I did it AGAIN

[Granny]

I promised myself I would not invest in any plants this year. The first couple years I was in TN I had a beautiful deck. The last two years everything got scorched to death no matter what was done.

Well, I've invested in plants again. I bought some corkscrew vines about a month ago to go with the one mandevilla plant I managed to save from last year and today I added two more mandevillia plants, two verbena, and two other plants I can't spell ... but they're pretty.

I'm a sick puppy.

 

[boedicca]

They sound gorgeous!

And really, Granny...buying plants is not anywhere near being sick puppy. Enjoy they while they last!

 

[Granny]

I just love flowers. It's too bad I don't have a house and yard. Mandevilla is beautiful. It's a tropical plant that can be wintered indoors. If you've never seen the corkscrew vine (aka nautilaus plant) you should look it up - beautiful flowers.

I thought this year I would try just having plants to twine around the rails and trail. The birds managed to make nests of all the copra linings of my hanging basket type stuff! I got lucky this year - only had a robin build a nest under a tarp I had over my potting soil for the winter. The nest has been deserted by the robin and I have 5 petrified eggs left. I'm going to take a chance that I can toss out the nest without breaking any protected species laws. I need my bag of soil! LOL!

 

[mudwhistle]

I just love flowers. It's too bad I don't have a house and yard. Mandevilla is beautiful. It's a tropical plant that can be wintered indoors. If you've never seen the corkscrew vine (aka nautilaus plant) you should look it up - beautiful flowers.

I thought this year I would try just having plants to twine around the rails and trail. The birds managed to make nests of all the copra linings of my hanging basket type stuff! I got lucky this year - only had a robin build a nest under a tarp I had over my potting soil for the winter. The nest has been deserted by the robin and I have 5 petrified eggs left. I'm going to take a chance that I can toss out the nest without breaking any protected species laws. I need my bag of soil! LOL!

We need pics.

The worst situation is a deck that faces West. It gets all of the afternoon sun.

 

[Granny]

How's this?

Mandevilla Plant - Bing Images

corkscrew vine - Bing Images

I have a northern exposure on my deck.

 

[mudwhistle]

How's this?

Mandevilla Plant - Bing Images

corkscrew vine - Bing Images

I have a northern exposure on my deck.

Those are pretty.

I love New Guinea Impatiens.

new guinea impatiens - Bing Images

 

[Granny]

How's this?

Mandevilla Plant - Bing Images

corkscrew vine - Bing Images

I have a northern exposure on my deck.

Those are pretty.

I love New Guinea Impatiens.

new guinea impatiens - Bing Images

I'm familiar with those. I've always had the other variety. They're such happy little plants.
I also have the trailing variety of verbena and this:

calibrachoa - Bing Images

 

[Moonglow]

Cannabis sativa grows great in the heat, water daily, fertilize every two weeks.

 

[mudwhistle]

Cannabis sativa grows great in the heat, water daily, fertilize every two weeks.

That'll also get you 1 to 6 years in prison.

 

[Granny]

Cannabis sativa grows great in the heat, water daily, fertilize every two weeks.

Mmmm ... not for me. I'm too old and set in my ways to be trying that stuff now!

 

[mudwhistle]

How's this?

Mandevilla Plant - Bing Images

corkscrew vine - Bing Images

I have a northern exposure on my deck.

Those are pretty.

I love New Guinea Impatiens.

new guinea impatiens - Bing Images

I'm familiar with those. I've always had the other variety. They're such happy little plants.
I also have the trailing variety of verbena and this:

calibrachoa - Bing Images

Petunias.....my mom used to grow those next to our front door.

 

[Gracie]

PRETTY pics! LOVE the flowers!!! I wish I had more, myself, but...I refuse to invest one more dime in this house since I can't stay in it much longer. But when I find a new place to settle down....my dwelling is going to be extremely hard to find thru all the flowers and shrubs and trees, lol.

 

[Moonglow]

Cannabis sativa grows great in the heat, water daily, fertilize every two weeks.

Mmmm ... not for me. I'm too old and set in my ways to be trying that stuff now!

I just had an appendectomy, believe me it works better than the meds the docs shell out.

 

[Granny]

Those are pretty.

I love New Guinea Impatiens.

new guinea impatiens - Bing Images

I'm familiar with those. I've always had the other variety. They're such happy little plants.
I also have the trailing variety of verbena and this:

calibrachoa - Bing Images

Petunias.....my mom used to grow those next to our front door.

I think the Wave Petunias are the best!!

 

[Granny]

Cannabis sativa grows great in the heat, water daily, fertilize every two weeks.

Mmmm ... not for me. I'm too old and set in my ways to be trying that stuff now!

I just had an appendectomy, believe me it works better than the meds the docs shell out.

I just never got into anything on the drug scene back during the '60s or at anytime since. But even prescription drugs are enough to scare you to death ... when you listen to the commercials it sounds like most of them are as likely to kill you before they cure you.

 

[Mertex]

I promised myself I would not invest in any plants this year. The first couple years I was in TN I had a beautiful deck. The last two years everything got scorched to death no matter what was done.

Well, I've invested in plants again. I bought some corkscrew vines about a month ago to go with the one mandevilla plant I managed to save from last year and today I added two more mandevillia plants, two verbena, and two other plants I can't spell ... but they're pretty.

I'm a sick puppy.

Do you have to bring your Mandevillas in, in winter? I have one and I brought it in, it got spindly during the winter, but it is coming back. I live in S. Texas, and the winters are still cold enough in the Hill Country to kill certain plants.

 

[Mertex]

Cannabis sativa grows great in the heat, water daily, fertilize every two weeks.

 

[Granny]

I promised myself I would not invest in any plants this year. The first couple years I was in TN I had a beautiful deck. The last two years everything got scorched to death no matter what was done.

Well, I've invested in plants again. I bought some corkscrew vines about a month ago to go with the one mandevilla plant I managed to save from last year and today I added two more mandevillia plants, two verbena, and two other plants I can't spell ... but they're pretty.

I'm a sick puppy.

Do you have to bring your Mandevillas in, in winter? I have one and I brought it in, it got spindly during the winter, but it is coming back. I live in S. Texas, and the winters are still cold enough in the Hill Country to kill certain plants.

They are tropical plants. Last fall when I brought mine in I cut it back to about 12 inch long branches, gave it a little fertilizer. After that just kept it at my sunniest window and watered it. The thing went absolutely wild - new sprouts all over the place. It was like a 200 tentacled octopus - and untangling that stuff EVERY morning was no easy task.

I have a part of my deck that is shaded all day long. What I would like to try are some elephant ear plants and moon flowers. Moon flowers are big and bloom at night. They will withstand winters here in the ground. I think I might be inclined to bring them indoors since I have to use pots for everything.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=elephant+ear+plant&qpvt=elephant+ear+plant&FORM=IGRE
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...&form=QBIR&pq=moon+flower&sc=8-11&sp=2&sk=IM1

 

[Mertex]

I promised myself I would not invest in any plants this year. The first couple years I was in TN I had a beautiful deck. The last two years everything got scorched to death no matter what was done.

Well, I've invested in plants again. I bought some corkscrew vines about a month ago to go with the one mandevilla plant I managed to save from last year and today I added two more mandevillia plants, two verbena, and two other plants I can't spell ... but they're pretty.

I'm a sick puppy.

Do you have to bring your Mandevillas in, in winter? I have one and I brought it in, it got spindly during the winter, but it is coming back. I live in S. Texas, and the winters are still cold enough in the Hill Country to kill certain plants.

They are tropical plants. Last fall when I brought mine in I cut it back to about 12 inch long branches, gave it a little fertilizer. After that just kept it at my sunniest window and watered it. The thing went absolutely wild - new sprouts all over the place. It was like a 200 tentacled octopus - and untangling that stuff EVERY morning was no easy task.

That's a good idea, I didn't cut mine back that much. We have a sunroom, glass ceiling, and I had it there, but it isn't too sunny, maybe that is why mine just kinda stayed dormant. It has sprouted some new leaves since I took it outside, so maybe it will get nice and bushy before long.

I have a part of my deck that is shaded all day long. What I would like to try are some elephant ear plants and moon flowers. Moon flowers are big and bloom at night. They will withstand winters here in the ground. I think I might be inclined to bring them indoors since I have to use pots for everything.

I have a plant that looks like the elephant ear plants, except the leaves are split. It's in the ground, but I cover it in the winter and it seems to do fine. I've never tried the moon flowers. I do have a night blooming cereus and it blooms at night, beautiful, but the flowers only last one day.

night blooming cereus - Bing Images

 

[Granny]

God help me - it was enough to say I bought flowers after promising myself I would not do it again this year.

A couple of my plants died untimely (and unwarranted) deaths. Not sure how one mandevilla was the ONLY plant on my deck to die of drowning, also not sure how about 3 other plants could die from malfunction of a plant food instrument, but it happened.

So I have had one side of my balcony railing beautifully covered with floral vine plants and the other side of my balcony ... well ... naked. Went to WalMart today to check out the cost of this new gel nail polish stuff. And wattaya know ... the nail polish row just happens to be closest to the gardening section entrance so that's where I parked. No sense in me parking at the other end of the "warehouse" so I could die of heat stroke walking to and from my car.

Well, I just took a quick detour through the plants and guess what? They had these great big (maybe 4 foot) mandevilla plants on sale for $15 ... and some of them had white flowers. I still checked out the cost of the nail polish but decided to stick with the white mandevilla. Now I have something to cover up my naked rails at the other end of my balcony. My other two surviving mandevillas are pink and red.

*sighs*

*hangs head*