Busy, busy

So much to report of this morning's considerable work which began by spraying the gardenia with an organic pest spray. It's defends against insects and a number of diseases. I found some white fly on it, a few leaves that were puckered (leaf miners?). So I sprayed.  It must be done when the sun is not out, as it's mostly sesame oil and will burn the plant. Well, it won't burn the tough gardenia leaves, but if there are any gentler plants that catch the spray, the leaves are goners.

I then picked a dead leave off  B.'Sophie Cecile'  next to the gardenia. This evolved into a more dedicated prune, meaningful but restrained - without cutting the plant down to the ground, I was tempted. I stopped myself pretty early on and the plant actually came out looking well groomed.

After cleaning up that cane, I started a gentle shaping on B. 'Irene Nuss' next to the banana -see the 'Big boned gal' in picture gallery for bloom and more info.  While I was feeling around at the bottom of the canes, I noticed that it was time for repotting. I pulled it out of it's pot, cleaned up dead roots and cane stubs and repotted with some nice loamy soil- Miracle Grow, we'll see, that's expensive potting soil, but it does look dark and full of organic matter.

I was really restrained with this first grooming. Later, reading the Thompson's Begonias bible in the tub,  they had  an example of re-shaping a cane and it was a SERIOUS cut. I've included photos of my poor canes. I think the Thompson's are right though. The growing season is cranked up and they'll fill in nicely. They were leggy.

I now had handfuls of mature canes that had been snapped off. I had filled up a pot earlier with a misc. cane or two and I used it as a 'cutting' pot. I put some of the Sophie Cecile in with the orange and pulmaria. I just couldn't bring myself to through them all out. I can always pull them up later if they don't work.

On to B. 'Selph's Mahogany'. I decided to cut him up and plant the rhizomes, most of which I cut to about 2" or so, in a large (36") bowl. I planted a few inches below the edge. I did keep the intact root ball which formerly had to large vertical rhizomes but now had only a leaflet at the base of the cut rhizomes.

I replanted the mouse fern that had been planted underneath Buddha belly. It had never flourished there and recently Ray had begun sleeping on it which put the nail in the coffin. There were two plants which i pulled up by putting my hand under and coercing it up and out. I trimmed the roots which were long. They looked like a Portuguese man-of-war. I also trimmed the foliage and planted in the enhanced soil.

I then watered almost everything down. and then hosed the deck. I'm sorry to say a considerable amount of debris fell on my downstairs neighbors terrace--it's now raining hard and gusting, hopefully this will clean some of it off. I feel like i should offer to buy them a palm or something that they could put beneath the draining spouts. I could water the palms for them when I watered. I don't think they'd take me up on it.

I've posted a number of pictures taken during the morning. One of the large cane getting her roots done. another of yours truly completely absorbed in my work. I also included a handful of my Vietnamese gardenia, it is covered with buds and blooms. I have also included a picture of an invaluable contributor to my work on the terrace, soil expert and geologist, Dr. Einie Glasson, Ph.D. His enthusiastic encouragement has made this work possible.