Brugmansia

Also known as Angel's Trumpet and (somewhat erroneously) Tree Datura.

There is a useful post about this plant over at Huntingwick Gardens. Check it out.

See my previous post on this plant.

Checkerboard Fuchsias

Keep them nice and shady, or they will begin to wilt. I will need to move mine. The sun shifts just enough during the summer to make what used to be a shady spot sunny. Grr.

Leaf Miners

These annoying insects apparently love to eat sweet basil. Grr. Fortunately, they haven't destroyed it.

They also like Pinto beans.

So far, no new damage on any of my citrus trees this year.

I have heard that companion plantings of Columbine can be helpful.

I may try this. I do not relish the thought of using insecticides in my herb garden.

Incidentally, June is also supposed to be a great month for planting Basil seeds.

Talking to my plants...

...and my husband has been the primary outlet for my gardening concerns lately, as I have had little time for blogging. Much of my free time, such as it is, has been spent outside, taking advantage of every remotely tolerable moment of decent weather to get as much heavy outdoor work done as possible before the summer heat confines me to light weeding, seed scattering, and small container gardening. However, plenty has been happening, so while I wait till I have a little more time for more detailed posting, here are a few things I have learned during my (monthlong now) blogging silence:

Radishes do not always grow as fast as the book says they will.

Squash plants grow very fast when planted in good conditions.

Round-up (despite its drawbacks) is by far the most efficient method I have yet tried for getting rid of unwanted areas of lawn.

Containerized Grumichama (Eugenia brasiliensis) does not like neglect. Do not allow to dry out for more than a couple of days, or risk losing the year's fruit crop.

Containerized feijoa's hate drying out, too.

It is possible to neglect a bougainvillea too much.

Thornless Prickly Pears like south facing Houston walls in the springtime

Cherimoya seeds can be sprouted by wrapping in a wet paper towel kept constantly moist.

Sophora Secundiflora sometimes drops its immature seed pod crop, thwarting plans to send ripened seeds to waiting relatives. Cause as yet unknown. However, happy plants grow well. Next year's flowers may come from this year's growth.

Double Knockout Roses are awesome.

So are "Wave" petunias.

Checkerboard fuschias are both collectible and hardy, and look great growing in the shade near star jasmine and Southern Maidenhair ferns.

Pinto beans can sprout in the bottom of a wet kitchen sink, if left long enough.

Air potatoes can, apparently, sprout in a dark closet in a plastic bag with no soil, no water, and next to no light while certain persons try to decide whether to plant them at all due to their potentially invasive qualities.

That just about covers it!

Easy(er) Orchids for Houston

There is a good post over at The Lazy Gardener on this subject.

Eugenia Aggregata seeds

Here is what they looked like prior to soaking and planting:


Some of you may recall that these were sent to me late last June, before I learned that they can take up to a year to sprout. It seems to be more time efficient to just get one at a plant sale, or by mail order.

Tiddlywinks!

It's not just a game anymore. I don't have any recollection of when I first heard this word, but I do remember being fascinated by the mere sound of it as a small child. For more on the game, you can visit the website for the North American Tiddlywinks Association (Tiddlywinks.org). It seems there is a website for everything these days.

The game of Tiddlywinks reminds me of "POGs" which were popular back in the 90's. (Does anybody else remember those?)

Tiddlywinks is also the name for a miniature rose that I fell in love with this week at the nursery (pictured above). I couldn't stop staring at it, which of course meant it had to come home with me! Hmm. I wonder what a "pog" rose would look like.

According to the label, this one is grown on its own roots. I just hope they are resistant to blackspot.

WeeksRoses, which grows these, gives the following factoids about this plant on their website:

* Height / Habit: 12 to 18 inches/Bushy & round
* Bloom / Size: Medium-large, semi-double
* Petal Count: 15 to 20
* Fragrance: Slight
* Parentage: (Golden Holstein X Livin’ Easy) X Neon Cowboy
* Hybridizer: Carruth - 2008
* Comments: Deeper colors in cooler conditions.

Knockout Roses

I am looking forward to seeing these in my garden again:



Right now my Double Knockouts are taking a blooming break. In the meantime I suppose pictures will have to do.

I still love these plants. They have already survived a significant episode of leaf spot with most of their leaves intact.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Time to prune those roses! (And other shrubs)

Photo by Aaron. Used with permission.

This is also a great time for transplanting any tropical fruit or citrus trees.

Catnip update

So last spring I planted some catnip plants I picked up at the home improvement store.

They did great until the heavy rains came. Then root rot took them.



But not before they went to seed.


Little tiny catnip plants are now making appearances in the bed where the original two plants were.

The lessons here?

1. The people who tell you not to put good soil below ground level in gumbo are not kidding.
2. Catnip seeds grow spontaneously (and happily from the looks of things) when scattered in summertime.
3. Some plants do okay with their roots in gumbo, as long as they are in an area that is slightly higher than others, allowing for drainage.

Bluebonnet update

I scattered the seeds in the fall this time, and there are now several little baby bluebonnet plants popping up in my flowerbeds.

Rather than meticulously starting them in peat pots, I decided to just toss them out there. I figure if that works well enough for mother nature, it's good enough for me. After that, I did little else to them. I figure if they're Texas natives and I'm not, the bluebonnets probably know what's good for them, especially since they've been around here longer. :)

They began to come up in December, and they are still there. Even some of the Russell hybrids (which were all eaten last year) are surviving so far. Hopefully, we'll have flowers this time around!

Search: Tomato Varieties for Houston

Someone dropped by while Googling (I can't believe that's actually a verb now) for "Tomato varieties Houston Texas"

Your county Extension service or local Master Gardener should have some good information on tomato varieties. Also check with your nurseryman.

In her Lazy Gardener's Guide, Brenda Beust Smith recommends the following:

• Champion
• Celebrity
• Dona
• Early Goliath
• German Johnson
• Hawaiian
• Sweet Chelsea
• Texas Wild

In Year Round Fruits and Vegetables, Bob Randall recommends these (In order from large to small, with some repeats from Smith's list):

• Super Marmande (early)
• Dona (early)
• Carmello
• Big Beef
• Arkansas Traveler (late)
• Sweet Chelsea
• Sweet 100
• Texas wild (Produces in summer)
• Viva Italia (cooking)
• Sunmaster (Produces in summer)

For those of you growing your tomatoes iin pots, the Houston Garden Book recommends these for containerized tomato growing:

• Patio
• Pixie
• Tiny tim
• Saladette
• Stakeless
• Atom
  

For better information on growing tomatoes here in the Houston Metro Area, I strongly recommend getting copies of the books by Smith and Randall. These are most easily obtained by going to Urban Harvest.

Tomato Forum!

There is a discussion forum at Chron.com on tomato varieties for the Houston area.

Check it out.

Companion herbs for tomatoes

While you are getting your seeds spouted and considering where to put your tomatoes once they are ready to be transplanted, here is some interesting information:

According to the Houston Garden Book, tomatoes like to be planted with onions, parsley, carrots, chives, asparagus, marigolds, and nasturtiums. avoid planting them next to cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, potatoes, fennel, and corn.

January is for tomato seeds!

This is the month to start your tomato seeds indoors or in a greenhouse to get the earliest possible jump on the tomato season!

Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima)

Image Source: Wikipedia

Now that Christmas is over, I have two or more of these pretty plants hanging around my home.

Here are some links for those who would like to keep their plants alive for next year:

The Poinsettia Pages at University of Illinois Extension
Beginner-Gardening.com
Poinsettia Care in the Home
The Helpful Gardener

Search: How to prepare for a freeze warning

Someone in Florida wanted to know. We deliver.

According to the National Weather Service (apologies for the caps--its the NWS, not me!),

A FREEZE WARNING MEANS SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE IMMINENT OR
HIGHLY LIKELY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL KILL CROPS AND OTHER
SENSITIVE VEGETATION. MEASURES SHOULD BE TAKEN TO PROTECT TENDER
VEGETATION...PARTICULARLY THOSE THAT HAVE BLOOMED OUT OF SEASON.
BRING POTTED PLANTS INDOORS OR COVER WITH A BLANKET OR PROTECTIVE
COVERING.

It is good to know the cold hardiness of your various plants, so you know what to bring in, what to cover, and what to leave alone. If you can, find out roughly how cold it will get and for how long. Some plants can tolerate light, short freezes without a lot of help, while others are more fastidious.

I have been keeping some of my tender sub-tropicals in a temporary greenhouse, which I heat on chilly nights with a couple of strands of Christmas lights. While this looks pretty, and so far has been sufficient for keeping the greenhouse 5-10 degrees warmer than the surrounding air, I will need to have some more effective heating methods on hand when the lows begin to drop into the 20's here. So far, all of the plants I have been sheltering managed to survive our first frost quite admirably (click here for online news coverage of that). In fact, my Lipstick hibiscus continues to bloom happily as if nothing was happening.

I have done nothing to my Double Knockout Roses, and they continue to appear quite happy, even producing the occasional blossom here and there. I expect they'll last the winter here, as they're very cold hardy. But if you want some links to information on protecting your roses this winter, click here.

By the way, tonight is supposed to get close to freezing, so you may want to bring in your most sensitive plants.


For the shorter freezes that we get here in the greater Houston area and other mild gulf-coast regions, the brief guidelines provided at this website or at this one should be sufficient for most occasions.  If you want to be extra prepared, or live someplace where snowshovels might be needed, you'll probably want to take your advice from someone who hasn't spent her whole life living in coastal California and southeast Texas!

The bottom line with a freeze warning is this: keep your pets, sensitive plants, and family from freezing!

Surinam Cherry (Eugenia uniflora) Profile and links

Photo Source: Australian-Insects.com

Common Names: Brazil/Brazilian cherry, Cayenne cherry, pitanga, Florida cherry
Nativity: Introduced to US from Brazil
Category: Subtropical/Tropical/Tender perennial
Landscape uses: bush, hedge
Height: to 25 feet
Spacing: 10-12 feet
Habit: Tree/Shrub
Growth Rate: Slow
Duration: Perennial
Flowers: White, spring to early summer, depending on climate
Fruit: Red, sweet, edible, approx 3 weeks after flowers
Soil: acidic-neutral. Tolerates most soils and textures. Does not tolerate salt.
Light: Full sun to part shade
Water Needs: Average. Do not over or under water.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 10-11 (to 30 °F) (established plants known to survive temps to 22°F with minor damage)
Propagation: From seed in spring. Collect from overripe fruit.
Toxicity: Seeds should not be eaten. Odor of pruned plants may irritate lungs of sensitive individuals.

This plant is listed as invasive in the state of Florida, and is known to set seed in areas where the climate is friendly to young plants.

These can be grown in 5 gal or larger containers in areas where it will be necessary to move them to shelter during a freeze.

A close relative of Eugenia Aggregata.

Links:
From Purdue University
Dave's Garden
USDA Plants Database
Plants of Hawaii

So much for Albizia Julibrissin

I have been wondering why I only see these trees in older neighborhoods. It turns out they are categorized as invasive plants here in Texas. I'm glad I found this out before I did anything stupid...like planting one.

Just one more reason to check your state's list of invasive plants. Some specimens are hard to come by for a reason.

For a profile of A. julibrissin and alternatives, click the link above, which gives a list as follows:

Resembles/Alternatives:

* Chilopsis linearis (desert willow)
* Prosopis glandulosa (honey mesquite)

Many other small to medium-sized trees make excellent alternatives including:

* Calliandra eriophylla (fairyduster)
* Calliandra conferta (Rio Grande stickpea)
* Amelanchier arborea (common serviceberry)
* Cercis canadensis (eastern redbud)
* Cornus florida (flowering dogwood)
* Betula nigra (river birch)
* Chionanthus virginicus (white fringetree)

Other alternatives include serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea), river birch (Betula nigra), redbud (Cercis canadensis), fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua).

Source: TexasInvasives.org

Bougainvillea

Bougainvilleas are wonderful because they look their best when they are abused.. These South American natives bloom the most when they are hot, underwatered, and their roots are constricted--which is why around here it is best to keep them in containers. They can be trained as just about anything from groundcover, to shrub, to tree (If they are properly supported), to climbing vine. Woohoo! My kind of plant.

They are pretty thorny, though, so make sure your hands and arms are properly protected when you handle them.

Bougainvillea "La Jolla". Photo Source: Desert-Tropicals.com

I recently got a "Sundown" and a "San Diego Red" (a.k.a. "La Jolla"). Both are pretty, but with the weather cooling down, it's time to think about protecting them.

For the time being, during the last two cold nights we have had, I have put them under a kind of temporary lean-to shelter against the house on my back porch, involving a frost cloth purchased at my local nursery and plenty of duct tape. While this kept my more tender plants about 10 degrees warmer than the open air, it will become impractical in the middle of winter, and as there is no room in my garage, I have had to look for other options. This means, of course that I have been spending a lot of time with Google.

From what I have seen, the universal bottom line is don't let them freeze. They sometimes die back or go dormant during colder months, but usually bounce back later if their roots are properly protected.

Phil and Jean Hovey recommend sheltering them fron any temperatures below 40 degrees, hence the little makeshift lean-to mentioned above. This Southeast Texas gardening website recommends protecting them from temps 50 degrees or below. Some people suggest leaving them in the garage or in the house one freezing temperatures begin, and only watering them once per month, before returning them to the outdoors after all danger of frost is past. Greenhouses can be handy too. I plan to keep mine in a temporary pop-out greenhouse, once I get my hands on one.

As they are only hardy to zones 9-11, plants in colder regions need to be especially well protected.


I couldn't possibly cover everything in a single blog post, so here, then, are some bougainvillea links for your perusal.

Plant Profiles:
Floridata
Wikipedia


General Care Tips:
Southeast Texas Gardening: Growing Bougainvillea
PlantAnswers.com
Texas A&M Plant Answers
Plant-Care.com