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Name: Donald Eastland county, Texas (Zone 8a)      needrain Jun 6, 2017 11:06 AM CST |
My favorite container plant at the moment. Don't know what I'm going to do with it this winter. I had to have help hanging the container. I can lift it, but not over my head. This things is now prox. 7' from the frond dragging the ground to the highest one. It's making lots of new colonies and an abundant amount of new fronds are uncurling, so by fall it should be even more spectacular. This is Nephrolepsis biserrato 'Macho', which is a suitable name for this one! It's an Alaskan sized plant - can I say that on a Texas forum  . A clearance sale bromeliad from Wal-Mart last year. The spent bloom was pretty dead, so I'm not real sure what the end product will be, but the pups (there are two; one is on the other side of this one) are clearly changing color. I've never had success growing one of these this long. Up 'til now they died over winter, so I'm currently happy.  Kind of related. The Tillandsia recurvata aka 'ball moss' that I picked up and put on the container holding a clearance orchid is doing well so far. The largest 'ball' is going to bloom. I knew they bloomed, but I've only seen photos so that pleases me. I wish I'd picked up enough to almost completely cover the coir basket.  This Haworthia fasciata 'Zebra Plant' has filled up the container. It blooms freely and the hummingbirds actually like the little blooms on the Haworthias. I've read that the plant commonly sold as fasciata 'Zebra Plant' is really another Haworthia, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to make a correction since that was the label it had when I purchased it.  I'm hoping the Haworthia mirabilis v. Badia will also fill the container. It's sure getting there. Of the two, this one is the most free blooming.  The little Gasteria liliputana 'Dwarf Ox-Tongue' is also working on filling up the container. Took me a season to adjust to it's needs, but since then it has grown steadily.  The Gasteria liliputana also blooms and late last summer it set a tiny pod which ended up with 4 seeds in it. I know it's nearly impossible to see in the photo, but there is a tiny seedling in this container with a second leaf growing. I'll probably never manage to be attentive enough to keep the little thing alive, but so far it's managed (another one didn't). In the meantime, it's here.  Daylily seedlings. It's just fun to see something that you know is one of a kind when it opens. This one of many that I'll see this year.  The cheap orchids I've picked up from Wal-Mart. I had one that had to branched stems that I managed to overlook and left out one night and it froze  . This one didn't get overlooked and has been blooming for weeks now. I wouldn't even try orchids for years and now there are three. The Mandevilla seedlings. There are now over 40 of them and they are proving to be easy to transplant. No idea how long it will take for them to be mature enough to be a blooming plant or if they will match the parent that produced the pod. I'll only keep one or two plants for myself and the others will either need new homes or get trashed. I need someone with a start-up greenhouse nursery business to give them to, I think. I have more than half in little individual containers and I need to go ahead and get the rest done.  Sometimes it's something associated with plants. Carolina wrens, for instance. They entertain me and they aggravate me. They steal the coir or anything else they want out of the hanging baskets to make their nests. I have little gourd houses for them in an effort to keep them from using the containers. They use them, but they still get in the baskets too. Right now they have built a nest in the birdbath. I guess they liked the idea of having a moat around the nest since the tray below the bath generally has water in it as well. In a way it's not a bad choice. A roof, a moat and a not very obvious location for safety reasons. About the best one they could choose for my part too, since they don't destroy anything visible.  And finally, just because it's still alive, Sedum hakonense 'Chocolate Ball'. This one has proven really hard to grow. It's long term prospects under my lackadaisical habits as a caretaker aren't very good.  Donald |
Name: Cheryl North of Houston TX (Zone 9a)           ShadyGreenThumb Jun 6, 2017 11:38 AM CST |
| All such great successes, Donald! You might think of hooking up a pulley system for that fern while the weather is nice. And then once it is lowered, a wagon, dolly or other to help you move it to protection this winter. My 9 ferns have been with me for about 10-15 years. The newest ones are Fishtale Ferns @6years old. They all need repotting. But the bigger the pot, they only get bigger and bigger. I keep them somewhat potbound because I don't need 20 ferns.(I have been known to do that to plants that love to get huge) They take up all the upper space in the greenhouse being so wide. And yes, heavy! But healthy! Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love Truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you Smile. |
Name: Donald Eastland county, Texas (Zone 8a) needrain Jun 6, 2017 1:25 PM CST |
Yeah. But no greenhouse. Only a garage and a narrow porch. That fern would be a space hog and take up the whole end of the porch.  Donald |
Name: Cheryl North of Houston TX (Zone 9a) ShadyGreenThumb Jun 6, 2017 1:32 PM CST |
| You should put your fern photo in the database. There is only one photo there right now. Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love Truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you Smile. |
Name: Kristi east Texas pineywoods (Zone 8a)     pod Jun 6, 2017 2:22 PM CST |
| Now we're talking... I love the assortment of plants. Cheryl, I thought the same thing about a pulley so it could be brought down to water. Either that or a greenhouse. Donald ~ I suspect you are familiar with bromeliads. Once the plant blooms it is doomed to die but can and will produce offshoots for a while before it is done. They are my newfound passion although I've stuck with the more common ones till I am better educated on them. Beautiful plants, one and all!  Believe in yourself even when no one else will. ~ Sasquatch |
Name: Donald Eastland county, Texas (Zone 8a) needrain Jun 11, 2017 7:15 AM CST |
ShadyGreenThumb said:You should put your fern photo in the database. There is only one photo there right now. I responded to this several days ago, but I guess I didn't submit the message after I proofread what I'd typed. I do that from time to time. I'm wanting to wait to put a photo in the database to see what all those up and coming curls will do. If I can take care of it, there will be a lot more plant t squeeze in a photo. It no longer drags the ground though. Something came along and trimmed all the low fronds up to about 8-12" above ground level. I had something eat the ends last year which is why I wanted to hang it this year. Donald |
Name: Donald Eastland county, Texas (Zone 8a) needrain Jun 13, 2017 2:43 PM CST |
The Wal-Mart clearance bromeliad is progressing well. It's nice to have success where it's only been failure previously. I hope it lasts until fall. Donald |
Name: Donald Eastland county, Texas (Zone 8a) needrain Jun 17, 2017 8:30 AM CST |
What's not to like here? This is 'Tequila Sunrise'. When the temperatures are cooler, it's more apricot. It's NOT cool and the blooms are more ivory. All four of the brugs have blooms on them, but I'm still not being able to control the mites on 'Isabella' or on 'Adora'. They neither one seem as willing to be as free blooming as 'Eternity' and 'Tequila Sunrise' which have been bloom factories for me. 'Tequila Sunrise' has the smallest blooms, but the most fragrance. I counted 30 open blooms on this plant. Last night and this morning the area around the brugs was an olfactory paradise. Donald |
Name: Karen New Mexico (Zone 7b)           plantmanager Jun 17, 2017 7:52 PM CST |
| I love your Tequila Sunrise! It looks like a great bloomer. Handcrafted Coastal Inspired Art SeaMosaics! |
Name: tfc North Central TX (Zone 8a)  tx_flower_child Jul 5, 2017 9:14 PM CST |
| Actually, there is a small plant hanger that works on the pulley system. I bought one because a store was going out of business and it seemed like a good idea at the time (to buy one, not that the store was going out of business). But then I had no place to put it. Gave it to someone who immediately asked if I had another. Too bad I don't remember the name. Well, when you get right down to it, it's too bad that I don't remember much of anything anymore. Just make it all up. |
Name: Kristi east Texas pineywoods (Zone 8a) pod Jan 2, 2018 11:51 AM CST |
| @needrain ~ with these cold temperatures, I am hoping you were able to make room for (and save ) all these beautiful plants. Believe in yourself even when no one else will. ~ Sasquatch |
Name: Donald Eastland county, Texas (Zone 8a) needrain Jan 2, 2018 12:36 PM CST |
| @pod Not all of them. I just don't have room and the plants persist on getting larger and larger . I can't move easily on the porch or in the garage. I suspect a lot are probably really thirsty. It's really difficult to get to them to water. I encourage hibernation during the winter months. The slower their metabolism, the better off they are. Some just aren't great at hibernation.  Donald |
Name: Kristi east Texas pineywoods (Zone 8a) pod Jan 2, 2018 8:08 PM CST |
Hope your beautiful fern will be a survivor.  Good luck with them! Believe in yourself even when no one else will. ~ Sasquatch |
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