Shhhhhh......Flora....

[Lucille]

We got to be REAL quiet about this cuz it's a Fauna site but I LOVE plants. I got my wildflower seed in today from Texas' Wildseed Farms because every year I put in wildflowers along with everything else, they are carefree and gorgeous.
I used to have indoor plants and even went through an orchid phase, but now all the plants are either on the porch or outside.
Here's what I have:
Bamboo (several kinds, running, in pots on the porch) Fig trees, pear trees, one mayhaw tree where the birds eat the mayhaws as soon as they turn red so I have not yet made the planned Mayhaw jelly but I love birds, blackberry plants, many roses including antique roses which I love, daylilies, a bottlebrush tree, redbud, vitex, crape myrtles, several satsumas and a lemon tree, lilies, verbena, lots of different salvias, assorted other flowers, plus I am starting seeds for several different kinds of tomatos including heirloom tomatos, 6 different kinds of peppers, and will have beans, squash, melons and cukes. The veggies are grown in Earthboxes and other containers in a small area using tsome of the principals of square foot gardening so I get a pretty good amount of home grown produce from a relatively tiny veggie garden.

OK enough abou MY plants, I **LOVE** plant talk, tell about yours?

[Karen Hulvey]

Oh man, I used to have outside plants. That is until I bought my place 11 years ago. It has no soil, just sand and rocks. That's great because when it rains there is literally no mud. I drained a hot water heater at my feet and guess what, no mud. But that's the only good thing.

I brought tons of rose bushes and other perennials with me when I moved. I'd had these for years and they died pretty quickly. I had astilbe (all colors), bleeding hearts, tons o' ferns, jack in the pulpit, dianthus, butterfly bushes and many plants I can't even remember now. All died. That first summer I watered every day all to no avail. It was heartbreaking.

I've since switched to wild flowers, coneflowers, daisies, etc. Also bulbs do well too, no chance to drown them here. LOL Daylillies, Iris, and Pampas grass are all doing great. My hostas are actually thriving in this dry soil. Oh and the vinca. I've never had vinca to bloom before. But I guess there is something about this sand and rock that they like because it has taken off and in some places it has taken over my walkways. You can't see the stepping stones for the vinca. I have to weed eat it.

As for house plants. I used to have tons of different African violets. I'd start new plants from leaves and even started a few from seeds after I cross polinated two plants I liked. I had some with white edging around every green leaf and some with white splattered all throughout the leaves. I also had every color flower you can imagine. Then it all came crashing down one day. :bawling:

I had a guy come over and work on my propane heater. It's in the living room where my 2 plant stands were(three shelves, lights, the whole works). He fixed the heater and didn't light the pilot light. I came home and immediately knew I had a leak. Man you couldn't breathe in there. I turned off the propane and aired out the house. Then I called the guy and told him he could have blew up my place (but that's another story). Well my violets started dying like flies and most were dead within one day of the propane incident. It had to be the propane that killed them. I just didn't get any more after that.

I also had spider plants and started some from the seeds that they produced. Did you know that if you plant a seed from a striped spider plant all the baby plants will be green? Yup, I had no green ones until I planted seeds from my striped ones and all babies were green. You can also use spider plant babies as plant decorations in fish tanks. They do very well underwater.

I also had a mother-in-laws tongue that bloomed. To me it smelled real fake and flowery-like new cat litter. LOL The flowers were realy sticky with pollen and lasted about 2 weeks. It bloomed twice. I've had that plant since I was a kid and my neighbor gave it to me. It was HUGE. Last winter, 2003, on a warm day I was doing some rearranging and like a dummy I set my plants outside. When I brought them in, I forgot that mother-in-laws tongue and it died. I'm still kicking myself for that. I loved that plant.

Oh man this is getting long. I could go on all night.

[Sasheena]

Hey, I love to LOOK at plants, and luckily hubby loves to GROW plants. Right after we were married he planted a garden of sunflowers. I took tons of photos and you can see them here: Garden Of Sunflowers (http://www.geocities.com/gardenofsunflowers/)

Unfortunately since we moved into this new house (our own home!) we've had a lot of bad luck getting things to grow. The sunflowers he's grown are stunted for the most part, and a lot of them die. He has two huge compost heaps (thanks in part to my thriving rodent colonies) that he used the first year to mulch the ground, and will use again. Last year we couldn't even get squash to grow. Well, it grew, but barely flowered, and we got ONE squash fruit, too stunted to actually eat. Hopefully with the work he's doing on the ground it will improve. But the ground is just BAD. He built me an arbor and has some climbing things growing there... they seem to have died off here in the winter, but there are a few spots of green still left.

I love the green stuff around me, and I'm so glad hubby likes to work on it.

[Karen Hulvey]

Doh, Why didn't I think of using my mouse poo for compost? I'm gonna do that starting today. Thanks Sasheena.

[Karen Hulvey]

Ever had this happen?

I planted a ton of bulbs, tulips, easter lillies and crocus. I mixed bone meal in with the dirt at the bottom of each hole I dug before I put the bulb in. The next morning I just happened to stroll past where I'd planted all those bulbs. I was shocked as all were dug up and tossed everywhere. I had also used the bone meal around other plants and everywhere I put the bone meal was a dug up mess. The only thing I could figure out that could have done that was raccoons. There are a ton of them out here. I used to have bird feeders but they took them. Yeah, took them away.

[Karen Hulvey]

Oh I forgot to mention. Very pretty sunflowers. Congrats to your hubby on having such a green thumb. And congrats to you to be able to take such beautiful pictures.

[WebSlave]

Could happen. :dancer01:

I am a bamboo fanatic myself. The BIG timber varieties, mostly. One of these days maybe I'll take some photos.

Anyway about mouse cage material for compost, heck we've been doing that for years. It works GREAT! Plants nearly explode in growth with it. Of course it can be pretty smelly until it decomposes somewhat, but you will find some additional benefits as well. You can get a little micro habitat going that way. Compost attracts all sorts of insects, which are at the bottom of most food chains. We have all kinds of animals and birds digging around in that stuff looking for something to eat. Heck, we once found a box turtle eating a full grown dead mouse.

And actually we we clean out the reptile cages, most of that gets composted as well. Well, most of it. Connie isn't as dedicated to the plan as I am, it seems. :laugh:

So try it. See the difference it can make on your plants.

[DAND]

Rodent doo-doo is a great fertilizer. I breed mice and rats so I have tons going into my compost pile. The raccoons turn it for me while they are looking for left over pieces of rodent food. The grass near it needs to be cut every few days.

[Lucille]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lucille wants a plant forum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!Thanks Webslave!!1

[DAND]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lucille wants a plant forum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!Thanks Webslave!!1

Down and Dirty with Lucille.

[jenn_jeffery]

I have 20 something African violets, about the same amount of succulents, and lots of 'greenery' pothos, wandering jew and such.

Outside I grow roses in containers, which do surprisingly well. Each year I try a different type of pepper, and habaneros for my husband. When our house was built, the yard was NOT prepared at all, so I'm working section by section to get it tilled and turned just right for plants. I've got one yellowbell, a bunch of hosta, and 'bulbs' planted so far.

Where is a good place to get bamboo? When we move I would love to start a bamboo forest of some kind...plus having some inside would be nice as well.

Good idea for a new forum Lucille! I like!!

[WebSlave]

There is a place in south Savannah, GA where I have gotten some of my bamboo. It's some sort of state agricultural station, from what I can recall. This is a situation where you have to go there to pick it up, however, so plan accordingly. That means a pickup truck. I have ordered some that were shipped to me from places like Birmingham, AL and somewhere out in Oregon, but I don't remember the addresses. February is the time to dig up the sections of rhizomes and culms for replanting. But it is backbreaking labor, so really the money you are spending on this stuff is for the labor of digging it up for you.

BTW, I've been discussing a Flora section with Lucille and brought up the possibility of making this an entire category rather then just a separate forum. Do you all think a For Sale/Wanteds section would work there?

Or am I getting too carried away with all of these sideline forums on this site?

[Lucille]

YES!!!! An ENTIRE CATEGORY!!
I mean, ahem....No, you're not getting carried away at all.......

[Lucille]

Jenn, for bamboo, I think i remember getting a few small bamboo starts from www.bamboodirect.com

[DAND]

BTW, I've been discussing a Flora section with Lucille and brought up the possibility of making this an entire category rather then just a separate forum. Do you all think a For Sale/Wanteds section would work there?

Or am I getting too carried away with all of these sideline forums on this site?

There is a market for the stuff. I know someone who sells Day lilies, seeds and what not on line and he has told me there are a fourm or two out there.

[jglass38]

Maybe a bit off topic, but I am desperately trying to find some of the flowers that my Uromastyx would love to eat. I dont know where to go about getting them (dandelions, roses, etc) that havent been sprayed with pesticides. Not sure it would make much sense for me to grow them..


jamie

[Karen Hulvey]

WebSlave:

Yes, Flora category would be good. Flora classifieds, it just might work.

I started my mouse/rat chit compost pile last night. I can't wait until summer now. Maybe I can have roses after all.


Jamie:
My local Wal-Mart sells dandelion leaves most of the time. Maybe check a Wal-Mart for those. They also sell prickly pear cactus leaves (?) which my tortoises love.

I have to reveal something here:

Sometimes when I drive past a house that has tons of dandelions all over their yard, it's hard for me not to stop and pick like crazy. Of course I wouldn't because you never know what nasty stuff someone could have sprayed on those plants. Oh to dream.

I actually let most of my dandelions go to seed just so I can distribute the seeds and start new plants. Yeah, I'm deranged. I also live waaaaay out of town and own my own place and live at the end of a looong driveway so no neighbors to complain about my dandelions.

[mmfrankford]

I only wish I had a "green thumb". And the few plants that I get to survive are mangled by my obnoxious little cat Murphy. Siiigh.... :)

[Lucille]

************YAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*********** *****


We have a beautiful little Flora Forum on Fauna now, I'm so excited!!! Come see and post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ALANNA VERNON]

HELP! I haven't got a clue as to what I am doing. I just wanted to find someone who would
maybe sell me some silkworms that I could raise. I have raise butterflies and giant silk moths
and want to try silkworms. I bought silkworms from Education Science and they lasted 2 days because of a bacterial infection they had before I got them, I have tried Coastal and they have nothing. Mulberry Farms is to far away. So if there is any body out there who knows where I can get about 30 to 5o silkworms on this side of the Mississippi please let me know. Oh by the way I do have a 12 years old red eared slider right now, but I like all kinds of animals. Worked in a pet shop for 15 years where I wound up managing it. I think I took home more birds, fish, reptiles and even a monkey then I sold.