"I'm not really a career person.I'm a gardener,basically.".....George Harrison

Thursday, October 8, 2009

A Plethora Of Plumeria, and other stuff.....

Every single plumeria(except for one) in the garden is in bud!
And we have over 20 different plants.
The first to bloom is my favorite.............. Look how many buds(beauti-ess-ness to come) are on just this one branch............
The plumeria we have growing in pots,actually,are performing better than the ones that are in the ground.Every branch on the one pictured above has blooms.We have another pink,like this one,that is also covered with buds.
The only thing,I can think of,is the cold,this past winter,helped them along. I haven't treated them any different than previous years.The cold would be the only difference.
This could be the year that I finally figure out which one is which.As Jon kinda/sorta got the cuttings from Sanibel Island(yes-I did have permission!)mixed up,on the trip home.(We're still working on the forgiveness angle on that!)
My dad tells me that double whites tend to bloom first,in the spring,and then leaf out.Sooo,I'm hoping that the one that is not in bud is the double white.Fingers and toes crossed.....

Why do I love plumeria so?You can't kill 'em.Unless,you love them to death.They thrive on benign neglect,poor soil,you can dig them up and move them around,etc.They love early morning and late afternoon sun.If you forget to water them(during dry spells),with that first drink they immediately forgive you.I have never,ever fertilized any of them.All I do is top dress the potted ones every spring with some compost.That's it.
My kinda plant!
They love me.They really,really love me!
And I love them!
I did read on the plumeria forum that the double whites like a shot of slow-release fertilzer once a year,so I may try that,next spring.

The next photos are for Meems.....

Our Angel's Tears are spreading and blooming,better than ever,this year.


Lindernia grandiflora

I received the original cutting from a neighbor,many years ago.He called it Angel's Tears,so that's what I've always called it.


Notice the two lighter spots on the lower petals.Hence,the name Angel's Tears.
It is an excellent ground cover for Zones 8B-10A.It loves moist ground in full shade to full sun.I must admit,I have forgotten about it numerous times,and it still loves me.It propagates so easily.Just stick a bobby pi(or a large stone) on a branch,so it touches the ground,and it will root.Cut the new growth off,plop it where you want it,and voila'.How can you not love a plant that behaves that well?
From the original cutting I received,so many years ago,I,now,have many plants growing on TheGreatWall,and have passed many on to others.
It tends to bloom in the spring,but with this wacky weather weather we've been having in Florida,this year(the freezes this past winter,heat and drought during the spring,no actual summer rain pattern,Autumn temperatures,last week,we,now,have record setting heat and humidity,this week),I think it's confused.And it is blooming like crazy.

Don't you just love the unpredictability of gardening?


5 comments:

Gayle said...

You have such an amazing knowledge of plants and flowers. Your gardens are so beautiful. I hope to visit them in person one day.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

I love your plumeria. I have only one color. I need to take some cuttings to root as I do know how easy they are. It's how I got my three 'trees'. Sometimes I walk around the garden and smell such a wonderful sweet scent and think to myself, what is that. I look around and there are the plumeria blooms above my head. I love their scent.

I've never heard of the angel tears, but what a beauty.

FlowerLady

Deborah said...

Beautiful! Do you think they would survive DESERT dry? We are down in the 80's now! Okay, high 80's, but still! I am beginning to think that perhaps I am misplaced....

Rusty in Miami said...

My plumeria is dropping all its leaves; it has some flowers but not many.

Meems said...

Chris,
That pink plumeria is really pretty. The angel's tears you gave me is really thriving in the new front renovation... and it is blooming nicely now, too. I'm going to work on making more cuttings... I can tell I'm going to like this little plant a lot! The plumeria I transplanted is adjusting well also. I want to say a big fat Thank you right about now but I know I'm not supposed to do that. :-)

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