Air Layering

Last May I posted Mega-Schefflera when I air-layered my 10' tall schefflera.  Today it started snowing so It's time to see what happened.

I whacked the branches off below the sphagnum moss ball and opened the balls.  All appeared to be moist. Where the moss got some light, it was green.  I didn't open the balls to see if they had roots.  Instead, I used the ball to protect the new roots, if any, when I pushed the pups down into the new pots.  Needed two pots for the four new plants because the foliage was so heavy.  They look great and they are indoors for the season.  I'll keep an eye on the moisture content of the soil.

The mother plant remains outdoors, covered with a sheet, snuggled up against the south wall of the deck. I watered all the plants remaining outside. Forecast tonight is for clearing and a low of 23 degrees.

This will be the earliest snow on record, if it sticks. Forecast is for light snow here, 30 miles north of Bush Intercontinental. Houston and points closer to the Gulf could get several inches. Must be global cooling!

Free fish

One of the advantages of living near a lake is that now and then, you get a free fish. Sortof.

The neightbor across the street said she saw a hawk drop it.  Looks like a fresh catfish. I'll give the vultures a chance to find it before I bother to get the leaves off the roof.

Hibiscus

The neighborhood is awash with hibiscus.   I planted mine from seed this Spring and they are just today in bloom. I don't recall the variety but it's a hardy hibiscus and stands about eight feet tall.  I would like to say it's Fireball, but it's a much darker red, maybe a dark burgundy, unless it's illuminated from the rear, as it is in this photo.

Hot weather is good for some things

My potted orchid ("Webmaster") did well outdoors this Summer in partial shade. It would probably have more flowers if I watered it more often.

Agapanthus - Mysterious Disappearance

I bought four Agapanthus plants last Fall and planted them on the east side of the house. They thrived and two of them put out long flower spikes late last month. They started to open last week, so I checked on them today. Disaster! Nipped off cleanly!

You can see the barren spike behind and to the right of the Canna bloom and one lonesome Agapanthus flower on the Canna leaf.

Here's a closer shot of the Agapanthus spike.

Something similar happened to a fresh new Bouganvilla that I planted in the ground near a trellis. The thorns on it had not yet developed; one morning it was trimmed off at the ground.

Damned deer! Nibbled on a few Zinnea flowers, too, but didn't seem to like them.

Crepe Myrtles

Crepe Mrytles are abundant in Texas in June. They love the hot weather, but it's a rare gardener who gives them enough water. These are well cared for.

Ash Trash

There's an ash tree in my yard that makes a horrendous mess in late May, early June. Seeds, seeds, seeds, all over the world. They stick to your feet and track into the house. Hey! Enough! Nobody needs that many seeds, not even the squirrels pay attention.


The tree appears to be a Mexican Ash, aka Berlandier Ash. Latin name Fraxinus berlandierana.

Yellow Bell (Allamanda)

It's not a butterfly bush, its' Allamanda angustifolia, or perhaps Allamanda cathartica, a native of Brazil. Also known as golden trumpet.

Hibiscus

Hibiscus of every color are all over the neighborhood. Unfortunately, I've seen no doubles. I may have to buy some.

Staghorn Ferns

One of our neighbors near the entrance to the subdivision has some beautiful staghorn ferns growing on their trees. They fertilize them with slow-release pellets and keep them well watered. In the winter, they bring them into their garage.

It's a lot of work, but seems well worth it in this case.

Oleanders

Oleanders are in full bloom throughout the neighborhood. The pink one gets my vote for first prize.

Neighborhood Daylilly

One lonely Daylilly still hanging in there. Beautiful colors.

Magnolia Trees

Magnolias are always impressive. And they photograph so well!

Found this one about ten blocks from my home.

Angel Trumpet

We went out with a camera this afternoon to admire plants in the neighborhood. The most striking flower is a pink Angel Trumpet a few blocks away. Absolutely beautiful!

Single Impatiens

Single impatiens might actually be prettier than doubles because they come in such beautiful colors. There are in pots on my south deck. They only get sun until about noon.


New Guinea Impatiens are even prettier than the regular singles. The foliage is greener and more lush and the colors are actually brighter. Wonderful additions to any porch or deck.

One Lonely Rose

How can such a beautiful flower be married to such an ugly, prickly bush? I love roses as much as anyone, but between flowering, I think they are a blight on the planet. Could have something to do with the fact that I am not very good at raising roses.

This is my only surviving rose bush. The yellow rose died. It gets full south sun, but the soil was never prepared properly. However, I'll give it credit for trying hard!

Double Impatiens

I'm a sucker for doubles. Doesn't matter what flower, they all seem to be prettier when they are double. The one exception seems to be bouganvillea. The double is prettier, but the flowers do not fall to the ground when they are spent. The result is a raggedy-looking plant that needs constant pruning to look good.

Anyway, I found some double impatiens at a local nursery. They look almost like miniature roses. They love shade so I planted this one with my double azaleas.

Gerberas

Gerberas (African or Transvaal Daisys) are among my favorite. I found a spot on the south side of the house where they do surprisingly well, likely because they are shielded from the sun past noon by a huge azalea bush to their west.

This Spring I experimented by growing Gerberas from seed. I planted about 60 seeds in a Biodome early in April. When true leaves appeared, I transplanted the 50 survivors to newspaper pots. Last week I planted the 35 surviving plants in the ground on the east side of the lattice fence (the one with the bouganvillea on it.) My experience in Houston was that Gerberas do very well with morning sun if they get no afternoon sun.

Stay tuned with your fingers crossed.

Gardenias

My gardenias are in full bloom at the moment. This variety has small blossoms but lots of them and the fragrance is overwhelming.

I have two plants on the east side of the house that were here when I bought five years ago. Both are about four feet in diameter now. They are under the eves, but seem to get enough water and require very little care.

The house smells wonderful when I bring in a branch ot two.

Bouganvillea

Bouganvillea do very well in the Houston area. Mine has been blooming continuously for about eight months. I water it when it gets really dry and prune off the wild shoots that it sends out in good weather.

I think this variety is called Barbara Karst. I liked it so well that I recently bought several small copies and planted them so they will cover the rest of the east-facing lattice.

Azaleas

These are the double Azaleas that I planted about three years ago in the front garden. They didn't do well there - too much sand and great drainage - too little acidic mulch. So I prepared a new bed of composted peat moss on the north side of the garage and moved them last Spring. They are doing wonderfully now.

The single azaleas on the south side of the house were here when I arrived five years ago. They do very well in partial shade, so well, in fact, that I have to prune them back each Spring after they bloom.

Bauhinia (Orchid Tree)

Two or three years ago I bought a small orchid tree (Bauhinia purpurea) at the Mercer Arboretum's Spring plant sale. It's now about 15' tall and running rampant. I wish I had planted it in the yard instead of in the raised garden.

Also known as the Butterfly Tree, Mountain Ebony, Geranium Tree, and Purple Bauhinia, the flowers are between 2" and 3" across and the tree is full of them. Lovely tree and seems easy to grow in this area.

Kalanchoes

Here's a better look at the Kalanchoes that have been blooming all Spring. GF planted lots of them, mostly red, but some yellow, too.

Mega-Schefflera

This giant schefflera is proof that we haven't had a freeze for quite a few years. At 10' tall, it's long past coming in for the winter, even if I could lift it. And it has lost so many lower limbs that it's more like the trees you see in Australia than a potted plant.

So I'm trying an experiment in air layering. The aluminum foil covers a layer of moistened sphagnum moss that's held against the branches with plastic wrap and tape. I first cut several notches in the bark and coated the cuts with Rootone before applying the moss. Chances are that the Rootone won't add much, but it's so late in the Spring that every little bit may help. I expect new roots to grow into the sphagnum moss in seven or eight months - perhaps by December. With luck I'll be able to cut them off and create a new pot of scheffleras before the weather gets too cold. It would be a shame after all this work to get a freeze and lose the new roots.


Stay tuned for developments.

Cannas are Beautiful ...

Cannas are beautiful - if the bugs don't eat the leaves. This potted orange delight is a little late blooming, but it was worth the wait. Plenty of foliage. There should be more blossoms soon.

The red kalanchoes in the background have been very pretty this Spring. They have been in bloom for almost two months.

Mystery Flower

Web surfing failed me! I can't find the name of this flower. It appeared as a weed under a tree in my yard. I suspect it was seeded by birds because several plants appeared within ten yards of my bird feeder. Blooming now (mid May.) Anybody recognize it?

The flowers are a little less than two inches long growing on very long stems. No detectable odor.


***********************************

The mystery is solved. It's Alstroemeria psittacina 'Variegata' the varigated parrot lily, a native of northern Brazil. It's closly related to similar yellow flowers so popular in florist's boquets.

Also known as the Peruvian Lily, Parrot Flower, Red Parrot Beak, New Zealand Christmas Bell and Parrotlily.

Must have been part of the garden of the previous residents. I don't recall seeing it in the five years I've been here.

Gardening in Zone 9a

Lake Conroe, Texas is about 50 miles north of central Houston, as the crow flies. It's probably listed as being in USDA Zone 8b, but the moderating influence of the lake, which is about 100 yards from my house, keeps temperatures from dropping below freezing very often. In fact, it has been about four years since we even had a frost that nipped the most fragile plants.

Anyway, rather than clutter up my other blog with gardening material, this will be a place dedicated to observations, comments, pictures and general discussion of what's happening with the plants in my neighborhood, especially on my small parcel of land around my home.

Hope you enjoy it. Comments, contributions and questions are welcome.