USVI-On-Line

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 9:33 pm Post subject:

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Bryophyllum tubiflorum (synonym Kalanchoe tubiflora) mother-of-thousands, chandelier plant. Native to Africa, escaping from gardens in the West Indies and the drier parts of Hawaii. Close cousin to love-leaf (Bryophyllum pinatum)which also makes plantlets on the leaves;--( called love- leaf because if you write your beloved's name on the leaf, and it sprouts, your love is assured. Fail-safe.)

Ohmygosh! I think I'll just call it my Donkey Diner plant! LOL! And by the way, the pods didn't replace me in my sleep, so I guess all is well! I'm actually seeing some action with them.. starting to root and all. They're quick litte devils!

Thought I'd post a recent picture of my Donkey Diner plants that Greyhoundmom sent me. They're doing sooo good! The leaves are beginning to show some varigation.



By the way, Ruth, how about a recent pic of your pomegranates?


And while I'm at it, here's a picture of my Christmas Cactus, which is blooming right on time!

Margo, that christmas cactus is amazing! Your donkey diner looks like it's coming along nicely. My plant has been moved indoors beside the hearth next to a french door so it gets some outside light. The original plant is 3' tall but showing signs of wear. I don't think it likes being inside much. I have a donkey diner decal sitting in front of it because everyone is always saying, "what is that weird plant?" I tell them it is an awesome, beautimus plant that reminds me of where I want to retire!! Happy holidays!

Jan

Great thread! My husband is like a kid about planting seeds and watching them sprout. Having to throw out any dead plant is so hard for him. There are some amazing things he has planted with success. Note that we live in the Washington DC suburbs, not exactly tropical weather all year.

Grapefruit trees. He sprouted grapefruit seeds about 35 years ago and still has the trees. They are about 6-7 feet high and never any fruit, but pretty dark green leaves. They are outside during warm weather and inside under a grow light during the winter. Part of our basement is practically a greenhouse.

Pineapples. He loves to cut off the tops of fresh pineapple and plant them in the yard. They die off in the winter, but he loves having tropical plants in the yard in nice weather. Several of the plants were in pots and he carefully tended them and brought them inside in the winter. After 2 years, lo and behold, he grew a pineapple! A real Virginia grown pineapple. It was so sweet tasting and not acidic at all - just amazing. It was fun to watch it grow from a mini-pineapple into a medium sized one.

Tropical garden. He buys inexpensive ($10) tropical plants from grocery store and plants them in the sunniest part of the yard. He has various palm tree looking plants and a big banana plant - non fruiting variety. They grow 8-12 feet high and we have our own little spot of tropical garden all summer. They lasted all the way until we got the big snow last weekend. He can't wait until we retire to a warmer place and he can have a big tropical garden.

Hey now, this is very cool if you are a true seed nerd....
http://www.theseedsite.co.uk/

- Ruth

Will a pomegranate bear fruit in the tropics or does it need a winter???

Here's the latest photo of my Donkey Diner plant, it's got its own babies now! I'm going to transplant it into a bigger pot and move it outside soon (I only put it outside to take this picture), but our nights are still just a little too cold. I love this little plant! It's been fun to watch it grow in my window!

Ruth, how are the Pomegranates doing?

CA Girl, I thought it was a relative of the aloe until I saw what Hugo said. Seems to be happy and thriving... will be a nice patio plant.

I apologize for editing this short post so many times....

The aloe and the kalanchoe are both succulents so this plant probably IS a relative (not that it matters, LOL). In getting my head on straight with this, I ran across this site which is kind of cool...
http://www.succulent-plant.com/

Anyone have recommendations for these two planter boxes, flanking our hideous Southwest themed front door?
They face due West.

Lantana is a fast growing, sun loving plant that is drought tolerant. It is very hardy and comes back every year. Bright yellow flowers, but you can buy different colors.

Thanks! I'll look into that one. I browsed around Lowe's today, waiting for Blaine, and I think I got some ideas.

Margo, did your donkey diner plant survive the winter? I kept mine in the garage and it didn't survive. The stems seem healthy, maybe it will come back? Also, question about the maple seeds, can I pot them directly or do they need extra help before I put them in dirt? Thanks! Jan

Jan, I just transplanted it two days ago and moved it outside. I put a plastic bag over it the first night, but forgot last night and it seemed to do just fine! Notice all the babies it has?? I think I'll try to put some more in the garden and see what happens. If you need any back, let me know!



With the Maple seeds, just plant them directly in the dirt. I can't tell you how many little Maple trees we've been pulling out of the garden and from between the bricks! They grow like weeds! I betting you don't need to cover them with much dirt since they seem to spring up everywhere!

greyhoundmom wrote:Lantana is a fast growing, sun loving plant that is drought tolerant. It is very hardy and comes back every year. Bright yellow flowers, but you can buy different colors.

It's an annual in this part of the country but agreed it is a lovely, drought tolerant plant. The humming birds love them!