Mike - I have three different types of guems here in the Sacramento Valley. They all bloom in spring, with no real special care. I amended the soil when I first plant them, and then pretty much leave them alone. If I have extra fertilizer lying around, I may toss some on to the bed every couple of years. Here is the Blazing Sunset (left front) which is the most profuse bloomer. Photo was taken in June. I don't have the Totally Tangerine so have no clue what their bloom performance is.

Totally Tangerine should start blooming about late spring and continue on through summer. It is a great plant.
Avens (Geum 'Totally Tangerine')

Thanks Liz, Lynn and Diane.
Given that they are perennials and this will be their 3rd year in the ground, hopefully I'll get some blooms in the new year !
They were small 4" plants when I got them so this should be their year to "leap"...as the old adage says, "first they sleep, then they creep, then they leap."
I've just been using regular granulated rose food on them.

This is the original no-care, most neglected plant ever. It was given to me over 20 years ago...IN THE SAME POT....and has been sitting in this same spot for 15 years. It apparently hasn't minded the neglect....


Queen's Tears / billbergia nutans

Those are tough plants Sherry, I have the variegated one and have divided it into several pots.

They are indeed tough. I have more in other containers that are falling apart, also about 20 years old...and I've been dividing those.
I don't know how old this one was when it was given to me, but it was already quite mature.

Wow, what a wonderful plant. They probably wouldn't be hardy here in my zone 8.

I don't think so...San Marcos Growers down this way say hardy to 30-32 degrees....

You can always keep it in a pot up against the house, on a porch perhaps.

It might be worth a try. I actually overwintered a geranium on our covered deck this last winter.

Beautiful! Not a plant I'm familiar with (not saying much). Is it a succulent?

It's actually in the Bromeliad family. The blooms are stunning.
http://www.smgrowers.com/produ...

Once again, the Tibouchina, Podranea, and Passifloras were cut down by frost before they had a chance to bloom. It's so frustrating to have no payoff after spending the time, effort, and money to keep them well-watered all year. I'm tempted to dig them up and replace them with something hardier. The Tibouchina, in particular, occupies a big spot in full sun, and so many of my plants that are languishing in part-shade would appreciate that spot.

I'd seen a lot of tibouchina flowering around here, but haven't been looking to see how they've fared since we were getting such cold nights.

How frustrating Zuzu! Mine have been in bloom for more than a month. The tall ones - ie. at least 8-10 ft - seem to have survived well, even though I didn't cover them (too tall to cover) - I guess they're bushy enough. But one that I planted a year ago has quite a bit of damage, even though I covered it. Another small one that I planted last spring (& partially covered) is fine, but it's close to a pine tree & probably gets protection from the canopy & from the retaining wall that's nearby. Based on your experience, I guess this is one of the plants I won't be able to grow, when we move to your area - sigh... BTW, in my experience Tibouchina do fine in part shade, so maybe you can switch places with some of the plants that want more sun.

The only Tibouchina that does consistently well in my neighborhood is planted close to a wall on the south side of a house. I might try moving mine to a similar spot.

I am charmed by this little house on the corner just before our street and it has a tibouchina on the South wall. This pic was taken one month ago...

Adorable little house! I'm always drawn to older houses - the new styles don't appeal to me.

We are going tomorrow a.m. to look at a house I spotted last week...built in '37. We love old houses also. Got my fingers crossed.....everybody put in a good word for me....lol..

Tibouchia's freeze back here, too...so don't feel bad !

I hear ya about old houses...I love 'em. The only drawback being that they're short on electrical outlets for all the appliances and techy stuff we have nowdays. In my place, the living room, dining room, bathroom, kitchen and laundry room are all on ONE 15 amp. fuse. When I moved in here 24 years ago I was constantly blowing fuses if I had too many things running at the same time.

At one time there were three girls living upstairs from me...they all had majorly CURLY hair. They'd get up in the morning, take their showers etc. the proceed to turn on the microwave, the washer and dryer, the coffee maker, the garbage disposal, every light in the place, and then...wait for it...a 2700 Watt BLOW DRYER...to straighten their hair...and the entire bldg. would go dim. Who needs that much WATTAGE to dry their hair ??? The heat would practically make the paint peel off the walls in the bathroom.