry
Phughes, If you do make a run and do'nt have room for all of them i'll take the left overs!!!!!!! Jerry
RJ, " DOBEYA " ? Can you take a close up pic.of the flower. Thanks. Jerry
I bet Placenciarita is out taking pics. in her greenhouse right now!!!
Randy, your pics are a breathe of fresh air. And thanks so much for the list. Does anyone else recognize the plant in Rita's first post. And yes Randy, I went to Zone 9 website last night. It is very worth a trip over to Houston.
let's have a plant party!
I think Rita has some close ups of the Dombeya wallichii 'Pink Cloud'..or Patty..you should have some. This is as close as I have
threw some photos in the storage bin from this morning
http://davesgarden.com/community/blogs/t/rjuddharrison/6195/
Randy, you have a much more interesting garden than most any botanical garden. Would say you know more and get better results than they do as well.
We are having the same strange weather and I have already "put the garden to bed" as a precaution bases on whatever normal should be. Have all the windows open today as though it was May 3rd, not Dec. 3rd. We are covered with tufted titmous, finch, house sparrow, carolina wren, blue jay, mockingbird and something else that I have not been able to id. Glorious day!
PK
Yes, I think this will be the last nice day for a while as far as warmth... we're at 79F right now. I think it gets cold tonight and colder tomorrow night. ooh..got to refill my propane. I have been getting alot of use out of that deck heater...it's the ticket!
I was thinking that some of this odd blooming is influenced by the hurricane.
You are right more times than you are wrong. Could be.
this is a nana I got from Brian's Botanicals. He calls it Thialand black, but I think it is supposed to be Thailand black. Anywho, look at the nice black trunk. To the left of it is a nana with a red trunk, which has been called zebrina, sumatrana, plain red, so I don't know what I have, except the trunk is definitely red and the leaves are red/green variegated, with a red underside. The young one (nana on the left) doesn't show coloring yet, but as it matures it becomes quite colorful. Planted in another part of my garden I have a grove of these zebrinas, sumatranas, whatever they're called, and the effect is dramatic.
WOW, so much to read and so many pictures to enjoy.
Welcome to Gothqueen, beautiful pictures, thanks for sharing. ,I just can not get my heliconia to bloom.
Drapelady, I am sorry but I do not have a name for the Bromeliad., I will post it on the bromeliad forum, maybe someone there will have a answer for me. ,It is so nice to hear from you. How is your garden coming along?
.
The very strong winds blew my gh plastic loose. I spent the day trying to repair it. I also had the utility crew in the front yard running new electric lines, it was a busy, hectic day.
phughes, Rj. thanks for all the beautiful pictures. I can't seem to get the Dombeya wallichii off my mind. (I am in love again)
Rj, thanks for your blooming list. I will copy and keep in my purse for reference whenever I am plant shopping.
Texasbigleaves, very nice to see your vines blooming for you .I did enjoy growing the Thai Giant this year, but it did not make any seeds.
Clemen, I have a baby powderpuff plant if you would like to try growing it next spring.
I have not read Rj's article yet, but will in the morning. I am very tired tonight.
Vossner, that is a very nice looking plant. I have a Musa "Black Thai" from Natural Selection Exotics, but it does not look as nice as yours. They also have a White Thai for $150. The Black nana looks real good planted next to the red trunk banana plant.
thanks rita. I hope that the Thai black will multiply. If yes, I will move the red one elsewhere. In that particular bed I have 3 sections of bananas. One clump of zebrina, then in the center one clump of musa basjoo, which is green, and hopefully, on the right corner of this bed I will have a black clump.
I have to say I would give them all up in a New York minute if Randy decided he didn't want his variegated banana and wanted to give it to me....Randy, oh RJ where are you?
Hi Rita, thankyou. My garden pretty much got eaten up by Gustav. My red cannas you sent to me survived and I am so happy. I went to zone 9 website and started making my list. I will have my tropicals back. LOL I'm going to mulch my beds real good and hope that some of my other tropicals have roots underground and that they will start popping up in the spring. On top of 90 mile an hour winds blowing everything, everywhere, the trees fell down right in my garden. But I've got it all cleaned up again. The one area of my garden that didn't get much damage was my uprites and hibiscus and some of my cannas. I just got thru preping them for winter temps. Yesterday morning it was 31 degrees and this afternoon it was 75 degrees. Poor plants.
drapelady, I hope your shop did'nt get damaged. I know your tropicals will be back up and going strong this spring! Jerry
Rita,
it looks like you have a lovely jungle going there.
Heliconia take their own sweet time to bloom, just give it time (and regular fertilizer). They eat a lot. Here is another of mine, Carli's Sharonii
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/Bihai/CarlisSharonii2.jpg
Rj, I love the article, but after 35 yrs of marrage I have him trained. We do occasionally have our (Brian with the new lawnmower moments) seriously my dh is a nature lover.
vossner, do you have a Siam Ruby, they are very pretty too.
I can see a shoot coming up from the red one already, that will be awesome, using all those different colors.
I was very excited when Novelty Green in Hawaii put up their website. I thought that they would have offered the variegated bananas like Rj, so far, nada.
This is brug. Suaveolens Variegata.
next
gothqueen, thanks. I clicked on all the threads that you have started, I was blown away. Awesome.
Thanks for the tip on the Heliconia, maybe next year I will have a few blooms to show.
my best philo.
candela , this is the cutting that you sent to me last spring. It is about 4' tall and just as wide.
Super Nova
Dutchlady, I will try to get one rooted for you.
rita, I was drooling over Siam Ruby last spring but other wants and must haves pushed it down the list. I hope to get one someday. Your brug is gorgeous and my cuttings have rooted successfully. They are not potted. I was gonna put them inground but somebody recommended against it and suggested I leave them potted til next spring. I will ck out Novelty Green, never heard of it.
Who grows etllingera? your comments will be appreciated.
I know this is off the subject. But the new Daves Garden Calendars are ready and he has a link to it on the home page. But what you may not know (thanks ecrane) , is that all of the calendars are 40% off and the sale ends today. They are so pretty, hurry and order if you want some. I'll be posting this on a few of our threads.
I grow etlingeras. I don't actually recommend them to anyone that does not actually live in a tropical climate, even if you have a greenhouse. The ceiling of my greenhouse is 20 ft, and the etlingeras still always hit the ceiling and lean over. They are pretty rampant spreaders and take a whole lot of space. They have basilar blooms, not terminal ones, so when you try to keep the stand contained, you end up sacrificing blooms.
I have grown 4 different etlingeras in the past: Red Torch, Pink Torch, Yamamoto and fulgens. I only grow one now: fulgens. I got rid of the others because they were space hogs and also scale magnets for some bizarre reason (probably because the stalks, at 20 ft, couldn;t be adequately scoped out all the time for pests.
I have kept E. fulgens because, IMO, it is the prettiest of the 4 I have grown, and, it is slightly smaller in stature and spreads a lot more slowly. It's a 'tulip torch'.
Here is a series of photos. The first is the leaves of fulgens. They are NOT WET. They actually do have this lovely almost iridescent sheen to them. This plant was sold for a while several years ago as Etlingera "heiroglyphics" before it got a species name I guess. So if you see a plant labeled that, its probably fulgens.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/Bihai/DSCN5254.jpg
Here are a couple photos of fulgens blooms
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/Bihai/DSCN5129.jpg