What Zone Am I In?

Know what you are planting, and where!

 

 

Birds of Costa Rica

pictures from web

And then there were the super-exotic birds we saw on our only trip outside of this country.  Wow!  We spied the Resplendent Quetzal on a walking tour of the rainforest (my trip goal fulfilled).  Scott spotted the Blue-crowned Motmot in the tropical foliage in front of our hotel in Manuel Antonio and the Blue-grey Tanager from the pool.  We also saw the Orange-bellied Trogon hiking the peaks and  hanging bridges of the mountains.  We saw vibrant hummingbirds (Violet Sabrewings), Emerald Toucanet's, and Parrots living in a field of Orchids.  We saw so many exotic species of birds, plants, and mammals.  If you love nature, it's worth the trip.

Y

Feathered Residents

pictures from web

We have lots of birds coming and going, but the wrens, cardinals, titmice, and chickadee's never leave.  The Carolina Wren is a longtime favorite of mine.  They sing the most recognizable songs to me.  The Northern Cardinal is our beautifully vibrant-colored state bird, the Tufted Titmouse seems less than noteworthy but they are always gentle little souls at the feeder, and the Carolina Chickadee always appear in flocks around trees in berry.  I love having all of them as frequent visitors and permanent residents here.  It requires little effort to keep them fed on a wooded lot, but I keep a couple seed feeders and suet cakes hanging around to make sure they are extra happy.

It is about that time of year to start seeing more woodpeckers, finches, towhee's, robins, and so on.  And I will be watching for them all, with my Stokes Field Guide and binoculars always handy.

Y

El Presidente from the Captain's Wife

My mother-in-law bought me this GORGEOUS Clematis ~6 years ago and it is an early-blooming stunner.  I am going to try like the dickens to propagate this one (from cutting) so all 30+ feet of fencing we have near our driveway will be blooming with the same plant she gave me.

She picked this one for two reasons; 1) she is LSU's #1 football fan - GEAUX Tigers! 2) she liked the importance the name gave it.

This Clematis does not need to be babysat.  It gets a couple hours of sunlight per day and water when it rains, for the most part.  Crowding the crown with too much mulch will cause rot, however.

Thank You, MommaKin!  I can count on this climber year after year.

Y

Microclimate Illustration

I brought home several 2" Aloe Aristata plants from the nursery last spring, and I planted them in different locations.  I  I planted them all on the same day.  This is a neat little illustration of how micro-climates affect plant growth.

Plant #1 was planted in a little pot and left in our house.  It is 72º in our house, sometimes colder, and the plant gets indirect sunlight all day long.  It has grown over 4" in 12 months.  Rather gangly, but growing.

Plant #2 includes 3 plants in one concrete pot.  They have been living, for the most part,  in full shade, neglected, and outside throughout the winter.  They are happy plants, but you can see they are struggling for room.  The burgundy leaves are a result of extreme cold against the concrete in the winter.  They have grown approximately 1/2"-1" in 12 months.

Plant #3a is in a dry location and gets a couple hours of sun every day.  The plant itself has tripled in size, and photo #3b shows it in bloom last August (4 months after planting).
I planted them in different locations. 

Lesson learned:  This plant thrives outside, in the ground.  However, Aloe Aristata will grow any old place you feel like planting it!

Y

Phalaenopsis x's 4

Basic instructions for growing re-blooming Orchids in your home:

1) I have found Phalaenopsis to be, by far, the easiest repeat blooming orchids in my home. Buy one that has plenty of unopened buds to assure longest blooms season.

2) If you don't have a wide window sill over your kitchen sink, build a shelf for the window over your kitchen sink.

3) The indirect sunlight and moist air from kitchen sink activity creates a wonderful environment for Phalaenopsis orchids. No misting necessary.

4) Water once a week or so. Fertilize per orchid fertilizer label instructions. Prune back stalks only after they are brown. Prune dead or dying leaves as you notice them.

I have four orchids in bloom right now, and 2 that have buds on them. I have had great luck with orchids re-blooming for me for 3+ years. After that, they start to thin. They continue to bloom, but they thin over the years.  I have also had some luck with transplanting, but again, they always seem to remain thin after the 4th year whether transplanted or not. I know they like to dry between waterings, and I know they like some air on their roots, but I am not trying to dig too deep or discourage here today.  I have a friend that just built a greenhouse, so I intend to winter my orchids there in upcoming years in hopes of keeping my collection full happy plants longer, and I will report back.

Y