Re: Zone 10

It may be that not everyone wants to try to save plants, Kitty. I'm not sure I know why-especially of a cordyline. They're not cheap, even in zone 10. Maybe there's a new industry aborning, here. One that rehabilitates plants that have been junked. Garage sale industry. Hobby. Underground economy. There is a big market for home-grown plants in my neighborhood.




On Saturday, February 14, 2004, at 07:07 PM, Kitty wrote:

Lately I've had the opposite problem. I try to explain to people they can
overwinter some of their tender perennials, but here they simply refer to
them as annuals. Well, when a Cordyline costs $40, I am not going to throw
it out after 4 months. (well, ok, I only paid about $5, but the same one is
going for $37 at WFF and $40 elsewhere). A nice Osteospermum can cost about
$5 here. Early on it's not much, but does grow to a nice size by the end of
the season. So in Sep 02 I brought it in and put it back out in May 03,
already a nice size. By the end of the season, it covered 3 times what it
had the previous year. Last Sep, though, I just took cuttings. They pitch
Purple Fountain Grass at the end of each year and buy new, when the first
one has trippled in size. They throw away Caladiums and Cannas, which
could easily be overwintered in storage. I know I sound cheap, but it's not
just that. These are healthy plants and bulbs they just pitch. I know I
can't salvage everything, but I can't quite accept throwing away everything.

Kitty


----- Original Message -----
From: "james singer" <jsinger@igc.org>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2004 6:27 PM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] Zone 10


Thanks for the list. I'll go back to Darrell's list and take a peek.

Yep, zone 10 here. Good things and bad things about zone 10. Good
things are I can grow orchids, begonias, sweetsops, and avocados
outside--not to mention mangos, lychees, guavas, bananas, and so on.
Bad things are most plants northerners value and talk about won't grow
here. I spend a lot of time at the nursery counseling folks from the
north about the differences between here and there. It's a lot more
than "palm verses ash," but that's always a good place to start.


On Saturday, February 14, 2004, at 06:22 PM, Kitty wrote:

Jim, I got three of my Epimediums from Darrell Probst and two from
Plant
Pics - the people who used to own Shady Oaks . These are what I have:

Epimedium pinnatum ssp. colchicum
Epimedium alpinum 'Rubrum'
Epimedium x versicolor 'Versicolor'
Epimedium diphyllum 'Roseum'
Epimedium x youngianum 'John Gallagher'

There are some real stunners in his collection that I'd love to have
some
day. Some listings I see on the internet show that some varieties can
be
grown as far south as Zone 9, but you're in 10, aren't you?

Kitty

----- Original Message -----
From: "james singer" <jsinger@igc.org>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2004 4:36 PM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] Ground Orchid


My turn to plead ignorance, Kitty. I didn't know what an Epimedium was
but I found this page www.home.earthlink.net/~darrellpro/ that has
pictures of any number of species. Very interesting flowers, some
quite
stunning. Which ones do you have?

On Saturday, February 14, 2004, at 01:00 PM, Kitty wrote:

Jim, I looked it up and the images I saw of the leaves alone were
enough to
create a desire for the plants. The flowers are beautiful. I just
love
those little surprises, most of them in spring, when a long-awaited
plant
blooms. I am eager to see my first Epimedium flowers this spring.
And I
hope I don't miss the Bloodroot. It's such a grand surprise when you
round
the corner and notice that new leaf, or the long-awaited flower
spike.

Even though I can't grow much of anything you do, I enjoy it when you
mention these items. It spurs me on to take a look at something I
might
never have thought to look up. Thanks!

Kitty 

Island Jim
Southwest Florida
Zone 10

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Island Jim
Southwest Florida
Zone 10

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Island Jim
Southwest Florida
Zone 10

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