Well, now this stuff is on my newest black bamboo shoot (the only black shoot so far this season). I hope it won't stunt it like it did the other Sunburst shoots (they made it to about 10-15 feet and then their tops got coated and soft (and some fell off completely) - they seem to be branching, though). It is not nearly as wet here as it was when it first appeared, yet I still have the white stuff coating my new shoots. It is on two more Sunburst shoots, but so far the Hawaiian Stripe is clear and the Wamin on the other side of the yard is ok. Does anyone have any ideas what it is or if I should worry about it? I've been spraying it off the black shoot with a high pressure hose - then it stays clear for a few days. So far that shoot is still growing. I'm worried that may not be the best idea, though??? I do try to spray away from the other bamboo... Thanks for any input!

The pink camellia looks like Jean Clere to me. If so, this camellia japonica is a sport of Aspasia MacArthur. This lovely white bloom with a few deep pink spots has many sports including Jean Clere, Margaret Davis, and many others. I have Margaret Davis. It has white blooms with a red edge. However it also has blooms that are like three other sports as well as the parent plant, Aspasia MacArthur. If your area has a camellia show, you may want to take in a bloom for identification or to see if there are blooms like this at the show.

Sir, They are not very popular as the infrastructure for storing and transporting such a quickly perishable fruit becomes prohibitively expensive. ( we pay 1.20 USD for a litre (1/4 gallon) of petrol ). But it is not a new fruit to us, there have been mention of it in ancient texts over 4500 years ago. People who live around fig trees use them as a vegetable (unripe figs ) and cooked with pulses and spices. For people like me who don't mind paying the extra buck, there are a few shops that sell so called fresh figs. But these are picked when unripe and boxed and shipped to stores. When they ripen, the sweetness and taste is not quite there. Mostly figs are dried, and strung like a necklace and sold as dried fruit as it keeps for a long time. Lots of people buy it and eat it as a natural laxative, but thats about it. There is no fan following for figs, if I can say so. As I was unhappy with the choices I had of either eating them dry or eating figs that were picked far before they started ripening, I decided to plant a tree of my own. :) Ram

Your plants are hard cane Dendrobiums. They can be potted now in some orchid mix, mostly bark and watered. You can use some stakes to tie them upright. Do not pot them deep. They will send new roots into the new mix. I would leave the baby plants (keikies) attached until you get the main plants back to a healthy condition. These orchids usually flower in the Fall. Some do flower in the summer. Without knowing what they are, best to just take care of them now and they will flower when they are happy. They take strong light and like to be watered when dry and warm conditions. Your plants look terribly dehydrated and neglected. But these are very tough plants and should respond quickly to care. It is Spring. Longer light and warmer temps make plants repond. Dendrobium "PHALAENANTHE Evergreen for several years, with thin, tall pseudobulbs, terminal inflorescences, usually appearing in the autumn or twice a year (see culture). Species such as Den. affine, Den. bigibbum (phalaenopsis), Den. dicuphum and Den. williamsianum. Culture Grow warm year round (see below); 60 F nights; water and fertilize heavily when roots appear from new growth; medium light; reduce water and fertilizer after growth finishes. If a short (three- to four-week), cooler (55 F) dry rest is given, and then plants are warmed again (60 F mininum), another growth may mature during winter and flower in the spring. Treat this growth as a summer growth cycle. These grow well with phalaenopsis, except for the rest period. Plants will go deciduous if grown too cool and dry." This will get you going. These are generally easy orchids to grow, don't require a lot of care except for good light and warmth. They make beautiful flowers. Jane