Florida Chit-Chat #9 March is going out like a Lion!

Sylvain,
I'll keep you in my prayers. Hope you get well soon.
Bonnie

What a wonderful rain we had late yesterday. After clouds & drizzle all day the "real" rain started in early evening. Luckily we did not get the severe T-storms & tornadoes the banner on the TV was warning us about.

All the plants look very happy this AM. Now a sunny week ahead to really get them growing.

Down here in Tampa, we stayed cloudy all day and didn't get any rain until late in the evening. Didn't get too much rain, but what rain we did get was beneficial (maybe an inch or two).

Had a great time at the RU on Saturday...then went to the USF Botanical Gardens on Sunday for their spring plant sale. Found me a Cleome, Spider Flower. Got motivated when I came home; cleaned out and de-weeded a flower bed, pulled up a crepe myrtle out of the bed and replaced it with a hibiscus. Also, pulled up every spider plant in the area and re-planted them in a freshly mulched walkway.

We got pounded with rain and just when I thought it was over another line came through and knocked our power out for a couple of hours. But my rain barrel is full again and I just used the last watering can full on Sunday afternoon.

Shauna, I had Cleome one year and the next a few volunteer seedlings, but they sort of died off once it got up to 90's. I gave one to my friend and noticed it coming back this year. Her garden used to be a cow pasture....not all sandy like mine.

Sorry to hear about your troubles Sylvain, hope you heal up real soon.

I posted some RU photos here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1307323/

I wish you the best of good recoveries on these current health conditions Sylvain. Wishing you to be back in your gardens soon!...
*************
Yes the rain was Sooooooooo very much appreciated!

Walked by the neighbors house this AM and all her day lilies seem to have bloomed overnite. What an explosion of pinkish orange.

Hopefully these April Showers will bring plenty of May Flowers.

Just back from a 2nd cold & rainy day at the St Augustine plant show & sale. My slicker & rubber boots came in handy for trecking thru the plants. Found some lovelies..........................Black Bamboo, Cleome, Flowering Maple, Mexican Vine, Dutchman's Pipe, Rose of Sharon and quite a few others for the new gardens. And a new African Violet for my indoor collection. Pics are on the camera and not near me.

Darn I wish I had known about the plant sale

Hi Q, Cleome seemed to be a big seller at the USF Plant show 2 weeks ago. There were numerous vendors selling it, both the white and the pink, and I have seen them show up at houses I drive by on my way to work.

Speaking of Rose of Sharon, does anyone know the name of either of these two? My neighbors gave me cuttings of their plants last year; which I was able to get started. The most amusing thing is the husband came over this past Sunday and asked me if I could come over to identify them. He didn't know what kind of plants they were and thought it was a YTT. He flagged my hubby first, who couldn't ID them and then they asked for my assistance. I kind of chuckled to myself, since I knew it was a ROS...and I had established clippings of them. LOL

Shauna

Hey Shauna,

I know the second one is called a "Blue Chiffon". They are all Hibiscus syriacus. Can't help you with the first one though, but its similar to his other one I have called "Blush Satin"...(2nd pic)

The flowers (if I'm right on the second one) only really look blue when they are dying! ( Like the dead ones in the first picture. Whats up with naming lavender flowers blue like they do a lot in the naming of plants! Ha!

David

Saw these big ballon like buds the other morning on these Iris like leaves that had never produced a flower. By the afternoon, these flowers had emerged. To my eyes, they are walking iris. I have never seen one tho with foliage like this, the white.purple and the yellow ones have leaves the 'bend'. Whatever this is, I sure enjoyed it for the day.

Plumbago is one of the closest to blue flowers I can think of.

A poly blooming today, I had to bring it in because of the rain

Thanks David!

I was 99.9% certain that they were Rose of Sharon Hibiscuses, just had no idea about the specific name. I still find it funny my neighbors gave some clippings to me last year and yet, asked me to ID it this past weekend.

Yeah, I don't understand why they give purple flowers blue names...like my "Blue Girl" rose. When I look up the Blue Chiffon online, most of the pics are shades of purple. The "Lavender Chiffon" is pink?!

Shauna

Beautiful flowers GG!

Shauna,
We used to grow ROS up north in RI. Didn't know it would grow here. They are beautiful.

Is the Japanese basil edible?

Bonnie

Hi Bonnie,

Yes it is. I will pull leaves off the plant and use it when I cook. I didn't bother to cut it up, just put the leaves in the sauce...or right on top of what I was cooking (like baked chicken). Sidney (?) at the RU plucked a leaf off and ate it raw there, but I wouldn't recommend that. It a bit tart when eaten that way.

Shauna

Thanks Shauna. Will try some. That plant is growing wonderful. I have it right by front door in sun.

Bonnie

Bonnie,
If u want to grow more, clippings seem to root pretty easily.

On a side note, anyone have any experience with growing cleome? Mine has not been looking so good since I bought it.

Well, I just planted one. Was told partial shade so mine only gets AM sun. I know in MD I rarely got around to watering them & they didn't seem to care much.

Hi Jean,

You were told partial shade and I was told full sun. LOL

I had mine planted on the east side of the house and it was getting full morning/midday sun. I have since pulled it up and re-potted it in a more shady location. The seed pods are starting to open and I have dropped the seeds in the pot the plant is growing in, hoping to get some seedlings growing.

Shauna

It will put out a zillion seeds!!!!!! I always had babies growing all through the yard.

Used to grow cleome up north too. Must be a different variety that thrives down here. They are pretty too. My northern neighbor on the farm used to call them the electric light bulb plant. When I was little I used to hand out on their farm most of the day and she was defintely a gardner. She grew all the vegetables her 8 boys had to eat. Growing up out in the country I think gave me my love for plants.

Bonnie

There is a dwarf variety of cleome that doesn't reseed and stays small (2 feet). "Linda Armstrong" and "Señorita Rosalita". Both I have grown in full sun and in part sun successfully.

http://insideinsides.blogspot.com/

Here is a really cool site, if you like this kinda thing. I was pretty sure David would like it for sure. Make sure to look at the older ones too.

The guy uses fruit to calibrate the machines at a MRI facility where he works

This message was edited Apr 30, 2013 10:15 AM

This message was edited Apr 30, 2013 11:06 AM

Pam - those shots are ethereal.

O Jean, Im so glad you saw them, I thought they were really cool.

I just came in for lunch and checked out the MRI on plants site too. It's fascinating and will check it out more later when I have more time. Thanks Pam! Thanks for reminding to start a new 2013 seasons thread. You are so right. Will do tonight...

David

Anyone want some rain????

Sandy

And then some!... right Sandy? Ha!

it is bad here over 2 inches here and up to 8 inches in some areas and more on it's way

We are supposed to get more today which is fine with me. Pool is up to the top as are both of the ponds but they all have built in drains so no sweat. The plants are really happy and look good.

I have to be inside sewing on a window treatment and its awful as I'd rather be outside keeping up with the weeds. BUT can use the extra money to buy more plants or whatever for the garden. The ponds both need cleaning and pond plants trimed and some seperated that have grown very thick in pots.
OK out to the workroom and get busy.

Bonnie

Ok who left the sprinklers on?????
I think we have had more than enough rain.

Sandy

Its finally a beautiful morning here. I was a bit surprised to go out tho and have to run back in for a sweater. Rain has left me with a green pool. Will have to get some more clorine in there, and fast.

http://www.fnps.org/conference

Fri & Sat, 17-18 May 7:30 – 4:30 UNF Campus the FL Native Plant Society is having a plant sale.

GG we actually had a fire in our outdoor fire-pit last night is was so cool, not a common occurrence in May. I was surprised when it just only reached 70 degrees at noon yesterday. Weather report is upper 50's tonight. ☺

No new posts....has a new thread been started?

I do not thinks so, I have not felt like posting much. Stupid knees are not happy.

I think we just got to chatting on the seasons thread. I guess Im lazy, I get to the first one or two post then on to something else.

To many thread for me to keep up with.

God forbid the evil 2013 and through the seasons thread all about growing and garden sharing.

On a more chat level,......................

I have found that the aspirins are just as good as the expensive ones from the dollar tree and for only 1 buck. The birds are twittering in the trees and every Hummingbird is humming along. I've got to do something about that sand coming into the house. Maybe I need a new vacuum. Dad was doing great today at 83, and It a blessing to still have him around.

So happy to report we saw both sandhill crane babies this morning with their parents. They are now almost as tall as their parents but don't have red crown yet. It's a bit unusual for both to survive but so far so good. We'll have to get some more cracked corn as they love it. They are in the pasture every day and come up to fence honking for their corn. They are beautiful.

Bonnie