Viewing comments posted by RadlyRootbound

Although I am not an "expert" by far, I've had a Hoya carnosa 'Compacta' for a couple of years and can comment from my experience with it. From the appearance of the plant, with its hard vine and tough, waxy-looking leaves, I assumed (incorrectly) it would fare well with lots of sun, so for the first summer, I had it outside on my garden patio in full sun for the first half of the day, and I watered it every couple of days, since it was in full, hot sun. For reference, I live in central Mississippi, and although it "managed" in those conditions here, some of the leaves became "sun scorched" and it didn't bloom. This summer, I placed it in a different spot that only received full sun in the early morning and remained shaded but in bright light for the rest of the day. I also didn't water nearly as often, and it must like these conditions much better, for it has remained in constant bloom this summer, usually with as many as five bloom clusters at once. From this experience, I would say that they prefer bright light but little direct sun in order to thrive. Also, oddly enough since they root very readily just stuck in a glass of water, I should reiterate that it was watered much less frequently this year (to the point of neglect, even!), yet it seemed to appreciate the "drought" conditions and kept right on blooming and showing very well despite being "neglected". That, and the fact that most advice says to keep it pot-bound, indicates to me that this is a very "shy" plant that prefers to just be left alone in its own (bright) little corner, with as little pampering attention as possible--the more "neglect", the better, perfect for someone whose houseplants tend to die from being forgotten.

There is a strain of Mimosa trees that is dominant in the Birmingham, Alabama area and has white flowers instead of pink. In fact, when going through that region, I don't recall seeing any Mimosas with pink blooms, just white ones, and they grow wild everywhere.

Not much of a root system on this plant; mostly just a bulb very similar to a young onion, with small, tender roots radiating from the bottom.

I noticed a couple of Carolina Jasmine specimens growing as volunteers on some oak saplings on part of my lot I had reclaimed from a blackberry and honeysuckle bramble the year before. Once I noticed them (due to the unexpected blooms), I began to look more closely at the growth around other trees and found many other specimens that had not bloomed yet, possibly because they were too young or were only then able to compete once the blackberries and honeysuckle were removed. The area I cleared is to be my garden, and these native volunteers are more than welcome, although some may need to be relocated to more appropriate spots.

Poke Salad is not a plant to be frightened of any more than any other average plant. It is not toxic in the way that Poison Ivy is, in that you can be affected just by brushing up against it. To be affected by its toxicity, one must ingest it, and even this toxicity can be mitigated with proper preparation and cooking of the leaves. The colorful berries should not be ingested under any circumstances, and all children should be sternly instructed to never eat any berry without first checking with an adult to see whether it's all right to eat, anyway. If you are afraid your child will eat nearby poke berries, then poke berries aren't your biggest problem and I would suggest you monitor your very young child more closely or discipline your older child more sternly. There are ingestible hazards everywhere, so focusing your paranoia on Poke Salad will only distract your attention from other potential dangers, like that paperclip or button battery you left on the desk or table, which can be more deadly than a few poke berries.

Lactuca canadensis is said to reach "up to" eight feet tall, however it can grow taller, as I have a strictly volunteer specimen that is at least ten feet in late June, so it may grow even taller. This is natural growth, with no fertilizer of any sort used to boost its size. I will monitor it and get an exact measurement when it reaches its peak, and post the results here.