Well it's that time of the year. Time to haul the plants back into the greenhouse. I know you greenhouse owners further north have already done this. I think I have put it off long enough. It takes me a lot longer now to haul everything in. When I was younger and less arthritic I could do it in a day. Boy! I miss those days. More hauling tomorrow.
I've been at it for 8 days so far. I hope to finish by Halloween but not sure I will have enough room this year.
My GH will be pretty stuffed also. Is there ever enough room?
Never enough room unless we lived in a tropical zone and could plant them in the ground but then we'd want cold region plants. HA!
I have NO Greenhouse!!! Everything has to come into my house and find a home
as best it can. Usually--my LR and DR look like an organized jungle all winter.
EVERY horizontal area--every table--every little shelf by a window--and even some
on my kitchen counters under the task Lights---Plants are EVERYWHERE!!!!!
The ones going into dormancy--will spend the winter in my cool, dark Shop.
I am used to this ritual by now....All my plants are already in--just a couple more outside.
Thank goodness for these nice days I can still work outside to get things cleaned up.
The nights are getting a bit scary, though. We have had some in the mid-upper 30's.
Gita
It took me 2 days...........the first day I took about 6 or 7 loads up with the loader tractor. The next day the Spousal Unit came and helped............jeez, I don't know what brought THAT on..........I didn't ask him to help and he didn't even whine. It's a good sized bucket on the tractor, I can get 4-20 inch pots on it, and smaller ones in between. I guess it took about 4 hours the day he helped. Makes a big difference when someone else is helping lug those behemoths.
I have too many plants when it takes two solid weeks of 4 to 6 hour days to get them all inside. I have used a wheelbarrow when I know there is a freeze coming on but then I bring in mud, bugs, and a big mess. So if I plan it right I can bring them all in cleaned up and hope to place them somewhat orderly but it is a huge undertaking each year.
Problem is I don't want to really throw anything out but it is looking like I may have to this year. Anybody have buyer's remorse?
Oh, cripes, yes. Everytime I have to haul those humongous things that weigh more than I do. LOL
Holy cripes, all you Zone 7-8 folks, what the heck is it that you have that can't make it through a winter down there?? ;)
And I thought us northerners were silly with our zone envy. (As she hovers over her tropical hibiscus, recently come indoors, and drools over the possibility of plumeria in years to come.)
I guess I'm actually kinda glad that most of my stuff is stuck in the ground outside and by golly is going to stay there. I get a vacation (longer than I really want or need), and it'll all be back next year.
Begonias mainly (hundreds of them). Ferns (tropical), elephant ears, many sansevierias, cactus and succulents, one tropical hibiscus, several other tropicals, earth stars, and anything that grabs my attention. I gave up on Norfolk Island Pine; dozens of big cactus, agave, and aloes; and giant bird of paradise plant as they just get too large to carry in and out. I've made exceptions to some big plants though.
Here are a few photos of what I have cleaned up the last 3 days ready to come inside. No photos of what is under the deck though or the remaining 100 or so begonias in the very back. Still have two very large banana trees to dig up as well and an orchid hanging in a beech tree. GRRR!
Joanic, I have over 500 orchids, 150 bromeliads, dozens of staghorn ferns and fiddle leaf ficus plants, probably 75 plumeria, and over 100 various other tropical plants to move in. I have all my orchids in the greenhouses now with all the other 200 + plants still to move. I am in NE Mississippi, zone 8b.
Well, I am envious of all the tropical goodies. That's a lovely collection you have there, hcmcdole. Thanks for the photos! We had snow here today. Well... a few flakes, anyway. It's only two days since the last of all the leaves came off the trees, and I'm already tired of it! I'll perk up when the sun comes out, however. Meanwhile, I'm having to kick myself into gear daily, to try to finish assembling my little old greenhouse. It's been in storage for years. If only the wind would go down, working out there wouldn't be so bad, even in the 30's. The wind is the killer ...
Good luck with all the work ahead. Thank goodness it's only a couple times a year, right??
Thanks joanic. Keep that four letter word up there, please? HA! I'm so ready for the tropics when winter comes.
I moved most of those plants indoors yesterday and moved the bigger pots under the deck to take their place so they can get as much sun as possible. It has been quite warm here recently (low 80's some days and on the deck with full sun it is often in the 90's). My basement is filling to the breaking point and I still have over 20 trays of plants (each tray can hold typically six plants) in the very back plus several ferns and for drdawg - an orchid still hanging in a beech tree without any soil.
I definitely have to reduce my stock this year and I've been saying that for the past few years yet I continue to buy new plants, propagate older plants, and of course the older plants are often potted up to larger pots. Silly me.
Here are a few of my big pots and the orchid still hanging in the tree.
And a view from the deck.
Butch---
You would need a whole thread to show off all your begonias!
Anyone needing to have a Begonia ID's--Butch is your man!
As for the "sickness" you describe above---many of us suffer the same malady.
IF one is a gardener on your level--this contagious thing, called
"propagationitis" is incurable...
BUT--BUT.....we all know--that next year will ALWAYS be better--until next year comes....
1--Here is what my BIG Angel Wing begonia ended up looking like this summer.
2--This is where it will spend the winter--in my spare BR. Most of the leaves will drop--
then, by spring, I will cut her back and re-pot her in fresh soil--and root the tops.
I have been doing this routine for over 25 years with this same plant.
3--My Beefsteak Begonia did super well outside this summer.
I have had this one forever as well.....I have a smaller one coming along nicely.
4--Playing around....trying to propagate one of the big leaves by this method.
I think---there is not enough contact of the vein-cuts of the leaf and the soil.
Need to pin it down with toothpicks????
Your opinion, please! Thanks, Gita
Gita
Gita
Nice Gita. Love the Lucerna (cane begonia) and the beefsteak as well. You could probably mist your big leaf and not worry about making full contact. They can be tricky at times.
I've been using the Jiffy cube mini greenhouse for a lot of propagation starting last year. For the big leaves if you don't cut them in small wedges then this method worked well for me - keep the petiole as long as you can or that will fit in your container, bury the petiole horizontally about half an inch deep. I am using a blueberry box from the grocery store in this instance (this is Alligator Alley).
Butch--
I did stick the short stem (petiole?) in the soil a bit.
Need to check and see if it is still in the soil. if not--I will have to put something
with a bit of weight on top of it to keep it in.
Even though all my little cuts may not be in direct contact with the soil, they are
close enough to start sending feeler-roots out. I checked--petiole is still buried...
The Produce Dept. in Grocery stores is a Mother Lode of containers for seeds
and cuttings. Winter-sowing too.
The 2lb or 3lb grape containers make awesome mini-greenhouses.
I have to ask you some other questions--but not here...don't want to hi-jack this thread too much.
Will post some pictures of my "Jungle" in the house when everything is properly
situated. Most of my stuff is in.
Today--figuring out where to keep my gorgeous Tropical Hibiscus for the winter.
So far I have decided to keep it in the corner of my DR, where I had the card table
full of AV's, under the same hanging, 100W light,
I am not sure what, or how, to go about cutting it back NOW and keeping it dormant
and semi-dry in my Shop. I don't want to lose it! This is my 1st Hibiscus i am growing.
What would you advise?
--keep it as it is now (in bud) and let grow and bloom all through winter in the house
--Cut back in early spring--do a good root-pruning and re-pot in good, amended soil.
--Keep it dormant, as is, in my shop--let all the leaves drop and water sparingly .
Then cut it back in spring, etc...etc....
Would you know the name of my Hibiscus? Here she be!!!!
It is so strong-stemmed and the leaves are shiny and firm and puckered.
Bought it at my HD--it was just this big, beautiful ALL GREEN plant. Not one bud on it.
But it said "pink" on the pot....I knew I had to get it....
Had a lot of issues in the beginning with White Fly...lots of spraying...Not surprised,
as my big, old, white Azalea bush has white fly on it every year. They just hopped on over.
Thanks, Pal. Gita
Hmmm, usually azaleas have problems with lace bugs instead of white flies.
Don't know the name of your hibiscus but it is gorgeous. I got one from HD last year and it was slow to bloom. Here are some photos of it.
The first one is one I passed up at Lowe's last month. The next two are the same hibiscus plant in September and October. The lens cap is almost 3 inches across. The big pinkish leaf is Copper Leaf (Acalypha).
Moving plants is the least time consuming part of the job. Getting them in condition for winter; grooming, repotting and spraying (then respraying) over the course of several weeks is what takes the most time here. Meanwhile all but a few cool loving orchids and larger houseplants are in.
I'm thrown for a loop since the weather report, as of when I left Maypop this past weekend, said it would be in the low forties. I left all the houseplants out up there. Not many but still, they won't do well with low thirties.
Yep, talking about flurries in N. GA tomorrow night.
Cleaning pots does take some time but spraying is not a huge deal. Repotting? Carrying them is a huge deal though - at least my back says so when carrying for hours and lifting 70 pound pots or more. Finding space indoors is one of my biggest ordeals plus watering the ones already indoors while still carrying the ones from outside.
Move the more hardy ones under your deck or under a big tree - that will give a few more degrees of protection for those nights on the edge of freezing. That buys me an extra two weeks for the very largest pots which I use a hand truck on.
What happened to that forecast? I'm probably going to have to run up there to pull plants indoors.
Aside from a few large decorative ficus, one bird of paradise, a fishtail palm and a few others, I have very few non-orchid plants in Atlanta. Those go in the house as our house is three stories with glass walls on two sides. I've got a separate two story solarium off of the family room with stone floors, water, heat, fans and glass walls. The solarium houses some tropicals but they stay put. Having been born and raised in south Florida, I'd rather grow other plants than those that grow there. Only orchids go into the greenhouse. Safe to say 80% or more of those are mounts or hanging baskets and not in pots. The pots are usually gift plants. I pull and mount almost everything orchid-wise in pots.
Butch---
I don't know what those things are on my white azaleas--but when I shake them--
what looks like white flies go flying all over. The Hibiscus sat just 4-5 feet away.
I bet they just hiked over...It was yellowing and losing leaves kike crazy!
I have also seen my Azaleas have what I would call "soft white scale'...
mostly all over the bare stems in the fall...when I shake them, some white stuff goes flying...
Perhaps the two are connected....somehow?
I never treat the Azaleas--they are old and large and bloom so wonderfully...
They are called something...."Lake"? .
Every 3 years, I cut it all back to the nubs and by spring it grows all over again
as if nothing happened.
I would have passed on the fancy-scmancy Hibiscus at Lowes as well.
There's just too much color going on.
I also have 3 hardy Hibiscus.
The Koper King--A Tall, red Perennial one--and a tall white "Luna" one.
Both the KK and the Luna have those dinner-plate sized blooms.
The red one is smaller and, sort of, clustered.
The KK one is So big--it has now colonized the small, round bed it has been in for years.
I know it must be a Hybrid--as it never sets any seeds....BUT--this past summer, it
actually made about 6 or 7 pods of seeds, which I collected. Not sure what they
would grow out to be..???? NOT another KK!--If it did, I would be ecstatic!!!
I have NEVER had any luck propagating the KK. Tried roots...cuttings...nothing!
Unfortunately--ALL the seeds from these Hibiscus have the weevils inside the seeds...
I hate it! So many seeds are worthless with those holes in the ends...I hate to share.
Tee--heee----Butch! I also have an Acalypha! A bunch of us in the MA tried to
nurse them through last winter after I got a whole tray-full at the nursery--FREE!
He was trying to get rid of stuff...only mine made it. I had it heavily mulched with leaves
inside a small, plastic fence around it. Will do the same this winter. The roots should
be even better than last year. It's in a small bed at the front of my house. Hets some AM sun.
Just now--before I sat down--I cut off the 3 tops of branches from the Acaalypha
and stuck them in a pot to see if they will root. Did not work last winter....Trying again.
Here's the Hibiscus---
1--Kopper King
2--The tall, red one
3--Takk, white Hib.--:Luna'.
Maypoplaurel..........I'd LOVE to see a photo or 3 of your house. I'm really "into" glass, as we just put up a sunroom, 2 story, and it's almost all glass. No, I am NOT putting any plants in it, as I have a 30x64 "sunroom/aka greenhouse" for my plants. The cats would decimate anything I'd put in there anyway.
I don't think you can see the 3 skylights in the photo from the outside.
Very nice looking Anna_Z. Show us some photos of your greenhouse too?
Gita,
I think I still have Kopper King but lost my Lord Baltimore. I have plenty of other hardy hibiscus as well as Rose of Sharon but always looking for new exciting varieties.
That Acalypha, tropical hibiscus, and a Croton 'Fireworks' share the same pot. I dug them out last year, stuck them in a pan bare root except the hibiscus which stayed in its original pot (yeah, I just bury the garden pot in the bigger pot to make it easy), kept them hydrated somewhat over winter. The Acalypha almost died (down to about six inches) but you can see how vigorous they can come back with sun, fertilizer, and some watering. That's great that yours survived winter outdoors in MD. Maybe I should try that - next year though.
Here is that croton (the only one I have).
Butch--
I have seen that Croton come in in the small. Angel Plants pots at my HD.
I like the long-leafed, green and gold one too...
I forgot to show you my Acalypha in my above post. I sure hope it survives
this coming winter too--as it is supposed to be as bad as last winter.
Do your winters get seriously cold--like frozen? Your zone is same as mine,
but one would think that GA is a zone 8???
Today--I will be cutting back my totally, in full bloom, Brugmansias.
This happens almost every year.
October is their most glorious bloom flush. Always feel so bad doing this!
I plant them pot-in-pot too. Then, after I cut them back to haul them in my Shop,
I have to hack out the inner pot from the bigger pot with a sharp shovel.
The inner pot has holes cut into the sides of the pot (about 1 1/2" in Diam.)
and the roots grow through them into the bigger pot. That is how I learned to do it.
Gita
1--Maya Brug ib full bloom
2--Dr. Seuss Brug in full bloom
3--Both Brugs by my shed--see the big outer pots?
4--My Acalypha in August--just took cuttings--Hope they make it.
5--This is the tiny bed by my front door where the Acalypha grew.
I would love to move it--but I don't dare. The tall Amaranth was a volunteer...
Butch---
This is the plant called "Money Plant" that is mentioned here.
Gita
http://www.easternleaf.com/Money_Trees_Plants_s/83.htm?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=money_tree_plants&utm_campaign=Money_Trees&gclid=CKjV3PzG1MECFUgA7AodoGQAWg
Greenhouse, eh??? Let's see what I can find. Ok, I see after it put the pix in, it switched numbers 1 and 2.
1. When it was a pig building.
2. The inside before we put anything in.
3. This is really a pic of the plant, but you can see the roof.
I suppose I should go take some of the outside now that we have all the crap cleaned up around the building.
This message was edited Oct 30, 2014 10:00 AM
Thanks Anna. Looks good in pic 1 and 3. What kind of heat do you use?
Gita, that is a "Money Tree (plant)", not "Money Plant" Anyway I get what you called money plant now. Common names do cause problems at times, don't they?
I sold my Miami house this past June. You folks don't know what you're not missing what with annual palm "cleaning", croton, shefflera and hibiscus hacking and having to lay top soil over a sandy base of horrible St. Augustine grass. This is all a costly job for pros. Then there is the cost of weekly, year around lawn service, the things that sprout in gutters, planters and driveway cracks and grow like crazy and the work of keeping your neighbor's landscape on their side of the lot line. Really, I'd rather have a less intense yard experience.
Anna, a few photos, as requested, taken today and other seasons. I'm sure you will especially enjoy your glass space in WI. We are currently having deck work done in preparation for pressure washing and painting. 1.&2. Entrance from motor court (we are bermed into the side of a hill). 3. current view of front. 4. Living room interior which is at deck level in previous view. 5. Family room. Solarium is small and through the French doors on the left. It's heated but there is a damper and the doors can be closed to drop temperatures at night for plants that require cool nights to bloom.
Sorry, Butch, we cross posted.
1. A view from the loft of the solarium. The greenhouse is through the solarium door but backs up to the south wall of the family room. 2. Another view of the family room. 3. Why a greenhouse comes in handy. :)
Since we travel back and forth between two houses I found taking care of house plants a challenge. The greenhouse heat and water is automated making things less complicated.
Looks nice, maypop! I would LOVE to have a pergola-type thing by my kitchen entrance so I could hang my ferns that in the hanging pots. Kitchen entrance is to the east, but still too much sun for the ferns.
WOW...WOW...Ana---I have never even seen homes like yours in my life!!!!
Must be a Southern thing.....
Stunning!!! beautiful! Like, out of a magazine!!!
Stunned....Gita
Yes, very nice Maypop. Is the one in Cleveland for weekend and vacations?
A lot of us would like to try a change of scenery such as southern FL or some tropical place when winter hits.
Gitagal, that is maypoplaurel's home, not mine. I just have the sunroom on an old, dumpy farmhouse. LOL
OH! Messed up again! :-(
Gita, I don't think you messed up. Anna's home with solarium photos are lovely. In regards to our home, we've done much of the finish work ourselves including sheet rock, tile work, plumbing and electrical and building the front entry. We've done almost all the work at Maypop ourselves (photos below). I draw all the plans including the systems. I'm not an architect just lots of hands on experience in that direction.
Anna, funny you use the term "dumpy" in reference to your home. We call Maypop our "dump in the country". It's the house that dumpster diving built and flea markets decorated. We have done all the work there except the roof, heating and air and the rebuild of the fireplace after a tree went through it. It's a recycled house.
Butch, I had hoped to meet sooner at one of the RU's we've hosted at Maypop. Maypop was formerly an abandoned property with water pouring through the roof. It had no kitchen, no heat and lots of wildlife both dead and alive. We spent more than weekends and vacations there since I was able to telecommute. I lived there with the kids in summer and SO went back and forth. I'm an avid veggie gardener and had a great city yarden when we lived in Decatur. When we moved to Sandy Springs, the topography of the lot and the hardwoods only allowed for shade gardening. I grew up on Miami and North Miami Beach but spent summers in camp near Maypop. The grass seemed greener on the other side and hardwoods and violets were more beautiful than palm trees and bromeliads. I was fifteen when I saw snow for the first time. It seemed much more magical than sand. Meanwhile, now that I know your the begonia guy I'll be picking your brain.
Laurel
Laurel,
It must be nice on one hand to be in the city limits and also nice to get away from it all on the other with a short commute. We looked at some land on Sharptop Mountain in Jasper but it would've been quite a commute for my wife's job in Marietta. It didn't matter to me since I was a telecommuter too.
N. GA.- W. NC - S. VA - and E. TN would be an ideal place to live at times except for winter.
Well the one thing I noticed in Miami or any tropical place is how bright it is in summer. Definitely could go blind on white sand. I feel like my eyes have sunburn when I drive to Orlando every year but love it there.
Gita,
I think your white fly problem comes from your brugmansias - they are white fly magnets. Great looking plants BTW!
Got the bulk of my plants in today with ten very large pots under the deck and maybe 10 amaryllis out in the cold - they can endure a little frost if it happens. Another two weeks to get the basement squared away - why do I do this every year. Rhetorical question...
Here is one of my big begonias this year - Maggie Nodal is the dark green palm like leaf and the begonias blooming are BIG (yeah, that is the name) - they are like wax begonias on steroids.
Laurel--
Your house looks cozy--the kind I would want to just chill in. Feel at home....
curl up on a sofa....
That is a high compliment....
Butch--
The Brugs were by my shed and the Hibiscus at the end of my driveway.
A good distance away.
Last year--I did have issues with my BIG Dr. Seuss which grew in a small bed
also at the end of the driveway. It was a nasty problem--which, eventually,
was diagnosed as Broadleaf Mites. It was bad! Leaves curling, yellowing, dropping...
It even was on the two brugs by my shed that year.
A customer, I had gotten to know at HD, and who grows 100's of Violets,
gave me a small bottle of "Forbid". I used it this year on my brugs--
and eventually on the Hibiscus as well.
Before that i was spraying with water/soap/alcohol sprays.
I believe the White Fly just came on the plant--you know--these Tropicals
are all grown in fields in FL. Never know what kind of bugs they carry to the retailers.
I seldom buy house plants at HD because of this.
I know they clean them up and spray them all--so they look good when you buy them,
but these suckers hide in every nook and cranny--and can emerge months later.
I still have to deal with some scale on a Shefflera Amate I got 4+ years ago.
NO other plants in my house have any bug issues.
Gita
Thanks, Gita. It is a cozy place.
