kvetch - my sister has a whole bed of different hostas in the front of her yard and fortunately the landscapers don't mow them down BUT.... the deer do! Ack! LOL It's like delectable salad greens. Every single plant gets munched down to the nubs. It's really a shame. My little hosta ("June") that I bought last year bloomed for the first time this year so I'm happy! It is also one that is resistant (so far) to the huge slugs that I get out there...

Regarding the messaging thing here on GW, it has been flakey for far too long. I think sometimes it has issues if the user has changed account names, despite the settings being done correctly (I ran into that with a couple folks). It's like it takes longer to propagate through their database before it finally "activates".

Kvetch, check now. Thanks for the input! Some one here told me the info prior. I had no idea. I enabled 'all' users to message me now. Check it out and see if you can see the message option buddy. Nice.

Jenny, for such a small area, you do a pretty darn good job at growing what you like nice and neatly. Just amazing. I love that area. Wow. I'll bet at time you still wish you could plant one of every plant in the world..lol I do.

Mike

Mike, your messaging function is now enabled :-))

Gardengal48, thanks. Message me anytime))

Mike - Trying to stuff in so much is a damn shame too! Hee hee. :-D And it's not just stuffing it anywhere - it's putting these things where they can get the type of sun that they need or can at least tolerate too. And then trying to keep a space clear so I can sit out there and enjoy it. lol

And as a "cut back" post - I just trimmed a new Plectranthus Cerveza 'n Lime® that I got for free at a PA Hort. Society members plant dividend. One of my sisters wanted some cuttings so am trying some in water to start. It had already been trimmed to be bushy but had grown some longer shoots in the 3 weeks that I've had it, so got some practice cutting it back some. I believe it is sortof considered a "succulent". I have kept it inside since I got it so it is currently growing as a "houseplant".

Oh boy!! Jenny, do you know what I would do with that spot?

I would drive in some 2x4's, tall enough to rise about 4 feet above your head, then make a boxed in area covered by strong plastic sheeting and that plastic they use for greenhouses! That would extend the growing season for you, and keep you even warmer when using the space heater..lol Oh yeah , I would enclose that area and sit in a nice chair and read a book after I have sprayed down everything for added humidity..lol NIce Jenny

Ohhh jenny that’s a pretty hosta! I think I like the pale green leaves much better than ours with white margins. But I love how large our hosta flowers are. One time I saw a hosta in someones yard and I couldn’t even tell it was a hosta by how tiny its flowers and flower stalk was. Only knew by the way the leaves looked. I’ve been too spoiled by our family’s old hostas lol

Mike I managed to send you a message so it definitely works now :)

Mike - LOL Unfortunately it is a rental but yeah, I've thought of some type of structure to try, albeit a smaller one, even if it is a lean-to. And there is a plug out there. They just put that enclosed privacy fencing and gate up last summer (which was a nuisance because I basically had to put my gardening in stasis while they were doing all the construction/landscaping around the houses). Whereas when I first moved here, there were some old slat fence panels on either side dividing each house, with 2 small panels to form corners on those dividers (opposite the house), and the rest of the space (which was the width of the slab) was completely open! Once it was enclosed, I had to rethink where stuff would go.

But then since they had brand new 4" fence posts there, I could finally mount my weather station up higher than I had it originally -

kvetch - I grew up with my mom's HUGE all-green ones with scapes almost 2ft tall and the whole plant almost 2ft wide if it was a rainy spring/summer (never knew what variety) and her old variegated 'Undulata Albomarginata'. Of course the hosta varieties are now endless (as the Hosta collectors on that forum can attest) - I like the miniatures too. There is a cool site that I found for our area that helps people try to ID those old generation hostas - https://www.delvalhosta.org/what-hosta-do-i-have

Thank you jenny! I’ll definitely try out that site to ID our hosta :)

Jenny, you are too funny. Love that set up. I can imagine how you felt when they starting putting up those privacy fences. Nice and yet not nice. But for what's it's worth, what a cute private space. Did you ever step back and look at how big your space was and even ourself and think of how insignificantly small we are in comparison to the world or universe? Crazy right? I was looking at my yard the other day and couldn't believe how small it is comparable to the world.lol

Kvetch, boy oh boy do I love Hosta! You should see the ones I have.lol I even have a coupe that grow pure white in the spring time and change colors as time goes by. My favorite! Got your message by the way!

Mike

Last year

This year

Whooooa Mike are those last 3 photos the same hosta you say changes color through the season? What a showstopper! And that chtistmas cactus is probably the most gorgeous of all the holiday cacti. Also beautiful flowers on your jade. I’m starting to get interested in hoyas too! I’m currently researching them before deciding on which to purchase. Your hoya is looking adorable, I love when the flowers are in that Supreme Crunch Wrap stage lol! Which hoya variety is that one and what difficulty level does it have?

Kvetch, thanks. I think that one is easy to care for. I have only grown in it in my greenhouse or outside. It's the only hoya other than the Finolsii that I grow in there. They don't get overwhelming big thank god.lol The ones I have in my plant room get huge! That one is called a Hoya Autralis Lisa, one of the most pretty leafed ones even without flowers)

https://www.google.com/search?q=lisa+hoya&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS790US790&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiLtZa_kIzeAhXPmuAKHQgOBpQQ_AUIDigB&biw=1190&bih=623

The holiday cactus is quite unique. The new growth after it flowers comes on as orange and red, then to yellow and light green. Let me see if I have a small one of it with the orange emerging leaves..Here you go)

A smaller one

Even smaller.

Same one as above

This is a variegated type I once had that I truly miss. A good friend here is going to help me replace it!

Hay Y'all Your plants look so nice. Here is what I take care of for my customer

customer's plants

My plants

I talk to all my plants but my "Dieffeinbachia" does't listen.

Steve

Mike - I know "postage stamp" when I see it when it comes to gardening. But those of us with postage stamp gardens can grow a whole lot! We may be tiny in the scheme of things but when a hummingbird or a monarch finds my little spot and the oasis I have made for them, then I ain't so small after all! I'm just like the big guys! LOL

kvetch - look out! Hoyas can be as addictive as the citrus are here in the citrus forum (and the same for cactus/succulents, hostas and daylilies and plumeria and....). You may soon succumb to the old infectious GW disease known as "PJIC" (plants jump into cart). LOL

Steve - that's a nice assortment that you are baby-sitting! :-D And I know that diffy ain't having it. lol

As a sidenote - a pic of one of my BIL's many succulents (a stapelia) blooming last week before it was brought in to overwinter -

Wow ok you’ve convinced me Mike, I would try rooting that yellow and peach tipped christmas cactus. I’m just worried I don’t have the right rooting conditions for it so maybe sometime later when we are closer to spring :) I’m glad your friend will help you replace your other variegated one. You guys must’ve put alot of effort tracking down these special variegated ones. I think you’re also right about the Hoya Australis being good for beginners. Love the way the shape and color of those leaves, you’ve grown yours well! There’s another I’ve seen with a different type of beautiful variegation called Hoya krohniana ‘eskimo’ that is great for both beginners and advanced growers

Another one with similarly unique leaves but also fuzziness!

Steve your customers have some nicely arranged succulent bowls. Are those sweet potatoes also being watched for your customers? They look tasty and ready to chow down on

Jenny I know I’m slowly catching it the disease! I’m getting into jades and cactus all thanks to the cacti/succulents forum. They’re always posting stunning photos of the colors they turn and the flowers that bloom. And I’ve always been somewhat interested in hoyas and plumies but never got any. I’m considering them now that I’m seeing pictures of how easy plumies overwinter. However I started loving plumies bc of the white/yellow ones I saw everywhere in Taiwan. I don’t think I’d want any plumeria except the Taiwan plumeria so I think my PJIC condition isn’t too bad yet :)

Steve, Oh Steve, I know which ones belong to you! They are orange in color, right? lol Nice plants by the way and good work.

Kvetch, I have that one some where.lol Too funny and the smell of the flowers is to die for. Lol Nice looking are they not? Ok. I will start some cuttings for you right now so that by sprng I can send you a nice box of goodies. You need to remind though, ok. I am notoriously bad for forgetting by then. Just keep in touch now that you can message me,ok Promise?

Jenny, true that!! I am with you. You would not believe the things that visit my yard other than the bad ones. I have dragon flies, frogs, butterflies, bees, humming birds, different bird species I have never seen, finches, and many others because of my pond and many variety of fragrant plants. Thanks to a good friend here, you can add Milk Weeds to the mix.lol Never enough to stick in my postage yard. My other house has acres, I just wish I could afford to live there and pay taxes, my sister does that.

Jenny_in_se_pa

your 'snow queen' looks older and larger than mine. Nice indoor set up. Great idea to use tripods for the lights. I should look for these tripods too. I moved mine inside today. It will get down to 30s tonight. Nice little oasis you have in your yard.

Mike, thanks. fun topic although we off topic a lot.LOL

kvetch - The hoya flowers are pretty cool and the fragrance is a bonus! Although one thing about them is that the flowers may drip excess nectar when flowering. Also you most certainly can find that plumeria. Searching around at some sites, the plumie you are thinking of looks to be a Plumeria alba cultivar (white with yellow center) that has been around there for a couple hundred years and that (or something that looks like it) is probably easy to find. There's always that anticipation waiting for your cutting to finally bloom! My big "baby" this year when it was blooming (and these blooms were fragrant) -

Mike - the milkweed will also bring honey bees. I noticed that when mine bloomed for the first time that I had it last year, they were all over it. This past year was so weird with the weather that I didn't seen that many but at least I did still get the monarchs again -

rockdale - Mine was like that when I first bought it (in 2012). I took a pic of it today down in its wintering spot -

The stands that I use are these - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A5CGV1Y/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I just got another pair a couple days ago. They can extend up to 7ft and I use clamp-on lights on them. To help the clamp-ons sit securely, you can sandwich something (folded paper towel, etc) between the clamp and the pole too, which I have been trying to get around to...lol. But otherwise, you can put several lamps on it at different heights to increase coverage. What's also good about them is that they will fold up and can be stored away in a closet using their included bags.

Thank you Mike! I’ll definitely keep in contact especially since I have to find some things to send you. You seem to have all the plants one could ever have though so my quest will be long and difficult lol

jenny wow thank you! I’ve never looked it up online since legally shipping plants internationally is too much of a hassle. I thought it would also be hard to find a variety name since these kinds of things get lost in translation sometimes unless they’re extremely popular over here like osmanthus fragrans. I’ll start looking into it :) And I agree, the anticipation for plumerias must be intense. They have one of the prettiest blooms!

lets keep this thread going!!!

I did not plan to but I have to cut the lower right branch of my variegated jade plant to fit into my windowsill. It is too heavy on the right side anyway.

Before

after

Jenny

i also grow plumeria, one set buds for me last year but it is too cold to develop to flower. After I move them inside under light, the buds just dropped. I am surprised that you have flowers on yours- that gives me hope. This year they did nothing for me. I overwinter mine in basement though. maybe I should continue grow it under light for the winter? Sorry for the blurry pic - basement lights.

rockdale - both this year and last year, my plumie didn't bloom until late in the summer - this year, it was almost the end of August (last year it bloomed a few weeks earlier near the end of July). From what I've read over the years (unless it is a dwarf/compact type or is some unique species) they need about 12" of new growth to form an inflo for blooms. The sun exposure that you see mine in is literally facing south-southwest and that location gets about 8 - 9 hours of sun during the summer. That is probably the sunniest part of my patio, which is why I put it there. Your plumie looks young and may need another year to mature and get a better bloom and might also need more sun.

Last year was the first year mine bloomed (I had it for 3 years and started it as a cutting) and it originally had 3 branches. The branch that bloomed (the tallest one), formed 2 new branches. This year, now having 4 total branches, 3 of them bloomed and the smallest of the new branches from last year didn't bloom. As the old inflos are starting to wither, I noticed that one of the branches is splitting into 3 and the other 2 branches appear to each be splitting into 2, so I should end up with 7 branches. I finally got it hauled down to the basement today and placed it near the bottom of the steps on a dolly. I will eventually move it into the cooler "storage" part of the basement that gets no light (except if I turn an overhead bulb on) and let it sleep!

And one of these days I WILL prune my jade! One day... lol I have watched enough youtube videos on it. I just have this guilt thing of not wanting to toss out what could be new plants from the cuttings but then I am struggling to take care of what I have as it is! LOL Heck, I even started some baby jades from leaves that had little roots on them that dropped off and haven't up-potted those yet (and it's been several years now...lol).

Rockdale I really like the way your jade looks after the cut. With less of that crowding you can now appreciate the leaves and the variegation much better! I especially like the huge rock lol is that meant for stability of the trunk?

jenny thats great information for plumeria blooming! I’m going to save your post for when I have a plumeria in the future. I saw a very dark plumeria on ebay a couple days ago actually, if you guys are interested :)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/PLUMERIA-8-12-INCH-CUTTING-RARE-DARK-RED-BEAUTIFUL-SITE-AND-SMELL-/253414528911

A pic of three plumeria cuttings from Aug 2015 with one of them flowering. In this case, the inflo was already on the cutting when I planted it. This is the common plumeria. The mother plant is huge for my house and I need to drastically chop it sometime soon. These three I gave to friends that year. I have another one that has red flowers.

LOL @ kvetch! Addicted! :-D As a side note, the reds can be harder to root than some of the other colors and I expect that one you linked to will probably vary in color depending on the temps. It's pretty cool to see how the blooms change color when it is cooler or hotter.

Also kvetch - the plumie in tropicofcancer's post is probably the one you want to get if you can't find any Plumeria alba.. It's a common one in Hawai'i and is also white with yellow center (sometimes will also be sold as Plumeria rubra "Celadine").

Kvetch: Once my plants have settled in (I am still moving them around) I can send you a cutting if the weather holds. Or definitely in spring if you can wait.

I grew up with this plumeria in India. It is a common street tree in my hometown. In fact, when I visited Hawaii it felt like home walking the streets there.

Surprised by how yellow that Schlum of yours is, Mike. Imagine with the lack of chlorophyll it would be a mighty slow grower.

Never saw a plumeria that dark color before, Kvetch.

Jenny thanks for all the tips about plumeria, I wish we had a longer grow season, maybe one month longer then I would see the flower of my plumeria last year. Last winter, the trunk actually rotted a little fortunately just the tip so I can still save the whole plants. Of course this summer they were in a recovery mode so no sign of flower at all.

Kvetch, yes I think I like it better this way. Before the cut the right side was so overweighted. And yes the rock is in there so that the plant won't tip over. :)

My basement is a mess right now with all the plants moved in. It will take me some time to find a right place to put all the pots. But for now the hibiscus and others will be in front of a western face window.

I read the banana can be stored dormant in basement but it is my their first year - I am afraid to loss them that way.

rockdale - the thing to remember about the hibiscus is that they bloom on new growth so you want to encourage it to grow and eventually the new branches will form bloom buds. But they are often late in our cooler zones and end up blooming in late-summer and fall and even in winter! LOL While yours is indoors, you could consider cutting it back in January and then try to grow it through the rest of the winter and spring so that it will be able to mature the new growth by mid-late summer to get some blooms.

As for the banana - they grow from large "corms" and in cooler conditions/dormancy, you want to make sure it is not kept wet or the corm will rot. Depending on how old your plant is, you may end up seeing some banana pups pop up around the mother plant.

Well then I need to visit pay Hawaii a nice long visit!

Tropic thank you for considering me! I really don’t mind getting one online but if you end up with too much plumeria after it’s chopped back then I would love to give it a try. Sometimes seeing or remembering plumerias makes me really sad that we’re not more tropical here lol

Paul, I didn’t know they could be that dark too. I always assumed they’re mostly white/yellow with maybe pink mixed in sometimes

LOL jenny it’s not my fault if I end up addicted!! I’ll make sure to get the two plumerias I’ve seen on my visits for sentimental reasons and no more. I’ll post the photos of the plumerias again for those that aren’t in the other thread

^photo taken in Taiwan. I’m noticing the petals have a white streak going through the middle of the yellow area. Maybe that’s typical of every plumeria

^photo also taken in Taiwan. So amazingly, perfectly gorgeous! I’m absolutely going to search for this one

kvetch - Yup, you are hooked! LOL If you post that pic on the plumeria forum you might be able to get someone to provide suggestions for a cultivar that looks similar (although again, they will often vary their colors depending on the temperatures). There are literally hundreds and hundreds of named cultivars and no-name hybrid seedlings and sports, so that could be anything, but you might be able to find something close. :-D

kvetchlambkin (nyc 7b)

"Well then I need to visit pay Hawaii a nice long visit!

Paul, I didn’t know they could be that dark too. I always assumed they’re mostly white/yellow with maybe pink mixed in sometimes"

That's what you'll typically see in the islands. Had one in the backyard when I lived on Oahu. Lived on the dry side of the island so for the summer it would drop all its leaves.

Man I would love to have a backyard planted plumeria Paul! I’ve looked at the dark ones on ebay and I definitely prefer the lighter colored palettes :)

jenny, yep I just looked into the importation rules of plumerias lol!! Only need a phyto. cert for them :) hehe I may ask the plumeria forum if they’ve seen any similar ones. Or I could wait until my next overseas visit :)))

kvetch - I warned in the other thread for you to not go here -

https://www.junglejacksplumeria.com/

or here - https://www.floridacolorsplumeria.com/

LOL

Jenny, thanks I did not know hibiscus flowers on new growth, I will definitely cut it back coming spring. Yes, my banana tree has lots of pups in the same pot, will repot them coming spring, right now just finger crossed that they will survive the winter :)

@Kvetch: That dark flowered one would look very nice if it was planted amongst several of the bright or white colored ones, I imagine. HOWEVER, being the suspicious type person I am when it comes to things on the net -- especially "flea bay" sales, I inquired on the plumeria forum. Was informed there is no such thing as a dark purple or blue plumeria. The sale item is fraudulent.

Kvetch, I sat under one in my yard in Puerto Rico and could smell the blossoms with such nice humidity in the air. Just a short walk distance to the left of my house orange blossoms nestled next to coffee tree blossoms. I miss being there. But what caught my eye more than anything was the huge plumeria trees lining the Caribbean Sea at the hotel. That was when I wanted them so bad. I wish I had a set up where I could be successful with them. They can be addicting! Beautiful.

We use to cut them way back to keep them full and in tons of blooms while we would just stick the cut pieces into the dirt and they would just grow. It was so easy there!

I cut these guys back 22 days ago and they've started flowering for me this week! They were severely etiolated when I bought them, and I'm slowly trying to fix it. I think they're going to need to be cut back even further soon (perhaps down to the soil; I doubt they'll ever fill in until I do this, but it's scary!), but for now I'm going to enjoy these adorably tiny blooms!

Before and after cutting:

Today:

Definitely looks like a second round of cutting would be beneficial. Could use more light as well, I think. Wouldn't worry about it this time of year, though. Wait for spring and warmer weather.

I currently keep it next to a very bright west-facing window with the blinds adjusted so it only gets some filtered sun. Does it need more? I'm really confused, because one day when I left it in direct sunlight for a few hours, the stems collapsed (they got better that night after I took them out of all light, so I'm certain that it wasn't caused by anything else).

Paul makes a great point. I would cut it back hard myself. And yes, this time of the year anything needs lots of direct sunlight. The elongation is a tell tale sign. Nice plant by the way. Thank you

Favor, if you put your zone next to your user name, that would help us help you.

I was contemplating recently trimming this peperomia and these flower spikes shot up. The top of the plant is stretched due to low light levels. Do the flowers produce seeds?

If pollinated, then "yes" the Peperomia will produce seeds. What you are seeing is not "a" flower but rather what botanically may be referred to as a "rachis" -- a stem bearing numerous minute flowers. Each of those little bumps give rise to flowers. Individual flowers are so tiny, you basically need a really strong magnifying glass or a microscope to get a good look at them. Depending upon the species or hybrid, the flowers may be green, white, or red. Here's and example of my Peperomia prostrata in bloom. Those little red dots are the flowers -- and I took this photo through a magnifying glass. They're that tiny.

Sunlight varies considerably by latitude, region, and season. For example, in the summer, the light from my balcony is strong and hot. I have had some orchids burn sitting by the glass doors. During the winter here, we can go days or sometimes even weeks without a glimpse of sun -- just gray overcast. During that time, the light is so weak that high light plants or even medium light ones may etiolate. In addition, keep in mind that the glass itself cuts down on the amount of light entering your home. And then there is the simple fact that plants need time to adjust to sudden changes in conditions -- especially light intensity. Think what would happen to a Caucasian living in the Great White North who, after being indoors for months, decides in early March to go vacation in Arizona. What will happen to them when they go on that 15km afternoon hike in the desert with no sunscreen?

Thank you Paul for your informative post, I learned new things about this plant :) The plant is sitting by an east facing window, no direct sunlight at all from October to February. My kids like succulents in their rooms, but the rooms are not as bright and sunny as my livingroom. Will observe the tiny flowers as they bloom! Do I pollinate them with a fine brush?

You can try. Best you will likely be able to do is gently drag a soft, fine brush back and forth across the rachis and hope some pollen gets transferred.

Thank you for finding out about the purple plumeria Paul! Glad I didn’t fall for it and that I didn’t even like that one lol

Wow sunshine your peperomia looks so nice with that new rachis growth. I like the antler look it gives off and a nice contrast to the round shiny leaves. Hope you get some seeds!

daxeek thats a pretty plant! I usually don’t expect foliage plants to make pretty looking flowers. They’re normally inconspicuous. Thats a cute one tho!

mike that sounds like the ultimate relaxing getaway...or retirement location lol! I had a friend that used to live in boston and I’d always hear of how early the cold would descend on them. I hope you get to move some miles down to where you would actually get the rain and somewhere with a nice open horizon for sunshine! That might be just enough to get plumerias flowering in your zone! One day I’ll get that pretty plumeria from Taiwan and when I do, I’ll be sure to share it with you guys

Kevtech, you are so right! I have always dreamed of living on a prairie on a wide open space unobstructed sunlight in all my windows looking over range with land on end. I wish. Like the people had in the old west. you know what I would do with a million dollars. Buy that and set a plumeria tree right on that land in full sun all summer long. I wish buddy. You get that plant from Taiwan and then send me a cutting. Only then will I try if coming from you. I can tell you this. I have managed to keep a Desert Rose alive for at least 4 years now, started from seed in my sunny south facing window. I spray with Safer's Soap every month to prevent mites which I should try with a plumeria. hum)))

Mike, it may be some time before my next visit. You’ll have time to mentally prepare yourself until then :) You’d be surprised how different the cost of living can be in different states. My boyfriend visited Denver a couple years ago and they had lots of huge newly built houses that were probably less than half the cost of the houses in our states! He said they looked like mansions to him for alot less than houses here. They were all empty too because Denver is one of those small cities expected to attract many new homeowners. It looked really beautiful in the photos but I don’t remember if their were plains. It was the same in San Antonio when we visited relatives (10 years ago tho lol). Compared housing prices and cost of living between the different locations and they got much more space and a nicer area for alot less than us.

Has your desert rose bloomed for you? I bet those spider mites keep coming back bc the rain seems to barely miss you every time