In the past, I've overwintered my adeniums in the house. The larger ones I'd let to dormant in a closet with very, very little watering. The smaller ones were kept growing under lights with a heating mat to keep them warm. This year, my collection has grown so much that I don't have the enough room in the house. So I did a quick covering for the DRs outside: 2 sawhorses topped with a chain-link gate and covered with plastic to the ground. Inside, I have concrete pavers on the ground and dark-painted gallon jugs filled with water to hopefully keep some of the warmth during the night.



So far, the DRs seem to love it in there. The daytime temps are in the mid 80's. The DRs are blooming as much as if it were still summer. On really warm days, I lift one of side to reduce the heat buildup.



My concern is nighttime temps. While it seldom gets below freezing in New Orleans, we do frequently get temps in the low 40's to mid 30's. I do have a small electric heater that I can put in the "greenhouse" for warmth at night. So far, the lowest nighttime temp inside has been in the mid 50's. Is this too cool for the DRs? What would be a good minimum temp for them?
Jo-Ann

Those minimums are ok, but be sure to not water them.

I agree with Hetty.I would use the electric heater if the temps are going into the 30's.I use predicted temps of 40 degrees to turn on the heat in my greenhouse.

Thank you two very much. Since this is my first time leaving the DRs in my "greenhouse" over the winter, I was so concerned about my babies & didn't want to do anything that would hurt them.

And then again Jim might show up and say his well watered plants, in the ground, survived something like 28 degrees. But I believe that was lucky.

You're doing fine, JoAnn!

I heard that Melissa! No, I never said 28°, more like 35° or somewhere around there, survival of the fittest say's I. I've since buried a few of my pots, but if we get a cold front (below 45°) I still water everything heavy. Good grief;28°, I wouldn't be able to stand it. Oh, and A Very Happy New Year to one and all.

Hey, Jim, The first time I ever was in Florida, Ft Lauderdale, several lifetimes ago, that night it went to 28. Wa!! Everything frose, brown trees and plants everywhere. Then I went to Tampa, and was scraping ice off my windshield. Wa!!!!! Then I went to Key West, and it was 68 and raining all day. Wa! Wa! Waaaaa!!!!!

I don't know how youse guys live so far north!

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I like that white with just the red tips Melissa! Beautiful!

I've been to Florida 5 or 6 times but I've never left the Miami airport That was back in my diving days and I was always on my way to the Caribbean. I must have had better luck than usual with connections there, it was so long ago I don't remember. Most of the wealthy locals here go shopping in Miami a few times a year, I should try it one of these days.

I had a rough end of the year but hope the new year will be good. Three days before NY I was in my roof garden and the neighbor called to use my ladder. I decided to throw the keys down to him as it was in the garage. Dumb me, I tried to jump up to lean over and throw them and I cracked my ribs on the concrete wall. Man that hurt! On the last day of the year I was finally able to walk around a bit and was watering the garden downstairs, got the polished concrete floor of the terrace wet and I slipped and fell! My foot went one way and my knee the other, more hurt. Now I can barely walk, can't get comfortable to sleep and I'm generally miserable. I'm a little better today than yesterday and the swelling is going down so I'm hopeful it will all get better. I just don't bounce like I did when I was younger!

Oh Jonna that sounds like a bad way to end the year! Take it easy!!

Yes, baby yourself as much as you can, you'll get better quicker. Some folks wrap a sprain/break and hobble around anyway, and it takes a LOT longer to heal.

More red on the edges, different flower. This is a seed from one named "Noble Concubine" that blooms like an azalea.

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Let's see if this link works---

http://www.tucsoncactus.org/pd...

Yes! Scroll down about halfway for Adenium growing in the winter, written by Mark Dimmitt.

That was an interesting article, thanks for the link. My adeniums don't lose their leaves in the winter but they do flower more. I think the heat and humidity of the summer - or perhaps the drowning rains - discourage blooms.

Here's a pic of the whole plant. It does not have a very interesting caudex but it certainly loves to bloom.

Hmmm, have you ever looked at what's inside that pot? Under the soil? I like all the criss-crossed feeder roots! Pretty plant!

I repotted it last year because it was tilting a lot and I thought it would fall over. I like those shallow concrete pots because less water accumulates in the rainy season so they don't rot. I'm pretty sure that by now there is mostly root in there and very little soil. don't recall there being much buried caudex, it's the straightest one I have and who knows why. It's almost like a miniature Bojum tree. It loves the dry heat of winter, it is just covered in blooms and they are getting larger. I thought about cutting off those feeder roots when i repotted it but decided to let it recover first and then I never got around to it. They are kind of interesting, glad I left them.

Hi Jonna..hope you are feeling better! I know how it feels.. I also made a booboo on a step ladder at work last Dec. for some reason I just dove down, luckily did not break my eyeglasses. When I realized I actually fell, and no one saw it, I quickly stood up, felt stupid for falling off... Only after a day did I feel the aches and pain...I guess like a delayed whiplash of sorts.

Love your Adeniums! Mine are slowly shedding leaves ...

Hi Tarev, I felt stupid too but then I got scared that I wouldn't be able to get up and no one could get to me. The knee is not improving much so I'm going to go to the doctor, I really didn't want to do that as that makes it more serious you know?

My little adeniums from Mike's seed are looking good, I hope to have at least one little bloom before they are a year old. I'll take some pictures. I've also been saving all the pieces I've cut off various adeniums and I'm planting them together in one pot. It might be interesting if they bloom at the same time.

Hopefully it will be just slow healing knee injury for you and nothing else. Knee troubles are awful..do get well soon. After I fell that day, I realized, I could have easily broken my neck too oops. just lucky it felt like a bad case of stiff neck for a couple of days and some slight bruising. After that I learned to get up and down that nasty ladder like my life depended on it, slowly but sure footedly.

Joanna, sit down!

Melissa, you sound like the doctor! He told me to stay off the leg, he wanted me to have crutches and I refused. I told him I would borrow my friend's cane but truthfully, I don't think I'll use that either. I'm to start physical therapy tomorrow, have a batch of anti inflammatories to take, a knee brace to buy, and if all this doesn't get it to improve significantly in the next 2 - 4 weeks, he wants an MRI. He says I sprained the ligament - stretched it too far - and if it doesn't get better the MRI will show if there is a tear on the long ligament or on the meniscus (sp?). It actually feels worse today but I'm attributing that to the manipulations they did to get the xrays. sigh.

We are selling our condo on the coast and we need to go over there on Monday to clear it out and sign the papers. Did I mention that it is on the top or 3rd floor? I will get the knee brace, and I will try and limit the number of times I go up and down those stairs. Still, I can't just sit here with my leg in the air as the doctor wanted. Life intervenes.

Poor you! I fear for the knee. Hire a teenager!!!! Seems like you don't care if it never gets well. (Me saying something harsh.)