oh, i have some Lucifer seeds. I just sowed some to see what they will do. I think one of my neighbor said she is going to give me some cause she needs to think them out. She said they don't like crowding.
Share splash of colors from your garden
Flox and cold hardy oleander
Very pretty Donna!!
Thanks, FlipFlops, The first couple years I was down here, I kept buying dwarf and full size salmon colored oleander. Despite providing winter protection, they died. I've given up on this variety (my favorite) and now have lots of cold hardy medium pink-single and double petal- pale pink, white, red, and yellow. I'll bet you can grow the salmon color down your way. Although Monrovia markets the dwarf salmon around here, it's not cold hardy in zone 8a. Thank you for your d-mail. You are in my thoughts and I wish you much happiness.
Hardy hibiscus time - this is Luna Pink if I remember right.
Donna, I bought a dwarf salmon colored oleander and planted it out front not too far from my cabbage palm. They had them at Lowe's down here and I fell in love with it. Suppose to get up to around 6 feet. I hope it makes it through the winter unless we have another one like the last one.
hcmcdole, your Luna Pink hibiscus is beautiful!!! I love all these pictures!
We got 1-1/2" of rain yesterday so that freshened things up. This is Tenn. Coneflower "Rocky Top" on the left and "Magnus" purple coneflower on the right. Various daylilies, white oriental lily (NoID), Phlox "Laura" and the small plant in front, left is a new one for me: Prunella "Summer Daze" (aka Self Heal).
In the background you can see tall phlox that is not yet blooming (even though "David" is nearby) and Sedum "Autumn Joy" on the right, also not yet blooming.
I love going out early every morning and deadheading the daylilies and other plants.
Donna, what is the name of the "cold hardy" oleander? Very pretty. I wonder if it is cold hardy enough for up here?
Hi cedar, I don't know the names of my oleander, but I only buy oleander that is cold hardy to zone 7a. I have taken cuttings from area businesses where I see it growing beautifully without any care. It roots quickly in a mixture of perlite and peat moss (I've heard it also roots well in plain old water). My oleanders survived last winter's cold with minimal burning, if at all. Ofcourse, the more extensive the root system, the more cold hardy, so you might want to plant your oleander in April. The double petal pink is very cold hardy and is also mildly fragrant. Good luck.
FlipFlops, I hope your salmon variety does well for you. I think they can handle temps down to about 25f - definitely not zone 8a material.
This message was edited Jul 4, 2010 12:57 PM
I hope it does too. They are so pretty. I have another oleander on the side of my house that I hope will grow really big because it was planted there to hide the platform our air conditioners are sitting on. It is a deep rose color. It's only about three feet tall and did bloom. There are some monsterous size ones down here.
I've seen some a few large specimens around town, too. The largest are about 15'x15'. I love that they bloom from early spring until Nov freezes. Are you growing bananas? There's an excellent thread in the carolinas forum.
I grew up with Oleanders in S. FL.. They are a food source for saddleback caterpillars whose hairy bodies carry the most painful stingers imaginable. http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/jun/11/saddleback-caterpillars-look-dont-touch/. I remember walking or biking past Oleanders as a child and being in such terrific pain for hours and days. Though some compare it to wasp stings, it's not the same because you are on fire over a larger general area of contact. Ouch! The very thought of the plant brings tears to my eyes. Funny how we connect to things.
Pack saddles (saddlebacks) also forage on corn and Japanese maples for two more plants. I agree on the pain - it feels like fire for about an hour.
That's a mean looking fella.
I think of the beach when I see oleanders. They grow on the side of the roads heading into the beach in Charleston, SC. When I start seeing the oleanders, I would roll down the car windows to smell the salt water. I love it!
I thought oleanders were big in FL but they were huge in N. Cal. One of the ladies who lives in the area called them weeds.
I have weird squash growing at Maypop because we let the seed cross and volunteer last year. We are experimenting with how it will taste. Maybe not as colorful as some of the beautiful flower gardens posted, but we love the flowers to look at and eat and so do the bees!
I summer my orchid collection, in a slat house, on the decks in Atlanta. Growing up in S. FL., I've grown orchids for most of my life and currently have approximately one hundred and fifty. Here is one of my Encyclias in bloom. It's not only gorgeous but smells delicious...like chocolate and cherries.
Laurel
Here is Cleisostoma sagittatum. Really a big name for a tiny orchid. It's only four inches tall and these flowers are less than a quarter of an inch. They are perfection when viewed with a magnifying glass and prove that beauty can come in small packages. My orchids go outdoors, on the decks, in April and trickle indoors up until December, so they are a part of our outdoor landscape. I have a specially equipped room where they winter but it's not a greenhouse.
Laurel
wow laurel, that is an impressive collection of orchids. yummy chocolate and cherries!!!
I love chocolate & cherries. yum. I just can't grow orchids...
I love chocolate and cherries too, Elaine. Anyone can grow orchids. There are so many kinds for so many conditions. I have been growing for a long time and many of mine would not be considered beautiful to many of you. I grow mostly (but not all) species miniatures, not the showy corsage orchids, because they are more challenging and unusual. They are called "botanicals". Here is where they spend the summer.
And here is where I love to relax and smell the orchids. BTW I can't, for the life of me, grow decent blooming roses!
This is called a clamshell orchid, Encyclia cochleata. It's easy to grow and a favorite of mine. It's been in bloom continuously since early spring and bloomed from last fall into early winter.
This is one of the thousands of types of Dendrobiums. This particular one is Australian. It's been in bloom since April.
Your orchid collection is amazing! Thanks for the oleander caterpillar info. I've never noticed any, but I'll remember your warning.
variegated tapioca closeup - the plant is currently about 6' tall and growing like crazy.
Oh, Donna, that is gorgeous! I've never seen or heard of tapioca as a plant before. Shucks about my orchids. :) I mostly deck garden, grow in raised beds or around rock patios and a small pond in Atlanta. We have a hilly, wooded lot in the city.
Thanks. I have bad luck with orchids and I'm always impressed with gardeners who seem to grow them effortlessly. I bought 3 tapiocas at walmart a few summers ago. I cut them back, reduce watering, and winter indoors. I plant them outdoors in early April, and, invariably, they become very big by August and get partially blown over by stormy winds. I really need to shore them up with concrete blocks. They also root very quickly and easily. I bought and used a weed wacker for the first time last month, and within 10 minutes I destroyed 2 large tomato plants and 2 tapiocas. After a minor emotional meltdown/ temper tantrum,I stuck the severed tapioca limbs in a mixture of peat moss and perlite and they've already rooted. I saw a stunning specimen in Miami several years ago that had grown into a small tree ! I'll post another pic in late August of the entire plant.
Hmm, having grown up in Miami I should recognize this plant but I don't. I'll do some research when I find the time (like maybe next month). lol
No, orchids are not effortless, but they are not impossible. They mostly require a bit of time and attention to learning about the orchids you acquire. Orchids are like vegetables or fruit trees or perennials, they each have different demands regarding culture.
Weed whackers are my nemesis! Forget the unintentional damage factor. As soon as you get the hang of the thing you can't get it started or it's out of string. If you can get it started, mow down the "North forty" and spend the evening feeling accomplished, you are puzzling over your total body pain the next day. Not a year goes by where the whacker doesn't spend time bonding with my small engine guy. An added expense and something else for me to gripe about.
The tapioca I saw was growing up close against a house, protected from wind, in Miami Shores. It was at least 8' x 6' and was limbed up with a chair underneath it. I think they might be more common in Miami were they sturdier - they blow over so easily when they get big and wide.
Believe me, I know orchids are not effortless - I've killed too many.
I agree that using a weed whacker is the equivalent of carrying around a small push mower with a lousy shoulder strap.
I got sucked into an infomercial late last night about a new lithium ion powered weed whacker. It was touted as lightweight, push button start, ergonomic, and with a life long supply of heavy duty cutting strings. It also had a push out guard to prevent accidental cutting of plants. And it was an edger! I think the price was around $120, and supposedly it could be returned postage free for a full refund if not satisfactory. I was under the influence of ambien, and they were obviously reading my thoughts, but it sounded like all I needed to make my life complete. A "lifelong" supply of anything always gives me pause. Wonder if any DG members have tried this.
Walmart was selling manihot (tapioca) just a few years ago. I wonder why they get neat plants sometimes (like tacca the same year).
which wallie do you go to? I've never seen tropicals at Wallie World in Atlanta.
You have to check weekly. This one was from Hiram.
I'll have to remember that. The Wallie World nearest to our home is not convenient, so I only go there about once a month.
I think growers from FL need a market so GA is next door so they ship lots of stuff up this way when they have excess but it is a hit or miss thing. Home Depot is another example of some more exotic stuff once in a while (begonias, alocasias, colocasias, etc. for cheap prices).
Here is a picture of the Tacca plant I bought from the same Walmart about 3 years ago. Unfortunately for the tapioca plant and the Tacca, both are not good growers in dim cool basements through winter so lost them both. Still fun to grow when you can find them.
This is a hard act to follow, but I do grow some nice plants.I am just not a good photographer. Mike
Nice looking lilies Mike. Are they trumpets?
My Oriental lilies are over for this year but this has been the best they've been since I planted them nearly 5 years ago.
They are called, "Trimphator", I think I'm right, and they smell soooooooooo sweet. Mike
ooo, Mike, love that Triamphator Lily. That was one I ordered from coop this year, but didn't get.
Here is Sorbonne O. Lily
I used to grow beautiful Asiatic lilies at our home in Decatur. The Sandy Springs house has very little sun so I don't bother and the deer ate the lilies here. Now that we are fenced, I'd like to try again. Really beautiful flowers Mike and Elaine
A white Oriental lily
