Golden Dew Drop. Sky Flower, Pigeon Berry 'Sweet Memories' (Duranta erecta)

I have never heard of this plant before. It is really striking with the purple flowers and the orange fruit. Thanks for posting this picture.

I had one as a pot plant but the flowers were sky blue, never dark at all. There must be some variations; yours is great. I would plant mine out in the summer, it would grow tremendously, then I would root cuttings to keep it another year. Alas, I finally had to give it up. Thanks for showing yours.

Edited 2 minutes later. Duh...I see yours is the cultivar 'Sweet Memories'. Guess mine was plain Jane.

This message was edited Sunday, Nov 9th 7:54 AM

NoH20, I am glad I was able to share this plant with you. It produces strand after strand of blooms that occur coninuously; thus, there are fruit on the plant of varying sizes ang colors depending upon their maturity. The strands resemble a vine and hang down gracefully. The blooms are about the size of the end of a finger and occur in clusters along the strand. I took I don't know how many photos to obtain one that was focused well on both the fruit and the blooms as well as showing the white edging. Here is a photo (a little blurry) of a strand with a cluster of buds. This bloom still has the yellow pollen which was not present on the blooms in the photo I posted.

Toxicodendron, I found in my search for this plant's cultivar that there are several different ones. 'Sweet Memories' is listed as being relatively rare. I found it at the San Antonio Botanical Garden and it is a rather large shrub. How large did yours get growing in a container? I would love to plant one, but do not have much space. Thanks for your comments.

Not a well focused photo of a heavy strand of fruit that hangs down and looks like long strands of beads. This is only the tip of the strand.

htop, mine varied in size from one to three feet in a gallon pot, but each year I started it fresh from cuttings, so it did not have much of a chance to get very large. The plants would quickly reach 4 or 5 feet tall and wide over our short summer once they were planted in the ground. There are large, very old hedges of Duranta erecta at Pinewood Estate (Lake Wales, FL) and they are probably 10 to 12 feet tall and wide, with very long arching canes and thick woody trunks. You can get under the long canes to prune back if necessary; they form sort of a tunnel. If I could leave it in the ground all year, I certainly would have one of these in my landscape. I finally let mine freeze one year without taking cuttings.

What a pretty little flower. And the fruit is really something too. I thought the orange fruits were from another plant along side the Golden Dew Drop. I wondered with the blue flowers, how it got it's name of golden dew drop, but now I understand! Marvelous plant! Thanks for the photo-great job!

Toxicodendron, they seemed to grow quickly once in the ground. Did you plant them in full sun? I would love to see the old hedges you described in Lake Wales, FL. I can visualize them creating a sort of tunnel with their canes of flowers and berries. I am trying to find a spot to plant at least one. The information I found on this plant states that it receives burns from the cold at 25 degrees so it would probably die back to the ground here if we have a hard freeze and return from the roots. It is difficult to keep plants through the winter by taking cuttings every year. Last year I used thin sheeting I purchased from my local nursery that permits light to travel through it to cover my plants during the few freezes we experienced. It was very effective, but just when I would uncover them another freeze would come and I'd have to do it all over again, plus haul in all the plants I have in containers. It really becomes a task after awhile. Thanks for the information.

roshana, I need to post a photo of a long strand of berries to accompany the one I already posted. They are beautiful. This is a really great plant and I was happy when I finally was able to take a relatively clear photo of the blooms and the fruit together. I had to take many photos because my digital camera would not cooperate due to the fact that it would focus on either the blooms or the fruit, but not both at the same time. Thanks, roshana, I am pleased that I could share it with those who are interested.

htop, I had the Duranta in sun during the middle of the day, a little shade in the morning and evening. I wanted to mention that the fruits are not nearly as bright as the cultivar you photographed. They are a yellow gold, not bright vivid orangy-gold. But that looks better with the much lighter-colored flowers. If you can get a cutting of this plant, it roots just about 100% of the time under a plastic sack. A public gardens director once told me that he never goes to visit a garden without a ziploc bag and a pair of small pruners! (Not that I would, of course...)

This message was edited Jul 30, 2004 7:14 AM

Thanks for the information about taking cuttings and rooting them. They are very difficult to find, especially this dark purple variety. There are plenty of strands that look tempting, but I wouldn't take a ziplock bag and a pair of small pruners either. :o) I had thought that they needed at least some full sun.

Mine got about 6 or 7 hours of full midday sun. The hedge in Florida got full sun all the time. Probably best blooming with a lot of sun.

That poses a problem for me because I have oak trees that are huge and now have very few places that receive that much sun. Of course, I could chop the oak trees down. :o)

We are buried in shade here, too. More and more hostas and ferns all the time. Only color I get is from impatiens, coleus, and begonias in most beds... Any time I see a little daylight, I plant another tree (then whine about too many leaves, acorns, etc) but if I could have only one plant, you can be sure it would be a tree.

I have been forced to beome a shade gardner in most of my beds also. When I moved to this house it was mostly hot burning sun everywhere. At least the oaks provide filtered shade. Have you planted any firespike? They are great shade plants. I have planted ginger, plumbago, hydrangea, Mexican hydrangea, Brazilian plume flower, wood violet, pink oxalis, purple oxalis, cast iron plant, hosta, elephant ear, magilla perilla, Mona lavender plectranthus, columbine, coleus, begonia, liriope, caladiums, several types of fern, cyclamen and more in order to try to add color everywhere. I am constantly searching for evergreen plants that bloom in the shade so that it isn't so bleak in the winter when the perennials die back. The oak leaves drive me to nuttydom when they fall in my beds. I have to remove them all or they will smother my groundcover.

This message was edited Thursday, Nov 13th 8:05 AM

No, I am in zone 6, with an occasional zone 5 winter, so I don't have a lot of those things that you can grow. I do use caladiums, elephant ears, cannas, agapanthus, amaryllis, aztec lily, and a few other bulbs, but of course I have to lift and store them for the winter. I have some hardy cyclamen that have been blooming for the last month or so, and their leaves will be nice all winter. I leave the oak leaves on my beds for protection until about April, although occasionally it encourages mice who like to chew off tender shoots and roots. Would love to give the plectranthus 'Mona Lavender' a try as a pot plant if I see one for sale. Your bougainvillea picture is pretty..the red one. I have one (in GH) that has copper-colored bracts that fade to hot pink, then to bright purple. It is just starting to bloom now.

I plant cyclamen now, most of them bloom until the hot, hot weather arrives and a few even last through most of the summer. They are one of my favorite plants. Last year, hundreds came up from seed in certain areas. The plectranthus 'Mona Lavender' is great plant. You will need to protect it because it freezes. A hard freeze might even kill the roots. The red bougainvillea is especially pretty this time of year when the weather cools. I have never seen a bougainvillea like you described. Do you know what kind it is?

This message was edited Friday, Nov 14th 7:29 AM

P.S. Have you noticed that the plant photo of the day in the newsletter is not the one that received the most views of the day? One of them is even from a few years back. I do not know what's going on here, do you?

No, I don't know the name of the bougainvillea...I pinched a cutting somewhere. I might get around to posting some pics of it in various stages. Maybe when warm weather returns I can swap you a cutting for a piece of the plectranthus if you want.
The pic of the day...yes I noticed it sometimes has no views at all. I don't know if a person picks it or the computer. One of mine was picked one day with no views.

Sure, I can send you a piece. The cuttings root easily. Dave stated in a FAQ that the computer automatically picks it by the highest number of views. Maybe the computer is on the blink or the process has changed.

Toxicodendron, I just found 5 shrubs with sky blue blooms that have white centers growing in a yard that has mostly native Texas plants. It is still blooming and has fruit. The strands of flowers and fruit are not as long as the 'Sweet Memories", but they are beautiful plants.

Htop that is great! now you know whether you want a regular one or the fancy cultivar. Here are some pics of the bougainvillea I was telling you about with rust buds and hotpink blooms that fade to bright purple. Let me know if you want a cutting next spring. You might also check out the china rose 'Louis Phillippe' at DG, I could send you a piece of that, too. I love that little rose. Go to my member page and browse through my pics if you want to see some of the other plants I grow (not all on there, of course, I grow too many and there are plenty of pics posted for a lot of them already). Susan (Toxic)

Here is the hot pink stage. I don't have a purplish picture on file yet.

What a great bougainvillea. I have never seen one that goes through those color stages. I would be very happy to receive a cutting in the spring. I have had to remove my roses except for a few and give them to a neighbor because I have no location in which they receive enough sun. My trees have grown so large in the past 20 years. But, that is a beautiful rose. Thanks for posting the photos. My big old dog (135 lbs. or more) must have thought my camera was a piece of steak. As I was putting the battery back in it, he jumped up and knocked it out of my hands. The disk drive does not function now. My husband bought a better quality camera from eBay for my Christmas present. It arrived yesterday. I hurried down to Walmart right in the middle of my Thanksgiving house cleaning and bought a $58.00 battery for it and some small CDs in order to test it out. Drats ... it has a drive problem too. It has to be returned. I was very sad. I wanted to take Thanksgiving photos of my family and of course more plant photos. I feel lost without my camera, but I will survive. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving, Susan.

htop, too bad about your camera...
We had a great holiday, just now getting around to reading my DG newsletters from the past several days.
There are certainly a lot of digital camera bargains out there nowadays. Prices are really dropping. We paid over a $1000 for ours, it is now $750 or so. But I do not regret paying the higher price, we now have about 18 months of great pictures (3 vacations plus regular stuff) that we would have missed if we had waited for the price to come down.
Hope you get one soon, I love your pictures!
Susan

Susan, I am sending the one we bought to replace my original camera back and hopefully the seller will replace it. It is a much better camera than the one I had been using. I am glad you like the photos I have posted. I really enjoy yours too. We had a great holiday also. I have to go back to work tomorrow. I wish I had another week off to rest a little and then trim back all the perennials that were zapped with the first freezes.

Toxicodendron,
I found a large specimen of the 'Sweet Memories' growing in a huge container at the nursery from which I buy most of my plants. I asked if they had a smaller one for sell. Dan, a nurseryman, said that the only smaller one left was on his balcony at his apartment. I was disappointed, but told him I had picked some seeds off the ground by the plant I had originally seen at the San Antonio Botanical Garden and that they would probably grow next spring.

Then, later he called to me to come over to where he was preparing plants for the winter. He told me that he can't plant his dewberry in the ground, has had it 3 years and feels sorry for it. Also, he said the seeds I picked up may not grow. So, he said he was going to give it to me and for me to come back and pick it up at the end of the week. I told him I wanted to pay him for it. He said he paid $5.00f or it and that would be enough. I would have paid him $20.00 just to have one of them.

I picked it up today. It had a note attached to it that said it was for me and that I had already paid for it which I hadn't. I asked the cashier to give Dan the $5.99 and she said he said he was giving it to me for free. I left the money for him anyway. What a great guy! I am a happy camper.

That's wonderful! Maybe someday I will be foolish enough to ask for a cutting from you. It sure was pretty in your picture.
Sorry I did not answer sooner...my husband's brother passed away unexpectedly (allergic drug reaction) and I was the only one able to make all the decisions about the funeral arrangements and so on. I had known him very well for more than 34 years. Very sad, he leaves 4 teenage children behind, 3 of whom my mother-in-law will now raise.
Hope you get a camera ready by Christmas, if you don't already have one. Happy Holidays!
Susan

I am so sorry to hear about the sudden loss of your brother-in-law. How very sad for everyone especially the children. I lost my oldest brother suddenly 37 years ago and know the shock and pain you are going through. Having to make all of the arrangements is so difficult and I am sure everyone appreciated your doing so. May God assist you all in your grief.

Let me know if you ever want a cutting of the 'Sweet Memories'. I have been bringing the plectranthus in the house during our freezes here this last week because they are in containers. I sure want to keep them healthy and will send you a cutting in the spring. I have had to trim back my bougainvillea in order to be able to cover or bring them in the house during the freezes. They were just huge. I have never pruned them this early before, but I think they will be okay.

I am picking up another camera today from a fellow I bought it from using eBay. Since he lives in a small town close to me, he is meeting halfway between our homes. I can try this one out before I pay him.

I would say Happy Holidays to you, but I know that the death in your family will overshadow them. So, I will say, may you and your family have peace and comfort during the holiday season.

Hazel

I just purchased sweet memory sky flower today. I plan to buy
2 more tomorrow. I asked them about this plant, and they
didn't know much about it. It's about 4 feet tall and supported
by three narrow bamboo sticks tepee style, and the branches
tied to them, looks like a christmas tree. My question, is this
necessary or not. If I removed the supports would it fall all
over or not. Is this plant put on a trellis or left as a bush.

also how much water in a pot or ground. I know it says full sun
but how much space does it need, and how big and wide will
it get? Thanks PS what about pruning or not.

This plant can be grown as a large shrub, a small tree or espaliered on a trellis. If the branches a taken off of the bamboo sticks, they will droop and sprawl outward in a somewhat viney manner. The plants that I have seen here in San Antonio are about 6 to 8 feet wide and tall. In Florida and south Texas where there are no heavy freezes, they grow much taller and wider. They freeze to the ground at 20 to 25 degrees, but will resprout from the roots in Zone 8. Mine is rather small still and is growing in a large container. The plant will not grow as large in a container. I water it when the potting soil is dry 3 inches down. If planted in the ground, the plant will not require as frequent waterings; it requires a moderate amount of water and is only mildly drought tolerant. To control the plant's size, it can be pruned. The blooms occur on new growth. I would prune it in late winter before new growth occurs. It will grow in morning sun and afternoon shade, but has fewer blooms. The leaves and the fruit are poisonous. I hope this information has been helpful.

sweet memories: i have two of these, on each side of my front porch. i have trained them to grow higher, like a vine. they are very nice. they can be seen from the street easily. lots of bees, moths, and hummingbirds.

I have two sky blue and would love to have a purple one. I have one planted in the ground, it didn;t die back much, just lost a lot of leaves, it is really growing now. The one in the container hasn't had a lot of growth. Guess it needs to be moved. Have you tried growing cuttings of this?

2806austin, training them like a vine is a great idea. I have never thought of that.

purplepetunia, I have started a few from cuttings and have given them away to fellow gardeners. They are more difficult to root and take longer to root than some of my other plants. I know I have one cutting rooted that I have promised to a fellow DGer. I'll check to see if I have another one. If I do, I'll be happy to send it to you. I'll send you a Dmail.

I am so jazzed I have my first blossoms on the duranta I planted 2 years ago. Mine are a medium blue with white around the edges. I don't have a digital camera or I would have posted a photo.
Tha plants are pretty tall, about 5 1/2 feet, even though I have pruned a few times to try to make them bushier.
I think I planted them in a place where it doesn't get quite enough sun (although it is west facing) I am in zone 9 and was recently told that they can take full sun all day here. Also was told to fertilize, maybe that did the trick.
I have tried rooting cuttings in water and in planting mix, with no luck. I will try next what someone here said, to put them in a plastic bag for rooting. I plan to plant the cuttings on my south side where they will get sun all day.

Wow, you were waiting a long time for those beautiful blooms. That makes them even more special. My plant faces west, but does not receive full sun all day. If the leaves become a very, very light green, the plant needs fertilized. I too have tried to root cuttings. The first time, none rooted. The next year, i covered the pots with plastic bags and only 2 out of 10 did not root. I took cuttings in the fall. I think they may root better if the cuttings are taken in the spring; however, I am not sure about this.

Is this the only durantas that lacks the thorns others have written about?

I don't know the name of this duranta but it doesn't have thorns............stays in bloom in our zone most of the year.

I bought this plant yesterday at a HY-VEE grocery store on sale for 10.00 with no tag telling me what it was. I instantly fell in love with it! After finding out the name and the zone it works best in, I may just have a 10.00 annual. I hope not. After reading all these posts, it sounds like it roots fairly easily. I was thinking of putting it in a big pot, but then it sounds like it doesn't grow as well. I am in mid Missouri and would love to keep it going every year! See picture....and also all the pollen that is on the bumblebee's legs!