Impressive. Not warm enough here for any exotic stuff like that.
I put a new Acer in last weekend.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
What Plants Are You Growing?
- Thread starter BeeGood
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I put a new Acer in last weekend.
I'll admit to using some Miracle Gro for my herbs... But I have no idea what's different with this new mini box I've purchased. I used a quarter strength tincture and my lemon balms have exploded. One stalk had grown 4" in a week (tagged it). I'm finding it incredibly difficult to get certain natural fertilizers this year. Got around to mixing a rose blend this morning though. This new batch of fishbone meal doesn't smell as bad as the last few I've used. We're enjoying unusually cool weather for SoCal Mays and so that will cut down on the stench.
BTW, does anyone know a good grower that sells young carob trees in the western US?
BTW, does anyone know a good grower that sells young carob trees in the western US?
What is an Acer?
Compared to the climate of places I've spent most of my life, East central Texas and Southern California are the two locations where I could/can get away with tropical plants in the garden, including Passion flower and planting a split leaf Philodendron outside, which Ive always regarded as a house plant. Guam does not count because despite living there for 3 years, I never had any time for serious gardening, planted a couple of coconuts.
The longest place I've lived was in the artic zone, Minnesota. 
Philodendron (not my yard or photo).
Last edited:
If memory serves, the leaves of the Acer turn a lovely deep, rich, burnt orange, and a sort of scarlet, or rubicund red, in autumn; the plant looks stunning.
Mother (and I) used to love them; in the days when she used to haunt garden centres, - she was an extraordinarily accomplished and gifted gardener - Acers were always inspected.
Some do. We already have a couple of dark red ones. So now we have three.
Still have a number of empty pots though in need of some plants. Going to get some lavender for one or two of them as they attract the bees. Not sure about the others yet. Maybe just some bulbs.
Yes, I always loved those dark red Acers, and Mother and I would compare and contrast plants and specifications when visiting garden centres (which was her idea of fun; mine was museums and book shops; but, she enjoyed it so much, I'd accompany her when I was around and she could spend hours at a gardening centre).
My father loved lavender. He used to keep a bottle of the essential oil handy, and loved the plant. (They used to have a 'his' and 'hers' section of the garden, - well, two gardens - at one time. He was fiercely competitive, but she was genuinely creatively gifted and green-fingered.)
What about some heathers? They look good, are compatible with the indigenous climate, and are agreeably sturdy.
Tomatos , basil , zucchini ,couple of different peppers , eggplant , melons , got some oregano , a couple of plumerias some from seed and some from cuttings a friend's kid sent from Maui , and maybe 25 different irises , which don't seem to be blooming this year like they usually do .
We have more heathers than nearly everything else! Pink and white ones. We planted a few in a small walled garden with our pires. They took very well.
This morning I discovered a tent caterpillar (not familiar with Texas varieties) of some kind had made a web in my weeping cedar tree. I went for the nearest bottle of bug insecticide which was a brand called Nature's Guide Organic Rose and Flower spray. A search online indicates the brand no longer exists or is being called something else.
I sprayed, got all those little critters sopping wet, came back in 15 min, and they all appeared to be dead. I took a look at the ingredients and was impressed the primary ingredient was 5% garlic, followed by 2% peppermint, and 2% thyme.
To the left of the Geisha.
Dead bugs...
Organic when it works well, can't be beat.
To the left of the Geisha.
Dead bugs...
Organic when it works well, can't be beat.
Acer is the genus name for Maples and Boxelders. I'm getting really excited to see what my Sweet Millon Tomatoes do this year. Not real happy with my trellis setup, but it will have to do. This is an indeterminate variety, so it will take some work to keep them up. I should have my first harvest in a week or so.
TFTI. I'm surprised the genus name was used in this way because I regard Maples and Boxelders as significantly different trees especially sugar Maples, Japenese Maples, and Red Maples. As far as I know, which may not be much,
few would choose to plant a Boxelder in their yard. So I would not use the genus term to describe this particular tree.
TFTI. I'm surprised the genus name was used in this way because I regard Maples and Boxelders as significantly different trees especially sugar Maples, Japenese Maples, and Red Maples. As far as I know, which may not be much,
They are different trees, but botanically they are closely related.
Boxelder is Acer negundo. Japanese maples are Acer palmatum. Red maples are Acer rubrum. Sugar maples are Acer saccharinum. And so forth...
Some plants are know better by their scientific names than common names. And many plants have so many regional common names that the only way to know you are talking about the same plant is to use the scientific name!
On another note, I should have cherry tomatoes by the end of the week!!!! Woo hoo!!!
I used to grow plants with flowers but I had a problem with hornets. I don't mind bees and hornets but the hornets started building nests on my windows... so, no more!
As Spring 2017 comes early to the Houston area, we've been replacing our plants killed by the dreaded freeze of 2016 starting in Early March.
First, the fatalities. Many of our Lantanas (the verbena family, Verbenaceae) croaked. Inexpensive, fast growing and easy to replace. I love their citrus smell.
Several of our Hibiscus also expired, but one is growing back from the roots. Those are abundantly available for purchase, inexpensive, fast going, and easy to replace. Our favorites are the double blooms, similar to:
Not as available are what have become one of my favorite yard plants, the Golden Shrimp Plant, (Pachystachys), it grows about a meter tall with conical blooms that look kinda like shrimp! According to the link, it's native to Peru. In the Houston area, bronze varieties are everywhere, however, we had to drive 20 miles to find the yellow variety. If you live in the Houston area, our favorite Nursery is Maas Nursery, in Seabrook, Texas. It's like visiting the jungle! This is also where we went to buy our weeping Cypress Tree (see post 36).
Maas Nursery, Seabrook, Texas
The Passion Flower (vine) I cultivated from the nearby woods expired, but I'm not sure it was due to the freeze. They survive freezes around here (in the woods). We replaced this with one from a nursery, but I could only find red and purple ones
Another favorite plant (also found at Maas Nursery, but not this time) is a purple Angel Trumpet plant (Brugmansia, Brugmansia arborea) that expired. We also have the yellow variety, that did survive. I was shocked to read in the link that this plant is classified as extinct in the wild parts of South America with tropical and more hearty varieties. I suppose either to habitat degradation or it being harvested for resale?
Also our Rangoon Creepers (Chinese Honeysuckle, Combretum indicum) may have been murdered by the cold, but this is uncertain. They have yet to be replaced.
On a brighter note, although our Geisha Girl srubs (Duranta erecta) , and Split Leaf Philodendron died back to the roots, both have resprouted!
First, the fatalities. Many of our Lantanas (the verbena family, Verbenaceae) croaked. Inexpensive, fast growing and easy to replace. I love their citrus smell.
Several of our Hibiscus also expired, but one is growing back from the roots. Those are abundantly available for purchase, inexpensive, fast going, and easy to replace. Our favorites are the double blooms, similar to:
Not as available are what have become one of my favorite yard plants, the Golden Shrimp Plant, (Pachystachys), it grows about a meter tall with conical blooms that look kinda like shrimp! According to the link, it's native to Peru. In the Houston area, bronze varieties are everywhere, however, we had to drive 20 miles to find the yellow variety. If you live in the Houston area, our favorite Nursery is Maas Nursery, in Seabrook, Texas. It's like visiting the jungle!
This is also where we went to buy our weeping Cypress Tree (see post 36).
Maas Nursery, Seabrook, Texas
On a brighter note, although our Geisha Girl srubs (Duranta erecta) , and Split Leaf Philodendron died back to the roots, both have resprouted!
Last edited:
How do you know which variety? And while it's unlikely I'd make the effort, I'm curious what's involved and how unique is the flavor?
When I woke up this morning it was 24ºF outside, so.... stay tuned. Our mean last frost date is in mid-June so unless I want to make a lot of work for myself I don't plant out before around that time.
I can't tell you how much I love the mountains, and acknowledge the weather is harsher there. Or would you say the temps are more dictated by latitude where you live?
I lived in Minnesota for 30 years, with some of the coldest weather in the country, and noticed some similiar temperature trends with where my Aunt and Uncle lived in Hambleton, West Virginia, (elevation 1700') in the Allegheney Mountains near Monongahela National Forest, although that is substantially south of you.
I can't tell you how much I love the mountains, and acknowledge the weather is harsher there. Or would you say the temps are more dictated by latitude where you live?
I lived in Minnesota for 30 years, with some of the coldest weather in the country, and noticed some similiar temperature trends with where my Aunt and Uncle lived in Hambleton, West Virginia, (elevation 1700') in the Allegheney Mountains near Monongahela National Forest, although that is substantially south of you.
There are some beautiful mountains in West Virgina, that's for sure.
There's always more risk of a late frost in the mountains I guess, and less if you're near a big river system, a lake or even a big pond. The weather systems in the Allegheny Mountains and the Catskills are actually pretty similar, same as all the rest of the mountains in the Appalachian chain. This area is generally around 1800-2000 feet above sea level but there are places as low as 800 feet and as high as 3k. It's just one hill and valley after another in all directions; the horizon is often only a quarter to half mile away in at least three directions.
When I first got my place up here I used to plant out sometime in May but my sister's father in law used to laugh at me, telling me I was making work, and he was right. I had to cover stuff, pot it up in a walk-in coldframe, or plant out into a shallow box-style coldframe that I could shut up and keep frost off it but would have to open early to keep it from frying. I gave up one year when I went to close a box coldframe against a frost warning and there were two little rabbits in there enjoying the lettuce. The lettuce belonged in the garden which is surrounded by rabbit fence but three weeks of on-again off-again hard frosts had caused me to decide to put some in a coldframe instead. After that i just moved my planting out date to June 1 and at that all I put out at first is broccoli and cabbage that can take a joke.
The shortened growing season did used to bother me (in Minnesota) although in the last 10 years, mostly it seemed like planting in the last half of April was a safe bet, but I was living in Southern Minnesota and not in the mountains.
I graduated from Syracuse, and I loved upstate New York mountains too. We used to show up in the fall and start day dreaming of skiing immediately.
