back to Ken:
My 'White Butterfly' ginger and azaleas have really popped with this cool weather. They are as beautiful as I have ever seen them. I was out grilling on the patio last night and there was a gentle northerly breeze blowing. The gingers are north of the patio. The fragrance was amazing.
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)
The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
Name: Elaine Sarasota, Fl The one constant in life is change
Those gingers do have the most delicious fragrance, don't they? Mine didn't bloom much this summer as the bamboo clump was leaning out and shading them. We have now trimmed back the bamboo (finally!) and I'm hoping the gingers will get on with the program now.
Another great fragrance, my Brugs 'Charles Grimaldi' and 'Monster White' have a huge flush of blooms going on. Sadly, all my brugs are 'going south' this winter, as they are all infected with Fusarium, it appears. They're slowly declining, making fewer and smaller leaves each flush.
Begonias, on the other hand are loving the cooler weather and making flowers. This one is a 'cutting' I broke off during the summer. Just stuck it in a pot of soil and away it went!
This is begonia 'Looking Glass' which I can never get a good picture of. Its leaves are as shiny as aluminum foil.
I keep this wild Canna around because it has such nice graceful flowers. It was supposed to also have variegated foliage but . ..
Elaine
"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." –Winston Churchill
My big variegated Brug is still producing tons of blooms, unfortunately a greenish white caterpillar decimates the leaves as fast they grow. I picked a few off the plant, but I know there are still some there, I just can't see them, they blend right in with the variegated growth.
So annoying!
Name: Elaine Sarasota, Fl The one constant in life is change
Oh dear, Ursula! If you have any energy left after dinner, go out with a flashlight and shine it on the undersides of the leaves. Those caterpillars are much easier to see at night. They hide along the mid-ribs of the leaves during the day.
Elaine
"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." –Winston Churchill
In the meanwhile- now where do I post this?
My son's Carribbean Reds produce crop after crop of insanely hot peppers. I took it now into the greenhouse, since it likes it warm. We eat some, I pickled some too and gave a lot away.
My son could now take the plant back, as he has the spot for it inside, but we decided to keep it in my care for another season, so the young children don't start "cooking" with them. I could just see poor Emma ( two and a half years old) biting into one of those.
I don't touch them at all with bare hands....
Update on my Caterpillar-chomped Brug -
Klaus and I went out with the flashlight to look for the critters, didn't find them. I guess I have no choice but to cut it down first before I have to move it to the garage. Which might be Sunday, it looks like we might get frost. But I will try again until then, I know they are there.
Name: Elaine Sarasota, Fl The one constant in life is change
Still, such idyllic scenes there, Ursula. I love the one with the dark clouds in the background, and aren't the colors getting that lovely muted shade now.
Elaine
"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." –Winston Churchill
We love it at any time of year, but yes, despite a warm Polartec, I was getting chilled. But the good news is that we met up with a local builder, who did good work on our little house for us before, and as soon as the weather allows in Spring, he will built us a nice Gazebo right next to the pond in the Spring. Looking forwards to that!
The last plant still outside, but has to come in tomorrow too as we are expecting frost.
The Caterpillars did a number on the leaves, but this Brug still blooms a lot.
during the summer. Just stuck it in a pot of soil and away it went!
