TEA ROOM #102

Moved us again. It doesnt take long for the thread to grow with everyone popping in with their news and pics.
Quite overcast here this morning but a bit warmer than it has been.
A very small shower of rain last night, but none since.

I will be out doing more potting today as I still have a parcel of Nerines to pot up.
I have my hippie seeds all floating in containers on the dining table. Hubby used to look at me strangely but now he has seen how they grow roots in the water.
Once they get their little green shoots, they will join the others outside.
I have lots of baby ones now so am hoping for a lovely show in a few years.

Hope you are all enjoying good weather .
Nearly to the middle of the month already. We have hardly had summer and the trees are losing leaves.
I have to get out around the place this morning and see where the koala is hiding. Hubby heard it during the night .
They often come here and stay a day or so then are gone again.
They have to walk over quite a distance across paddocks to get here from the nearest stand of trees along the creek about a mile away a sthe crow flies.
Better get moving and put up the sign so everyone can find us.
Enjoy the day.
Jean.

I do it every time, forget to put up the signpost.
We came from here...
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1235398/

Jean.

Forgot to add a friend for Friday 13th..
Jean.

Yes, Jean. that is Just Joey.....nice cat.....I forgot that it was the 13th.

Good morning everyone. I'm here Dianne for my morning cuppa albeit a bit late. I have an appointment at 10am so won't hang around too long. Just enjoying my last day of solitude. I think they are getting very homesick. I could hear that Branden was getting quite teary on the phone last night. Did you find the koala Jean? I would love it if I had visitors like that. I don't think they would come here with Ben guarding the place. He's a funny little man. He has a different bark for every situation, but I know the difference when he"s serious. He has a "G'Day" bark for people he knows and a growling bark for strangers especially blokes with hats or caps. If the chooks are fighting or he can hear the cat next door, they are different. He just about talks and I'm sure he would if he could. Well must go I'll be back later. Colleen

Seems everyone's garden is struggling with the weather. A friend in North Central US (Illinois) has usually had a bit of snow by Christmas. Her first snowfall was Thursday...and she has Daylilies sprouting up. Fortunately the snow will insulate them. Tonight the temp here is supposed to sink to -1C....it was 29C yesterday. Afraid it will nip the iris buds that decided to pop up 3 months early.

Hubby is excited to arrive in Brisbane early morning on the 17th. Looks like the cooler weather is preceding him. I am not sure how he will handle life without a/c.....may prove interesting...and DD may find herself the recipient of a window unit or two....grin.

This is Max, my contribution to the 13th.
Moon

My, he is a spooky cat...he didn't make the trip.

This is Max

I haven't a black cat so here is my contribution to Friday the 13th

http://people.howstuffworks.com/friday-thirteenth.htm

First Cicadas today ...maybe Summer has arrived. Haven't seen a Christmas beetle in years. Haven't heard a cricket yet. thousands of hungry grasshoppers, small green ones ...the big ones have moved on finally. Lots of Mozzies ... few flies which is surprising. I probably will jinx myself saying that.
The Spiders are acting like it's Autumn, madly spinning webs all over.

http://ednieuw.home.xs4all.nl/Spiders/Araneidae/Araneidae.htm

Love the eyes on the black cat. I made these for a lady in Mo. last night.
The white tiger has wire whiskers. Unicorn , glow in dark mane and then she wanted a Charley and a seadragon....

Those are neat Charleen. you certainly do have a bit o'talent tucked in there Lady.

Hello all. Charleen, you've bee busy I see. Sounds like you have a fan or two of your li'l critters over there. A productive hobby for you.

Hi Moon, hope all is well with you. Seems like the weather is weird everywhere. Here it is a glorious cool morning, almost like early Spring again. My energy bounces back when its cool.

I used to have a black cat that really spooked people. He was actually rescued as a kitten, his mother a wild cat living in an industrial area near the docks. I swear he used to astral travel with me at night.

Got some potting done early yesterday, and will attempt to tackle a large plant that needs repotting today. Running out of some pots in certain sizes. Soil too. Another trip to Bunnings soon, I guess.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Seems quiet here with a few away on holidays still. Guess it will all get back to normal all too soon.

Karen

This is a self sown seedling that attached itself to a hanging basket. It is quite some distance from the parent plant too.

My Maxie cat had a beautiful red ruff and I am sure he can teleport...especially at dinner time...grin Bob Cat carries on long conversations with himself...truly, he will sit and stare off into space and meow and trill....and Mea princess MIMI chat can almost tell you what she wants.

Glad you are having things a bit cooler Karen, always makes one feel more energetic. It was 0C this morning and I noticed one of the hyacinths has bloomed.

Is that a staghorn fern that traveled? Lovely plant.

Good thoughts to you all,

Moon

Good morning everyone. Still overcast here but not cold. A few spots of rain yesterday but I was outside with my jumper off.
I potted up a lot of seedlings, buddleas, Lilly Pillys, abutilons and some of the brugs.
I have a container on the dining table with floating hippie seeds and pots of bulbs around the place.
Some of these plants are for the garden when the autumn arrives and some are for the market.

We didnt find the koala yesterday , so he must have moved on . There were some large black cockatoos in the pine tree. They do love to get at the pine cones. We only ever see them once a year as they travel through to elsewhere.

Charleen, that sea dragon is really lovely. We get sea horses or dragons along the coast down from here at Portland.
Very pretty brownish ones like floating seaweed.

Chrissy, I grew up to the sound of cicadas , but we dont see them around here . They used to be at Bright , when I lived there and so loud , you couldnt hear yourself think.
I love them.

Hello Moon. There was some snow on the mountains the other day so maybe your friends snow was misdirected to Australia.
Max looks very comfortable there.

Colleen, the boys will be so full of news when they get home.

Hello Dianne, Anthony, Karen and Teresa. I hope you all have greea weekend

Time I went to finish my cuppa then get out and do my garden rounds.
Enjoy the weekend. Here we are in the middle of the first month of 2012 already.

try this Chocolate Angel Food Cake with your morning cuppa.
Happy gardening
Jean.

Max does love his basket...and my chair

Moon, your Max is exceptionally beautiful with that red ruff. Cats can be quite mystifying creatures, but it seems not all of them, just those special ones. My black cat had a grey brother who had no psychic abilities but loved to smooch and purr like a normal cat.

Yes, thats a stag that flew in, or maybe a bird brought it in as a seed (or spore). As it started to grow, I had no idea what it was, but its obvious now. I'll have to get it off that hanging basket though as it will get too heavy for it.

Jean, I made a cuppa, then got distracted by a quiche I was cooking, and it went cold. Will have to make another.

Karen

But Karen, it is happy there. See how it has grown?? It is quite beautiful. Lucky you.
Yes, I do have folks who love my clay creations and they are pretty. I surprize myself sometimes.
The dea dragon is an interesting creature, also the seahorse which I love.
Moon, that cat is gorgeous. Love it!!
Charley sends you all warm nuzzles of affection... I send you hugs....

Thanks. Max started life as a feral kitten 16 years ago this coming Spring. My Hubby spent days coaxing him with bits of food...now, he is very shy but incredibly loving.

My MIL had a pair of staghorns for years. They were mounted on large slabs of driftwood. Every spring and fall we would drive down to her house to tote them in and out of the greenhouse. One day we went down to visit and the ferns were gone. A woman saw them from the street and stopped in and offered my FIL $400 for the pair....My FIL got the cart and hauled them to the woman's car....he said they always took up too much room....So my MIL went out and bought 20 African violets and two plant stands to hold them...
they took up a lot more room than the staghorns....grin

Pats and hugs right back to Charley and you Charleen.

Love that story, Charleen. Dont mess with the missus and her plants....lol
My hubby wouldnt dare. He would ask me and then I'd wheel them out and keep the money for more plants..

I had a very large stag down the back. It had been in the fern house but was way too big and besides huntsmen spiders like living in it. He kept saying noone could see it way down there. I was guilty of bad neglect and it died.
There was a smaller elkhorn on the fern house wall and when I pulled the old fern house down, I left it where it was . It kept getting burnt on the sun so dear hubby put a hook in the new shadehouse wall and moved it. He keeps saying how good it looks.
Looks pretty shabby to me. It may die one day too.
Jean.

Actually Jean, is mine an elkhorn, or is it still too young to tell? I must get a pic of the one down the back. I've always just called it a stag horn, but I'm not sure really. I did have a huge, no, massive staghorn out the front, but it was growing on a prickly paper bark tree (I hate that tree), and it just got too heavy and came crashing down. I gave it to a man who was driving by at the time as it was way too massive for me to even try to deal with. This one is happy where it is but it will get too heavy for the hanging basket. It has nothing else to attach to as it gets larger. If I put it in a tree now, while it is young, it should settle quickly and continue to grow happily.

Karen

Don't feel bad, Jean I have killed a couple of those ferns too.
I really like them too, I've seen several large ones in nurseries.. They are gorgeous.
Cold here. Got ice on the bird baths...

Jean, not only did my FIL discover that the racks and African violets took up more space, my MIL eventually wound up with over 100 of them. Fortunately for my FIL, age made my MIL decide to pare down to just a half dozen or so of her favorites.

Karen,I think the basic difference is that Staghorns have both antler and entire, cupped leaves and Elkhorns have only antler leaves.

here is a link for Elkhorn
http://www.saveourwaterwaysnow.com.au/01_cms/details_pop.asp?ID=299


and a young Staghorn fern

http://home.howstuffworks.com/staghorn-fern.htm

and this link is to images of all the Platycerium genus

https://www.google.com/search?q=red+stemmed+dracena+massangeana&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=hJm&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=taQRT6bSBpDqtgfX_LCJAg&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0CBcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1600&bih=796#hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=platycerium&pbx=1&oq=platycerum&aq=0sS&aqi=g-sS2&aql=&gs_sm=c&gs_upl=323686l327749l11l330729l10l9l0l0l0l0l207l1379l1.7.1l9l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=610e071e3981a7af&biw=1600&bih=796

Thank you for the links, moon. Mine is definitely an elkhorn then. It is a neglected plant, growing down the back, quietly doing its own thing among the trees. I can't remember when I put it there, but it was a very long time ago, probably 20 years or so.

Karen


This message was edited Jan 14, 2012 1:57 PM

It appears to be quite the happy fellow, Karen. I saw some at Fletcher Bot Gardens in Cairns that were HUGE. They were attached to trees and must have been 20 feet up and almost touched the ground. Amazing plants.

Moon

Good morning everyone. Still overcast here. No rain and the days have been warming after lunch.
Nothing much doing around the garden as yet until autumn. The nerines will be poking their heads up then and a few other bulbs that I have scattered around.
There is one large bulb out there that I keep looking at and wondering what it is. I cannot remember planting it where it is.

Hello Moon, I think those two links show different versions of the elkhorn. It took me ages to get the two right as so many pictures are labelled wrongly.
My large stag was platycerium superbum ..which has the round basal fronds open and spread at the top like a fan. They slowly grow over time to be enormous and will eventually put out from the base of the giant fan, long fertile leaves which can be over 4'long.
The elkhorn ..platycerium bifircatum..has the round basal leaves hugging the support it grows on with many long leaves coming out from the base. There are some with long narrow leaves and some with wider ones. .
I do like the stags more than the elks as they look tidier but they can all take up so much room.

I really should get another stag to grow in the shadehouse near the back door where it can sit in peace and be admired.

Karen, I saw some like yours in the plant place and they had just been left to grow in ordinary pots. Poor things were squished.


Charleen , you must be finally getting into winter with ice in the birdbath.
Ice broke a terra cotta bird bath I had once when I lived in the mountain area where bad frosts were common.

Hello Teresa, Chrissy, Dianne, Colleen and Anthony. hope you are all enjoying the weekend .


The sun is trying to squeeze out from behind the clouds here so I am off outside to see what grew overnight.

Have a lovely day.
Try some Pink Lamingtons.
Happy gardening
Jean

Good Morning Jean. Yes, unfortunately that is a common problem with the internet....lots of mis-identified plants and misinformation. I was trying for P superbum and P bifurcatum...think I hit the wrong link. thanks for catching that.

Have a good day...perhaps this is the year for resting gardens.

Moon

Good morning all. The desktop computer finally died. Hubby thinks it's beyond help.it doesn't seem that long that we got it..oh well. It was at least 5 years. Everyone else here uses laptops and I bought one a year ago so am using that. Got to get used to the feel of it. Funny thing is, this laptop has three times the RAM of the desktop!

I have had night blooming epies but keep missing them. I don't know which species they are. Most are strictum but it's those that are not that I want to see the blooms!

We had rain last night. It's been very pleasant and normal here but the noise and thumping is starting next door and I guess the mower/ whippersnipper/ hedge trimmer/ leaf blower racket will start again. Before he went away, the buzzing and zapping would go for two or three hours a day. It's only been just over a week..Always reminds me of that episode of "Malcolm in the Middle" when Malcolm's family head off for their annual vacation and return because they forgot the dog and find the whole street has swung into annual Malcolm's-family-is-away carnival mode. This was always a jungly, quirky little pocket of artists, writers and eccentrics who loved the street and didn't care that parking was hideous, access was almost impossible and trees and wildlife ruled. Everyone co-operated and seemed to be altruistic..so next door and over-the-road don't fit in at all..they should both be in one of the newer suburbs but river land is scarce so they are here concreting and controlling and flattening land... first thing both did was cut down all their trees and then start on the neighbours..and try to get any street trees removed. The builder who bought the big old place down two probably has the same mentality.So many of the tree huggers have been pushed out. I guess we should have sold when these types were canvassing looking for homes.

There was a big frilly lizard in the back yesterday..it was eating out of the dish with the chooks. They were wary but the turkeys kept away so maybe I could employ him as a scare-turkey! Hubby took photos but I still haven't worked out the photo-shrinking thing.

Happy gardening

Good morning everyone. Just a quick cuppa with you before I get back out in the SH. Will put some pics up when it's done. Hope everyone is well and I'll be back when I get a spare minute. The boyus enjoyed their holiday and haven't stopped talking since they got home. John is leaving around lunch time. Be back later. Colleen

Good morning everyone ...wet, but still here (just !)
heavy downpour again here last night and looking very leaden out there again this morning.

The puter can be a blessing or a pain ...^_^
I am just waving as I pass by ...the rain is coming back so I must get on with it before the rain arrives, so I hope everyone is enjoying the day so far and will have a great Sunday ...

two lovely sunny days for me to spend in the garden :)
I like this weekend thing everyone has been telling me about for years...
I'll be having every second Saturday off from now on & I'm loving it already.
It is my watering day so I gave the gardens a good soak, especially where I tidied up yesterday & planted a few new things - a cutting of rosemary & a buddlia that Mum gave me.
I was going to keep the buddlia in a pot but I think it should be safe enough where I put it.
As Mum said they are easy enough to prune if it looks like getting too big.
I also mowed the back lawn, trimmed the edges & then tidied up around the astelia planted along the back wall.
Lots of dead leaves to pull away & a few chunks came out that were obviously rotten, I managed to break off a couple of bits with roots to plant elsewhere.
The clean up should assist with air circulation & hopefully prevent any more rotting.
Then I tackled the shady garden along the drive.
Moved my azaleas as a couple were being overwhelmed by other plants & I think it was just too wet for them.
Hope they like the new spot I found for them - I have a rhodie doing very well there & another azalea that I bought at the same time as the others but it is double the size now.
It all looks much better now the weeds are gone.
I still have a lot I'd like to do but am too tired now, I'd like to dig over the area where the elderberry tree was & need to shift a camellia that was a lovely wee thing in the pot - and is now getting huge right beside the path.
It does make a good back drop for the day lily.

Everyone is working madly in their gardens. Must be "spring "fever..lol
The sun has finally made it out from the clouds, but the wind is quite cool.

Teresa, I bet Copper loves having you home for the extra day too.
Dont work to hard in the garden. Yours is looking very nice there.

Colleen, you will be playing with the broms for ages now, getting them just right.

Kat, sounds like everything is as usual at your place. Fenceman being his normal idiot self.

Can I ask if anyone has any baby staghorns that they can spare ?
I know they do propagate themselves around sometimes.
Hubby says we need one in the shadehouse at the back door.
I have not seen any for sale except the large ones.
I want to start off with a little one as I did before.
I am quite willing to pay or trade for one and will pay postage.
It must be the stag though.. platycerium superbum..

Better go and see what I can feed the man.
Jean.

Good morning everyone. A quick run in and out this morning as hubby has to go out so needs to leave early .
Very quiet here so I know you a re all busy in the gardens. Hope you all had a lovely weekend.
I may get something done later if we are back early.

Enjoy this Pineapple Upside Down Cake.
Happy gardening
Jean.

Good morning everyone. Rain! Finally! Enough to get under the trees wet too. We need more though, for a jolly good soaking.

Jean, looks like mine is an elkhorn, for sure. Pity, as I found another little seedling in a very small hanging pot yesterday, growing away happily. Another one to find a home for. It is very small as yet. They must grow readily, which surprises me as there is not much moisture around here unless I hose.

Got myself a nice bit pot yesterday, but will have to wait until I get enough gravel and soil to fill it. Have been wanting one for ages but finally found one at the right price. I'm going to put a colourful blanchetiana in it.

Moon, I hope my elkhorn doesn't get any longer. The fronds are almost touching the ground now. The tree was young when I put the plant on it, but grew from the top up, so the elkhorn is only about 5 feet off the ground.

Hope everyone has a pleasant day.
Karen

The tiny elkhorn seedling I found yesterday........I presume its an elkhorn, as until recently I also had a large staghorn out the front.

wish you could take some of this rain Karen ...I'm getting very tired of slipping and sinking in the gloop out there.

Constant wet/damp, humidity without much heat ...strange days. I get out when I can, but I am a bit nervous of falling, either long wet grass or mud isn't the safest of places on sloping grounds. You just get started when the sprinkling starts again.
I can't believe the frustration I feel in Summer this year, it's like Winter frustration, only Winter is ahead not behind.

Better go because I hate being a wet (excuse the pun) blanket.
I hope everyone enjoys their day where ever they are and whatever the weather,
I am going back to bed because this cold thingy my hubby shared is causing me to feel unwell (it's on my chest).
Normally I am never sick, so it is quite a shock to the system.
Back, when I feel a bit happier as I don't like sharing the gloom.
Take care and have a lovely day.
(view from my bedroom window- Rangoon creeper, 30/40ft high.)

Looks like you'll have to play the waiting game on the seedling Karen. Hubby tried to pack up as much cool air as possible to bring with him. If it is cool Tuesday morning then he succeeded....grin
I think the elkhorn at Fletcher was possibly more than one plant. It was impressive though.

Good day to you all.
Moon

I do believe this is a rhipsalis...also very impressive. I will have to sort through pics off line to find the elkhorn.

This message was edited Jan 15, 2012 6:44 PM

I have Stags and Elks, Jean but Iv'e only ever seen young ones on the Elk.......I did try once and had a brick soaking in water to keep it moist and took the spore from the Stag and laid it on the brick...It worked ok and tiny plantlets started to grow, but as usual I wasn't vigilant enough and the brick dried out because I forgot to fill the dish it was in.

That creeper is a stunner Chrissy, hope it cheers you up.....
Very warm day, so the shade cloth is up.....

Moon , that is one biiiiig plant. I have one like it about 4' long. I got a few different types of rhipsalis etc in with the epi collection when I bought it. Apparently the lady used to collect just about everything.
I have sold off most but as this one didnt look like much , I tossed it under the gum tree. I dont think I will be around if it ever gets that big.
I think your one and mine are selenicereus not rhipsalis.
Apparently they will creep or grow up for a very long way.

Dianne, I tried the same method on the wet brick and lost all the little green thingys when I forgot to water it ,too.
I have just bought more spore to try again. Hopefully things will grow and I wont forget. Now I have the room , I'll keep the whole thing in the greenhouse.
I might just add some spore from some of my ferns.

Very hot north wind here an definitely not a good day to be outside.

Chrissy, I hope you are soon back to normal. Its no fun being stuck inside and being ill as well.

Kare, if you attach the basket firmly to a tree or some other solid thing, The little elk will eventually grow over it and look quite nice.
You could flatten the side so it fits against the support.
Your new baby is an elk too as it has hands waving at you. Baby stags are just cute round bumps.

My 4 small elks are tied together in pairs with fishing line , stuffed in the centre with some coconut fibre and sit in wire baskets that hang among the epis.
Jean. .

Hi everyone. I've been really lost today. My internet has been down. Boy what a travesty. Spent about 2 hours on the phone talking to a technition [ how do you spell that word?] All sorted now. I don't know what went wrong. It's hot again here. Can't work out in the SH as I'd cook. Just hope the broms that I've already put up will stand it. Cameren's birthday tomorrow. He'll be eight. They're both hoping that their "Mother" will come like she said. I've not had an easy time with them because she didn't come the other day when she said she would so don't know what will happen if she doesn't come for their birthdays. Each day at a time I suppose. Well must go, I'll be back later. Colleen

We needed something in front of the seat either tiles or replant the grass....it's where Tilly piddles and kept burning the lawn there...
So I decided to buy some artificial turf...
As you can see it looks great....it's a blend of green and little bits of a goldy brown to make it look natural.....
It's supposed to be reasonably pee proof....we'll see.