Look what I found today..

We have a stephanotis plant right by the front door which I pass by many times every day, somehow I missed this! A huge seed pod - 7 inches long and 3 1/2 inches round ! Stephanotis is also known here as Pua Male, the Hawaiian wedding flower. I am astounded at the size of the seed pod relative to the size of the flower. Poor little plant has had no attention at all from me and yet look at how it has rewarded me despite my neglect. I have never seen a seed pod before - my mother always had a plant in her conservatory every year in England but they never set seed. Now I wonder how many seeds could be in that honker, my gardening book says they are easy from seed. Anybody have any knowledge of when I harvest? I imagine I have to wait until it goes dry? Hopefully there will be plenty to share!

Wowee that is a bionic seed capsule! Hope the seeds are viable and you can sprout them, what a treat!
Cathy

Woops! Should have checked plant files first - I was so excited and wanted to share!

The pod will turn brown and start to crack. There will be a LOT of seeds in it and yes, they are easily grown from seed!!

Mahalo Dutchlady for the info! Any idea how long it takes to brown up? Course I don't know how long I have had it! The plant itself has been growing in the garden since last January and is acually quite horrible looking and getting no sun at all - I feel so guilty!
I have been dragging all the family out to look at it, amazing no-one saw it before now!
Any info on cuttings?
Aloha!

Jenny - that is soooo waaay cool! Keep this thread posted on the progress of the pod...amazing!

Similar to plumeria, the seedpods take about 9 months to mature. The seeds will fly away if you don't catch them so I would recommend (like with plumeria) that you put a net of some kind (kneehigh pantyhose work well) over it to stop them from taking off when the pod bursts open. Seedgrown plants take about 2 years to bloom.

Thanks DL, off to buy kneehigh's this am, haven't owned any since we moved here!

lol, the mesh bags that onions come in will work too!

Make sure you give the info of "2 yrs to bloom" to anyone you share the seeds with...otherwise they may think they are doing something wrong.

I will remember. smirk

Shari, how much longer before you are in the air?

I actually take off tomorrow at 6:00pm. Got a birthday dinner for JB tonight at daughter's house, finish packing tomorrow and check-in around 3. Then its sit and wait time. Ugh.

shopped for a suitcase today. wooohooo! Can't wait to see that seed pod, Jenny.

Hey Shari, Bon Voyage!

Have a great trip Shari.

Thanks friends. I will sure miss my DG daily fix...but getting to meet some DG friends up close and personal will be a rare treat!

♫I'm so excited...and I just can't hide it...♫

I have a large one that made seeds one year when I lived in LA. I planted some and have a few babies left that I kept. I was wondering if anyone knows how long they take to flower from seed?

It's supposed to be two years.

Jenny...you can also put some scotch tape around the pod when it starts getting brown...then when it wants to burst, the tape holds it together...but you still gotta watch it.

I am home...haven't downloaded the camera yet...soon, soon....

Carol

Rest.

That is so neat! I'd like to have some seeds please!

Jeanne

Aloha Carol, it's been lonely on the islands with you gone...thanks for the tip on the tape, what a good idea! Dutchlady says two year to flower, is that the same for us?
Jeanne they are yours if I manage to keep them from scattering!
Took a cutting last Wednesday to see if I can root it, got it sitting in water right now, but I guess I should put it into potting soil - anyone know?

A knee high panty hose streched over it and tied at the top will also help! We do that with our daylily seed pods.

Hope you are doing well! We had a great day today! Weather was absolutely beautiful here!

Aloha y'all!

Jeanne

Hey Jeanne - when are you meeting up with Shari, Christi and RJ? Say Aloha to everyone from us! Have a safe trip!

We did that this afternoon! My son and I got to Randy's about 1 pm. The gang was just getting back from brunch. We all gathered around out back on the deck surrounded by the gorgeous garden, fountain in the pond, soft soothing music, and conversed on every subject there is.....It was soooooo much fun! It was soooo relaxing! The weather was absolutely beautiful!! Randy is an absolutely wonderful Host, and Shari and Christi are just delightful! Their husbands are both just as equally nice and cordial!

My son baked an applesauce oatmeal cake, so mid afternoon we served up the cake, and continued to chat. An old friend of Randy's stopped by, so we got acquainted with Val as well. She is a fantastic artist and had made Randy a beautiful gazing ball that he has in his garden. She is very nice, really sweet.

Before we knew it, it was almost 4 PM and time for all of us to go! The time just flew.....it was so sad to have to say "Goodbye" to everyone....better just "See ya later"...... It was so wonderful being able to share everything with everybody!!!!!

My son and I went to our favorite Chinese Buffet on the way home. I was exhausted, so I took a nap when we got home and then went to my Mom's to share all the details of our wonderfull afternoon with her.

I just got home awhile ago. It has been a long day, but even longer for Christi and Mike, as they had that 225 mile trip back to Dallas, and they have been up since before 4:30 AM this morning. I was waiting to see if either Randy or Christi had posted. Shari and JB were to touchdown in Col. around 930 pm our time. They are going to be exhausted as well. I think everyone is running on adrenlin!

I know everyone was so excited about it, I didn't want to steal anyone's thunder!

RJ, Christi, please feel free to share your take on our afternoon! I'm sure I missed some of the highlights. To me it was purrrrrrrrfect! Even Randy's cat "Pooter" joined us!!!!!!!!

It couldn't have been better! I am so thankfull that we were able to get together and that I was well enough to be able to make the "excursion" to Randy's! I wouldn't have missed it for the world!!!!

It was just like a family reunion.....seeing people you love and haven't seen for a long time, only here we were just actually meeting Shari, JB. Christi, and Mike for the first time!!!!!! It was super! I know the other's will really be excited as well!

I guess I should leave a few things for the other's to say!!!!!

Randy, thanks for having us! You are just the perfect host! Thanks to the others for taking time to come to Houston and share your joy with us! We enjoyed it!

This was edited to correct typos! Hopefully I got most of them!

Jeanne

This message was edited Nov 14, 2007 11:15 PM

Jeanne, thanks for keeping us up to date - how I would have loved to be there! Sounds as if you had a perfect day with great people.
Pictures! Hope Christi had her camera with her!
Hope everyone got home safe and sound.
Aloha!

Yes, Christi and Shari had their cameras. I had mine too, but I didn't get a copy of the group shot, so will let Christi post it. That's mainly why I am still awake to see if Christi had posted anything, but I'm sure once they hit the house they will go to sleep and get some rest! A very well deserved sleep! They are going to need it!

I'm about to run out of steam as well, and I slept in this morning! (If not, I would not have made it over there.....)

I wish all of you could have been there as well!!!! It was wonderful! ' Night!!!!!

Jeanne

Night!

Hey Jen, how's your seed pod doing?

Hope you have been having nice warm days there! It has been gorgeous here!! It kind of took a dip in the temps this morning, but then warmed back up this afternoon!! We've not had any rain as was expected, so now tomorrow I am going to have to water!!!!!! Couldn't ask for better weather for "half past November"!!

We have the cutest tv commercial here where a Mother bear asks a baby bear what's wrong (hes not sleeping, and it's "half past February" , and the baby bear says that he can "bearly hybernate". Too cute! Well it's way too warm here to think of hibernating!!!!!!!! It's very pretty (here)!!!!!!!!!

Seed pod is unchanged, well acually it looks pretty stupid with my Mom's last pair of pantihose cut up around it! Trouble is, I don't have a clue how long it's been there so I have no idea how much longer it's going to take! I am an unbelievably bad gardener having missed this great big pod, Mom does the front garden while I wage war in the back 40, (she has only a very little eyesight in one eye) no excuse for me, I walk passed the darn thing every day, head in the clouds as usual!

Sounds like you are having a wonderful autumn, is everything in the garden hanging on? We have the same weather as always - 80's during the day and 70's at night - ho hum, boring! A good rainy day would be a blessing, despite the dogs muddy footprints throughout the house...I just heard that we may be in for an El Nina winter which typicaly brings us rain to the islands, my water bill hopes so, but I am hoping it doesn't come in February when Christi and Mike are visiting, it would be a real bummer. Trade winds are dropping this weekend so it should feel warmer without the natural airconditioning. Do you get the Trades on your side of the BI, Carol?

Warmest Aloha to all....

J

Cute TV ad, haven't seen anything like that here

The seed pod will be fine. Eventually it'll start to turn brown (you know.....) then it won't be much longer!!!

RJ gave me a Datura that had 2 seed pods on it, I kept watching it and watching it, and wouldn't you know it had broke open in the night that I was going to take the panty hose out there and cover it. Some of the seeds did drop, but I managed to get a few. We used the pantyhose on our Daylilies and it works like a charm!

Oh yea...."boring weather", I could only wish for such "boring weather". Our is so unpredictable. But the saying is, "If you don't like the weather, just wait, because it will change in a couple of days!!!" During the fall and "winter" that is so true!!!!

Hopefully it won't rain in Feb. there so they will have beautiful weather to really be able to see and enjoy the islands. Christi is so excited! I know they will have a good trip no matter what!!!!!!!!

Aloha!!!