Filling Out

Container with Purple Fountain Grass and Sweet Potato Vines

Some of my containers have really started to fill out. The sweet potato vines are growing real well now and the fountain grass also. I love to see a full container.



White Christmas Caladium

While I thought I had purchased a Caladium whose name had two words and each word started with a W, I was wrong. Looks like I bought White Christmas. It was what I wanted anyways so it doesn't matter. Finally I have gotten some leaves that are actually white and green. I wonder why half of my leaves are only green. Is this common with this variety. I love it anyways and leave the green leaves. It's really starting to grow now with tons of new shoots coming up.

I am off to work soon. Not feeling too good after being sick yesterday. I'm hoping it won't take to long to get out the product that is coming. I need to tell my boss about vacation...I'm scared. I don't like having to ask anyone if I can do anything. I think it's a phobia I developed when I was younger after my parents saying no to me ever going anywhere or doing anything. Now I just don't like asking and just want to go and do it. I should have said something way earlier but I've been so chicken.I guess I really have held off on saying anything because I know the season is almost over. The rep I work with is leaving at the beginning of June and I should be starting my internship in June and they all know it.

Speaking of my internship. I called yesterday before leaving work. The hiring manager was not there today but the business manager was. I talked to her and she said she had to talk to Bob who the Manager of something and see what he says. She told me she knew someone was doing the internship but didn't hear who, when, or where they were from. Normally they get students that come down from college station for the summer. Supposedly I will here something by Monday or Tuesday if not sooner. I can't imagine what they have to talk about because I signed on about 3 months ago and this should have already been discussed. The hiring manager that was there before said I could start right after school ends. That would have been a few weeks ago but I wanted to start after my vacation. Anyways it looks like there shouldn't be a problem but I am preparing myself for the worst. If the worst does happen I won't be surprised at least

For me? How Generous!

Shade Container made at school.

Yet again I got more free plants from school. I just can't ever say no to getting these plants that I either grew from seed or in this case containers I made. It was a real struggle to find a place to put these guys. The shade container above was relatively easy since the only shade is my front door. My front door already has a container outside but it's not fairing well and I assume it's because the soil is too dense and things just die after sitting in there for a while.




My shade container has a Rex Begonia not sure the variety and some ruellia/mexican petunia. I hope it does well where I put it because I don't really have another place to put it. It looks nice out there for now. Lets see how long it will survive.


Really big container with Purple Fountain Grass and Sweet Potato Vines.

This container doesn't look too good now but I think it will look great once everything starts to grow. I got the slim pickings of the Sweet Potato vine since everyone wanted to use it. We didn't really have many choices but I like what I did. Even though someone copied me and I think they switched our tags because this one looks a bit meh (off centered etc.) and I don't remember mine looking that way at all. Plus I remember putting it next to my other container on the left side of the greenhouse and this one was on the right side far away from my other container. I'm telling you fowl play. The Sweet Potato Vine will still grow out the Fountain Grass come back to life. I might move this because I put it in the upper left corner of my balcony where it won't get blasted with sun right now. I know it can probably take full sun at least the fountain grass for sure.


Candlestick Plant (Cassia alata)

Our teacher said we could take the candlestick plants since they were left over from the plant sale. They are really beautiful plants once they get big with these great yellow blooms similar to a shrimp plant bloom. I took one even though I won't have space for it once it starts getting to larger proportions. Maybe by then I can swap it with someone locally or sell it to someone who wants a unique plant in their yard. I noticed yeseterday though they were infested with aphids. I'm not sure if they were like this at the greenhouse at school and that is why he wanted to get rid of them. Most likely it was just infested when it go to my balcony. I had noticed many ants around it and on the neighboring pansy. Ants on my plants means aphids are around. Not sure still if ants eat the aphids or eat the stuff that comes off of the aphids.First I cleaned off the leaves with a soap and water towel. Then I sprayed it with some soap and water and put it in the contamination corner/no blazing sun corner. I'll have to spray it again today and maybe for the next few days or weeks to make sure it's all gone.

By the way another seed offer for those that may want some. My pansies the yellow ones look like they will have seeds. The ants that got on them I think might have pollinated them or something because I see something that looks like a seed forming on two of them. If any of you want some pansy seeds of the yellow and purple kind just give me a holler and I'll gladly send some over.
Other seeds I have to give:
Red Yucca
Grape Hyacinth
Pink Snapdragon
White Columbine (was supposed to be blue and white)*coming soon still on the plant

I know these aren't unique but someone might want some.

When Roots Invade

Roots from my Hyacinth Bulb.

A few days ago I decided it was time to do some root trimming. Some of my pots had become rather root bound so i just though I would trim off the bottoms and maybe some of the side to give them some more room. Surprisingly the pots I thought would be the most root bound were not at all. There were a few that were just all roots and it made me wonder were did all that dirt go? My snapdragon was just a ball of roots. Seriously I don't know if root cutting is right or wrong but I'm experimenting. So far no signs of shock so all is good. The mint got cut in half since it became a beast. It's roots were also trimmed because it gets root bound in no time.

I didn't have any luck with my Woodstock Hyacinth Bulbs. The flowers would come out then dry up in a day. Or the flowers would come up already dried out. I'm not sure what happened. Possibly it was too hot for them. I wanted to take the hyacinths and throw them out. I started with the pot that had 2 hyacinths, some candytufts and godetia. I was amazed at what I saw when I pulled everything out of the pot. The whole bottom half of the container was roots. They were healthy roots though. There was so much all coiled up. It looked like some thin rope or thick fishing line. When I unwrapped the roots they were the length of my forearm. This was another pot that somehow the soil just disappeared from the bottom. Out in the trash those hyacinths went. The godetia and candytuft hardly had any roots at all. I have another Hyacinth bulb but I have seedling growing in the same container. If I was to take to that bulb I would end up ripping up seedlings too. I'm assuming the other hycainth has just as many roots or more since it is in a much larger container.

Ignored Plants On My Balcony

The one surviving Coleus.

I noticed I have been ignoring some plants on my balcony. They don't get their photo taken of very often. When they do get a photo session they don't get posted on the blog. For some reason I feel like I take a lot of photos of some plants but really I don't. This one Coleus is the only survivor out of 3 that I had. One was purple and the other was I think like this one. I left the two outside to deal with the elements but kept this one inside. The other two got a freeze that killed them. This Coleus has been setting out new leaves like crazy lately. I've been pinching back trying to keep it compact and branch out and leaf out more towards the bottom.


The unknown gift plant.

This is the unknown gift plant. I don't take many pictures of it because well it hasn't grown much at all. I'm not sure what it is that makes it not the growing beast I was told it would be. A friend gave this to me and said hers grows like crazy every year. She gave me some cuttings and had no idea what it was called. It turns pink some times but I don't know when or why. I like this plant really I do. It's just camera shy that is all.


A corner of my Balcony never before shown.

I'm sure all that read this blog wonder why I never show my actual balcony and my container massings. Really I just don't like the way my photos come out. I like my photos up close and personal all up in the plants face. And I slacked off after November and stopped sweeping my balcony. Things started to get dirty and pieces of plants everywhere. It's not a very nice site. This is a corner of my balcony, the upper left hand corner if looking out my sliding door. The black container is back in it's corner (bottom left) and no longer there. In the corner is were my dianthus pinnochio mix and dr ruppel clematis are. Then the snapdragon is tucked in between the pot with the dianthus and clematis and the pot that has the campanula, columbine and armeria. Next to that is the tiny pot of over crowded lemon balm that is infested with spider mites. In the black container there is a mystery plant, a snake plant, and the knotweed. Trust me my container mixes are less then spectacular. The black container I just shoved what I could because I didn't want the cuttings and plants to die. I had minimal containers so many things just got stuck in the same home with no care to how they look.

New Buds and New Growth

Weeping Dwarf Crape Myrtle "Sacramento" has buds.

Today to my surprise I saw some signs of life in two things I thought for sure must be dead. First my crape myrtle is showing some buds. This is very excited for me. I really thought I would have to be getting rid of this dead tree. When I bought it I potted it in a new home. It didn't like the new home and environment thus dropping all it's leaves. Nothing ever came back after over half a year. It was really coming down to whether or not there would be any new growth this spring. Now there are buds so it is alive. I'm very glad because I loved the Weeping Dwarf Crape Myrtle.


More buds everywhere.

Now I really thought I had killed this next plant for sure. I got it and it was in a decent condition but small. I potted it up with the dianthus pinnochio mix. The dianthus took off but the Dr Ruppel Clematis did not. It stayed the same and the leaves browned. Yet it again is was just up for time to tell if it was alive or not. I have not looked at the clematis for a month now. Today I checked it out since other things and other trees and shrubs around in San Antonio are starting to get new leaves and buds. New leaves!!! It is alive so I will be having a clematis growing. I'm kind of concerned though because the dianthus has grown so much. I'm not sure if the clematis will need it's own pot that isn't crowded with roots already. I'm assuming that the pot has many roots in it considering how the dianthus looks. Yet again if anyone can give me some help on that it would be greatly appreciated. I just didn't want to pot it up while it is starting to finally show signs of life and risk transplant shock or whatever else. Do you think the clematis will be okay with it's dianthus buddy? I like the dianthus there because it shades the roots and doesn't allow the sun to really get to it. Right now I think it's in an 8 inch pot so it's not big at all. I have no idea how big of a pot a clematis would need or if it will even survive in a pot at all.


Dr. Ruppel Clematis has new leaves.

Grape Hyacinths and more...

Grape Hyacinths

Recently I complained that my Grape Hyacinths (muscari armeniacum) had no signs of flowers yet just foliage. Well yesterday while inspecting seedlings up close and personal I saw the signs! Quite a few of my Grape Hyacinths have the flower scape peaking up out of the center of their foliage. I purchased these in November or December maybe even Jaunuar I really don't remember. I got them on sale at lowes. Purchase them to force inside but had so many that I planted tons in any free space in my pots that I had. So I have tons of grape hyacinths to enjoy. The photo above are grape hyacinths I planted for forcing inside but put outside to receive more light. I never realized my apartment didn't receive that much light until these started yellow at the ends.

Muscari armeniacum (Grape Hyacinth)
fragrant
4-8 inches tall
deep cobalt blooms
flowers in mid spring
attracts bees
Great for indoor forcing, borders, cut flowers, rockgardens, beds, borders, and under shrubs and trees.

There are different varieties of Muscari armeniacum. There are the muscari armeniacum which is cobalt blue also the one normally called Grape Hyacinth. Album is white, Blue Spike has double florets and is flax blue, Cantab is sky blue with a slightly larger bloom, and Fantasy Creations double flowers with blue blooms that gain green with maturity. These are all fragrant.

There are over 30 different species of Muscari.


Today I have an interview/meeting to more then likely get started doing merchandising for a large wholesale nursery. Well the merchandising is at home depots I believe and lowes and those other stores. This is only for the spring. After the spring in May I'll start an internship and that I'm more than positive is a sure thing.

After my meeting when my husband gets home we'll be going to the Home and Garden show at the Alamodome. I'll be bringing my camera in hopes of great things to photograph.