We came from here: The thread "Let's see what else we're growing 2015" in Orchids forum

For the new year, new plants from Vintage Green in Hawaii for me.

Two pretty Iochroma, a blue and a wine-red both of which have flowers! (Jim, I lost the cuttings you gave me to spider mites darnit . . )

Two Abutilons, one with very nice variegated foliage, the other had a big, fat red bud that fell off, but still opened when I set it gently on the plant . .


Also got a double white Brug that has two big buds on it, and two Cordylines with amazing looking foliage. (and a fabulous Bamboo orchid, seen elsewhere)

In the garden, my big pink Brugmansia noid is blooming happily again, and the scent at night is wonderful. Coleus "Florida Sun Rose" has put on its amazing winter colors. You can see on the lower leaves, the summer colors are a rather boring burgundy with a green border, but in cooler weather it puts on lime green, hot pink and yellow.


One more, a true oddity - this is the Waterlily Begonia. It has nice regular Rex begonia type flowers, but they are borne on extremely long, upright stems. The tallest one is about 30in. The leaves on this one are huge and a jagged round shape, too so it's a very interesting looking plant.

Beautiful winter blooms.

So glad you are happy with Vintage Green, you got quite a nice haul. I love the color on that rosy abutilon.

My camellias are going to town. Due to the warm weather we had they are blooming much earlier than usual this year.












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How nice! I love the new thread! Abutilons are amongst my favorites. Years ago I tried to grow any I could get my hands on.

Beautiful Camellias, Alice!

I'm in love with your camellias Alice.

Lovely Camellias!

Such a strange year, the C. handellii that bloomed in April last year is already finished.

Those Camillias are real pretty Alice.

Your camellias are just gorgeous, Alice. Hm, I wonder if you get some chilly weather now, they might bloom again? We're forecast to have "winter" this week, so I do hope things like my blueberries will finally go dormant for at least a little while . ..

Meanwhile, my Hawaiian divas will be coming indoors this week. Darn sure they would not be happy with nights in the 40s. More visitors to the orchid spa in our bathroom.

I have never had luck with camellias so I stopped trying. I admire those who grow them well.

Here is a link to the palm arboretum tour: The thread "Palm Arboretum" in Tropicals forum

Jim

Jim, I bet your soil is pretty alkaline, that would make it difficult for camellias to thrive.

The palm arboretum tour must have been right up your alley. I loved the Root Spine, who comes up with these names and who was Warscewiczii? That guy got around, there are so many different plants attributed to him (or her.)

So right, Alice. The only really great looking camellias I've seen here have been in very large pots. I do love them but, gosh the blooms last such a short time!

My mother used to grow them to great size up in Vancouver BC where it is cool and rainy most of the time and they have wonderful acidic loam. The blooms lasted longer there, but if it was very rainy, they would collapse, too. It had to be mostly just cool and cloudy or foggy for them to last more than a week or so.

We have a good season of them usually. The sasanquas start flowering in late September/early October and the japonicas start in early December and the later flowering varieties usually flower through April. Not sure what will happen this year although I have several that have not opened or are not in full bloom yet. This white noid started opening in early December.

It's just gorgeous, Alice. I do love white flowers.

Here's my Shooting Stars clerodendron coming into bloom again. Each year I swear I'm going to roust them out, as they send suckers all over the yard, but then it gets to this time of year I'm rather glad I didn't. They're really pretty flowers, and also very nice foliage with purple backs on the leaves the rest of the year. (providing it's not cold enough to make them drop)




Another favorite, blooming well out of season, Turnera ulmifolia 'alba' and a couple of my 25 cent snapdragons blooming away.



A couple of confused bromeliads in bloom, too. Last one is really huge, over 3ft. leaves.

Second to last looks like some type of huge billbergia.

I love your out of season flowers, there is an upside to this weird weather this year. After December's 70's & 80's we are back down to the 50's & 60's and it is COLD. The heat is going full blast. Most of the tender plants are in the house and the ones that are too big are in the lee corner of the deck on a seedling heat mat, it keeps things just warm enough.

Pretty, I love the Chlerodendron!

Yes, those broms with the blue/yellow flowers are some billbergia or other, and the huge one is an Aechmea but that's about all we know.

I just finished schlepping most of my orchids, and all my new Hawaiian imports into the house. We're in for a few days of cold, so why take a chance?

If Elaine leaves that clerodendron in the ground a couple more years it just might make it to your house, Ursula. Those are great blooms for January. Today I saw a crape myrtle putting out new leaves with old ones still clinging to tree.

Jim

Yup. They sucker up to 20ft. away from the original plant. I have suckers poking through the top of the huge bougainvillea that are 14ft. tall.

And here I thought just Wisterias are like that!