What's Goin' On - In My Garden!

[Shesawaya38485]

Ah-ha!! It's always the "second" name that tells the tale. My mom knows all plants by their Latin names - drives me nuts! LOL!!!

I use a lot of tea tree oil with the critters and other essential oils as well, for medicinal and aromatherapy uses. I think there is something growing on this earth for just about every ailment one could have and find it fascinating

I bought a eucalyptus tree this summer on sale at a home improvement store that also sells plants. I had planned to bring it inside during the winter and try to keep it pruned to a miniature size. Good thing I only paid $1, since it died Most all of my perennials were half dead and drastically reduced when I bought them. More often than not, a little TLC is all they need and I love a great bargain!!

Off to mow some grass for the chickens

[Oldandintheway]

G'day all - well here are the latest two orchids I have managed to flower!

The first one is a plant I bought as a seedling, & have finally raised it to adult flowering size, so this is its first time in bloom.
It is Cattleya intermedia (a species type) native from central to southern Brazil, Uruguay & Argentina.




Next is Cattleya skinnerii var alba (also a species) which is native from Mexico to Costa Rica.
I bought this as an adult size plant which was/is not in the best condition I'm amazed it has flowered for me, & I'm hoping it will put on new growth this season?




What's happening at your place/s ATM

[Shesawaya38485]

Gorgeous! Gorgeous! Gorgeous!!!!

ATM I'm taking a break! Late this afternoon my Great Pyr was doing his "Come Quick, Mom" bark and I stepped out the back door to see a copperhead coming out of the woods towards the chicken coops. After dispatching it, I tore into the chicken coops and got everything moved out except the chickens, looking for possible babies. This is the time of year they give birth and the young are just as wicked as the adults.

Tomorrow the building supply pile gets torn apart - it got too dark to do it today.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

[meebo1]

I think I may have taken the 'water sparingly' a little too far, but we will see. But a couple of others are showing buds, so all is not lost

[Oldandintheway]

G'day all
Here ya go - my Coelogyne tomentosa has bloomed again, & very nicely scented it is also.
The flowers don't last long (perhaps a week if I'm lucky) & it appears it's going to bloom for me every October - Yippee!
This orchid is native to the mountain regions of Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo & Java. The flowers are about 3 inches across & the spike at least a foot long.
It's doing well for me, & is putting on a new growth at the same time as flowering. Enjoy!

[Shesawaya38485]

That is just lovely!! Hoping you'll be posting lots of pics now that all my flowers are dying off

I do have a "treasure" to share. I take my houseplants (tropical) outside every summer and bring them back in every fall after fall cleaning is done. Usually they have been brought in already but the weather is holding nicely which is lucky for me as I'm laying new flooring and won't have to move them out of the way. I was looking out the kitchen window and saw something "odd" on my corn plant. I thought a limb had fallen out of a tree and stuck in the top but my corn plant was FLOWERING!!!

I brought it inside so I could watch it closer - yes, I'll be happy to move it when I get to that part of the floor! The little blossoms in each cluster open towards evening and close up again in the morning. And it gives off the most wonderful scent - I'm torn between leaving it and removing the buds in their prime to make an essential oil. Excuse the mess - that area is next for flooring and cleaning.

[Oldandintheway]

Didn't realize corn plant flowers were scented, that's a bonus!
You mean Dracaena fragrans don't you? (guess I should have known from the name)
Down here we call it the "Happy Plant"

[Shesawaya38485]

Yes, Dracaena fragrans - you & my mom - LOL!! I do good to remember the common name and have found, since living all over the country, that even the common names differ from one area to another. I had to re-learn common names when I moved here, as people were wanting to share their flowers and they called them something different than what I knew - lol!!

I do like "Happy Plant" as I'm very happy it blossomed!

It is still blooming every night although some of the little buds are dying back, as I'm seriously considering cutting the blooms and making some scented oil because the "novelty is wearing off. They say to cut that top part off anyway when it is done blooming.

[Oldandintheway]

Hi all

Well I've planted my 2 free tree babies in the front yard that I got from the local Council. This is an annual event, to help green up the shire.
People on larger acreage properties, get 10 trees.
These are a bit hard to see in the pix & are in the foreground. I've added net pix to show you what I hope they will eventually grow into?
On the right is Melaleuca viminalis the "Weeping Bottlebrush" (one of our shires' floral emblems)
On left is Callistemon 'Wilderness White'

[Shesawaya38485]

MEEBO - did your orchids make it????

OLD - glad to see you finally got them planted - how long until they start blooming??

I did get my mums planted yesterday before my shoulder gave out so I still have all the spring flowering bulbs to get planted.