Mistletoe in Summer and other Fun Things

Mama used to grow this little cactus. I forget what she called it, but it wasn't Mistletoe.

She didn't call it Rhipsalis, either, from the Greek word for Wickerwork.

I first saw this epiphytic cactus on Rainforest Garden blog.

I found a little pot of Rhipsalis and  one of Burro Tail Sedum at a garden center in Tallahassee.

I divided the cactus into three pots and am rooting the pieces that broke off the Burro Tail.

These jungle plants are surviving in the heat and humidity of the greenhouse.

I moved the potting bench and some other fixtures of the greenhouse, including Ike's Wicker stand. Ike isn't overly impressed with the new locations but it may work out better in the winter. He'll be able to jump up on the bench where the flower arrangement sits and onto his beloved shelf on the left. He likes the potting bench, too.

About the flowers -- this didn't work out so well. The resinous scent of the purple Vitex almost did me in. By the time I took it in the house, it had to come right back out and I removed the smelly stuff that was making my nose itch and burn. I left the Oakleaf Hydrangea, Echinacea, Kniphofia and Shrimp Plant. It's still a big bouquet and overwhelms the kitchen table. I'm going back to bud vases.

Ike and Julia and a Backup Plan

Ike the Cat followed me around the garden. I heard Mockingbirds scolding. I couldn't see Ike, but I saw Black eyed Susans waving. Ike was hiding while he chewed a bit of Lemon Grass. Cymbopogon is a fav of both the cat and dog. I pot up a clump for the greenhouse and they chew it all winter.

Lemon Grass is a fav of mine, too. I've had a hard time

taking to grasses. Cymbopogon makes a pretty bluish clump.

Julia Child is my fav Floribunda.

Another look at Julia

I moved two Mariesii Hydrangeas at the beginning of summer. What I thought was a shady spot got middday and early afternoon sun. Despite copious watering, they dried up and died. I had a backup plan. I've killed these before when I moved the first cuttings that had rooted so well when I stuck them in the ground. I took cuttings again. These have put on new growth. Now to make a plan for keeping them alive through the winter. When they reach blooming size, they have blue lacecap blossoms.

Mariesii in a previous year, cutting grown 

Flowers and text are from the garden of Nell Jean blogged on Dotty Plants Journal in hot, humid Southwest Georgia.

Ike and Buffy, Gardening

Night Blooming Cereus, Epiphyllum

Wind blew the smallest pot of Night Blooming Cereus off the carport ledge and broke the ceramic pot. It lay on the concrete for a day until I finally stuffed it into a plastic nursery pot. The bud hung on and last night it opened.



The pets enjoyed the attention paid the flower because it meant humans came outside past bedtime.

You can see other, better pictures of epiphyllum blooms here: Night Blooming Cactus on my Seedscatterer Blog.

Family Outing

The Old Dog loved to ride. Buffie is not so sure and resists getting on board. Since Buffie is reluctant, Ikey the Cat has decided he loves to ride because he gets attention. Then Buffie gets aboard because Ikey is there. These pics are the only two I got, pointing the camera back toward us, before Buffie jumped ship.

Buffie and Ikey Posing in the Garden

Ikey Takes Over the Dog Hut

Four days after we spent a bundle at the vet's to get Ikey neutered and current on cat shots, he disppeared. He showed up three days later, worse for wear. We had worried he'd been carried off by coyotes or such. He'd obviously been in a cat fight, with a wound on his leg, a droopy eye and a sore on his lip, typical of cats fighting. People around us have huge tomcats, Ikey needs to learn his own ample territory.

For his well-being, the Dog Hut has been transformed into a cat refuge, but the sign remains. A puppy is in Ikey's future, he just doesn't know about it yet. When Cur lived in the Dog Hut, the front was open. There is now a door with a notch for Ikey to go in and out.


Ikey shows off his new light fixture, which should put out just enough heat for a furry kitty to stay comfy on freezing nights. Last night with a single bulb, it stayed at 50 degrees, while outside dipped into the twenties.


Late Note: When the new puppy came to live here, Ikey moved up to a penthouse cat hut atop the dog hut, which he likes much better. It's nice and cozy with a fleece bed and a pink blanket.