My first camelia flower for this year - this is called Sparkling Burgundy & when it first opens is quite a deep pink.
This poor bush has been moved about 4 times & survived the drought - one of my tough old friends!
Flowering in March 09
Hello Colleen. The Vallotta lily is also known as the Scarborough Lily.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/81887/
I have had mine for years and they never fail to flower around now. They are like most bulbs that thrive on neglect but do better with a bit of care.
I have been watering these with the recipe I use for my Epis, Chryssies and Angels which contains molasses and ammonia from the Brug forum. I always get the largest one flowering but this year since I started with the recipe, they are all flowering and one plant has 2 flower stems. I keep most of them in pots but they do well in the garden too. Becauase of where my pots are, they get watered all year round ,plus any rain.
with the tuberous begonias, I was told how to do cuttings by a grower. When they shoot , wait until the shoots are about 4"- 5" high then cut from the corm with a sharp blade. Plant as for cuttings and wait. The corm should put out enough shoots for you to take one or two from it. I have not tried it myself as yet but now I wish I had after losing some of the plants.
Sorry Judy, I didn't answer your question. The scent of the Begonias is hard to describe. it is not as strong an cool days but very strong on warm to hot days. Sort of lightly musk similar to many roses. Apparently they are not usually scented as I did ask at the Begonia Festival one year. I was told to hang on to them as they are rare here. I think overseas the scented ones are more available because these were imported by the person I bought them from.
Thanks Jean for the information. I'll see if I can find that molasses recipe., and see if I can find some Scarborough lilies. I have heard of them but can't remember where. I'll also try the taking of the Begonia when it shoots again. This pic of the Hibiscus is from my neighbour's garden. I haven't got a name, but will ask her.
Beautiful begonias, cacti, camellias and hibiscus. I have easter daisies out, but alas, went out to take pictures and got side tracked with potting up. You all relate to that?
Dalfyre, don't keep the soil moist on your bromeliad plants unless it is quite hot weather. I water mine once a week if there is no rain, (and it gets into the high 20's most days) and in winter, keep the soil dry, just water the central cup/tank/vase. Misting isn't necessary, but can be used to keep the leaves clean (as in, mist and wipe with a clean cloth) I think you will do well with your brom. Post another pic so we can see that white stuff again. You could try poking it with a damp 'Q'tip (cotton bud) and see if the white stuff comes away?
Colleen and Jean, I wish I could send you some water. It falls out of the sky here. hard to believe, I know! I haven't seen vallotta Lilies before, but I'm sure you have mentioned them before, if not posted pics? Its hard to tell the scale/size of them.
So, anyway, lovely pics all. I'll be back
Sue
Weedwoman. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could send us down some of your rain? Colleen
Sue - thanks for the tips on brom care.
These are in pots on a hot sunny windowsill & manage quite well despite being very neglected.
There are African violets all along the same sill & they are happy if we remember to water them once a week...
Actually they are even happier if we can water twice a week.
It would be a great spot for succulents but no room left.
I used to have a great collection of indoor plants years ago but all the moving made me thin the ranks & finally the few I had left turned up their toes.
I put more time in the garden & out with the dogs & the poor indoor babies were forgotten too many times.
Vallotta flowers are roughly the size of a 50 cent piece, maybe a bit bigger. As you say Jean, the red variety is a reliable flowerer, and quite happy to thrive regardless of neglect. I had the pink one for around 5 years, but it stubbornly refused to flower for me in all that time. I lost all of my vallottas when we moved here ...... there's only so much neglect anything will handle when it hasn't been planted. lol
There is also a white one which it seems is no longer available commercially in Australia. Patchwork nursery did used to list it, but apparently one year their supplier's entire stock was infected with a virus, and that seems to be the end of it. I've pretty much given up trying to get it.
My Vallottas ( Scarborough Lilies) are always large about the same size as the Bella Donnas (naked ladies).around 4" across.. The petals don't turn back at the ends as the naked ladies do though. Mine originally came as one bulb from an old lady whose name actually was Scarborogh. They multiply very quickly and last year I had a large bulb pushing the small ones out of the pot. I find they do better in pots than in the garden here. I would love to have the pink one. I get bulbs from old gardens and fetes etc, so it is always a surprise when they flower.
Jean
Gardengal, Jean maybe if we all keep looking we might be able to come across some and then share them. I'll try googling them. Colleen
Wow Jean, your flowers are huge - what do you feed them, steroids? lol
Fetes and old gardens, and sometimes even op shops are a great place to pic up plants that are not readily available in retail outlets. Sometimes plants seem to go out of fashion and then it seems they're lost to the retail market forever, kept from extinction in the odd garden of people who are sometimes none the wiser. For instance, many of the pepperomias that were very common in the 70's are now highly sought after.
Ladies. I have a lot of small ones if you would like any. Dmail me so I can see how many I can send.
I usually just leave them and fertilise with whatever I am throwing around at the time.They are always that size flower but this year I have more flowers even on 2 smaller plants. I have been watering them with the molasses, ammonia recipe from the brug forum as they happen to be next to my Angels. This may be why I have more flowers.
Jean
Molasses and ammonia? I'm off to check out the brug forum. it's in please Jean?
This message was edited Mar 22, 2009 6:41 PM
This message was edited Mar 22, 2009 6:44 PM
Jean, how often do you use it? The original poster says he uses it daily, but I don't imagine there are too many people who would have the time or the inclination to be spraying it every day.
gardengal and anyone else who wants to try it. I have put a link to the thread where you will find all sorts of variations on the original. I have seen this same type of mix on other sites so it must do the job. I have been using it as a foliar spray for over a year and have seen great results. I recently read that people were watering onto the soil straight to the roots so I tried that on my Epis, Angels, Chryssies and Zygos. I was amazed at the difference. I had 3 zygos that were dying from the excessive heat we had a while back. They just hung limp and dull. After 3 waterings ( about 2 weeks), they were standing up tall and plump. The color was green again instead of dull grey looking. I think thats the secret to so many flowers on my Vallottas too. The Angels love it and since I started watering directly onto the soli, I have buds coming on more.
It won't hurt the plants so no harm in trying it. I would use it all over the garden but am not going to water that large an area. I don't always add the beer because we don't keep any here and if I want it I have to buy it.
I do add the few drops of Tea Tree oil, as besides being a bit of an insecticide, it smells nice too. I keep my mix in 1.25 or 2 litre plastic lemonade bottles . I have not had it go off at all and only make one lot of mix at a time. It lasts for a while when used as stated. I use Thrive mostly but any fertiliser that dissolves in water should work. We cant always get the same things here as in US so improvise. The main things are the molasses, ammonia and epsom salts. I use Maxicrop for the liquid seaweed.
Have fun. Jean
Ooopps forgot the link.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/956114/
Thanks Jean. Do you find that the molasses encourages ants at all?
Jean I have used the Recipe for all my plants,especially the Angel seedlings,wonderful.......
No problems with ants at all and we have plenty down here. Let me know how you go with it.
Hello Mya. It is good isn't it. I like using Hydrogen Peroxide too . I use it in water to soak seeds and cuttings and water some on the plants every now and then. Just a tip Gardengal. Every 2 weeks or so, flush your pots with plain water until it runs out the bottom. Gets rid of any build up of salts etc. With our yukky water here it is necessary.
Jean.
We're on tank or dam water only Jean, so nasties in the town water supply don't affect us. :) I did recently discover that the dam water is quite warm in most parts ( I was thankful for that at 6.00 last night lol), so might have to get the inlet pipe for the pump moved to a deeper spot.
Thats really interesting those recipes! I would love to discuss it with someone in the know to see exactly what the plants are getting out of it, nutritionally, and how it affects the pH. I had not heard of it before. I don't think I would be game to try it on Broms, but on palms and such it might be good?
Autumn is in the air, cool mornings and evenings, cool breeze and sunny days. Yummmmmmmm.......
Not flowers technically, but very colourul
nearly flowering but not quite! My giant Asparagus spears now have brocolli florets on them. I never did find out the species of this Agave.
those agaves are amazing!
I loved the colourful foliage plants in the previous pics.
Sue, I have been using the recipe with molasses etc since I saw it last year on the Brug forum. I have since read about similar on another site and it seems that it won't hurt any plants and I have found that mine look much greener and plumper since using it. There are some long threads in the brug forum, all about it and a lot of variations on it. I use it on my epis, brugs, chryssies, cuttings, seeds and whatever else is around . Mainly just the pots as it would take too much to do all the garden. I use it in the fern house too and nothing has looked back or died. It's worth trying.
I love your garden and the foliage looks beautiful. I don't think you have the need for anything on yours , they are so healthy looking.
Jean
Here's Hedychium flavum; planted out last September and now flowering for the first time. There was some discussion on the old AusGarden website about whether my Hedychium was properly labelled. Anyway, here's the pic so anyone who has a H. flavum can compare the two. Now if only I could describe the perfume--intensely fragrant without being heavy. Reminds me of a French perfume!
And here's Hedychium coronarium, planted same time as the flavum. The flower is only partially opened but the scent is divine. Fragrance is slightly different from the flavum--I can't describe it, I'm hopeless! Somewhere I've read that the fragrance is reminiscent of gardenia, but I don't think it is. It has a penetrating yet fresh intensity, not that heavy muskiness of gardenia that some people find offputting. Just wonderful.
Thanks Dalfyre and jean, yes, the garden has really turned it on for Autumn thanks to the summer rain! (and all the neighbours fertilisers leeching into my yard) he, he
Cestrum, I think I have H. coronarium, but had to prune off all the 'would be' flowering stems this year, due to a boring beetle. (thats a beetle that bores holes, not minds) Theres lots of new stems (beetle free) but I don't think I'll get flowers this year. The scent is delicious. I've never seen your H. flavum so can't comment there except to say, 'I love gingers"
G'Day Weed-woman. Those Agaves might be Agave americana SPP expansa it is a narrow leaf form.
Regards Brian
Thanks Brian. i googled and researched but found no pics to either prove or negate it, but I did find a good botanical description that I can use, along with a tape measure, to guage the possibility. It is about to flower, so the suggested spring to summer flowering does not ring true in this case. It doesn't matter really, as I love it to bits. Thanks again
Sue
the improvised 'greenhouse'
Hello all. Not my garden here but a beautiful small area in Mt Gambier. The gardens are around a sinkhole . we did not venture down as I had my doubts about climbing all the steps to get back up . The gardens are full of roses under planted with petunias, miniature dahlias and marigolds. There are abelias and hebes growing down the sloping sides and a very large tree with red tubular flowers which I think is a tecoma.
Jean.
This tree is huge and the red flowers were being enjoyed by lots of New Holland Honeyeaters,
A beautiful walkway around the top of the sinkhole path.
G'Day. We know this as the "Elephant's Tongue" but a book says "Ox Tongue" anyhow a close relative of the "Blood Lily" posted last week by Budgieman, Haemanthus coccineus. Other years since the 1980s it has flowered in February this year I thought I had missed out but this one flower popped out on Friday.
Ox tongue lily is what I know it as Brian. I sure wish mine would flower.
Hi Stake, Your flower seems to have just appeared out of the dirt - are there some leaves below it?
Yours is the same as mine Brian. They always flower around now here. Yes Leisa, there are 2 large leaves that come up either side of the flower as it dies. They lat flat and usually get to about 18" long here. We have always called them Elephant Ears or Blood Lily . As with a lot of plants there are numerous with the same name that are no relation whatever. There is a white in this one but I have never been able to get hold of one.
Jean.
I have the whte one Jean, but it also refuses to flower for me. When I originally got it I read that they like a shallow pot, but I am wondering if the pot is in fact a little too narrow.
Please remind me in Spring and I will see if there is an offset I can get out for you.
Something weird I've noticed about my H.coccineus is that it has 3 leaves emerging.
Pam
Gardengal, that is odd unless you are seeing the first leaf of an offset bulb, the other might come later.
77 Sunset we always reckoned it had to be an Elephant tongue because the Elephants Ears were different (Alocasia).
Brian
I'm thinking that's what it must be Brian. A flower instead of a spare leaf might have been nice though.