Tropical Garden #112

Rita, Joe really likes this plant ...So it gets it's own space this winter.

I will be glad to send yellow , white, and salmon -peach 4 o clocks to anyone who wants them..

I have buds on three more brugs..

Pretty, Deb!

Drew, what a fantastic idea to shine the lights up for additional warmth as the heat rises!

I am going to bring in a banana that came back after last winters cold but it never grew more than about 18". It is Sum x cross and heavily blotched with red. Maybe if I keep it indoors this year it will be happier. I bought it at a fall festival at the Bamboo Farm in Savannah 2 years ago and I found out this past spring that they lost all of the mother plants for this one in last winters cold so I guess I should be happy to have a living baby.

This is the site and the bulbs I use F.Y.I.

www.1000bulbs.com

FL-107176 Satco S2852 - 150 Watt - R30 - Plant Light - 2,000 Life Hours - 120 Volt

Drew, and all you other EE lovers, I've been driving by this planting in my neighbor's ditch for months now, thinking I should really take a picture . . . yup, in the ditch, no care, no fert, no extra water, floods when it rains, survived two frosty winters . . . they are spreading all by themselves, too.

Elaine, In Mobile it was the same way! Xanthosoma Sagittifolium; my favorite Xantho.

Elaine, those giant ee's are all over our area, in the ditches, too.

That's my kind of plant! Obviously need to 'cultivate' that neighbor - only met them once and they are not gardeners. I'm going to investigate when the leaves die back this winter and see if there's a start in that clump that I can separate easily. With permission of course!

I don't have a ditch in front of the house, but was thinking I could maybe plant them around the culvert drain and get the same effect. Maybe all the snakes and creepy crawlies in there will be asleep by winter, too.

Elaine If you want me to send you one I will! I have one point three gazillian!

Elaine, go get what you want - road ditches are public property, though plenty of people apparently don't realize it.
The clue can be found in your tax bill. If you're not paying taxes on it, it's not yours.


Read More: http://wcfcourier.com/news/metro/article_3ce22264-0b7c-5c18-bd37-7df6c8311298.html#ixzz1bvVgENfv

I agree...LOL...right down from me are some lotus in the road ditches and I think I may have to go dig some up. Isn't now a good time to dig them up or a little later?

Elaine, if you don't dig those ee's, the county will come and dredge them out - they are in the process of doing some by me right now.

GA, if you can winter them over, I'd dig them now, before the county crew comes along - if you lose them, go back in the spring and dig some more!

Paula, I think they divide and send lotus only in the early spring before they sprout. Be very careful, the tubers are fragile! Are they the native yellow ones - Nelumbo lutea? I sure wish my pond was big enough for those.

Thanks for the offer, Drew, LOL. I think there are enough a block away that we don't need to 'import' them from NC. 1.3 gazillion, huh?

Native Muhly grass is in bloom, it is so pretty. Pink/purple plumes for the next couple of months.

Give or take a trillion!

In and out of the garage like late March.

Hi Elaine,
The lotus are the pink ones. There is a pond on the other side of the ditch and I guess they have spread. They're beautiful. I got some seed but I want to try a tuber or two.

Lotus? *sigh*
gee the only things that I see in our water ditches are those arrow heads and ditch lillys..

That light bulb site doesn't give me lumin information on those blue plant lights, Drew.. any info on the package? I combine light types for warmth and different "day lights"

Debra,

They are suppose to arrive on Friday! I will shoot em an e-mail and ask them for specific lumen amounts!

Debra, Satco does not specify lumens on their grow lights or black lights. I looked at their catalog online and called to make sure.

Deb, your hibiscus flowers are gorgeous. They glow on their own. I wonder if there is a gadget available to measure luminosity? Sure would be handy for those of us using grow lights!

Kay, LoL! Not much danger of the county digging up that ditch - they dug along the other side of the street last spring, and that is the first time I've seen them do it in 4 years! Yes, those EE's are in the right-of-way, I know. Around here, anything within 12ft. of the road is public property, but . . well . . if somebody plants something on that public property I wouldn't just go and help myself. I have two flower beds out there by the road, and I sure hope people won't take my plants out of them! It looks like the EE's were planted on purpose, (possibly by a former tenant) since that's the only clump I've seen close by. So, I will ask, if only for the sake of good will to my neighbor.

Here's a shot of my 'Shooting Star' clerodendrons that I groused about all winter. That's the corner of the roof in the upper left of the pic, so they are at least 10ft. tall. No sign of a flower, though! Maybe if winter is warmer this year??

Lovely clero there... hope you get flowers... I had mine as a house plant... with the summers outside ... likely for about a decade... and I never saw my first flower.. usually I overwintered it in the house.. and it did just fine.. growing to about 6'.... last winter I tried to have it go dormant in the cool room... but it didn't do dormancy very well... and died.... I was about happy to stop trying... although the folialge was enough to keep my interest for a long time..
I was told it flowered in responce to shorter light times... and by the time the days got short enough here... I had to bring it inside... where the day light is longer with the inside lights... so I guess I never stood a chance .

Dendorbium Nekron Beauty...one I mounted on a Cypress Knee, Terrible picture, but I've been swamped and
wanted to post a pic of SOMETHING !! LOL... !!!

Gordon, thanks for the comments about the clero. It's good to know somebody else has problems getting it to bloom; my impression is that the day-length issue is our problem, too. By the time the days are short enough, we've had cold nights that have put paid to any potential flowering. I started rousting them out this spring, and my DH protested because he, too, loves the foliage. Was thinking of interplanting them with the variegated ti - see pic - so there will be some foliage there through the winter if it's cold again this year.

I meant to respond to your query on the dragon fruit cactus, too. I bought one a year ago, and was instructed to - I kid you not - 'leave it in the pot, stick it near a fence and forget it' which I did! It has since gotten lost in the jungle out there in my back yard. It was about 2ft. high with 1in. wide stems when I got it.

I found it again (ouch, thorny!) since your question appeared (well, I always knew approximately where it was) and it is at least 7ft. long with some nice fat 3in. diameter stems and lots of roots reaching for the fence. As soon as I sharpen up my machete and cut all the vines and weeds away from it, I'll post a picture. Don't know if there are any buds, or maybe I've even had a flower by now. (sigh) My garden just gets so out of hand through the hot summer and by the time I catch up and get it tidy again, it's spring. I may never see that dragon fruit bloom!

No one is allowed on the North and Northeast side of the house....There is a Brug blooming back there...hidden by...Weeds, an out of control Orange Tree that absolutely refuses to give up...( WAS the stock for a graft, the graft froze..) and who the heck knows what else...other than between the mosquitoes and Pigmy Rattlers, I'M NOT GOING BACK IN THERE !!

Hello Everyone!!

Thanks All for posting all those interesting, beautiful pictures!

Homer1958, that is a handsome EE, I know that it will be a labor of love, having to take it in and out of the garage. Thanks very much for your advice on the A. Watsoniana. You know that I would like to have more of them.

Philo. with a new leaf (yea)

joeswife, it makes me feel real good to see that you have taken such good care of that crinum. I hope it will give you a bloom down there in your basement garden, it has a pleasant light fragrance.

dyzzy, rj has gifted me with a 4' Shooting Star. I guess I will have to enjoy it for its beautiful foliage. I know if Gordon could not get it to bloom for him, I won't even try.

It was not a good day for taking pictures but if you look real hard, you will see a few blooms on this fantastically fragrant Jasmine.

mjsponies, me too, trying to get the last of the tropicals in. Preparing for tomorrow's night 38deg.
That is a very pretty orchid, I have inherited a little over a dozen orchids from Rj, and trying my best to enlighten myself as to their care.

Rita, I've been learning a lot from the Orchid forum. Nice friendly and very knowledgeable folks over there who are so organized, they start a new discussion thread for each new month. This month's is called 'Cool October Orchids'.

I've had all my beginner questions answered so nicely. Here's my bargain phal from IKEA that's been blooming since Labor Day!

Rita, It is just an in and out thing in the fall, like it is in the spring! Warm days out ...cold days in.

Why not go for that Shooting Star? I bet YOU can get it to bloom with a little ingenuity! I am not knocking Gordon either!

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