Lin

Elaine beautiful blooms and plants

dyzzypyxxy said:Ann, I did find a source for Siloam Double Classic. Oakes Daylilies has it for $20 plus shipping http://www.oakesdaylilies.com/... If I can't find it in someone's garden for trade, I'll splurge and buy one in the fall, I think.

Not a great time of year for having plants shipped to Florida, it's awfully hot! My garden helper and I were working today (because he couldn't come tomorrow) and after 2 hours we were both melted.

Elaine, why don't you post a new thread in the daylily forum just asking if anyone would/could spare a fan or two for you of Siloam Dbl. Classic if they have it. You can offer to pay something for it & pay postage. 2 fans could fit in a priority box that would cost $5 - 13 depending on how large the fans actually are & that would take 2, at most 3 days unless it's from somewhere like California. And you will have to pay shipping from Oakes if you order from them. If you are home to receive them, they should be fine even now. OR the person could send them in the fall. When you get them, you want to stick them in water to re-hydrate them for a day or two.

Thanks Gigi. Ann, our posts crossed, I think I'll wait until the fall to pursue the daylilies, too much growing right now and not the best time to plant them here. By then I'll have some more names of the good ones for Florida from you, right?

Unfortunately, my nice big Begonia Odorata alba has some unwelcome guests. New pest to Florida this last year or two, spiraling whitefly. They are bigger and slower than regular whiteflies, and pretty easy to get rid of, luckily.


My tall brugmansia inside the pool cage has another flush of flowers starting. They are pure white when they first unfurl, then the pink color suffuses in very quickly. I took this picture about an hour ago, and already the white ones are turning pink.



Heliconia 'Lady Di' is much happier since we got some rain. Cat whiskers are starting to bloom in the same bed.

dyzzypyxxy said:

Unfortunately, my nice big Begonia Odorata alba has some unwelcome guests. New pest to Florida this last year or two, spiraling whitefly. They are bigger and slower than regular whiteflies, and pretty easy to get rid of, luckily.

Tell me what you use? They are all over here too.

Just soapy water, Hetty. 1/2tsp. per quart of water. I wipe off the backs of the leaves with a paper towel soaked in soapy water. Then I spray the whole plant with it. Repeat in a week to get any new ones hatching.

These whiteflies are bigger and a lot slower than the little ones we're used to. Easy to hit with the soap spray. I did it in Feb when they first appeared, and that kept them at bay until now. I've been watching for them to re-appear.

Lucky for me, this seems to be the only plant in my garden that they like. So if they all go to it, and I git 'em when they do, problem solved. For a while at least!

Which plants do you have them on?

Yeah, no way am I going to be able to wipe them off my Traveler's Palm and Christmas Palms, both of which are over 20 ft tall.... :-(
The suggested remedy in the trade is to use a systemic drench with Merit, but it's a very aggressive insecticide which I have been told is responsible for the dying of millions of bees, so I am extremely reluctant to use that.

Wholeheartedly agree there. Can you reach the tops of the palms with a pump sprayer? It might take a few more repeat sprays, but if you're diligent, you'll get them.

My neighbor just recently was a pesticide inspector for the state (until someone offered him a job for twice the pay!). He says for this type of insect the systemics have been shown to actually advance the insects' tendency to develop resistance to the insecticides. Since the systemic is in the plant for sometimes a year, and the insects feed on it again and again, while most are killed, it only takes a few to survive to start up a new generation who are then resistant to that chemical.

He likes the "mechanical" means of killing these type of pests - soapy sprays and horticultural oils. The insects never get resistant to them!

Mechanical not an option for this widespread invasion. I will have to suffer through it.
Thanks for the feedback!

Soap and oil are the so-called 'mechanical' means to deal with bugs. They physically alter or smother the bugs, rather than poisoning them.

My wiping of the leaves is literally a mechanical addition to the soap treatment, but I just do that to hurry up the results. Patience is not one of my virtues

Hi Hetty, are you aware of the jar type hose end sprayer? It's great for soap, just set the dial on however many teaspoons or tablespoons per gal. you want and press the trigger. No pumping, and if you have good water pressure the spray reaches way way up. I have one for feeding, one for insecticides, and one for soap, I got mine at home depot, but I'm sure the have them at Lowes. They work just as advertised and make gardening a lot easier.

Jim

Right, and those hose end sprayers work great for washing the car, and other things, too.

I have a problem when I get loose with that, or the power washer (my favorite toy) - once I start I can't stop. Anything standing still gets washed.

So hot outside, usually it clouds over in the afternoon and keeps the temps down, but not today!

My cordia boissieri, aka White Geiger, blooms off and on all summer. It can be a small tree or a large shrub but mine hasn't made up its mind yet.



The squirrels knocked down this tall canna, so the flowers are growing every which way. They have gone somewhat wild, and pop up randomly in my garden. 2nd pic is what it looks like right way up.

I know exactly what you mean Elaine, when I get the power washer out for my roof, I also do my pavement, tires etc etc, I think it's because I get immediate results, it's just plain fun,,

And in the hot, hot summer it's has a cooling effect on you. I often shoot it straight up into the air & step under the mist that rains down.

Would you guys please read my thread in the Sandbox forum?


Thank you,
Ann

Ann: I've shared the Youtube Video on my FB page ... hope all the additional exposure gets you a sale on your cute little house!
You did a fabulous job on the gardens and the home itself is so clean and pretty, it really amazes me that someone hasn't snapped it up yet unless most are not looking for a 1BR 1BA. Now that the market is picking up maybe there will be more interest. It would be a perfect retirement or vacation home for someone.

Question: Is the home located on the water? The video gives that impression with photo's of the boat dock/launch area, but it also showed different scenes labeled "Land" and some shots were of a park and playground area and there were also photo's of the ocean ... so maybe it was just giving the viewer an all around tour of the vicinity of Hobe Sound?

No, the house isn't "on" the water. There is a deeded grant to the boat ramp & dock which is really, really close. It's not a public boat ramp but a co-op & you can only be a member if you live in a certain area. It costs 2,000 to buy into the membership but the membership fee comes with our home so the buyer will not have to pay that. Most of the time there is a long waiting list to buy into the membership as we have limited the # of members & ppl have to wait for someone to drop out & then hope they are at the top of the waiting list. The yearly dues are only $60 & this year we didn't even have to pay those as we had an excess of funds in the kitty.
The parks & playground are right in our little neighborhood as are tennis courts, racquetball, basketball courts.
It's an easy walk to the beach on sidewalks under the shade of huge ficus trees.
It isn't that ppl won't accept a 1/1 with a snap conversion to 2/2; it's that it hasn't gotten exposure to the market so ppl don't know it's there.

Wow, it sounds even better then if there's a deeded grant to the boat ramp and that the new owners won't have to pay the fee because of it being included in the home ownership! And, $60 per year HOA dues are amazingly inexpensive! With all of the amenities you've listed and being within walking distance of the beach ... with the right realtor exposure it should sell quickly! I sure hope your realtor gets the listing out there so there will be better exposure to the market!

When I went looking at houses almost two years ago I was stunned at some of the yearly HOA fees that different communities charge. Here in the community where I live we pay master HOA dues of $612 per year (covers the gates and guard fees) but the community has quite a few different sections and sub-associations. Every one pays the $612 Master HOA fee but some of the sub associations have fees of $350 per month, $525 per month ... and one had dues of $756 per quarter - all on top of the annual $612!!! Fortunately the little sub association where we are has 3 little cul-de-sacs and we only have the one annual Master fee.

I'd buy that house just for the nice garden! Way to go, Ann. I'd suggest your realtor needs to hold a few more 'open house' showings. You only need the right person to walk through it. I'd think that would be a fabulous house for a single person who wants a garden, or a couple with no kids.
Begonia 'Chocolate Bonfire' started from a cutting is coming along. Thunbergia is a bloom machine.

Nice Elaine!
It's all about exposure & ppl don't read the paper anymore for real estate ads so we have to make it seen on the internet.