Bloom Day Preview

Angel Wing Begonia

Appleblossom in different stages of bloom.

White Shrimp Plant: White bracts, pink blossoms.

Bloom Day in the January Greenhouse

Angel Wing Begonia

Wax Leaf Begonia

Another red begonia in front of budded Hyacinths.

White Pearl Hyacinths, promising.

Last of the Schlumbergeras.

Kalanchoes. I think I'll buy a red one.

Tall leggy Kalanchoes starting to bloom.

White Shrimp Plant, rooted and 

blooming in a jar of water.

To see what's blooming outside, go here.

Bloom Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Linked to Tootsie Time Flower Flaunt

Like Transplanting in a Steam Bath

We had a half inch of rain last night. Today is alternating cloudy and sunny. The temperature and the humidity were neck and neck for a while.

Just before noon, the temp was 79 and the humidity was 81. When humidity gets that high, sweating doesn't cool you, the moisture beads on your skin and rolls off rather than evaporating.



White Shrimp Plant

I transplanted Shrimp plants and some others. Everything went into the Upper Garden in part shade. There were red Shrimps and a big Gerbera seedling.

Echinacea in the Upper Garden in shade

The red Shrimp Plants went in beside some Echinacea and the little Mariesii Hydrangeas.  I tucked the Gerbera Daisy near another one.

The greenhouse needs to be as empty as possible for summer. Ike the Cat is still going in there but he crawls under the potting bench to rest on the cool floor just out of reach of the mist.

I transplanted a half dozen Tomato seedlings today, one to replace the one the cutworm got in my Tomato Patch and more in sunny beds where I used varieties with more colorful fruits that are not red.

Christmas and Easter Cactus cuttings.

 

 

I am keeping a close eye on Cactus cuttings for viruses. They may need to move back inside this week until rain is over. I already removed some in plastic pots from cache pots that do not drain.

 

 

 



 

 

 


 

We Are in that Time when Plants Want to Go Outside

Late yesterday I planted all but one of the Gerbera Daisies That you see

lined up along the timber to the back of this bed behind Sweet Williams.

Pentas on the ground are ready for planting as some in the garden return from

roots. I can never be positive they will return, so I always have cuttings.

Some things moved out, some wait. Bird's nest fern will go in the house.

 

Datura seed in yogurt cups. Only Purple have a set of true leaves.

Datura likes hot weather.

 

 

Kalancoe cuttings needing a spot outside or pots.

 

Persian Shield cuttings, ready for a shady location. 

White Shrimp Plant putting on blooms, finally.

Red Shrimp plant outside is blooming like crazy. 

 

                                                                                  

Chartreuse alternanthera cuttings.

Alternanthera in the garden is emerging from its roots in spots, some failed.

Alternanthera blooms in winter, insignificant white blossoms.

 

It is the time of year when I am fearful of putting plants into cool soil, fearful of a late frost, sure that Spring has sprung because I see new growth, overwhelmed at all the tasks ahead knowing that hot weather will be here soon when I'll need to stay inside where it's cool and the permanent greenhouse tropical plants will spend the summer out under trees in partial shade.

 

Are you ready for Spring?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does This Plant Make my Garden Look more Exotic?

Last night I reviewed plants in my copy of The Exotic Garden by Iversen. Today I looked online at the exotic plants at Great Dixter. Later in the day, Tara Dillard wrote of connecting palms and cones to Piedmont Canopy in Atlanta zone 7 to enhance a client's lovely swimming pool view, adding a new dimension to my train of thought.

Meanwhile, I am making lists of exotic plants that thrive in zone 8b. The list of exotic plants at Great Dixter that I am not going to plant is longer than the list of those I grow or aspire to. I am not going to plant Musa Basjoo. They are commonly seen over in the next county. I think bananas look out of place here and are particularly ugly killed back in the winter, great hulking dead masses. I won't have Morning Glory, either. I saw a sky-blue bloom on Saturday, far away from my garden. They're weedy here. I stretched the limits of horticulture sensibilities when I planted cycads with Anthony Waterer spirea and dogwoods. I stuck pink begonia cuttings in pots with Duranta during the winter, starting a new combo for the pinks and magentas in the upper garden.

                       Alpinias and Justicia brandegeana

Gingers are on my list of desirable exotic plants and so are Shrimp plants. I overwintered three different evergreen gingers in the greenhouse. All three will come back from the roots and are doing so quite well, but the protected ones have a head start. So it is with Shrimp plant, except this mild winter they fared very well in the cold and are blooming early. There's a Curcuma in there somewhere awaiting her cue to show up for the party. Curcumas need a rest period, so they remain outside.

These two are good companions with pale yellow daylilies:

Yellow in the Alpinias picks up the pale greens in immature Shrimp bracts. Subtle.

More Cannas like this yellow stripe and

a dark leafed one are on the list.

Later in the summer, annuals like melampodium will add stronger yellows. I'll add and subtract from my list of butterfly treats and exotics from seed like Datura. Herbs will mingle with florals and vegetables will grow in containers. It's all fun.