Surviving the Winter

Oh I do that too. I have dirty plant tags laying on top of the computer stand or the stair step pretty much on any surface handy.

Ha ha! Kitchen counter... no place is safe from plants or their accessories! And hey great job on topiary, to Ric.

I'm quite pleased my Plumeria is still looking nice...sure hope I don't jinx it. I better not say how relieved I am not to have found mites on it yet.

Here's how my banana survived last winter

And here's what it grew to over the summer

Some of last winter's survivors under the lights. It is so nice to be able to see this on a dreary winter day.

Sallyg:
Are you storing the banana again this winter? It looks really big. What a great plant!

Grayson

Ric put up the outdoor lights yesterday and lighted his topiary. It really looks good I think as it grows into a more sharp cut shape he will outline the shape with lights instead of just wrapping them around the whole bush. That banana sure looked great last summer. What have you done with it for this winter? I have a Siam Ruby that I picked up end of season sale for $5 it isn't looking too good right now I would love to have a big banana for in my yard. I do have several plants blooming right now and I will post a few pics later.

Sally, I'm impressed with your bananna plant. Great Job. Love the tee shirt, is the plant named Audrey by any chance. Now we know what she feeds it. LOL

The 'mother ' trunk grew from about 4 inch diam to maybe 8 inches over the summer. Baby #1 was the size of last years overwintered plant. THen there was a baby 2 and 3 and even a new nub starting when i dug the thing.
I dug it (very shallow rooted, just cut around and pushed it over!) and cut the trunks. Mother was replanted in the yard and covered with a bag of leaves. One or two of the babies is wrapped in newspaper and in storage inside. If Mom doesn't survive, I will replant that baby and expect the same show next summer! If Mom survives, I will have a baby or two to swap away.

Holly, my banana was prone to mites (isn't everything?) but just keep it barely alive and I think you will have great success once the weather gets warm again.

I think mites and a lack of proper watering are the issue I usually let my plants dry out a bit before I move them upstairs so they aren't as heavy when I move them. Now that it is upstairs it has been sprayed and watered hopefully it will start looking a bit better.
Here are a few pics of my blooming plants

These certainly brighten up a dreary winter day.

Nice orchid.... and bromeliad?

Yes bromeliad Queens Tears

Holly, that last picture is WOW! It really shows off the blue in the flower. Nice!

cool--an orchid is on my someday list but that bromeliad might be doable. Is the brom easy? I had a pot of brom- bought a spent one last year for a buck and thought I'd get rebloom this summer. but left it out and it froze

Sally--

Bromiliads only bloom once---at least out of their tropical climes....
All those beautiful Bromiliads sold in Garden Centers---what you see is what you get....Enjoy!
Just know that you must at all times keep a bit of fresh water in that "cup"...That would simulate
rainfall collected in the rain Forests.....

The foliage will last for a few years--but the same plant that was in bloom when you bought it will not bloom again.

What it will do is grow "pups"--just like your banana. They will come out from under the soil from mama's roots.
Allow these to grow to a good size and then you can, carefully, dig them away and pot them up in their own pots.
Make sure they have some roots attached.

The other option is to cut mama away and allow the pups to grow to maturity. This way--you would have a cluster...

Getting Bromiliads to bloom in the average home environment is a bit tricky---But that's just it!
You have to "trick" them into blooming......I don't know the seasons or how you would know they are
ready to bloom. I guess they would have to look all "grown up"....

Get a clear trash bag and put the whole plant in it with a couple of ripe apples. Close it up and
leave it alone for about 3-4 days. maybe more--not sure....Then take it out and resume normal care.

Ripe fruit produces Ethylene gas--which is a ripening agent in plants. It will kick the plant into
forming bloom buds (eventually). Don't know how long you may have to wait....

When the buds appear--you have successfully started a new blooming session.

I hate to see when people buy these beautiful Bromiliads thinking they will bloom again and again.
I have to bite my tongue to tell them they won't. If I do--I know they won;t buy it....
Sometimes I just DO tell them--and sometimes it is OK.

Cheers! Gita

Thanks Gita.
I had pups but I would not have bothered with the apple treatment. Kind of glad now I let them freeze. This is not the year for me to save 'every ' plant, though I do have a fair number, snicker. just a couple dozen

Gita is right about the Broms they are hard to get to bloom and some of them can be quite sharp but I have several. This Queens Tears is different though it has bloomed for me twice since I got in and I didn't have to do anything special. It is also a different type of bloom than the other types of Broms.
Go ahead and buy your self an orchid. Really I kept putting it off thinking I didn't have the right conditions to grow them. Then Ric bought me one saying they aren't any more expensive then buying you fresh flowers. Enjoy them while they are blooming. Then much to my surprise some of my Orchids started to re-bloom like the one in the pic above. I was so excited.

The storm missed us last night, but another one is expected.

Cymbidiums usually get large, but they have been easy for me. They're a lot to lug around taking them in and out each season. It has been worth it, though. Last year I had a total of 60 individual flowers between the two plants.

Here's a picture of the Christmas cactus at it's peak.

Here's a picture of the Cymbidium from last year.

Wow, then Double wow! I guess I can be persuaded to get an orchid!

Is that a wall mural behind the C cactus?

Part of a large painting I did a few years ago - about 5 x 7 feet.

sallyg

Remind me when the weather gets warmer, and I can send you an orchid plant.

Wow, how nice!-- I bet the whole painting is nice too. I can't imagine painting on a grand scale. I haven't found my artistic streak, not yet, anyway.

Here is that Bougie you like Sallyg, The Raspberry Ice.

Gosh Holly, you're sweet to remember. So pretty! Thank you.

Yard-work has been limited to shoveling snow the past few days. We had at least another 10 inches since yesterday afternoon, and more through this evening. We probably don't have to dream of a white Christmas.

Well it would be nice if I could get a rooted starter for you Sally.

Garyon, I hope you can enjoy your snow and it's not too much of a hardship on you and your family. I love when it snows but I know it can really be a hardship for some. I have been watching the news there is some serious snow and snow related problems up in your area and other parts of the country. Your Cymbidium looks beautiful.
Here is the living room corner most all of the plants have been moved upstairs these few heavy and blooming plants are what I left in this area. I have a Peace Plant, Chinese Evergreen and Poinsettia in different spots and a few small plants on the kitchen window sill. Only 21 plants in the living area.
Just picture how pretty that would look with a "few" inches of snow in the background. LOL

Holly--

Your plant grouping looks very nice.

I do not have too many large plants. 3 I think....

Ric--have you checked back to the "Projects" Post from last summer?
The one where you posted pics of your gazebo?
I posted a link there to something i am trying to create. The Q. was posted in the Soil and
Composting Forum. I have had several silly ideas on what to do there....
Now someone has posted a logical reply.

I wanted your opinion.....Sent it to David (Greenthumb) too. Haven't heard back...

Gotta get ready for work.....

Gita

Thanks Gita I was thinking it looks pretty nice. If we ever get the Conservatory GH built most of the house plants will be in there and I could just keep a smaller grouping like this in the living area. Maybe a cactus/succulent grouping. In the summer most of the house plants go outside. I found out that my orchids did very well in the gazebo last summer sitting on the corner shelves.

Now, this year I euthanized several succulents. Left them outside on the sunny side but I think this last couple days did the dirty deed. I just got tired of the pitiful stretching for the light and don't have the room to display them where they can be happy for winter. I'll probably miss them next summer when I used to line them up the sides of my deck steps. I'm sure I'll find a few new plants...

Today's outdoor project: finished at 0630.

Look, Ma, no snow-blower!

Good job! Garyon. Looks like you have a little bit more snow then us, but not much. Sun is out again today but very cold. 24º
Stay warm! I dug out my fleece scarf, that gap around the collar of my winter coat let in too much cold air. Burrrrr!

Rosemary is not winter hardy here in zone 5. Has anyone had success in bringing it indoors for the winter? The last time I tried it got crunchy, even though I thought I kept it moist. I can't give it a lot of light, but we do have a south and west window. The sun disappears here in November and returns in April.

Grayon, I found this for you. http://www.donnan.com/Rosemary.htm

I tried to overwinter a Rosemary once without success. I don't use it in cooking much, I like the smell but when I eat it it reminds me of eating a pine tree.

Looks like a lot of work and I hear Syracuse is getting more snow. It sure does look pretty, we are getting a little dusting not sure if it will turn into any amount of snow, right now it all looks sugar coated. Went outside to get a pic of the Holly all decorated and dusted with snow. Decided it was time to remove that big pile of holly branches out front looks like anyone that wanted any got it. I had loaned my big yard cart to a friend and they brought it back a couple of days ago so no excuses left. Took 4 trips and I drug a large white pine branch away that was out there with the holly. Looks pretty good now.

You sure earned a nice cup of coffee there garyon.

Brr is right--although its such a relief here that the wind has quit. And we got snow! An inch or so, it is pretty! Even if it may mess up my shopping plans just a little.

ladygardener1: thanks for the link. I see several things I can do in an attempt to be more more successful. I plan to move them to a southerly facing window in our unfinished and unheated additon. It stays very cool there and I think frost free.

HollyAnnS: That light dusting looks festive.

sallyg: I kept a thermos of coffee with me. It's amazing to us how little snow becomes a driving problem in the South. When I was stationed in Arlington, VA the schools were closed when depths neared two inches. I did go out and have all of the tires changed. The old ones were nearing the end of their usefulness: the new and deeper treds made road-handling much easier. As I look out now there is no additional accumulation. That is expected to change tomorrow.

Beautiful Garyon,
Well I was out today doing a little of cutting back. The bed around the lamp post was filled with mums and a few other plants that never got cut back after blooming. Ric wanted to decorate the lamp post so I went out and cleaned up that bed and as garden work does it turned into cutting back the roses that I hadn't done either and while I was walking back and forth past the juniper hedge I did a little trimming on that, too. Before I went out Ric was in and out a few times and told me it was bitter out there so I was pleasantly surprised to find out how comfortable I was working in the sunshine.

I need to get out and move the potted roses to a protected location. Last year I decided to put the roses in pots hoping that they would survive the winters better if I could move them into storage in the fall. They're heavy. I planted knockout pink and yellow last year, and wasn't really happy with the results. The other pots include NOID and Frau Karl D.

Attached is a picture of this year's paperwhites. I'm getting ready to start geranium, canna, pansy and flowering maple seeds later this month.

The snow melted away this past weekend, but it's starting to snow again now.

Anything going on in your gardens?

Grayson