SNAPDRAGONS FOR 2010 - WHOSE IN #2

I would think it's Ruellia Makoyana. Ruellia is actually a plant you wanted for next year!!! It's also known as "Mexican Petunia". Ruellia Makoyana is just a shorter/spreading variety good for pots and/or hanging baskets.

Jon

Well, no that is not the mexican petunia I wanted, the one I want is very different than that! The one I want is not that little in the leaves or the flowers.

Go here

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1061641/#new

we think its a misnomer. I was told C.C when I bought it but the seller did not have them labeled and then told monkey plant the second time I went in to get more.

The plant you pictured is also referred to as a monkey plant/mexican petunia. Its still a Mexican petunia, but the makoyana is just a smaller/shorter variety The ones you probably want is the ruellia brittoniana. Those are the tall 3-4' high spreading ones that we have all over the place down here. The most common one is purple in color although the pink one is pretty popular also.

Do you have a pic of the bigger one?

I don't have any in my yard. I went to take a picture of my neighbors, but there are no blooms on it today...probably because its pretty cold. If you type in "ruellia" in the plant files section there are plenty of photos. Every nursery/garden center down here sells them, but they're usually just labelled "Ruellia" or "Mexican Petunia" and are not variety specific.

LOL! they are hard to cme by up here. But I did find a place that had them last year so I will try and go back to see if they have plants. Thanks for the help though.

Mexican petunia might not grow in your area...may be too cold.I have the blue,pink ,white,really BIG blue w/ black stems,dwarf Katie and trailing blue.

I would imagine they are hard to come by up North since they're a tropical plant. You would have to treat them as an annual. Not sure how big they would get in just one year. Another common plant, from down here, that seems to be popular as an annual up North is Mandevilla.

The mex pets I have seen up here are huge, but yep, they go as an annual.. I have only seen the pink. Did not know they came in other colors.

That big blue with the black stems sounds neat!

They probably sell the larger sizes up there so that they will bloom well for ya. I think the most common pink one down here is named Ruellia "Chi Chi". Not sure about the variety name on the blue (its really a light purple) one. Even occasionally see a white one, from time to time.

Well, actually the ones I ave seen were not sales packs, they were in the nursery display gardens.. so hopefully I will find packs now that I know what I am looking for. I wonder if they are propagatable by cutting?

That I don't know about. I know that they can be grown from seed. They are very fast growers and spreaders down here. I've noticed the landscaper that works next door "whacks" their Ruellia back a couple of times a year, to keep it from spreading all over.

Well down there by you its invasive. That will not happen here..

LOL. Yes, that definitely won't happen up by yous.

Ruellia is real easy to root from cuttings, Just plop the cutting s in water. The giant purpel is all ove r th epalc e down here, btu the humer s and butterflie s love it.

The one I a havig trouble getting a hold of and especially the seed for is Ruellia elegans, Rajin Cajun the re d ruelia f or the hummers. Now it is nto as easy to propagate as the others. It lwo growign and spreading.

I got a few seeds of r.elegans in a trade and hope to get them sown in March.

Agggggggg I jealous LOL : )

Red, let us know how they do! I put my three lil monkeys in a hanging basket.. Boy ima thinking how pretty they would look with some white allysum....

when the monkeys get bigger Im gonna have to just try making cuttings!. I love doing cuttings!

dig dig shuffle, aaaah ! And yes I have ally seeds whoohoo!

Shud I shud I? HUh huh!??

Ok, found my ally seeds.. gonna put a few in the monkey pot today. I also took 4 cuttings off the monkeys so fingers crossed, we will have more!

Hey Patty, I did you some more varigated baby sunroses...!

I sowed some snaps today.. a mixed pak of talls. Did two pots of those...hoping the seedlings take and I will transplant them later.

I didn't get any snapdragons in my trades, so am ordering some from one of my catalogs. @ of my favorite flowers are hollyhocks and snapdragons.

I like hollyhocks too! So what are you going to order?

I'm ordering Snapdragons Twinny Peach. Its a new one. Its a blend of peach, yellow and lite orange. Ht: 12" spread 8-10".
Also Frosted Flames Mix - dwarf plantsthat have warm colors in a variegated or frosted pattern.

They both sound great and pretty, so will start with them. I plan to save seeds for next years trades.

I've never really saved seeds off anything before, but will do so now. I have to find out the best way to do it and the best thing to keep the seeds in. I think I'll buy some paper envies to save seeds in instead of plastic.

Marti.... Did you not oink for some? I had them on my list. Them and Chantilly Orange . Don't order any. I'll send ya some. Still got a few left. : )

Blossom sent yoru s out wed so mayeb they wil come tommorrow.

I must of missed those on you list. Would be delighted to have any that you want to send. With my hollyhocks, snapdragons, and cosmos planted along my 192 feet yard. I'm going to set this nieghborhoom on its back side. Them and their green yards. I hate all that grass. Nothing but green. I WANT COLOR, COLOR AND MORE COLOR!!!!!!

Thanks Star, look forward to them! I will let you know that I received them when they arrive!

Well, anyway, im gonna mark my calender these dates for planting my snaps!


Sow indoors1/5, 1/19, 2/19, 2/25, 3/4, 3/10 then move outdoors 4/19

Well, I got germ on some mixed colors...now hope they do not damp off.

What does "damp off" mean? I've heard the term many times, but have no idea. Good to hear your snap seeds are poppin Blossom. Are they a taller variety?

I gettign ready to transplant mine. I keep mine on the dry side, so they don't damp off.

Yes and damping off means to croak at a very early stage of the game, usually in a few days of germ, but I have had 6 inch maters drop too.

Damping off is kind of likea generic term.

When seedlings are overwatered they develop fungal diseases very easily. One minute they standignup straight and tall and the next they have fallen all ove r and croaked.

Usually it a type of Fusarium fungal diseas e that gets em. I don't care wher e ya get yoru bags of soil from, unless you sterili e that sil in an oven at 160 degrees for a certain amoutn of time, you wil neve r kil all the fungal disease in any soil.

Also, if seed come s from say somebody garden, that seed could be carrying fungal spore s and bacteria too. Unless I openign a comemrical packet of seed s I always clean whatever I get with some hyrogen peroxid e first. Doesn't kill it all but doe s do a good job.

The way most folks get is from over wate r though. They sow seed in too deep of pot and the seedlings root s are clos e to the surface. The surace drie s out, they water and the bottom stil soaked. That a breeding ground for fungus and virus and bacteria. That why I always mist. With mistign you wettign the surface and allowign the excess wate r to drain off an d dry and the seedlings stay healthy.

Ah, thanks Blossom & Star. I've murdered some seedlings with too much water. I generally mist the seedlings also the first 3 or 4 weeks.

It often happens very suddenlike. One day they are good and the next day in a heap and the base of the plant is often busted from the root or if its a baby seedling, the root is often without evidence.

On my trade list if you search tomatoes, I have a pic of the maters I lost.

ARGH! Wouldn't you know it! My snaps I started back in Oct. in the GH,made it thur all those teens temps only to start getting a fungus as it's warming back up...DANG! I'll be doing some culling and potting up today in hopes of saving a few of the Brighton Rock and Bronze Dragon. Frosted Flames seem to be un-effected but best move them away from the others before the fungus makes the leap.

One of mine damped off...I swear IT IS OUR WATER. NOt too much of it.

I can relate to that Patty & Blossom. I always get some tall snapdragons that dampen off and sometimes it occurs when they're fairly well developed (6-12 inches). This winter it's happened more often for some reason. I don't grow many of them and I usually lose 2 or 3 of them. This winter I would guess I've lost 6 along the way. I've learned to grow about a dozen extras and keep them in containers in case they're needed. At least I've been able to replace the dead ones....so far.

Well, its the water and the soil...the soil too is full of pathogens so you get competition and either it works or if dont or unless you got a totally seterile medium. Even then.. things can happen. Seedlings are so fragile

Its nitrate levels, calcium, numerous ick things that can happen

Hey jon, check this link out, in someplaces it might be a wonder at all if anything grows.....

Whoops Ethel, it would help if I included the link.. prepare ye for the worst!

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1071215/

I've heard of several of those places. Recall a recent story about the area in the ocean covered in waste the size of Texas. The several in Russia are no surprise, being that they're close to nuclear chemical plants. We have these enormous sized landfills down here where all the garbage is placed/burried. They look like mountains when you drive by them.