The hard-to-find Tree Dahlia

D. imperialis or also Tree Dahlia.

There are about thirty species in the genus Dahlia, and over 20,000 cultivars are grown today. These tuberous plants are popular for their amazing range of colors and flower shapes.

Dahlias are native to the subtropical regions of Central and South America. They were important as a root crop and as a medicinal plant among the pre-Columbian Indians. Dahlia imperialis, the "tree dahlia", had hollow stems up to twenty feet long which were used for hauling water; the Aztec name was acocotli, or "water-cane".

Spanish invaders catalogued several kinds of dahlias and sent plants back to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Madrid. The species was named after Swedish botanist Anders Dahl. European breeders produced double flowered dahlias by the early 18th century, and the plant was very popular between 1810 and 1840. In 1872, a Dahlia juarezii tuber survived shipment from Mexico to Holland, and its brilliant red flower with pointed petals captivated breeders. Soon this new species was crossbred with cultivated varieties, leading to the thousands of cultivars being grown today

Nuts over Peanuts!

In between working on this years tedious task of making 2008 Christmas presents, I'll be catching a breather by another project. Peanuts! -

Christmas, already??? Well, my boss has a saying on his desk, "If something needs to be done, do it now, not later". And there is a lot to be done.

I figured, if the project is successful, we'll make fresh chokolate covered peanuts too! Who would have ever thought they can be grown in a pot! The planting recipe comes from one of my garden nut friends, Donna. This is my first try, lets see if the effort pays off and fresh peanuts emerge.

Peanuts are native to South America and are actually part of the legume family, not the nut family. Whether you want to grow your own peanuts to sell, eat, make peanut butter from, or just because you’re curious to know if you can, pay careful attention to the following suggestions.

How to Grow Peanuts
Things You’ll Need:

* Raw peanuts

Step 1:
Order your seeds from a well-known seed company for the best growth results. Do not buy boiled peanuts for planting.

Step 2:
Soak seeds overnight for quicker germination, before planting.

Step 3:
Plant peanuts after the last frost in very sandy soil. Make sure your soil drains well.

Step 4:
Sow two inches deep, with lots of compost and manure. You can even add a couple inches of mulch on top of the surface if you are concerned that the ground is too hard to grow peanuts or if you have a lot of weeds.

Step 5:
Space peanuts seven inches apart, making sure the kernels stay whole. If split, they won’t grow.

Step 6:
Water well when planting, but not again until the peanut plant sprouts. This should take about a week. When you begin watering them regularly do not overwater.

Step 7:
Keep the area free from weeds which can hinder peanut plant growth.

Step 8:
Allow 130 days for plants to mature.

Step 9:
Harvest in the fall by pulling the whole plant out. A spading fork is helpful. You’ll see a mature nut when you pull it out of the ground. The foliage will be yellow.


Step 10:
Allow peanuts to dry for two to four weeks.

Step 11:
Store in a cool, dry place until ready for roasting.


Step 12:
Enjoy the peanuts. You can grow more next year!

Growing Magnolia's from Seeds

The magnolia grandiflora is a magnificent tree with broad strapping leathery leaves and can grow up to 80ft in height. Typically the trunk is straight and the tree forms branches which tend to result in a pyramid type crown. The leaves are of particular beauty with their deep green tops and velvet like undersides which are a lovely russet color. The flowers are large and a glorious crisp white with wafts of fragrance and covers the tree beginning spring and all through summer. There are lots of different cultivars.

How to Propagate:

Magnolias thrive in fairly rich, moist, peaty or sandy loam, but can grow satisfactorily in any garden soil if acidic fertilizer is added.

Most magnolias are grown from seeds, or from cuttings, by grafting or by layering. Rare kinds are sometimes propagated by grafting in winter or spring in a greenhouse. The period between sowing of the seed and germination may be as long as 18 months. Magnolia Grandiflora trees grown from seed may take from 15 - 20 years to produce a blossom, while trees that are grafted bloom much sooner. Please keep in mind that trees grown from seed may not be exactly like the tree the seeds came from due to haphazard pollination.

How to plant the seeds:

Seeds should be sown in a fresh state, and not allowed to dry out. Remove the seeds just before the pod bursts open or immediately after.

Remove the red-orange coating. This can be done very easily if you soak them in water for a few days. If, when put in water, the seeds float on the surface, they have gotten too old.

Squeeze out the hard seed and wash them in dishwashing liquid to remove the oily coating that prevents them from absorbing moisture.

Sow in a light compost of two parts peat, one part loam and one part sand. Don't let the seeds dry out. Cover with 1/2" of compost. Cover the tray or pot to maintain moisture and protect the seed. They should germinate in about four weeks. Pot them after about four weeks, making sure the roots don't dry out.

In colder climates, you may not be able to plant them outside. Place the seeds in a bag containing a damp, sterile medium such as peat or grit, seal and label and put in the refrigerator at about 40 º. In February, sow the seeds under glass at temperatures of 64-68 º.

With one or two exceptions, the Magnolias are not well adapted for planting in lime soils. They like deep, well-drained loam and benefit by a little peat or compost placed about the roots at planting time. Soil should be well aerated. Transplanting isn't advised because injury to large roots generally leads to ill health. They shouldn't be planted very close together. In order to blossom, they need to be planted where they can get plenty of sunshine. From my observations, the sunny side of a magnolia has many blossoms; the side shaded out by other trees seldom has a blossom.

Buddha Belly Plant Jatropha podagrica

Jatropha podagrica or also Australian bottle plant

Another one of my favorite caudiform or fat Plants. I've received 6 seeds in a seed swap and look how nice they have developed in the last year. Of course I have only 3 left because the others all became christmas gifts. The larger plant came from a local nursery for just $10 in the end of year 70% off sale. What a lucky strike!

Origin: Tropical AmericaJatropha is a genus of approximately 175 succulents, shrubs and trees (some are deciduous, like Jatropha curcas L.), from the family Euphorbiaceae. Plants from the genus natively occur in Africa, North America, and the Caribbean.

Originating in the Caribbean, the jatropha was spread as a valuable hedge plant to Africa and Asia by Portuguese traders. Currently the tree is widely used for getting biodiesel in India, and is being promoted as a very easy to grow biofuel crop in hundreds of projects throughout India and the third world. The rail line between Mumbai and Delhi is planted with Jatropha and the train itself runs on 15-20% biodiesel. The mature small trees bear male and female inflorescence, and do not grow very tall.

Jatropha podagrica, was used to tan leather and produce a red dye in Mexico and the Southwestern United States. 

 

Seeds and plants found here

Mother Of Thousands

Kalanchoe daigremontiana syn. Bryophyllum daigremontianum also called Devil's Backbone, Mexican Hat Plant or Mother of Thousands is a succulent plant native to Madagascar. This plant is distinguished by its ability to propagate on the mother plant itself.

Plants reach up to 1 m (3 feet) tall with opposite, fleshy oblong-lanceolate "leaves" that reach 15-20 cm (6-8 inches) long and about 3.2 cm (1.25 inches) wide. These are medium green above and blotched with purple underneath. The margins of these leaf-like organs have spoon-shaped bulbiliferous spurs that bear young plants. The plantlets form roots while on the plant. The "leaves" are actually short, determinate, leaf-like branches that can be termed phylloclades or cladodes.
Adult plants can also develop lateral root structures on its main stalk, as high up as 10-15 cm from the ground. The upper leaves of the plant tend to develop into disproportionately large structures, causing the main stalk to bend downwards and the lateral roots to take up root of their own, anchoring into the soil and eventually developing new primary stalks which establish themselves as independent plants.

Furthermore, Kalanchoe daigremontiana can go through a flowering season, where the main stalk elongates vertically upwards by as much as 30 cm, within a couple of days, developing an umbrella-like terminal inflorescence (a compound cyme) of small bell-shaped pink flowers. Flowering is, however, not an annual event and will occur sporadically if at all.

Sugar Cane

We grow sugar cane, yes we do! In our small garden and it's very invasive and a lot of work to contain. There is not much else to say about it besides that it's a nice ornamental grass and great for cooking. Sugarcane is a giant, tropical, perennial grass that grows up to 12' high. Its stalk contains sweet juice from which sugar can be extracted.
Wrap it around a nice steak, use it with stir fry, stick it in hot or cold tea or give it to your kids to chew on.
It's imortant to use fresh stalks to make twizzle sticks. Cut sugar cane stalks into 6"-8" pieces, avoiding the nods and then lengthwise into 1/4" sticks, remove outer (hard) coat.


Here is one of my favorite grill recipes with sugar cane.

Rum Glazed Shrimp on Sugarcane

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced
24 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1 1/2 pounds)
8 sugarcane swizzle sticks, each cut into 3 pieces
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup dark rum (or 2 tsp alcohol free "rum aroma", in the baking isle)
1/4 cup corn syrup
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray

Preparation
Prepare grill to high heat.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Add shrimp; toss to coat. Cover and chill 15 minutes.
Cut swizzle sticks at a sharp angle. Thread 4 shrimp on each skewer.

Combine brown sugar and next 8 ingredients (brown sugar through pepper) in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until syrupy.

Place shrimp on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 3 minutes on each side or until done, basting generously with glaze.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 4 shrimp)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 273(22% from fat); FAT 6.8g (sat 1.9g,mono 1.6g,poly 2.3g); PROTEIN 23.6g; CHOLESTEROL 177mg; CALCIUM 83mg; SODIUM 541mg; FIBER 0.2g; IRON 3.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 23.3g

Steven Raichlen , Cooking Light, AUGUST 2003 Recipes adapted from Steven Raichlen's books How to Grill (Workman, 2001) and BBQ USA (Workman, 2003)

Voodoo Lily Amorphophallus konjac

Also known as Amorphophallus konjac. I have managed to get some bulbs in a trade, so this bizzarre additions will be my newest challenge of all plants that I have had the pleasure to grow so far.
The images are borrowed from the Institut for Plant Biology Technical Univerity of Braunschweig, Germany and Botanical Garden Bonn, Germany

Amorphophallus. konjac, formerly known as A. rivieri is perhaps the hardiest species, taking winters in zone 6. It is an intriguing plant even without the bloom, with its large leaves and leopard-spotted stem. Same bad but short-lived odor as the other plants in this genus. 

Plants and bulbs found here depending on season

The Dictionary of Plant Names says that the Greek amorphos means deformed, and, well, you know what the rest of the name means. The Dictionary also says that the name refers to the shape of the tubers. Amorphophallus is a genus of 90-100 species of mostly warm-weather perennials, distinguished by extremely large "flowers".

One member of the genus, Amorphophallus titanum (or also Corpse Flower), has the largest inflorescence on any plant, and usually rates a newspaper article when it blooms in captivity. (No, I don't have one of those, yikes)
Because it takes a lot of energy to produce such a large inflorescence, Amorphophallus doesn't bloom until the tuber reaches a certain size, and then may take more than a year between blooms, or even foliage production. These plants have a long dormant period, usually not coming up until June, and dying back in September.
A "Voodoo Lily" that is hardy in zone 8 if planted a foot deep with good drainage. The flower may be 18" tall, and is quite colorful, with a spathe that is mottled on the outside and rich crimson/pink on the inside, with a cream-colored spadix. The foliage is also very striking, with attractively segmented leaves on a green-mottled petiole that should reach 3' or more in a shaded location with lots of compost. The flower stinks for a few hours shortly after opening, then stops. (Maybe it will keep the nonstop barking dogs of my neighbor in check?).

Monster Caterpillar

Along with our Tomato harvest past fall came some strange critter, the Horn Worm. After collecting 2 whole plastic cups full for kids show and tell around the neighborhood, I came across this huge specimen. Worth Posting. Meaty Tomato's with meaty Protein.

Hosts: Primarily tomato but can also attack eggplant, pepper, and potato.

Description: The larval stage of this insect is a 3 1/2 to 4 inch long pale green caterpillar with 5 pairs of prolegs and a "horn" on the last segment. The two most common hornworms are the tobacco hornworm (7 diagonal white stripes and, most commonly, a red horn) and the tomato hornworm ("V" shaped markings with a horn that is often black). The adult of the tobacco Hornworm is the Sphinx moth. The Five-spotted Hawk Moth is the adult of the tomato hornworm. Both moths are stout-bodied, grayish-colored insects with a wing spread of 4 to 5 inches.

The larva is the damaging stage and feeds on the leaves and stems of the tomato plant leaving behind dark green or black droppings. Though initially quite small with a body about the same size as its horn, these insects pass through 4 or 5 larval stages to reach full size in about a month. The coloration of this larva causes it to blend in with its surroundings and is often difficult to see despite its large size. It eventually will burrow into the soil to pupate. There are two generations a year.

Recommendations: This insect is parasitized by a number of insects. One of the most common is a small braconid wasp. Larva that hatch from wasp eggs laid on the hornworm feed on the inside of the hornworm until the wasp is ready to pupate. The cocoons appear as white projections protruding from the hornworms body. If such projections are seen, leave the infected hornworms in the garden. The wasps will kill the hornworms when they emerge from the cocoons and will seek out other hornworms to parasitize. (Yuck)

Handpicking is an effective control in small gardens.

Adenium (Desert Rose)

Desert Rose is one of my ultra favorite plants. Native to arid areas of Africa including Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, it is related to the Plumeria.

Here are some images and notes about Adeniums. I have succeeded for the first time to grow them from seeds. The left image are my babies..


Place the seeds flat on top of the soil, barely cover part and just sprinkle dry mix over the seeds until they are surrounded but a little can still be seen put on the humidity dome and place in a dark place at 70-80*. 90-95* may be a little hot. You should see germination starting in 3-5 days assuming the seeds are viable. Some will take longer. You can then remove them from the community tray with a spoon and transplant them into individual pots when the get about as big around as a pencil. There is many variations to this but moisture, warmth, BRIGHT light and viable seeds are absolutely necessary.


Origin: Arabia, Africa
Flowering: Twice yearly Spring/Autumn
Height: 3'
Width: 3'
Culture Information: Indoors

Temperature: Thrives at temperatures up to about 85°F but, can tolerate temperatures down to 54°F

Light: Direct sunlight to indirect sunlight, good light is a must for this plant all year round. Plants can be placed into a partially shaded area outdoors in summer.

Watering: Water similarly as with cactus, allow the plant to dry between waterings, often the base of the stem become soft when the plant requires watering. Increase watering when plants are in flower or actively growing. Decrease watering in winter. Leaf drop in a common sign of overwatering.

Humidity: Medium
Pests: Mealybugs and scale can be a pest to these plants occasionally.

Diseases: Root rot can occur when the plant is kept too cold or is overwatered

Propagation: Seeds, cutting should be allowed to dry for a few days before placing into a simple sand-peat mix.

Care & Tips: Leaf drop in winter in a normal for this plant. In the wild this plant may grow up to 9', but rarely exceeds 3' when grown indoors. Plant flowers twice yearly once in the warm seasons and once growing into the winter season.

More Ginger

These rare gems I don't have either but I can dream, right? Also on my list to own!
The ginger family (Zingiberaceae) is made up of a large group of tropical herbs. Most gingers are native to the fields and rain forests of Indo-Malaysia. The family, ever changing, consists of about 45 genra and around 700 species. The edible gingers have forever been items of commerce. Some are grown for their roots and sold in International markets. Others such as cardamom have been used as flavoring though out the world and in India for millennia. Turmeric is another which is used in curry powder and as a yellow dye. Trade of ginger was developed first in Indonesian and along the coasts of the Indian Ocean. Later, other cultures discovered them. Gourmets in the Mediterranean area became well acquainted with them. Even the early Greek and Roman writings have recorded the use of ginger as a spice. Today our international cuisine has a constant demand on this wonderful spice.



Although more popularly known as a spice the flower of gingers are one of the more widely used tropical plants. Their bright red flowers can be seen during festival times in the South Pacific as colorful dresses. Shell gingers are also quite attractive and are well used in flower arrangements.

Many gingers have medicinal uses from helping asthma to relieving stomach aches. Others gingers are used as perfumes and some are thought to have a supernatural values in casing away evil spirits. Many cultures used the foamy flower heads of the variegated wild ginger for shampooing hair and quenching thirst.

Red Button Ginger Costus woodsonii

This magnificent type of Ginger is very easy to grow and flower most of the year.

The clumps will grow to about 4 feet on average.
Filtered light is ideal, although I have seen beautiful plants growing in full sun and even in total shade.
Watering is average. A little moist during the warm weather and a little drier during the cold weather. Avoid if possible getting the foliage wet when watering.
Fertilization is also average with more during the warm weather and very little during the winter.
Temperatures has a lot to do with flowering. The plant can withstand a light frost for short periods of time but will stop blooming and won't look very good.
If the plant can be kept above 50° all the time, most likely it will keep blooming continuously.
The yellow flowers that emerge from the red cones are edible.
The Red Button Costus is an excellent choice for landscapers in the south, and a very beautiful potted plant for gardeners everywhere.

FAMILY : Zingiberaceae
ORIGIN : Hispaniola
SIZE : 4 feet on average
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS : shade/ partial sun
WATER REQUIREMENTS : average
MIN. TEMP. : low 30°s
FLOWER : most of the year

 

This Lady has sometimes plants or cuttings that root in water

Ginger and Ginger

When you think of ginger do you think about the spice you find in grocery stores or do you think of beautiful tropical perennials grown in Texas gardens? Chefs and great culinary artists are well aware of ginger, but gardeners are just beginning to learn about this fantastic group of tropical plants.

Edible ginger represents only a few of the nearly 1,300 species of plants in the Zingiberacea family. Prized for their tropical look and durability, gingers have been used and enjoyed for centuries in the Far East. However, it's only recently that lustrous leaves and exotic ginger flowers have caught the eye of curious Southern gardeners.

The hidden ginger, so called for the way the blooms "hide" below the leaves, is blooming now. Everyone who sees these gorgeous flowers wants to know what they are and how to get them.

There are eight common kinds of gingers available in the marketplace today. These include Alpinias, Costus, Curcumas, Globbas, Hedychiums, Kaempferias, Siphonochilus and Zingibers. The plants in these groups range in size from ground cover to several feet tall, require shade to full sun, include those with large attractive flowers or small, discreet blooms. If you look long enough you will likely find a ginger for nearly every garden spot or situation.

Besides butterfly ginger, the most recent additions to my garden are two from the Curcuma group. Last summer I added Curcuma cordata (Hidden ginger) and Curcuma alismatifolia, (Siam tulip). This growing season, the foliage of both gingers emerged in May from the rhizomes planted last year. Gingers need warm soil, above 55 degrees (F) to get them started.

Most of us have seen the beautiful white flowering version of butterfly ginger, Hedychium coronarium, but there are other outstanding butterfly gingers with flowers of yellow to peach, delicate orange, flaming orange, and white with yellow center.

Plant ginger in loose soil or directly into a pot at the same depth they were previously growing as indicated by markings on the rhizome. Water thoroughly. From then on keep moist, but not wet. To increase plants, divide in the spring.

Happy Garding!

Plumeria Pudica

This one I have, yay!

Botanical name: Plumeria pudica

“Bridal Bouquet”

Rare evergreen variety, bushy hedge growing with unusual hammer head shaped leaves, flowers are white with a small yellow dot at the centre, flowers are bunched like a bouquet.
More Plumeria soon to come


Edited 02/13/2008
This one I "Had". RIP. Not even the Garage is save anymore. Frost killed, so yet again I am on the hunt :)