Another sure sign is the return of the bugs to the garden. As the weather gets hotter the bugs show up in greater numbers ready to chow down on the plants.
Some newly arrived bug has been chowing down on my Bougainvillea.
Whatever it is it comes out at night to eat. I am going to spray the plants with Neem oil as a natural bug control. It doesn't kill the bugs right away but makes them stop eating over time.
This week my Momma Yellow Shrimp plant was put out to pasture. It was growing to large for the pot that I had grown it in. It is a Justicia Lutea for those so inclined.It was given it's own spot in the sandpit where it can grow to it's hearts content. Of course it was given a wire cage to protect it from my dogs.
These are pretty common tropical plants here and will grow into a large shrub if the conditions are right.This baby Shrimp is getting it's first flowers. It was propagated from a cutting taken from the above Momma Shrimp back in November of 09.
Best of all the price was right for my organic sandpit garden. Free!
And there is breaking news from the shade tree ring of death. Apparently the stick Swamp Mimosa tree is making a comeback. Best I can figure is it saw me giving it the evil eye and figured it had better do something before it became a folk art rustic Tomato stake.In the last two weeks it has exploded with new growth. Maybe all it needed after all was an attitude adjustment.
Here is a picture of the new growth emerging from the top of the main stick.
I have no idea if the Swamp Mimosa goes through a dormant period but it is now highly motivated and coming back strong.
This is a prime example of one of my South Florida gardening rules in action.
The rule is, if it looks completely dead give it 30 days. It doesn't always work but sometimes it does.
And some new arrivals into my organic sandpit garden.This guy is a bloom from the Grampa Ott Morning Glory.
The rich color of the bloom is outstanding . This plant is starting to cover the stump now and has had several blooms already.
It is a heirloom plant grown from seed. Hopefully the stump will be filled with the royal blue and purple flowers from this plant.
And an update on the Neem tree seeds that were started on April 2nd. Out of four seeds started I have one seed that has germinated so far.These seeds are hard to germinate as they must be fresh. I am going to start five more seeds of the Neem and hope for another plant out of the group. I may have waited to long for the planting of the other seed.
Hopefully I will be able to keep this plant going and it will mature into a great tree. But experimenting with the exotic is part of the fun of gardening.
---Sanddune--
Love your shrimp plant and the purple/blue morning glory! I bought two yellow shrimp plants last year, and they are blooming very well. Now I am thinking that if I knew better then, I should have bought only one, so that I can propagate from it later to get more :) As new gardener with basically nothing in the garden, I tended to buy more than I should. Love to see some pictures later with your stump covered with morning glory!
ReplyDeleteOh, BTW, I guess the neem tree is the one that can produce the neem oil?
Oooohhh, that morning glory is an eye-catcher for sure. I like its home on the old stump. Gardening sure has its trials and errors... afterall that's how we learn. Your mimosa returning is one of those great lessons in patience and persistance. It's gotten warm here, too. Remarkable how that speeds up growth in a fast hurry.
ReplyDeleteMeems
Your Grandpa Ott morning glory is so vivid and beautiful. That stump will be covered with beauty this summer. I'm glad you waited on the mimosa to emerge. Your patience has paid off well. I should remember this lesson myself. Love the "30 days after seeming dead" rule.
ReplyDeleteThe shrimp plant will grow in the soil (sand) there?????hmmmmm.......Coming down this weekend and I might have to do some plant shopping.
ReplyDeleteYour shrimp plant looks good, and I do love to propogate free plants - makes them extra special doesnt it? I have been using your 30 day rule and adopted it as my own!
ReplyDeleteSanddune, nice save on the mimosa! It looks beautiful!! I like your moring glory, especially since I love purple in the garden...very brilliant. It'll look great this summer. Your shrimp plant is nice too...I'm sure it's happy to have graduated. I've been eyeing a huge shrimp shrub down the street...can I take clippings and plant them?! Do tell!
ReplyDeleteAmi,
ReplyDeleteThe yellow Shrimp is quite simple to propagate from a stem cutting.Make some now and you will have free gifts by Christmas for your gardening friends. And yes the Neem tree if it will stay alive can be grown here in South Florida and eventually will produce neem oil from its fruit.
Meems,
The Grampa Ott MG displays a rich royal velvet flower.It is real cool to look at. The Mimosa is just weird.But with it's new growth busting out it has earned a stay of execution. And if it grows well this summer maybe a full pardon.
NanaK,
With all the plants that habitually look dead around the sandpit the thirty day rule has served me well. I am really pleased with the Grandpa Ott MG and how it is covering the stump.
Jim,
I mixed a lot of homemade compost in the plant hole so I have great expectations. I saw the same type the yellow flower one growing in Costa Rica as a bush. It was over 5 feet tall and quite spectacular.
Gillian,
I am still learning with the cuttings so I did most of the easy ones with the Bougainvillea, Shrimp plant, and Croton plant. It is quite appealing to my frugal nature and makes the plant special when it grows. The thirty day rule has saved a lot of plants that were still alive from the compost bin. Hope it works for you.
Kimberly,
The Shrimps grow easily from stem cuttings.If I can do it here I'm sure you would have no problem.
Glad to hear one of your neem trees has sprouted. I love the vivid color of morning glories. A large mass of them is really beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan,
ReplyDeleteGreat news! I now have two of the Neem tree sprouts. I was poking around in the dirt of one of the Neem pots and found the second sprout just under the surface. The Morning Glory is doing quite well so far. I really like the color of the Grandpa Ott MG flower.
What a wonderful garden, Sanddune. Yes, I finally found you. I'm a little slow on the uptake.
ReplyDeleteHi M.E.Y.,
ReplyDeleteI have been following your efforts toward more sustainability for a while now. You are making great progress and that encourages me to do more. It is definately a learning experience but the goal is attainable I think.
I love the shrimp plant. It has a great name! I like your rule to wait 30 days before pronouncing a plant dead. In my experience, if a plant thinks you are about to toss it, it will quickly send out shoots to convince you otherwise!
ReplyDeleteHi Deborah,
ReplyDeleteThe Shrimp plant is lovin' it planted out in the yard.It's roots are now free to expand out so it can grow bigger. I have noticed that plants have a great sense of selp preservation. Perhaps beside sunshine and water they also need proper motivation.