Crown of thorns

o.k. I will just try the one on the deck first ....

Buried treasures are really good.They sell on ebay as well.

I'll have to check if my red COTs made it through the winter. I've had them in the ground in my garden for several years with no problem, but I think now they are buried beneath the ever-expanding massive canopy of a Madagascar Butterfly Bush -- Not your typical well-behaved somewhat finicky buddleia. This thing has trunks about 4 inches in diameter, is about 6 ft high and 8 ft wide and is threatening to smother everything anywhere near it! Plus, we found out at the zoo, its leaves have a fine talcum powder dust on the underside. Pruning it on a hot dry day sends us all to the pulmonary unit unless we put on dust masks and take frequent breaks (or wait for a foggy morning to cut it back).

Jeremy

That Madagascar doesn't sound very pleasant Jeremy.

They had some cots on one of the walkways at the zoo , red and cream but they didn't look that healthy.

Sue I showed my H your pictures and he thought they are wonderful, he loves your mosaic pot too :)

thanks, maggie, believe me you can do this...it is mistake proof..the more "stuff" you put on the pot..the more funky! i am currently thinking about doing my grundgy cement small garden bench....sue

I am going to have a go at the pots.I also saved the bowling ball ideas as well from another thread to do sometime . Just have to get the grout and stuff

Garden bench sounds good too, you have to show pics when it is done

If it comes out nicely, i will post pics....if it "bombs" i will NOT!! heehee...i am having 3 different conversations with you it seems on different threads? Ain't technology wunnerful? sue

Yes it is :)

I am going to try to make those pots also with the grout. I think they are just too beautiful to pass up. Think I will go to the different salvation army stores and start stocking up on dishes. Do you just past it on first than grout it, correct???

Fluer, I went to Howards fea market yesterday. There were alot of nice plants there. I did find one, and only one, COT, a yellow one with tiny area of pink. Got it for only 3 bucks. Not a bad find. She said that she will be getting more of them. They had alot of diffierent desert rose plants, some of them with varigated leafs....I was very tempted to get a couple of those!! But I have a very big one so I didn't... :(

Mimi

Mimi, go to Lowes and buy the "Mapei" premixed adhesive for tile...the small one...butter up the backs of your shards, and stick them on the pot! That is so simple, i use the craft wooden "tongue depressors" for buttering, that way you can throw them away..pop a glop on a paper plate (a tablespoon at a time, so it won't dry up) keep container sealed between uses, as it does set up..let it dry for a day or so, then read instructions on the grout bag and cover the pot with grout..(it seems scary as you are covering up all your tiles) i use a kitchen sponge and a bucket to wipe grout into the crevasses and off the tiles...then buff the "fog" off your tiles till shiny or the shards are clean..let cure for a day, & you are ready to go! it is addicting....sue

Well, I'm glad this thread on the crown of thorns arose. I had forgotten I had the COTs. I did find my two patches of them in my garden, completely engulfed by the Madagascar Yellow Butterfly Bush. I hacked away at the butterfly bush for a couple of hours. In addition to the COTs I had forgotten were under there, I found a dogwood tree, several Mock Orange bushes (Philadelphus lewisii http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/520/) and another bush that I'm not certain of the ID because it has been stressed so much by the deep shade of the Madagascar Butterfly Bush.

A few of the COTs had managed to get their tips out of the shroud and had a few leaves on them, most of the stems were still flexible, so I have hope they will rebound now that they can get some sunlight.

Jeremy

Yikes Jeremy! It sounds like the old horror pic..."The Blob"...engulfing all in it's path?! lol...sue

Yoou're right, Sue. I call it "the butterfly bush that ate Chicago!"

Jeremy

Here's one I did in a strawberry pot. I seem to grow everything but strawberries in these.

Chris

That is neat, BT. Very pretty. You are so creative. : )
~Lucy

Very cool idea!!

hey Chris, that is a great idea!! I have an empty one...and that way you can have the many different colors in one pot! Thanks for that! Did you have any freeze damage this year? I took almost all the ones i could handle into the house..the larger heavier pots, i covered, the ends of the cot's were burned, and look like they "melted"..but new growth came back just below the blackened ends...should i pinch of the ends now? or leave them alone? sue

Hi Sue,

I got hammered by that freeze. Lost 60% of my Euphorbia stock and 80% of my Adeniums.

I'd definitely pinch th ends, as you don't want the decaying tissue spreading. I'm not a fan of pinching Euphorbia, as they are slow to break, but it's better than losing the whole thing.

Chris

Chris,
You should have moved them over here. No cover, no lights, no damage. Amazing what a difference 50 miles makes. Fortunately, we are in a bit of a microclimate here being sheltered by the gulf on one side and the bay on the other. Always keeps up 5-10 degrees warmer than inland temps. My yard is not huge but you're alway welcome to use it. Beats a big loss like that.

Wow Chris, that bites. I didn't loose much this year, during the freeze, but I had a huge loss back during the hurricanes. Mother Nature can be cruel, sometimes. Hope you can recover, soon.
~Lucy

Well,. I changed my whole co-op order so I could get some COT's. Cant wait. Love them in that pot.

ThANKS Chris! I will do that...they are blooming away beneath the damaged ends! so very sorry to hear about your loss...it was surprising the things that were burned...at first notice, it didn't appear bad at all...sort of a delayed reaction...some things that have never been bothered by a cold snap, were damaged? go figure..COT's and adeniums are sensitive...hope your inventory comes back, you have such outstanding cultivars...budgie, it is so true...you guys can grow more tropicals than even we can here in Oldsmar/tampa?!! sue

Yep. I was surprised when I saw updated zone maps that had our penisula in zone 10 instead of 9 which I went by for years. I did get a couple of brown banana leaves but not much else. I do throw light sheets over some of the most sensitive plants and occasionally bring in a couple young seedlings but no major damage in years.

Garden Glory -- is the tropicals coop still open ? I looked for the COT thread there but couldn't find it. I have a few bought at a local nursery - they say they are Thai and call them Euphorbia.... gorgeous colors and yes they do almost look fake. But I'd like more and more; but not at this nursery's price !

The co-op is closed but you can order direct from Buried Treasures, who supplied the co-op. They have a nice line of named Thai euphorbias at great prices.

Thanks budgielover. I've gone ahead and ordered directly from them. Lovely plants.

O good, was going to send you the link, I was not on the ball. Which ones did you get?

I got Peach Delight & Harlequin

I got those as well, Yours will probably grow better because you are warmer, but I cant wait to try.

My co-op order was fine I dont think I could have stated that any clearer. I had recommened something to others and it wasnt what they wanted I realized after I saw my order. My comments had to do with my ignorance. I stated it before and I will be more than happy to state it again. The items were packaged beautifully and I cant imagine the work involved to run the ship the itmes for the co-op. I tried very very hard not to mention a vendor or that it had anything to do with them. I hope I have edited out anything that offened anything, it wasnt the point.

This message was edited May 3, 2008 10:43 AM

Gardenglory, what was wrong with your COT?

Chris

GG,
I believe I received the same 2 that you got and I have no problem with mine. They are nicely rooted cuttings with a few leaves already.

This message was edited May 3, 2008 2:24 PM

HELP!!!!

My Mom has an "antique" crown of thorns, that has been living in a pot in Pittsburgh, PA for as far back as I can remember. Every winter it would "shed" most of it's leaves then come back full force in the spring/summer. I have no clue what type it might be. In fact, until I recently purchased a yellow COT, I thought they only came with small red flowers!!!!!

This past winter, while she was away, she had a furnace problem and it got very cold in the house. When we found the COT, he looked totally dead. I gave him a trim and half of him still appears to be alive. The inside of the stems are nice and green. No new growth ahs appeared.

He is now living in MD. He is currently potted in the same "dirt" he has been in since the beginning. I'd like to rejuvinate him and eventually move him down to my home in FL.

Any recommendations/help will be appreciated.

In a warm environment they will sprout new growth again from whatever is left. It might take a while.

If the plant is already under stress, I wouldn't recommend changing the soil just yet. That could add additional stress from the disturbance of the root system. Also, avoid fertilizing until you see new growth, and then only use the fertilizer at about half strength or less. Plants don't need fertilizer (which is chemical food) when they are ailing (sort of like when we have the flu or something and even the thought of food is enough to make you want to hurl). Pruning back to green stems (which it sounds like you have already done) is probably enough for now. If the COT has been growing in bright light, you may want to filter the light for a while. I've found that most plants recover best in shade (I've also found that propagating from cuttings seems to work best in bright filtered light without direct sun).

The COTs are very resilient. I'm sure it will bounce back with a little extra TLC.

Jeremy

Thanks Dutch & Jax - The COT is sitting out on my covered front porch so gets filtered southern light. I'll just let him sit for a month or so and hopefully will get some new growth by then.

Sounds good.

Patience is often the best treatment for plant patients.

Jeremy

My COT are in full bloom, I love them, cant find any info on them, but somehow this thread came up. Are anyone elses blooming or does anyone else grow them and have some general info. I ordered mine from the coops they had a few years back. Cant find them anymore

gardenglory ~ yes, I have three and love them. I have found some info/threads on COTS on the Cacti and Succulent thread also.

I miss seeing some of these Florida gardeners post. What ever happened to Weedsgalore, Sue? She had a magnificent collection of COTS.

Up here in MD they came indoors in Oct. Now they sit in an east facing window and all seem happy. I found that the blooms don't seem to stay on as long in the winter.
One grew an "arm" which I let grow to @3" then cut off and potted. She hasn't bloomed yet but gets new leaves so must be happy.

Love all of your comments about Crown-of-Thorns or COTs. As a professional landscape designer, the thing I love most about gardening is learning something new every day. From your posts, learned that COTs are a specie of euphorbia! Didn't know that they also attract hummingbirds. I use them in our designs all of the time. When they get leggy or frost-bitten, we just cut off the brown (in the Spring) and they flourish. The only things I can add to this forum is it is best not to plant them near a walkway or tight path unless you want to get spiked. They get quite large further south, so you might not want to plant them near your mailbox either. Finally, COTs are beautiful when planted en masse. They are one tough, salt- and wind-tolerant, long-blooming, beautiful plant. Happy gardening :-)