An unlikely candidate

Still putting things back into place after the high winds and pounding rain of TS Isaac. One plant seemed to thrive with the extremes during the storm: a white caladium. With thin leaves and delicate stems- it came out looking better than before the storm. Standing tall. There are some things in nature that seem impervious to the force of wind and rain. Spiderwebs are often good examples of this.

Took a good pounding 8"+ rain from Isaac, still like fresh ironed linen

Isaac's rain could not extinguish this bromeliad's fire
(A cultivar of a neoregelia johannis?) 

Clearing sky

After 2 days of strong winds and heavy rain, TS Isaac has passed and there is some blue in the am sky. The wind has died down. There was no plant damage which is remarkable considering 50+ mph gusts on Saturday pm. Cleaning and putting everyone back in place asap.

Lots of leaves, muck and branches to sweep up.

The gathering storm

(does anyone remember Churchill's book?)

Lashed down bougainvilleas. Turned large plumeria on it's side. Brought in begonias, smaller plumeria and solanum macranthrum- which I'm keeping tightly pruned).

The rowdy wind

Afternoon storm bring with it 30+ knot gusts. One plumeria took a nose dive. With the coming tropical storm Isaac, something will have to be done to minimize damage. This wind will strip the leaves off of a plant, especially the large leaved potato tree. We shall see.

On the road

Minha selva

Bem-vindo ao meu santuário

Modern chemistry

Trouble.. new growth dying.. notice black poppy-seed looking droppings in the creases

Several days after application of Bayer Protect and Feed

Night vines

Round midnight
 (pandora vine)

[I've been applying Bayer Feed and Protect to potato tree and bougainvilleas. Something is quickly eating the last edible foliage on the potato before the leaves become toxic. Huge holes have now blotted the leaves. Darkest before the dawn].

Маковый пирог семена дыни и прохладно

A merchants wife having tea. Darjeeling tukvar first flush, a must for the garden tea. 

Steady on

Wilting leaves demanded evening watering. Bamboo was specially parched. The leaf blades completely curled up. Hosed everyone down. Followed with some fish food. Pruned gardenia beginning to fill in with glossy green leaves as is oak-leaf croton's variegated green leaves. Need to add iron/acidifier next feeding for both gardenia and croton.

Title-tattle

1. High-rise condominium terrace? Podocarpus (Podocarpus macrophyllus) mini-hedge, planters 24"W x 60"L x 24"; slow grower, likes steady warm, humid weather. Maybe separate planters with a pot of miniature italian cypress. I see sansevieria used to border terraces, I do not like it.  There's not going to be a lot that's going to take the salty wind..

2. Cutting of Macranthum Solanum (potato tree) seems to have taken hold finally. It took almost 2 months for vigor of growth to appear. Cut a nice size tip of a branch (finger size at least), use rooting hormone. I kept it out of full sun for a while, turning the pot so that the mother plant blocked mid-day sun. Surprisingly some small bits of begonia rhizomes are sprouting in this pot..

3. Croton, growing in beautifully after a good summer's pruning, is sending up basal shoot or two. Wasn't expecting that pleasant surprise. I've hidden cuttings I'm hoping will take root out of sun. The cuttings cannot take direct sun.

Basal shoot left, from the base of the branches of this healthy croton.

4. Philodendron in blood orange pot, some sort of Secondary hemiepiphytitic with pinnate leaves, is beginning to grab hold of the masonry. How high will it be able to grow with the ocean breeze going up it's skirt?  

(8/9/2012-- Podocarpus and miniature cypress border on a smaller terrace, would probably look a terrace on the upper east side. Need some color here. More tropical ideas might be more fun to come up with). 

Terrace gardening

Finished up the day yesterday giving everyone a good soaking. Mixed up some guano/fish tea and fed a few of the pots. I add SuperThrive in this brew as well. It is hot and humid out this morning. Though the garden has a rather disheveled look to it, it is lush and the plants care about me I know.

Here are some things one might want to do if they are thinking about planting their terrace. I'm assuming this is being done in zone10b.
1. Get your trellises or guide wires up first. Get the masonry covered. Plan your climbers and buy planters with more space than you think they'll need. (if you're going to grow directly on masonry Creeping fig is a good candidate as is night blooming cereus, though it will only bloom if the trunk hangs down-- which doesn't happen if it's directly on the stone, but it makes for a very interesting wall).

2.If you have a trellis up, pandora vine is a very pretty choice.

Pandorea jasminoides Variegata

It has delicate leaves, beautiful pinkish white flowers and is not afraid to cover anything that will support it's weight. Parrot's beak is a pretty, though thorny climber. In season it is covered with hanging bracts of yellow flowers. The branches are thicker and thorny. They will have to be disciplined with some twist ties to stay upright, otherwise, they tend to lean and spray out branches like a bougie.  I haven't tried roses in Florida, but some heirloom roses bred for this clime would love the sun and would be "very classy".  I have grown roses in NY. Roses are some major royalty in the world of flowers if you ask me.

3. Pull out your wallet for some large beautiful pots. Do not scrimp here.

4. On an exposed terrace in South Florida, you MUST create some shade. I started with a large pot full of buddha belly bamboo on one side of the terrace. A blood orange and a bougainvillea splayed across the east  wall on the other. Know what can take the sun and what cannot. Plumeria loves the sun, bougainvillea will only bloom fully with 4-5 hours or more of sun, etc. Some croton can handle direct light, others have darker, richer greens in the shade.

Bambusa Ventricosa-- shelter from the searing sun

5. Realize now that though you'll want to grow everything pretty, it ain't going to happen. Fabulous rhizomatous begonias are natives to the under-story of the rain forest not southern exposure in zone10b. However, when you have created your own rain forest, there might be a place for them.


 more later

Heading south

Went on  a nursery safari down State Road 997 (Krome Ave) into Homestead. This hopefully will be the first of several journeys into the area. It is at the tip of the Florida peninsula and hosts fruit trees / plants that cannot be grown anywhere else in the country. We visited a few nurseries along the highway and neither the plant selection nor pricing would bring me back (the pots were expensive too). However, seeing this agricultural land is a must. Acres of papaya, banana, mango trees--  The Fruit and Spice Park, the Coral Castle, Richard Lyons Nursery are in the area. More time is needed to visit these special places. More Later. 

Nascent dog days of summer

That time of year when I remove the sprayer from the hose and use my thumb to give everyone a heavy drinking for a leg up during these hot, glaring days. They are appreciative and growth is steady on. The vines and planting against the railing now form a relaxing privacy screen. The croton, potato tree and vietnamese gardenia, all having been given a sharp trim are growing in convincingly.