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Three Katrina/Rita plant survivers
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Posted by bigeasyjock z8Ms (My Page) on Wed, Oct 19, 05 at 9:57
Just a quick note on my garden down in St. Bernard parish that took 14 feet of brackish water with Katrina (and sat flooded for weeks!)and another 6 with Rita. All of my gardens and those plants in pots ... including the lawn .... are dead as door nails except for 5 plants. The Crinums look great as does the hymenacallis (spider lily), rain lilies are starting to bounce back, Vitex in pots coming back and the morning glory shrub was completely unfazed. I had a ... well I think ... huge variety of plants; flowering and fruiting, growing and these are the only ones really surviving that I can see. I think the yellow flag may return and some bulbs that are now dormant like Bzyantine glads (bulbs still feel firm).
Mike |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Three Katrina/Rita plant survivers
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| Mike, We traded last year. I have your crinums, chartreuse caryopteris, white ginger, I can't remember what else, but I can send some of all back to you. I sent you rain lilies, and I now have even more varieties (labuffarosea,traubii 'San Carlos Form', candida, grandiflora,atamasco), so let me know when you're ready for a shipment of plants. I won't forget you, so if you're not ready till spring, I'll be ready still. Have a look at my trade list - lots of salvias, tiarellas, good time to transplant cercis canadensis. The Carolina web gang always does a big seed box pass-around - and we've all been worried about you guys, so let me know if you'd be interested in our putting together a big seed box from here to pass around there. I'm glad you and your family are safe. I grew up in Jeferson Parish and Ocean Springs and saw by satellite pics that everything I grew up around is gone. I'm so happy that you're already thinking about your garden returning. |
RE: Three Katrina/Rita plant survivers
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I never would have been able to say what we traded but how could I forget a name like yours ;o)
For now my rain lilies are all without IDs but I did have the ones you list. If I see next year that I'm missing one you have I'll come beggin'.
I will for sure ask for seeds when ya'll get to that point but for now I have a 'shell' of a home so new plants are out. I am living with my mother again. Ha!!! I say its like being a kid again, back in the same ol' bed but this time I get to sleep with a woman (my wife Cinta! ;o)
Mike |
RE: Three Katrina/Rita plant survivers
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My crinums and rain lilies survived in Metairie. We had about a foot of water. I went to the Ursuline Convent courtyard garden on State Street; they had about 6 feet of water for almost 3 weeks. The sago palms and windmills palms did fine except for the burning of the branches that sat in the water. The camellias look great as do the crepe myrtles. The bayleaf tree in the outer courtyard is shiny green but the 30 year old magnolias are brown, brown, brown. So are the azaleas. Now we know the tried and tested plants. In City Park, which also sat in water for almost 3 weeks, the Iceberg standard rose bushes are blooming like crazy. The palm garden is lush green and the live oaks are great all over the Park. I have done several galleries of aftermath Katrina at www.pbase.com/septembermorn and you can get all the galleries in one in the gallery titled "Katrina Was No Lady." I specifically concentrated on trees and plants.
Too bad my house in Metairie did not fare as well. I have no walls and no floors and less furniture at the moment. |
RE: Three Katrina/Rita plant survivers
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Hi Mike and Live Oak lady, good seeing your posts (Mike, I've e-mailed you right after K,no responce, guess my new name wasn't recognizable, smile). Sorry you've lost homes and most of the plants.
We have to be thankful for deciding to escape, couldn't believe some stayed, I've said it right then they'd not do it ever again. It made me sad seeing the terror that was happening, didn't know for a while what happened to our rented place in Belle Chasse, thankfully it wasn't damaged, not like first reported, as there were confusing reports. At least with New Orleans and Gulf Coast it was known ,sadly, what had happened, Buras was just mentioned once which was the only mention of the Plaquemines parish. "No news is good news".
Good news for us, think of special interest to you Live Oak Lady, our house,at least the roof, was saved by
a large tree in our back yard! I've blessed it a few times since, was telling my daughter just after T/S "Cindy", "In case of a tornado that tree would take a beating and save our place". It lost 4 larger branches but thankfully all fell sideways, missing the shed too. That tree provided shade for me to work under, for grandson to swim underneath it.
We've lost everything to Camille in 1969, then in divorce, most of my many plants were raised from gifts/babies/seeds and few were bought large, my oldest plant is Asparagus Fern we got after "Camille" in Nov 69. I thought God saw to it what little I had was largely spared, again, thanks to a big tree, since almost every roof around was damaged but ours. Thankfully we've not seen major destructions in our area, sadly we couldn't go pass Gulf Aliance down south since it was all flooded. Wish everyone left the disaster zone in time, hopefully people will learn for the better from this, as more hurricanes are predicted, facts be said.
Our patio cover was ruined, tin sheets flew every which way. My houseplants were exposed to the hot sun, sheffleras and cast iron plants are doing fine though.
What surprised me was, most of my basil and celosias were intact, impatients in one large pot where some drops of water drained from the roof were in bloom!
My Gingko biloba trees were dried, Bougainvilleas -2 out of 6 were flown around ,Meyer Lemon tree was toppled over and dried, large pink Hibiscus might make a slow come back, Red one didnt look like it would, White Plumbago was gone, Rosemary dried up (somehow always does, anyway, quitting buying it).
What survived fine -all these planted in the ground: Night Blooming Jasmine, Gingers, Cannas, Iris,Durantas, Bananas, Ferns. Peace lily, I got small dividing roots from a friend, was about to poof! Sago Palm, in a large pot, found it overturned, would've dried up as all else had we not made it back after 16 days, what was a bummer - who knew there'd be no going back in 2 weeks and no electricity either.
Again, we gave thanks for being lucky after all, had Katrina passed 20 miles east we'd have been flooded.
Once me and daughter, she's been amazingly strong, (sometimes am allowing her to patronize me,smile), go back home from Houston, hopefully mid Dec.- give me a holler and you can have some tough plants that survived neglect.
Miss growing kale, collards, basil, oregano and just being in the yard. best wishes,
Bea Hoping this can fit in the forum,smile, plan on making rare and short messages. |
RE: Three Katrina/Rita plant survivers
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Hi Mike:
Come spring I'll have plants for ya too, so please don't hesitate to ask. I also have lots of seeds.
Our friends who were living a few blocks from the 17th Street Canal lost everything. They said in that area not one speck of vegetation or sign of animal life lives except for some huge gastly flies. They can not live in the house again, it needs to be flattened. So I feel for you. Their descriptions of N.O. is very interesting. Been thinkin' about 'cha! So glad you are OK! girlgroupgirl |
RE: Three Katrina/Rita plant survivers
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GrannieB I do recall your message but things were a bit harried back then ;o) Glad to hear you made out o.k. all in all.
Good to hear from my favorite girlgroup too ;o) I'll be askin' favors don't you worry none about that ;o)
Mike |
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