I am with Kemistry on get rid of plants. Plants are my babies. I just don't have a heart to get rid of my babies once they are in the house. I have a Stephanotis floribunda (Madagascar jasmine) that has never bloomed. It is 4' tall about 3' cross vine. It occupies a big chunk of precious window space in winter time. Every year, i told myself that I need to do something about it. But every year I also told myself, maybe next year it will bloom. I have been telling myself this for past 5-6 years now.

I guess I am a step closer to be insane. I not only move pots, but also talk to my plants. Can't help it. It is a form of daily therapy that generate healthy mind and body. LOL.

Robert, I have never grown ginger before and do not know ginger flowers are scented. Although I do use ginger root for cooking. Are they the same ginger or different gingers?

Hi Olympia,

Hmmm...maybe I should start talking to my plants since I could use some therapy. ;)

The gingers I grow are different from the ones used for cooking. The genus is Hedychium. You probably are familiar with at least one of them, the famous white butterfly ginger; Hedychium coronarium.
I have it but it will probably not be until the fall when it blooms. I have several hybrids and one I would recommend for a newbie would be Hedychium 'Daniel Weeks'. It's supposed to bloom much earlier than the other gingers. You still would need to start it growing inside before taking it outside for the summer and you might not have room for one because of your Madagascar jasmine. :)

-Robert

Here is a link that might be useful: Daniel Weeks ginger article

Robert, Thanks for filling me in on the giner plants. i will look into it. Talking about the Madagascar Jasmine, I realy don't know what else to do with it. I had it from seed and grow up to now about my size includes the pot height and the trelis, 1/4 of my weight. I am kinda attach to it sentimentally. I repotted it sometime back three years ago to a very large, heavy, deep clay/ceramic pot. I was hoping it might grow bigger and having more flowers. It grows bigger alright, but no flowers. I am laughing at myself now after reading somebody else's post , learning that it needs to be root bound before it blooms. I am thinking maybe I repot it back to a smaller size pot when the weather is warm. Last year, I ran into a beautifully blooming Madagascar Jasmine at Home Depot looped around only about 1' tall. I almost broke down and bought that sucker!

I start to think my Madagascar Jasmine may be a boy. It may never blooms in my life time!I saw other people in forum talking about their Madagascar Jasmine. I am not the only frustrated one out there which is a little comforting. Someone has it for over ten years and see no flowers.

BTW I got order from Pepper's. My verdict is that comparing Logee's and Pepper's, Logee's plants size veries a lot, in term of how tall of the plants, and how big is the plant trunk/main stem. Some Logge's plant are very good size, some plant are surprisely small size. Pepper's plant size are more uniformed in size. However, Pepper's plant is about half the price or less than Logee's if they both carry same type of plants. Logge's has more selection of usually plants that you can't get it somewhere else.

I have not tried their customer service yet, but I do have a plant from Pepper that its cutting is at 45 degree angle to the soil and the main stem grow vertical so there is 135 degree bend to the cutting that I don't want. I also have a plant from Logee's is on the way to heaven. So I will see how it goes after I talk to both customer services.

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Olympia Gardener and Robert....your plants are BEAUTIFUL!!!

OG, I love your Bonsai. It's amazing.

Robert..you really know how to grow Aglaia. It's amazing.
I messed up with mine.
Because of the number of plants I have, it only took one missed watering to kill mine. I could kick myself in the... lol

I feel like ordering another from Accents. You did say yours came from Accents, right? Or was it Logees?
Toni

Hi Toni!

Thank you for the compliment. :)
I have two Aglaias. My big one I got from Amazon (9GreenBox) and my smaller one from Accents (Pepper's Greenhouses).
I know what you mean about missing a plant when watering! I have way too many pots and this drought has been terrible and I don't know how long I can maintain all of them.
At one point I snapped a large branch off my smaller Aglaia that had such a perfect form with the hose. Wasn't really happy with myself for that one!
Both plants have been growing like weeds with this high heat. So much so that I need to cut the large one back and repot the smaller one.

Good luck!

-Robert

Robert..so happy you mentioned 9GreenBox on Amazon. I've looked at their plants time and time again, but am unclear on plant sizes and shipping.

I haven't checked the last couple months, maybe they now include shipping prices.

Mind if I ask your opinion about this nursery? How tall was your Agalia when it was first shipped? What about their other plants?

Actually, I'd love to find a variegated Agalia..lol..impossible?

My Chinese Perfume Plant from 9GreenBox was around 2ft tall! I was thrilled!

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fragrant/msg0613570030658.html

My only gripe with the company is it seems they grow their plants in the ground in icky sticky clay which is hard to remove from the root ball but not impossible with a hose outside. Once I had all the clay removed I used a fast draining potting mix and the rest is history! ;)

-Robert

Robert, I am sooo upset with you..lol..j/k.

Well, ordered Aglaia..ALSO Michelea Figo, and Maid of Orlenas from Hirts..lol..

Yeah, I know what you mean. Most nurseries ship in whatever medium they have available. It's up for the buyers to repot.
I normally wait a few days, approximately 3, then repot.

We'll see how it goes..I've ordered from Hirt's before, but not 9greens.

Thanks again. Toni

PS: spending is too easy online. Click of a few buttons. lol

Robett....I hope you,re online.

I,m not on my computer so excuse the errors.

Recieved the Aglaia and Michelia Figo today from 9Greenbox.
What type of medium do use? PH?

thanks, Toni

Hi Toni!

I make my own mix using Al's famous 5:1:1 mixture of pine bark fines, peat moss and perlite.
You've stated your limited with what you can find locally so it might be easier to use regular MG mix with added perlite for drainage.

Good luck!

-Robert

Robert, thanks for replying,

Actually, I also use bark, Peat and perlite.
I'm not sure what pine bark fines happen to be. At the moment I have orchid mix, not bark. Haven't seen bark in months. Other than large bags used for outdoor mulching. Is outdoor bark the same type you use?

Thanks much, Toni

Hi Toni!

I don't use outdoor mulch.
I use a product called Hapi-Gro Organic Compost which is just pine bark that's been chopped up into fine pieces (also called pine bark fines).
Of course it's not a perfect product and I have to screen out the dust from it so my mix won't turn into muck. :P
Others might chime in and you might also want to post on the Container Gardening Forum and see if others in your area can give advice on finding pine bark fines in your area. :)

-Robert

Here is a link that might be useful: Hapi-Gro Compost

Robert, as it is, the nearest Lowes is an hour away, w/o traffic. :(

The one time we stopped there, I was vastly disappointed.
Their gardening section was a farce.

While browsing their plants a Lowe's employee happened by. She was sorting plants. Two other customers were also browsing.
They asked her the name of a few plants in which she had no idea.
I said, excuse me, named the plants and their care.
The Lowe's employee offered me a job, lol..

I also looked at their soil which happened to be MG. I walked out empty-handed. A tast rarely done, lol.

So, Lowe's is out. HD's main soil is also MG.

Thanks, but I don't go to Container Gardening for personal reasons and peace of mind.

I've been mixing my own mediums over 20 yrs, which happen to work. Gritty and well-draining. With tropicals, I use different ingredients which are still well-draining, but additional true soil for nutrients.

Anyway, I was wondering if you knew the soil pH, so I could mix in the correct mediums.

Thanks for your help, Toni

Ah, so you're not a newbie at all! Laugh.

Don't know the pH but most tropicals like it more on the acidic side. I don't grow M. alba.

Speaking of Aglaia odorata my huge one from 9GreenBox has grown way too top heavy.
I keep meaning to cut it back but of course I waited too long.
This morning I came out and it was hanging upside down. Guess the wind blew it over and the root ball was hanging from the edge of the wire table it was on with the branches hanging below. I set it right side up and back in its pot and watered it and so far so good but man do these suckers grow likes weeds in the heat with lots of water in a fast draining mix!

I've been making tons of a modified gritty mix using screened pine bark fines, Turface and perlite for my plumerias. They love it but man is it a pain to make! Even wearing a dust mask I always start coughing when I screen the perlite. That dust is awful! :(
I throw in gypsum for calcium and sulfur. It's not supposed to increase the pH but who knows?
So far my plants haven't complained. ;)

Wouldn't it be awesome to find a source for all our potting mixture needs instead of having to take the time to make them ourselves?

-Robert

It sure would Robert! Actually, I found a local colledge kid who's parents own a greenhouse and he meets me and drops me off bags of teh 5.1.1 and gritty! I am so lucky, right?
I can't wait to finish off all my unused ingredients..lol
I also hate sifting the perlite. Talk about gag! But worth every second we put into it for our babies.

Toni!~ Peace of mind is what you will definitely find here. Please feel free to share your secrets! It's obvious you have many secrets to such beautiful plants. NOt only that, but to the years you have managed to hold onto the same ones!
By the way, I too ordered another Chinese perfume tree from 9greenbox, thanks to Robert..lol
I will post a pic of it once I get it. What does yours look like?

Mike

Hi Mike!

Yes. You are extremely lucky to find a source for pre-made mixes to our exacting standards. I am jealous. Laugh.
I still haven't made anymore gritty mix even though I need to repot more plumerias and my little Chinese perfume plant has outgrown its pot and needs to be dealt with.
Of course when it's 111 outside you don't really want to care for your babies as much as you normally would. ;)

I hope your Chinese perfume plant from 9GreenBox is big and healthy just be prepared to wash the icky clay off its roots before you repot! :)

-Robert

Morning,

Nope, not a newbie, Robert. :)

Thanks again. I mixed what I hope were the correct ingredients; so far all is well..Of course it's only been 4 days.. lol

Before I forget, again, did OK get rain??? I sure hope so.

Sorry your Ag tipped..Don't ya just love finding plants upsidedown???

Did you add more medium or was the rootball whole?
Is it getting direct or indirect sun, outdoors?

I too should get a dust mask. I buy 25lb? bags of Perlite from a guy who lives here in IL..Found him online.
Because of space, I pour Perlite in two large Christmas/popcorn containers, and place the bag in a shed. This way, Perlite is ready to be added to mediums when plants need repotting.
The dust is horrible. I hold my breath, slighly turn my face away, but the powder permeates the air.

We, as a human race, cannot avoid Carcinogens. Food/insecticides, air fresheners/Fabreze, cleaning products, etc.

I don't use Turface, but I can imagine the dust. Not to mention weight of the bag.

It'd be great if there were pre-mixed mediums...one for tropicals, one for succulents, etc, that came in ONE bag.

Mike..Howdy.

Oh Mike, I am embarrassed. lol.
Thanks, though.

Your plants are gorgeous. I feel threatened when you post your greens..Or, maybe it's my plants that are threatened..they're thinking, 'wish we could live w/Mike. lol.

Mike, did you order two trees?

I'll have to snap a pic..the sun keeps going in and out, so I'll wait until it's a little brighter..otherwise, pics come out too dark. I don't know how to adjust the camera for brightness and other options..I click buttons, snap pics, dl to Flickr, then here. lol. The easy route..

What happened to OG??? Where did you go? Toni

Poor Olympia!

We've totally taken over this thread. ;)

No rain to speak of in OK. Might as well admit we're going to be the next desert in the US!

Haven't added any more mix yet to my big Aglaia however I need to. Once again noticed the roots are quite shallow and fiberous like an azalea so I don't recommend planting them in deep pots. :)

-Robert

I feel bad too.

Olympia, if you're around, please comment... )

Robert, the container, Aglaia is potted is 6" height, 8" diameter. Too large?

No Rain! That's just awful. Maybe it's time to perform a rain dance..
I shouldn't make jokes, I really hope and pray you guys get water from the heavens.

Toni

Start dancing! Laugh.

Your pot size sounds good...course I don't know the size of your root ball. :)
I think mine needs a wider pot for its roots and I may need to stake it since it's top heavy.

-Robert

Heck, Robert, I'd be outside dancing, twisting, twirling, lol.

The rootball was big. Should have measured the diameter, but had 9 plants to pot and then some, so didn't have time.

Mixing the darn mediums took enough time...This and that room, etc.

Hahahahahahah...Toni, I can see you dancing around your yard with a cigarrette in your mouth and your plants in your hands reaching for teh heavesn sinding a rain song..lol
You are joking. I have plants that I wish could look as nice as yours. Take for instance your Piniculata!

Robert...Oh I hope it is a good size one. The owner told me he was going to send me one in the form of a taller tree. I can't wait! I have my mixes already to go.
My issue is to whether I want to plant in a beautiful Terra Cotta pot, or a plastic one?
Have you found these plants to be sensitive to cold?
I have had no issues with the one I have in plastic, and I have never tried one in clay.
What would you do?:-)))

Thanks to you, I have added yet another plant to my collection.lol

Mike

Hi Mike!

I would follow Logee's advice and go with clay to keep the roots healthy. I have mine in an azalea pot. The clay also helps to keep them from blowing over though mine still did. :P

-Robert

Here is a link that might be useful: Logee's Chinese perfume plant tips

Mike, I don't smoke while dancing..lol.

Did you get your Aglaia?

Sheesh, now I'm wondering if my Ag should go in clay instead of plastic...

Funny, one Hoya is potted in clay. It's outside..During the last storm, the darn pot fell off the top shelf and broke..Clay pots are hard to find these days, especially anything larger than 4".

Shipping is too expensive to order clay pots online, so that's out. I'll have to go through my bag of pots, lol, to see what's available.

Toni! If you want a clay pot, one from, get this ITALY, and that includes you too Robert, let me know!

All you would have to do is pay shipping. They are 50% off at an unusual store I go to that has the most nicest decorative clay Vietnam and Italian pots I have ever seen. I just picked up a couple for my plant. I will post a pic for you all to see. I have lots of access to these Terrecotta pots and cheap now!

Robert, thank you for that bit of advice. The one I have in a small clay pot is doing great but yet I would love to grow one in clay for look purposes now that I have two. I can see it's beauty in this type of pot.

Toni...ok, ok/ Maybe you wouldn't smoke doing an Indian dance, the rain would put it out.lol
I think I need to start doing an Indian dance for my plants. Shees, no rain for weeks now!

I did get my plant, but it looks really small! It is about a foot and a half tall. Is that how big yours was? Did it come in a two foot tall box?

I am a bit disappointed. It was suppose to have a tree form and it looks more like a bushy form.

Robert, where did you get yours that has that nice tall tree trunk? Did you train it that way or did it arrive that way? I would love one like that. I was hoping to get one that looks like yours in the first pic you posted on Sunday April 8th.

Mike

Mike, thanks, but I cannot accept your Italian pots. I remember the day you purchased them.

Good point, the cig would burn out in the rain..lol.

We can use more rain...with this heat, plants need daily watering. Except for Murraya which is potted in heavier soil and a 20" container..
My Coffee Tree dries so fast it's not funny. If I miss a day, leaves wilt.

My citrus and other plants that are outside need repotting, too..can you believe it's August?

Not the best photo, but here's my Ag. Should it go outside?

About the same height as yours, Mike. Toni

I found a few weeds growing in succulents..a couple are taller than the plant..lol.

I planned on snapping photos of plants in the yard to post on your other thread, but first want to repot. Mike, I started repotting in March..Remember? See what I mean about too many plants?? lol

Of course, there are two Gingers I'd love to get, so, very much, 'Ebay' but they sell fast.
Foliage is striking..

Mike, my Aglaia is 19" tall. Yes, it was packaged in a long/tall narrow box.

I too expected a trunk like Robert's plant. Wonder if lower leaves drop, exposing trunk as Aglaia matures??

IL sux as far as rare plants go. Even the one and only nursery remaining in this part of IL lacks good-sized plants.

Thank God for online nurseries..lol.

Hi Toni!!!! Happy Saturday! I will call you after work!

Robert! I just reead your post again abd I figured out how you got your plant to look like a tree, with a trunk! Toni, look at this. What Robert say's

"I also snipped off the main trunk at about 12 inches to make a bushier plant."

I knew there had to be a reason why it looked so good! Would you believe that I thought that it was delivered like that to you from 9greenbox!????
That is why I ordered another from them.oh well, lol. Now I own two.lol

Mike

Mike, I don't understand what Robert means about cutting the main trunk??? lol

I can see side branches, but the main trunk? I'm really tired, my brain is racing 9,00000000 per minute..Too much to do including going to Walgreen's..an hour's wait.

Mike, will you please post photos of both plants?

What about my question? lol..Should the Aglaia go outside? If so, what type of light?

Also, what NPK fertilizer and soil? Thanks, Toni

Toni:

Ok..

Since mine is doing GREAT in part sun, being about 5 hours but no less and no more, I would say start it in dabbled sunlight under a tree or a place where there is no direct sun until I call and find out if they were in a greenhouse or growing outdoors already:-)
I'll call them on Monday. We don't want to burn them.

I think what he meant was that he snips off the branches lowest to the soil all the way up to about 12 inches from the soil line so it has that clean fresh trunk look while the top portion fills out. I think..lol
He may have had side growth like ours down to the soil level and he cleaned it off? I can see how my plant would look if I did that. I just might.

Soil and N,P.K ? I for once don't understand this one..lol

2 more hours and I'll give you a buzz.

Mike:-)

Happy Sunday, 'I hope.' lol

Mike, I 'almost' set my Ag out yesterday, on the north side of the house. Hoyas do well there.
However, about 4pm or so, tornado-like winds hit IL. Thunder was so loud, I thought the roof would fly off the house..lol.

They're saying more storms today, but who knows..

What a temp drop! From 90's to 72F..At this time. I'm freezing..lol. Dressed for winter.

So, you'll phone GreenBox tomorrow? Will you ask other questions about the Ag?

So, you're saying, Robert cut all but one trunk on his tree?

Robert, can you please confirm?

If shoots can be removed, wonder if they can be rooted?

Mike, you know I prefer standards to bushy types..Right?

At first I thought Robert's Ag was grafted...that'd be nice. Finding grafted plants are almost impossible..

Mike, what I meant when I asked about NPK is, which fertilizer is best for an Aglaia. High or low Nitrogen, etc.

Please let me know what GreenBox customer service/owners have to say.

Mike, next time we get T-storms, I'll email a few your way..lol..hugs, Toni

Hi Toni - please email some of your T-storms to Southern California...my potted roses need it badly.

Kasie

Howdy Kasie,

Will do. :)

So, S. Ca isn't getting rain either?

Fill the containers to keep those roses alive. Toni

Hi, everyone, I am lurking. Can't believe this thread is still alive. I got tons of your growing secret just lurking so no complaines here.

I also have a very large Chines perfume plant and try to grow few new plants just in case it decides to die one me suddenly. I looove its scent. Does anyone ever propagated Chinese perfum plan from semi-hardwood cutting??
I tried the method that Kemistry recommended in another thread, I must have missed some detail. None of the cuttings survived. I can't figure it out which steps I did not do correct. In general, should the cuttings be put under the sun? bright light? or in the dark till it start to root? That method is not cover the cutting with plastic, but I saw other method is to cover the cutting till it roots. Should I cover the cuttings or not to cover them?

Hey, OG, I didn't realize you replied, but glad you did.

Sorry we were chatting on your thread..Hope you don't mind???

Wish I could help, don't know how CP is rooted, however, I have an old plant book set that 'might' have rooting instructions. If it does I'll let you know.

I noticed above you mentioned wanting a Brugmansia. Did you ever get one?

This spring/summer, I ended up getting a variegated Brug on Ebay..it's planted in the ground..come fall, it'll go in a large pot.
I did this once before w/a Brug, but at the time, didn't know it was so poisonous. I have birds, so worry about them landing and nibbling on a plant. So, I ended up tossing it.
I still have birds, but this Brug will be placed where feathered friends can't get to it. :)

Toni

Hi, all. Your rain dance works for me. It was dry for a while here , but recently we got more rain, Thank you all for the dance!... whateverr you did, rain droped on my yard. I would join you guys for the rain dance, not I know how to do it, to send you some rain.

Hi, Toni, not a bit. chat all you want. or it will be a dead thread. I saw you are wondering if Chines perfume plant can be rooted. It definately can with semi-hardwood cuttings. I tried a batch but they rotted away. I will try stronger rooter ,treat with fungicide, and use a heating mat. Will let you know the result.
Yes I got my Brugs, three no named ones. thanks for asking. One of them has already "Y" . I am waiting for the flower buds to show up anydays now. But I do not know strong its scents will be.
I saw other thread that Robert mentioned that he is going to toss his nice scented Brug this fall. I know anything that Robert says has nice scent, it must smell very nice. Robert, if you are still checking this thread, before you toss you brug, I would love to have some cuttings.

Mike, Hope you got your AG already. These Italian clay pot... tempting... I found myself overspending easily. Last time I went to local orchid farm just to buy one orchid plant, guess what, I carried armfull of orchids plants,orchid soil, orchid pots and followed by a staff who carried equal armfull of plants and stuff to my car... :( Couple hundres more will show up on this month credit card statement!

Hi, all. Your rain dance works for me. It was dry for a while here , but recently we got more rain, Thank you all for the dance!... whateverr you did, rain droped on my yard. I would join you guys for the rain dance, not I know how to do it, to send you some rain.

Hi, Toni, not a bit. chat all you want. or it will be a dead thread. I saw you are wondering if Chines perfume plant can be rooted. It definately can with semi-hardwood cuttings. I tried a batch but they rotted away. I will try stronger rooter ,treat with fungicide, and use a heating mat. Will let you know the result.
Yes I got my Brugs, three no named ones. thanks for asking. One of them has already "Y" . I am waiting for the flower buds to show up anydays now. But I do not know strong its scents will be.
I saw other thread that Robert mentioned that he is going to toss his nice scented Brug this fall. I know anything that Robert says has nice scent, it must smell very nice. Robert, if you are still checking this thread, before you toss you brug, I would love to have some cuttings.

Mike, Hope you got your AG already. These Italian clay pot... tempting... I found myself overspending easily. Last time I went to local orchid farm just to buy one orchid plant, guess what, I carried armfull of orchids plants,orchid soil, orchid pots and followed by a staff who carried equal armfull of plants and stuff to my car... :( Couple hundres more will show up on this month credit card statement!

OG, now we need to do a Sun Dance..lol. It's so cold! 64F during the day.

I thought you were asking if anyone knew how to root Chinese Perfume Plant..lol..

Oh girl, unless you're living in a mansion or have a gh, you're going to be in the same predicament I am once plants are brought indoors. lol.

3 Brugs..Remember Frank's Nursery? They once had a fall sale....a 5-6' Brug w/huge, yellow trumpet flowers..20.00. It was beautiful!

How will you winter your Brug? How much light, etc?

I bought a Brug on Ebay, variegated, but don't know flower color or if fragrant..

In the mid-90's, I ordered from Logee's. Up until 2000 or so. I stopped ordering from them when they went from 4" pots to 2.5" and increased prices.
There's way too many nurseries that sell larger plants at reasonable prices..
When Logee's sent a 2", that's 2-inch citrus that was basiclly dead upon arrival, I thought, this is absurd. The next order was just as bad.

Last month I ordered an Aloe from Logee's that can't be found elsewhere, and there is one other plant they've added I'd like, but shipping one plant is too much money.

Let the sun shine. Toni

Toni, I can feel the fall is near. It is going to be down mid 50s tonight. Drag a thicker comforter out of the closet or turn the heater on!!

As you said, it is too easy to spend on line. Look what i did, Logee's has Fragrant plants on sale now, I just ordered few more plants. Guilty, guilty...

Logee's impressed me by their excellent customer service and plants replacement policy. It may cost a little more at the front. but it worth it. when the plants does not survive, they send me another one free.
Pepper's customer service sucks!! I talked to Fred, the owner. He said he does not garanteen anything as long as the plant is alive upon arrival. He said he only sent out good quality plants which is not true. I had plants from him that arrived had already half way in heaven. I guess if he send me a head of grocery bought lettuce, he call it alive too. I would stay away from Pepper's if I can.

In chicago area, check out the local nursaries. Communities here are more diversified. Many nursaries carry uncommon plants. Most times, if you find the plant you are looking for, the total cost is way lower and the size of the plant is a lot bigger.

I don't exactly know what to do yet when winter time comes . I always end up more plants than I think I have by the time they need to be move indoor. I am survaying my sister's basment to see how much space she might have left after all her plants move indoor. Her basement has all windows facing south so it is very sunny and warm in the winter time. I am gradully "give away" few of my plants to my mom . She has nice sunny windows and keeps higher house temp. I am also thinking getting more indoor lights in the basement... and so on.

Brugs are too large. Since the space is the issue, depends on how fragrant they are. I will keep couple most fragrant/the best ones overwinter in garage. Can you believe, when the time comes, my garage can be very crowded. Every shelf are filled with plants. I am not sure, I still have room left for my car this coming winter...

My 4 years old night bloom epi has about 10 flower buds right now. I was ready to toss this ruleless space sucker. but it is ready to put out a sptacular show now. I guess I need to give it a rightful place inside the house. here goes another window space.

50's?? Are you serious? Guess I will have to add a blanket. I worry about the birds..We can dress warmer, but my little babies cannot. Oh boy!

Felt like 50 last night, in fact, it might have been. August used to be the hottest month of the year, guess that's changed, too.

Logee's has great customer service, but I don't care for their tropicals. Way too small, very few roots. Succulents are okay. I spent a lot of money at Logee's over the years, and have very few plants that survived.
Maybe they ship larger plants now???

When I placed orders at Accents, Fred sent an email stating 'X' plant was still small, then asked if I wanted a refund or different plant. He's even sent additional plants when a plant wasn't to his liking.
Maybe it depends on how often one shops at both places??

Black Jungle's plants are small, too. I placed an order w/BJ last year..what a disappointment! Plants came in 2" pots; the roots were so tiny and few they beloned in .25" pot.

The only local nursery left, worth going to anyway, is Ted's in Tinley Park. We get out that way once a year, usually in Feb..lol.
Sid's and Jamaican Gardens are gone. Sid's closed their doors last year.

Yep, that's the problem when plants are outside during summer..The house looks empty, and we think, oh, there's room for a few more..lol.

You're lucky you can borrow your sister's home. South windows to boot.
My sisters and brothers are plant murderers..I'd rather live in a cluttered house than leave my plants w/family. lol.

If it wasn't for our Freddy Krugger furnace, I could probably store plants in the basement, but that monster is huge.. It's very old, originally used coal..the previous owners converted to gas, but kept the furnace.

LOL, on your car.
Is your garage heated?

NB Epi flowers are so pretty. It took years for mine to produce more than a couple flowers...only in July. Now it starts blooming as early as Feb..but early blooms are small.
Last year, it grew totally different flowers than it's ever had before..Weird huh? This year, they're the usually pink and white. Last year they were shaped different and red..

Aw, the sun finally came out..It's so windy..I have to keep going outside and picking up plants..some that were recently repotted..lol..so much fun!

BTW, I just won two plants on Ebay..lol. Two variegated Kaempferia Peacocks..different variegations. Sheesh...
Yes, online shopping comes too easy..Toni

Hi everyone!

I've been lurking on the Plumeria Forum for too long. I'm trying to shake that obsession and just ordered some non plumeria plants! Laugh.

Mike,

Thank you for the terracotta offer. I currently have tons though since I planted my plumerias in them only to find out that the soil dries out too quickly and folks recommended me planting them in plastic. Live and learn.

As for my Chinese Perfume Plants (I have two).
My first Aglaia odorata I got from Pepper's Greenhouses (Mike, I also recommend them for Belle of India Jasmines since that's where I got mine for cheap).
It was a tiny plant with a single stem (I call it a trunk since they are small trees). When the stem was around 12 inches tall I pinched the tip to make it bushy. I also removed some of the lower branches to expose the stem (trunk).
The one I got from 9GreenBox off Amazon was already a small lollipop shaped 2ft tree. I did some selective pruning to revitalize the tree which really helped.

Hope this makes sense to everyone! :)

-Robert

Olympia_gardener, the cuttings should be in bright, indirect light. If you can cover them up with a plastic bag then the chance for successful rooting will be much higher. Good luck!

(I can now send you those cuttings I've promised. Send me an email! )

Hi, Toni, congrats on winning two plants. You are the lucky once, I have never won anything in my life! Although I still hope one day win the lottery..LOL
I have a similiar "baby" who is not fethered, but fury...a tom cat who love to snuggle with me under the cover when the night is cool which was the case last night. Not sure I want to be waken up at 3 o'clock in the morning. But can't resist cute kitty's request for snuggle, it is defferent than hubs' though.

Boy, we got so much rain recently. Need to tell the guys stop the rain dance...LOL. My peach tree is bleeding,oozing out the sap! My Asian pear recently grow twice the size... I start to worry about the diluted flavor now.

I remember seeing the picture of your Epi that changed the color. It is very interesting. I guess it is kinda mutation... mutated backwards. I am excited to see my night bloom Epi bloom this year. It is supposed to be very fragrant.
Did you notice we got a lot more Japanese Beetles recently? They eat everything! My grape leaves look like Victoria lace now. The other day, I saw they were chewing on my Meyer's flowers. I got a bag with bait from hardware store, now it is filled with dead beetles. These bag really works. Unfortunately, you can never kill them all.

Agree with you on Logge's plants though. They are on the smaller side, the root system is not fully developed. But if the plant does not survive, they will replace it free. Which is kind of worry free to me. Especially they carry some unusual plants that are hard to find somewhere else. I just went to its web site other day and clicked few buttoms, here go hundres$ charged on credit card!! I can't believe that I spent more on plants/related items than on cloth. It is way hard to self-pose fiscal responsibilities and It is way to easy to spend on internet!
When my Pepper's order arrived, I saw one plant has questionable quality issue, I sent them e-mail, and waited... no reply. Till few months later, I realize that they aren't going to either reply or send replacemnt, I called and Fred is the one I talked. What a nasty guy! Totally denied he sent out poor quality plant which later died. His plants are just as easy to die as from other mail order nursaries. But the difference is if his plant is dead, you are out of luck. He doesn't have free replacemnt policy. As long as the plants are out of his door, the buyer resumes whatever the responsibilities are.

My garage and basement both aren't heated. But there are a lot heat leaks out of the dock in the basement so the temperature is not low so I can put some plants there. My garage ususally go down somewhere 30's. I usually put some dorment plantst such as BB,pomegrante, etc. Last year, the largest occupant there is the fig tree. But I planted it in ground this year so there are some room left for the brugs.

If you are out in the north west surburb where I live, there is a nursary called Pesche on River rd. in Desplain worth to check it out. It carries a lot of varieties of plants. One of my co-worker told me she saw good selection of Jasmine too some years back.

Robert, welcome back to fragrant forum. What is blooming in your collection now?

Kemstry, Thank you for the propagating tips. My recent failed endeavor is to try to propagte Chinese Perfume plant. I used Forsthe pot with rooter. The lady teaching this method does not cover the pot, which now I think may be the missing link. She was propagating house plants. To propagate shrub's, the pot need to be covered to increase the moisture level till cutting roots. I will follow your tips and try another batch. With a luck, I will have enough to share with you if you want. Because of this struggle, my propagation confidence level went down, and did not send you the e-mail for the cutting. But I think cover the pot up definately make sense and will increase the chance of success. E-mail is on your way.

Hey OG...had to go grocery shopping....after this post, scape paint off the floor..hubs is a BOZO. lol

Lol, won two plants, lucky? Winning the lottery is so much better, but I haven't any luck when it comes to betting/playing for $$. Girl, would I love winning though.

Aww, how old is the baby? He/she isn't yet feathered? I'm surprised they adopted out such a youngin'.
I used to breed cockatiels..none left the house until they were fully-feathered, and ate on their own.
Oh, I bet he/she is precious.

I MISS kitty-cats..but with the birds, I don't dare take the risk.
We had a cat 17-yrs..he was great w/the birds, but I'd make sure they were caged when I had to leave the house and at bed time.
What color is your cat? I bet he's precious, too..yes, much better cuddling than hubs. lol.

You're so lucky your yard is large enough to have a pear and peach trees...Are they sweet? Umm..

I think plants/trees are confused w/our weather. So hot in July, and Aug felt like Oct..it's nicer today..sun and 81F temps. Under 80 is too cold..lol.

I agree.,.the rain dance gotta stop..lol.
Is there a snow dance, too?

My Epi..the shape and flower color difference only happened once..This years blooms are pink and white..Strange. Wish both types would grow..

Your Epi will bloom, OG. It took years, and even then, one flower would open, 1-2 days in July. It was only the last few years more than one bud produced. Don't know what's different.

I'm not sure I ever saw a Japanese Beetle. Now ants ARE a problem! I hate them. I never used a non-organic product, but gave up last summer..I tried every home-made product under the sun, but still the ants came..In herds..lol.
I don't care if they're outside, but when they find a way in the home, that's a differet story. Yuck. I HATE bugs.

Grapes. Ha. I gave up on grapes, too. The birds found them before we ever got a chance to munch one. Although, I now regret it..In they're place I planted Hummingbird Vine..That is the MOST invasive plant in history..lol. It's growing everywhere. I have to keep digging or plucking out..Don't ever buy one..

Wonder how they keep HV so nice at Botanical Gardens..?

I heard Pesche closed their doors like Jamiacan Gardens?? We were at Pesche's a few years ago..a regular customer of theirs said they were going out of business..

LOL, I know what you mean about spending more on plants than cloth. There's always, one more plant that is interesting.

True, Logee's has some rarer specimens, but before I'd buy from them, I go hunting..and I mean for days to weeks..lol.
Many of their plants can be found on Ebay..if not Ebay, then another nursery.
OG, I used to order from Logee's regularly..then they decreased pot size, and increased cost. And shipping! That's another problem. They have one plant I want, but in order to buy it, it'd come out to 30-something dollars..and the plant is 2-3-inches tall..
There's nothing else I want from Loggee's at this time.

I don't know what to say about Accents. I never had problems with plants or Fred.
I will say the best time to order tropicals/succulents are from summer until autumn.

I notice more Ebay sellers are listing, No Returns. I don't think that's fair at all. When we order, we expect plants/supplies as the description states. Maybe too many people complain, want their money back..I've never sold on Ebay, but talked to a few sellers..they admitted, Ebay was making a killing, yet complaints continued rolling in.

You're lucky your gargage doesn't drop below 30F. If it's 10F, the garage is 10F..minus wind chill. Too cold for plants.
Are your trees large? Fig, citris, etc?

Actually, we're in the south-west burbs, but my family are up north. Norridge, Mount Prospect. Some as far as Great America in Gurnee. We rarely head that direction these days.
Hubs works in Des Plaines, though..Quite a drive to and from. His work was less a mile or two from Jamacian Gardens..Now that was nice..lol.

I'll have to ask if he's seen Pesche's. The nursery we went to was in the city.

Ever been to Ted's in Tinley Park?

Can you believe, after all the cold weather we've had, I picked today to make a roast? It's got two more hours to bake, then potatoes, broccoli, noodles, and gravy! lol.

Give feathered friend a kiss, and kitty-cat a snuggle. :) Toni

Hi, Toni, Won something better than nothing. Of course the lottery is the best. Keep praying... one day maybe...

I hate ants runing around in the house. I don't mind they in the yard... it is their territories though. My sister- in-law claims lemon repel the ants like magic. I don't know if you have tries that?

It is a quite long way drive from SW suburb to Desplain, especially with traffic!. I don't blame him not want to scape the paint off the floor...Tired, after driving both ways and work...
I have never been at Ted's in Tinley Park. But I keep in mind if I am in that area. I am in west of O'hare. If you are in the neigborhood on weekdays, let me know. We can meet up during the lunch time. There is a newly opened Hibatch Grill here, all you can eat buffet for $6.99 luch specail. It is always packed!! My co-workers and I goes there from time to time for a treat. It is so easy over eating though.
The Pesche nursary in Deplain is still open. It is a good sized nursary. This is the brother's. There is another Pesche that was owned by the sister, a flower shop was closed.

Here is my fury one. He think he is the king of the house and ruler of the neigborhood. It fits in this forum as a guard of the garden.

Morning OG,

First, your cat is gorgeous..those eyes..Green eyes. I've never seen a cat with true green..only yellow-green and a Siamese w/blue eyes..Your tom is beautiful.
I love his fur color, too..
Obviously, he poses well.. :)

Ants and other bugs can live outside all they want, but when they're in the house...
Have you noticed an ant increase?
What's sad is, when plants are outside, ants crawl in the soil. Then when we bring plants inside, they hide, lay eggs! Disgusting!

OG, hubs and son are lazy..lol. The house is falling apart, but no one wants to do anything.If I knew how to fix things, I'd do it. I don't know how to mend a huge hole in the DR ceiling, or wood that's rotted.
Hubs doesn't mind ants running around. When he eats, he drops crumbs everywhere, and leaves them. I get SOOO angry.
Oh, there's a lot more, but the point is, son and hubs won't lift a finger, even after I had surgeries.

Your sister is right about lemon. I removed lemons off my citrus and placed on the kitchen window sill. For months, ants stayed away..but, once citrus got old, ants no longer detected citrus scent, and before I knew it they were on the sill.
I tossed so much food out, mainly bird and dog bisquits. Don't want my pets eating after ants been crawling and pooping on their food..yuck, lol.

OG, how far west are you? I get lost going to the store..lol. Forget the expressway. All those signs. lol
My brother lives in Mount Prospect..I've never once driven to his house alone. Hubs and son make fun, say one day I'll get lost going to the store, end up in Canada. lol.

Are you anywhere near Norridge? My sister lives in Norridge, I can find that burb.

I'll have to Google Pesche's address. My hubs would have to drive..don't know how to get to DesPlanes.
When I lived in Chicago, I got around a lot, but rarely to the burbs.
Since we've moved here, from the city, 23-yrs ago, I forgot how to get around Chicago..

OG, the truth is, I'm sort of house bound. Semi-Agoraphobic. It's difficult for me to leave home/area.

Maybe we can figure something out.

Anyway, your cat is a beauty. He looks like king of the house..lol. Toni

olympia_gardener,

regarding your original post:

I try to be happy with what the locals sell. Even Home Depot takes orders, to a limited extent, and of course then there's no obligation to buy if it arrives damaged or weak.

One small local nursery hired a specialist who's ordered some unique varieties in small pots 3/$2.95, like fringed lavender and hardy rosemary :D I think this is how small nurseries will survive these economic times.

That said, I am thrilled with my order from Greer Gardens. Early last spring I studied their website for days, then ordered the *fragrant* Washington State Centennial deciduous azalea. It was around $15 and on the smaller side. It came packaged very carefully and i even left it on the porch in the bag for a few weeks until i decided where to plant it.

It's a champ. I won't pamper plants, & it's done very well with only a few waterings. It hasn't bloomed yet, but i think they included that information in the description and with the plant when it arrived.

I then ordered their catalog. It's like a fascinating telephone book. They really know their stuff. When i have a bit more money i will buy half a dozen more.

So, I think i'll only order through mail from special nurseries, or elsewhere only if i'm absolutely sure of the variety they are sending me. For example now (thanks to robert1971) i know i need confederate jasmine--if locals won't get it for me i'll just get it online. amazon has it cheap so it's no great loss if they disappoint.

~spazplant

Toni, Thanks about the cat. He was a straigt cat in the mountains and He self adopted to our family when we were at Starve Rock last spring. He came home with us. What it is said that cat selects its own "staff". My friends heard we adopted a cat in the mountain and asked whether this cat has long tail ( house cat ) or short tail ( Bob cat)? He was a house cat that was abandoned by his previous owner in the wild and had survived for don't know how long. Poor thing... But he is a very resourceful and very well behaved cat. We are happy to have him with us. We bring him to the vet every year for check up.

Sorry to hear your surgeries. You really shouldn't do thoes house repair tasks. These are man's job. You must be a very nice , caring person who provides everything to family members.
I am in Elk Grove, near Buss and Higgins. Norridge is SE of O'hare, I am at NW of O'hare. Desplain is next town east, and Mt. prospect is next town north. Chicago suburb is ao large that there are many little town I even have never heard of. We have woodfield mall nearby and tons of stores and shopping centers .I don't need to go else where to get my things, so I am too kinda limited to area near by and seldon travel too far, especially the gas price is over $4 a gallon, It is crazy!! We can figure out something.

I do have ant living in one of my stevia pot. Everytime I water the plant in the morning, the ants are all over the pot with egg, after a while they all back into the pot. This repeats every day. I thought they might figure it out this is a "flood land" and move. Guess what, they can't and are still there. You are so right about they move inside with the pot. I need to figure out something to rid of them before witner come.

Spazplant,
"I try to be happy with what the locals sell. Even Home Depot takes orders, to a limited extent, and of course then there's no obligation to buy if it arrives damaged or weak"
I am not sure you were put in comments or just add more info. This was not from my original post.

"One small local nursery hired a specialist who's ordered some unique varieties in small pots 3/$2.95, like fringed lavender and hardy rosemary :D I think this is how small nurseries will survive these economic times. "
Many local nursaries fit in niche market nicely. I bought my 6" size pot 7-8" tall well branches rosemary @0.89 each at my grocery store this summer. I have one home already but this price was too good to pass. LOL , I am a sucker!

Everyone has preference, but the confederate Jasmine you are looking for, I bought couple 1 gallon size blooming plants from HD few years back paid about $6 each. I was able to enjoy the plant right at the minute I paid for and know exactly what the fragrant smell like. I bet any mail order outfit can't beat this deal.

Toni, Thanks about the cat. He was a straigt cat in the mountains and He self adopted to our family when we were at Starve Rock last spring. He came home with us. What it is said that cat selects its own "staff". My friends heard we adopted a cat in the mountain and asked whether this cat has long tail ( house cat ) or short tail ( Bob cat)? He was a house cat that was abandoned by his previous owner in the wild and had survived for don't know how long. Poor thing... But he is a very resourceful and very well behaved cat. We are happy to have him with us. We bring him to the vet every year for check up.

Sorry to hear your surgeries. You really shouldn't do thoes house repair tasks. These are man's job. You must be a very nice , caring person who provides everything to family members.
I am in Elk Grove, near Buss and Higgins. Norridge is SE of O'hare, I am at NW of O'hare. Desplain is next town east, and Mt. prospect is next town north. Chicago suburb is ao large that there are many little town I even have never heard of. We have woodfield mall nearby and tons of stores and shopping centers .I don't need to go else where to get my things, so I am too kinda limited to area near by and seldon travel too far, especially the gas price is over $4 a gallon, It is crazy!! We can figure out something.

I do have ant living in one of my stevia pot. Everytime I water the plant in the morning, the ants are all over the pot with egg, after a while they all back into the pot. This repeats every day. I thought they might figure it out this is a "flood land" and move. Guess what, they can't and are still there. You are so right about they move inside with the pot. I need to figure out something to rid of them before witner come.

Spazplant,
"I try to be happy with what the locals sell. Even Home Depot takes orders, to a limited extent, and of course then there's no obligation to buy if it arrives damaged or weak"
I am not sure you were put in comments or just add more info. This was not from my original post.

"One small local nursery hired a specialist who's ordered some unique varieties in small pots 3/$2.95, like fringed lavender and hardy rosemary :D I think this is how small nurseries will survive these economic times. "
Many local nursaries fit in niche market nicely. I bought my 6" size pot 7-8" tall well branches rosemary @0.89 each at my grocery store this summer. I have one home already but this price was too good to pass. LOL , I am a sucker!

Everyone has preference, but the confederate Jasmine you are looking for, I bought couple 1 gallon size blooming plants from HD few years back paid about $6 each. I was able to enjoy the plant right at the minute I paid for and know exactly what the fragrant smell like. I bet any mail order outfit can't beat this deal.

Morning,

OG, is it storming there? It's so dark...strong winds, heavy rain, lightning an thunder.

I can't believe your tom found you at Starved Rock..wow.
Isn't it beautiful there? Ever hear the history of SR, the reason they gave it that name?

Well, you found one, beautiful cat or he found you..lol. I feel terribly sorry for strays. There's not many here, but in Chicago there were hundreds. Female kittens having kittens at 5-months old. We took in a couple, one pregnant mom, 'orange,' who had a broken back and tail, another little guy, 'gray and white' w/a broken leg.

I'm really happy you took him in, gave him a good home.

I'll look up Elk Grove on a map. We're in Brookfield. Closer to Midway than O'hare.
I had no idea O'hare was south of Norridge..lol. See what I mean?
I've lived in IL all my life, many years, and still don't know where places are.
Yep, there are many small burbs/towns in IL I've never heard of either.

Oh, those darn ants!! Do you use Stevia in place of sugar?
Before winter, I'm going to give ALL plants a little vinegar in water..Vinegar kills ants on contact. Hopefully, the vineager will kill or rid ants in soil before plants come inside.

Malls are everywhere these days..IL no longer has many farms. The price of corn is outrageous. Instead of building so many malls, they should have kept farms. Progress!!!

How tall is your Stevia? Does it bloom? I was just thinking, Stevia is an organic sweetener. Ants love sugar. They probably assume your Stevia is a blessing..lol