Looks like I haven't missed out on too much! My computer crashed and I am using my grandson's iPad for the first time today! I also had to remember my log in I.D. So was glad it worked. Hope all are doing well and weather isn't too bad. We've had some super nice days and then it gets cold but not like some of you have experienced .

Good looking nanners Lenette!

Eight Donkeys Carrie, cool!

Elizabeth...this is a test....I'm trying to post a pic per your
instructions.
Margaret

I did it!

Back deck area.

Wow ..................gorgeous. I still haven't mastered the technique of posting as yet...........maybe someday.

Pearlgirl - Your brugs are absolutely gorgeous! Could you identify them for me?

*sigh* I have such envy. LOL

Hannah...these are the Frosty Pink, Grimaldi on the deck,
(I think) a huge white (don't know the name...it was my
very first brug from a man in Fla.) and some are NOIDs
because I misplaced the tags. These pics are just a few
of the singles that I have. Hopefully, the dbls will give me
a good show this season because, I'm planting most of
them in the ground. They do so much better that way.

Margaret

Margaret is that you in the first photo among the plants? Fantastic looking garden!

yes, Eloise...I'm among the plants:):) Here's a few more
for 'Spring' sake. We got approx. 10" of snow yesterday
and more on the way. The pics help.

more of my garden...

mx border

Pearlgirl You have an amazing garden!! What are you feeding those things lol? I like that dark colored foliage on the tree in the last photo. What kind of tree is that?

Hvn Blue MG

Thanks ladies for not being bored. I just learned to post..
thanks to Elizabeth! I have so many pics and I just wanted
to share them. That is a purple leaf plum. My husband
loves the color also. We have quite a few and sometimes
seedlings.
It's snowing again and I'm on the computer (obviously!!)
Don't want to cook, wash, or, do much else today. so...
a couple more pics.

Limelight.....must have in my garden. I'm sort of a
hydrangea freak for the paniculatas.

I love the morning glory. Have you tried growing your morning glories up your brugmansia plants? I do that with MGs and also with the moonflower vines. Its a neat combination. I have some better pics on my old computer but here is a few from my PB.
Here is Naughty Nick with Sunrise Serenade Morning Glory climbing it.
{{gwi:446324}}

Naughty Nick with white Moonvine climbing it. The hawkmoths really love this combination lol.
{{gwi:452155}}

Sunrise Seranade growing on a tall tower that dh built in the middle of a brug bed.
{{gwi:452159}}

Here is a pic of my own Feathered Blue Hidge MG with a pink eye that I have been growing for probably 5 yrs now .
{{gwi:452163}}

Never considered the brugs as a trellis...as I love vines,
I'll have to try that combined with C. Grimaldi. That NN is
just awesome!
I've never seen the B Hidge MG. It resembles a clematis.
Love that one. I've got to do better with some of my
seeds this year.
Your pics are lovely (as usual) Jasmine.

this is Annabelle w/Oakleaf

money plant ...one of my favorite early bloomers

a pkg rose...I think G Boerner

mx border

blaze

golden rain tree and silverlace vine...much bigger now.

Thanks for sharing your pics

Such beautiful gardens............loved strolling down them with you two..................thanks for sharing.

I am envious of your beautiful hydrangeas. I bought two in small pots last year a Nikko blue and one called Blushing Bride. I have grown them when I lived in a cooler climate but these are my first in FL, hopefully I can keep them alive here lol. They haven't done much yet because I finally just got them planted in the ground in the fall. If they work out, I will definitely get some more.

I have some mopheads that do well in the shady area of
the gardens, however, I have lots of sun from a southern
exp. The limelights, peegees, tardivas,etc don't mind the
sun and heat so much. Try some of the paniculatas. I'm
always on the lookout for new ones at the nurseries. The
annabelle and the incredible are nice also and they can
be pruned to the ground. The one in the pic is annabelle.

I saw one online called Vanilla Strawberry that I just have to find lol. We have a nursery near us that has quite a few newer varieties every year. Maybe I will look there this weekend. I love the look of Annabelle too.

I dragged some of the brugs and other stuff out of the gh. It has been in the high 70's-80 lately. I planted MEM, Wretched Mess, Lady Kathryn, and Daydreams into the ground. I sure hope we don't get a late freeze lol.
I also planted some new tropical waterlilies into large water containers. One has little red and green stripey leaves/pads already..its so cute!

We're on the same page right now...LOL!! I had the garage
up today and thinking that sooner than later, I can pull mine
out at least to clean them up and start the repotting process. One advantage that I do have in this area is that
if we get an extended forcast of good day and night
temps, I can leave them out for a while. Today it was in
the 60's...so I did some yard work.
I ordered five doubles from TrumpetFlowers that will be
arriving next month. Excited about that.
You're so lucky to e able to grow all of those tropicals.
Your pics are beautiful. I'm partial to the big and bold
plants.

Thanks pearlgirl :) A lot of stuff I grow is subtropical but I do have some more tender things as well.
It rained a bunch the last few days. I got more stuff out of the gh and found that a bunch of fungus gnats set up camp in some of my EE's in the back grrr.

Planting out more stuff today since the forecast for the next week looks good/no freezes.
I am slowly potting up some seedlings that really need it.

Which brugs did you order? I haven't tried that vendor yet. Let me know how it goes. It looks like they have a few doubles that I don't have.
This forum sure is dead LOL!!

Jasmine....Yeah...seems like the girls ARE sleeping.
Everyone just gets busy sometimes. I'm always getting
overwhelmed with Spring , as usual.
I got an email from Nicole at trumpetflowers last week. My
brugs will come in March. I ordered gold flame,angels
endless summer,daydreams,langenbuscher garten and
another that I can't remember. I have papers every where.
I know that I have to keep it down because I don't have
a greenhouse. It would be the end of housework, cooking
and everything else, if I did. I'd most likely sleep in it LOL!
Temps are mid 60's here today...so...outside it is! Had a
really good time out there yesterday.

I would sleep in my gh too if it was bigger and nicer lol! Mine is just two 10x20 steel carport frames with 12 mil painters plastic (from the 20 x 100 ft rolls from H. Depot) It is actually 6 mil that I fold to double. I don't keep mine up all year. I call them my ghetto greenhouses lol. The top is the regular poly tops that come with those portable carport frames.
I take them down in March and put them up, usually, the beginning of December. I heat them only if it goes under freezing with a little propane heater. If I keep them closed up the day before it is going to freeze it really keeps the heat in very well, so I just need minimal heating.
They are perfect for me in this climate. If it was any colder I would do something nicer and more permanent but I kinda like being able to take them down and then I have more space in the backyard area during the growing season.

What a wonderful idea. I had once thought of making
myself a make-shift greenhouse with those plastic pipes.
I knew that I'd only make more work for myself, so..I let
that go. The climate in this area really isn't bad at all.
Spring comes much earlier than when I lived in jersey.

Jasmine, you mentioned that Strawberry Vanilla hydrangea...well...you can get it from White Flower Farm.
Last year I ordered three from one of my catalogs. They
grew rather nicely and I even got a couple of blooms.

My angels are looking good in the garage. Didn't get to
them to them today.
Are you familiar with Hawaiian Dbl White? I ask because
I'm wondering if it normally has a lot of stems. I'm famous
for misplacing my tags, so, I'll have to wait until mine
blooms. Last year I got lots of nice buds, however, it was
time to take them in. I'll have to do the waiting game again.
I have two large plants with lots of stems and I'm almost
sure that both are H. Dbl White. They were shared with
me by those two nice bruggers...Gottahosta and Edna
a while ago.
I surely did NOT mean to go on and on!!!

Margaret, love those pink poppies, and Lenette that MG with pink eye is amazingly beautiful!

Have a lot of catching up to do, but not today. It took a while to get my computer up and running. Then, was in Arizona a couple of times because my mom got very sick. She passed Feb. 21 at 86 y.o. and we returned to CA yesterday. Since mom was a faithful servant, we are comforted knowing where she is at.

So sorry, Eloise.
Yes! It's quite comforting to know that Mom's alright.
I'm sure that you need to catch a breath...or two.
Take care.

Margaret

Hi Eloise, So sorry to hear about your mom's passing. Take time out and be good to yourself and be with your family.

Margaret, thanks for the tip on the strawberry vanilla. I also saw that Jackson Perkins also offers it. The only thing I've gotten from J&P in the past was their roses and they were good.

I had Hawaiian DBL white a long time ago but I don't remember if it had a lot of stems or not. It seems like it always grew more as a shrub than a tall tree form...so perhaps it does!
Its been cold, cloudy, and rainy for days and poured all day today!! So horrible...I hate being stuck indoors.
I think the brugs are liking this weather though because I am seeing some amazing growth and lots of Y's popping up. That means lots of blossoms are on the way :)

Jasmine...as you described your memory of the DHW..well
that is exactly how I meant ::)..shrub-like. I'll know for sure
when they bloom this year.
Not long indoors now, eventhogh it's sleeting outside. Two
inches again. Tomorrow thru Wed...mid 60's. Glad that your brugs are perking up. Hopefully, I can repot a few
over the next few days.

Eloise...take care!

Awfully quite around here. Where's Elizabeth and others? Spring is here and I am not ready. I wanted to plant flower seeds, make a couple of raised beds for veggies, but nothing has been started. I'm concerned that we didn't have an actual winter, and although that sounds good for some that have harsh winters, for us that means drought and fires plus a hot summer :-(

Thank you Lenette and Margaret.

Haven't heard from Elizabeth for awhile on this forum, hope everything is okay with her!
Don't feel bad Eloise, I haven't even started my edible garden yet this year and its late!! lol. I had to make a new gate because the old one was falling apart then decided to make it larger on one side so more digging.
I still don't have everything out of the gh yet.
I have been mainly focusing on planting these water tubs with lotus and waterlilies. I'm so aggravated because 3 of ones I had been using for bowl lotus all developed leaks at the same time lol.
I took everything out and resealed the dumb things and they still leaked. I did it again yesterday and guess what??? Yes they leaked again grrrr.
I tried that rubber flex seal then went to silicone and then today I got a different silicone gasket sealer and put that inside the pots and then put epoxy on the outside of the pots. If they still leak tomorrow I give up! I will just go to walmart and buy ugly round laundry tubs and use those lol.

Eloise, once you get those hands dirty, you'll have your
groove on. It'll surely be good for your spirit. I still have a
lot of small chores to do also. We've gotten more sleet,
however, for the next few days the temps are mid 60's.
I always feel like I'm fumbling at this time of year...but,
I always get it done.

Happy Spring (almost)

Yesterday went to nursery close to my home and bought some heirloom tomatoes since I hadn't started any seeds. Hope they make it. I only planted two since I forgot to get soil. BTW, went to my gardening group Sat. and got two nice size cuttings of a yellow with white plumeria for $1 each!

Lenette, I got a small tub growing lotus. Will take picture later. I have been wanting to make some raised beds for my veggies, but just never get around to it.

Margaret, I did get in the "groove" a couple of Saturdays ago, and towards the end of the day, messed up my back a bit from pulling weeds. I tell you, the mind is will, but not the body, LOL!

Tell ME about it!!! I just cannot pull back sometimes. Girl,
I've got to keep "getting UP" because, I know that these 'ol
muscles want to quit sometimes....not happening. I have
tons of things that I want to do in the rest of my life.....
mainly to grow more plants...LOL...and do something nice
for people on my way. When I hurt (that's a lot), I talk to
myself. At least now I quit before I'm tired out to almost no
return. I can manage fairly well, except for a problem that
I have in my lower neck..getting an injection next week. I'm
so tired of taking pills.... Oh well!!

Jasmine, did you get your leak prepared? A tub with lotus
sounds pretty.

Have a nice day.
Margaret

I did get two of the urns to quit leaking. One has a super tiny slow leak but after two hours I couldn't tell that any water had went down after I filled it to the top. Just in case, I went ahead and double bagged two heavy duty trash bags and put them inside the urns as liners. Seems to have worked so far. I got them all planted with lotus. I got baby doll for the smaller (middle urn) and momo botan and chwan basu for the other two (side) urns. I used to grow them with lotus before we moved here but something got in and ate them right before we moved and I lost them. I think I had 5 different types back then. I am gonna be more careful and on top of things this time!!

Here are some pics of mine before...
When I first planted them (the three middle urns are what I put lotus in this time...last time I had them in all 5 pots)
{{gwi:452169}}

Later On
{{gwi:452172}}
{{gwi:452174}}
{{gwi:452176}}
{{gwi:452178}}

Eloise, plumeria for $1 is a killer deal!! I have some that are yellow and white and called celadine...very fragrant and a good bloomer. I also have a yellow with some pink in it and that one is Aztec Gold. It is DH's favorite because it smells just like peaches! I have a couple different dark pinks and a rainbow seedling that smells just like cestrum nocturnum! I have 3 other seedlings that are supposed to bloom this year. Two are supposed to be purple (forget the name) one is a Boon Yen seedling...who knows what they will look like though. I also have a few different whites that are good bloomers.

Margaret..sorry to hear about your neck issues. I have similar problems. I got a hand truck to help me with the heavy stuff when dh isn't around lol. We just had to get a new one because the old one rusted out. Harbor Freight had one for 29.00 on sale so it was a good deal. It has nice big tires to go over our uneven ground here lol.

I have one brugmansia blooming tonight. It is still in a pot and the pot fell over and the flower tore lol so looks a little ugly. Sure smells gooood though :)

Does anyone grow hardy hibiscus? I went a little crazy this spring and bought 6 different kinds lol. I have one called Luna Swirl and wanted to increase my collection because I love the HUGE flowers on these type of hibiscus plus you don't have to put them in the greenhouse.

This post was edited by sultry_jasmine_night on Mon, Mar 24, 14 at 21:15

I have lots of hardy hibiscus. I grew most of them from
seed. Winter sown, they germinate readily. Being one of
my favorite plants, I always take seeds.....have too many
seeds. I even have seeds from my Moy Grande ane the
Luna....don't know if it's L Swirl, though. You may have
some seeds, or, I'll send you one of the pink plants.
Over the past two years, i've ordered the Valentine (red)
and Cranberry Crush ....pretty reds.
A few year back, I got a trade from a lady in W Va. It's a
tall white that has a pink blush to some of the blooms. I
have seeds for that also.
Now...Jasmine, you are giving me ideas with those Lotus
pots...so very pretty. I think I need a couple for the back.
Your display is so tempting. What do i need?
Let me know about the hibiscus...not a problem.

Margaret ....we're getting more snow as I speak. Looks
like winter wonder land. The next five days are back into
high 60's-70's. The grass is greening up and the birds are
out calling my name :):)

Margaret, I followed the planting instructions for container grown lotus on the thread link I am posting below. The only exception is that I put half black cow and half of the cheapest brand top soil from walmart in each container. The more expensive topsoil brands have peat which will float.
Also, I only put in 3/4 cup of osmocote instead of a cup but I have lots of pond fertilizer tabs I got cheap on ebay that I will add later in the summer. I did them the same way last time with good results.

Lotus tubers are only sold usually March through the end of April so you will need to order early. Once they break dormancy they are very fragile and so people won't usually ship them. Last time I got mine off ebay and a few were not what they were supposed to be :/ This time I ordered from Texas Waterlilies and I got way bigger tubers and I have always received the correct tropical waterlilies from them so trust them to send the correct lotus lol. They also have some planting and care info on their webpages.

You can start from seed but you may not get blooms the first year just depending on when you start them. Lotus will go dormant in the winter and are quite hardy even in freezing temps as long as the tuber itself does not freeze. I break up mosquito dunks to prevent mosquitos and throw a piece in each tub.

You could also probably grow the Hardy waterlilies in tubs as well I have a yellow one that went crazy in a tub. They won't freeze and you don't have to protect them in winter like you do the Tropical waterlilies. I have found Hardy waterlilies in Petco & Petmart (by the pond products) sometimes Lowes also has them in late spring.

Hibiscus::: I ordered Tie dye, Plum Fantasy, Heartthrob, Jazzberry Jam, Berrylicious, and a red dinner plate un-named one. I do like that Cranberry Crush I almost got that one as well LOL!. So many pretties out there....
It seems like the hardy hibicus should be easy to root from cuttings- have you ever tried that?
Good idea on the wintersown seed method. I soaked the Luna Swirl seeds and started them indoors on the heat mat. I think the seeds came from Parks Seed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Barrel Lotus

This post was edited by sultry_jasmine_night on Tue, Mar 25, 14 at 11:46

Thanks for the info. I guess I'll chill on that for a while. i'm
already having to defend myself from the mosquitos that
gather around my water barrels :):) What am I thinking??

I've never bothered to root hibiscus cuttings except from
some of the most special ones...last year. Have to see how
they came out. The seeds germinate so readily for me.
Thanks for that info again....I'm going to read up on it.

It's cold today,,but...Spring is STILL here!!!

Margaret

The mosquito dunks work very well against the mosquitoes but it takes a little bit (maybe a week) to permeate the water. The adult mosquitoes will still lay eggs so you may see larvae in the water but the larvae swallow the the mosquito dunk- infused water and die. We have a little river channel behind us that gets stagnant water in it (not on our property) so mosquitoes are a given here anyways. There are also lots of retention ponds in FL so there will always be mosquitoes.
I still do my part and put dunks in our water tubs though. I think we probably have less mosquitoes than our neighbors do.
I have noticed that the last few years we have had tons of dragonflies around. So the adults eat the adult mosquitoes and the baby dragonflies eat the baby mosquitoes in the water. Its a 'Win-Win' with dragonflies around lol.

Thanks for reminding me! Yes...I've heard of the 'dunks' On
my list for sure. The virus is no joke.

Lenette I don't know how I missed seeing your post with picture about the lotus -- beautiful! I have a rectangular 'bucket' with lotus but just went out today and some leaves were rotting. The leaves are only about 2 inches across. I put a couple of those plastic trays from the nursery and a 4x4 piece of lumber on top to keep the racoons from digging out the lotus, and eating the mosquito fishes. I put three mosquito fishes to eat the mosquito larvae and it seems to be working.

Sunday morning was a 'ssh t' day. As habit while waiting on my coffee, I look out the backdoor to check on my finches. There has been a huge, black stray cat around lately and am sure that's what toppled the cage over. I now have 2 out of 7 society finches left and one has an injured leg! One of the plumeria cuttings I just planted was broken in two, and my lotus seedlings that I had started from seeds a while ago where destroyed. I assume the cat was running around trying to catch the poor finches, and I really hope those 5 got away. Then, I started washing a load of clothes and didn't notice the hose had come off from the wash basin. Totally flooded the laundry-room.

Today, I was vacuuming behind a pole lamp in the family-room and saw some movement. There was a lizard almost a foot long! I have no idea if it is your regular garden type lizard or if it is dangerous. I was finally able to get it to go out the french doors using the vacuum wand. Guess I won't be leaving the back doors open again, and to think I lay on the floor when my back hurts! Freaked me out!

That's a neat lizard, Eloise! I don't know what kind he is but I like all lizards lol.
That's too bad about your finches. I hope some of them escaped! Years ago I had a pair of Zebra Finches...big mistake! They ended up making tons of babies pretty soon there were like 20 of them. I gave them all away. Same thing with Love Birds. Now I kinda want to get some more though LOL.
I still have my parrots.

Today is a windy, cool, and overcast day. I went outside this morning and could smell brugs. I followed my nose into the greenhouse and there was Santa Rosa with 7 big flowers on it. Very fragrant for daytime hours. Must be the cloudy day plus dimmer in the greenhouse. I really need to finish getting everything out of there.

DH cut a bunch of Live Oak limbs back so there will be more sun in our flower beds this year. Yeah!
~SJN

Found out it's a southern alligator lizard and are common. Whew, at least it wasn't dangerous! Don't have a problem seeing lizards outside, but not inside. I started out with Zebra finches that a friend gave me. Her's were like yours, i.e., had tons of babies. Mine never did because one or more would either throw out the eggs or even newly hatched babies.