stupid lazy dog,

I made peace when we moved to this house by going along with my wife (of 48 years) to not have a lot of plants on the main floor and no plants on the upper rooms. Our living room and foyer have ceilings ranging from 12 to 24 feet but no plants there (maybe a poinsettia in past Christmases). All plants go into the basement for winter. It is a monumental job in fall. A little OCD developed over decades.

I used to line our front porch with big begonias but gave them up long ago.

I got a new plant a couple of days ago from Trader Joe's (first visit ever). It is Stephanotis Floribunda (Madagascar jasmine). It is not as perfumed as other jasmines but the blooms are larger. It is probably a big mistake since it is a vining plant.

I've learned my lesson about buying plants at this time of year, unless I'm in FL. They might look OK but so many of them have recently gotten too cold. I don't think plant delivery trucks are heated, and the parts of the stores where plants live are not heated. And there's literally not room for a single additional pot in my house. The plants that didn't make the cut to come into the house are in a greenhouse/shed.

Personally, I will buy year round. I never buy plants that look sickly out of some misguided compassion for the plant kingdom.

My local sources are pretty good about keeping them warm enough (including the big box stores). I do restrict online ordering when it is quite cold from sources across the continent.

I also have very little tolerance for people that buy tropical plants when it's 10 F. and then bring them out to their cars, parked down yonder, and then blame the merchants for their own ineptitude

I don't order online when it's really cold, but I'm lucky to live close enough to Logee's to drive there, if I feel the urge :-) I did buy a hoya from Lowe's recently. The employee standing next to the self scan check out wondered why I was bagging it... well, 'cause it's 25° out, duh (I didn't actually say "duh" just thought it). Then she said "You're not walking, are you?". Well, I couldn't very well drive my car into the store (didn't actually say that, either).

Most of the local nurseries are fine with winter houseplants in our neck of the woods. They are usually boxed and indoors before putting them out for display. I cannot remember ever buying a frost damaged plant but I have seen them in the stores - usually in the outdoor sales area in early spring though.

Walmart plants last Feb 2nd - Exotic Angels - guess they were gearing up for Valentine's

What's the secret on growing one of these?

Then on Feb 6th, I did buy one hydrangea from this mix

Here it is

Don't think there's too much of a secret in growing those H. kerrii leaves. Basically, most of them will just exist for a while as long as they're watered every now and then, but eventually decline and die. Every now an then, one will actually start to grow. General info is that they require at least a part of a node to grow, but some people on line have said they've had ones without nodes grow. Don't know if I believe that. I've never actually tried to grow one of these.

Beautiful hydrangea, love that delicate pink. Here's the Hoya I got from Lowe's. Labeled H. bilobata, but I think it's probably sp. aff. burtoniae.

sitting on a heating mat now, while it recovers from the brutality of repotting it out of sopping wet peaty mix.

Thanks for the info about the "heart Hoya". For $5 last Feb, I took a gamble. It still looks exactly the same nearly a year later.

I have 3 other Hoya just because everyone goes ape over them. HAHA! They stayed in their tiny pots for 2 to 3 years and I moved them up last year to 4 inch pots. While growing, I don't see what the hoopla is over - must be for the blooms?

Speaking of cold damage at the stores in winter, I saw it today at our Target store. They better mark those down 50% if they want to sell them.

At $19.99 each, I will keep my money and spend it somewhere else.

Often for the blooms, but the leaves can be pretty fabulous, too...

This is my latest purchase. If came out of big box store and every other cart had one in it. I know it's a Dracaena but not sure of the species. It's at least four feet tall and cost under $20.

@stupidlazydog CT zone 5b/6a Gorgeous pics!!! That Nova oh my!! 😍

Tika, I got that plant Sept. '20, and at first it would start getting leaves and either they'd abort or end up small and kind of deformed. I kept inspecting it with a magnifying glass and could see no sign of pests. I was getting pretty frustrated with it, and last summer decided to just spray it with Bayer 3 in 1 (about 3 times at one week intervals) even though I couldn't see any bugs. It has now grwn these beautiful leaves and I am delighted :-) My theory is that it had mites hidden down in the growth point that caused the wonky leaves.

Margaritaville, a four foot Dracaena for $20 sure sounds like a deal to me!

I wasn't putting stores down, there's just not anywhere to buy plants around where I am except WM and L's and the plants section is outside @ these stores in this area. There has been frost some mornings lately.

@stupidlazydog CT zone 5b/6a Great job!! Wow that’s incredible! That’s a lot of growth this summer. Do you keep it outside during the summer?

I do keep my Hoyas outside during the summer. They seem to like it :-)

Hi everyone - for some reason I wasn't getting emails telling me when people have posted. Want to wish you all a great new year. Oh how I wished I lived near a good nursery....

Hi all. Happy New Year to all too))

Look at those nice plants!!! Congrats

Been out with Covid and lost a few friends still. But it feels good to be back and I hope everyone is safe,

No matter what happens, our Hoya plants keep on going and the bugs keep on coming. Ha

Wishing you all well my friends)

Mike

Oh that special Begonia? It's not easy to keep happy when the leaves get constantly wet or grown in anything but a porous mix. Water often and never let dry out to a wilt))

Hey Mike - my Ponderosa lemon is dropping leaves. No mites or any buggys. do they like to be moist during winter too? It's indoors, I have a humidifier on it now, but it was dry. It dropped the buds and some tiny lemons starting to form as well. I'm thinking I was keeping it too dry. Thoughts?

Well, so much for me saying that I don't order plants on line when it's cold. I just ordered a seed grown spartioides from UPT.... yikes. They do guarantee live arrival, and pack with insulation and a heat pack, but, man, I'm nervous about it. I'm busy praying to the plant gods for safe arrival :-)

You're a brave soul Wendy! I look at all the plants on line, then at my thermometer, and say "are you crazy!?". Definitely let s know how it works out for you. If you're successful, maybe I'll take the plunge on a couple plants myself. No where else to spend my money since I can't go out!

Yeah, this is the first time I've ordered a plant in the winter. Here's hoping it works out o.k. :-)

I sure hope you're successful. It's amazing how addicted we are, and how strong the pull of hoyas are isn't it? Yep, we're hooked.

@stupidlazydog CT zone 5b/6a I ordered two from UPT and it usually takes two days from CA to NC, but this time took 5 days. (Spent the freezing weekend in the post office) I was freaking out! They were carefully packed in foil insulation with a heat pack. They do a great job with the packing. No issues at all. Hoping for the same for you!!

Wendy ,had to come back for a second look. Amazing))

Bill, never let the mix dry out . They like to me on the moist side. If you let it dry out to the point of almost wilt, the leaves will drop hugely. I think it will recover)

I have lost so many orders in the past due to the cold or bugs in winter, I pass now. But I will use a heat pack if I cave in. Ha

So far, it's "in transit arriving on time" supposedly on Saturday... fingers crossed! I know UPT does a great job with packing, and the plants I've gotten from them so far have all done really well. The spartioides I got from AHoya is struggling a bit (it didn't adapt well at being moved from semi hydro to my regular mix) so I've been wanting to get another.

Out for delivery today... I'm on high alert for the mailman

She has arrived! It took 2 days to get from CA to CT. Raced out to bring it in as soon as the mailman arrived. When I unpacked it the heat pack had lost most of its heat; it was maybe room temp or slightly coooler. The plant felt pretty cold. I stuck an instant read thermometer in the mix, and the mix measured 44°. It looks pretty good, not sure about a new peduncle/leaf (I guess they're technically peduncles) which is a bit droopy, and I think it will lose the tiny new one. I put it on a heat mat in hospital row, and am hoping for the best :-)

Ohhhh she looks really good! Hoping she does well. Good luck!!!

Thanks, Tikka, I'll probably rest easy if she's still looking good in a couple of months, lol! I'm sure glad it came so quickly since the heat pack wouldn't last another day

Wendy - how's the patient? Going to make it you think?

Patient is looking great! The droopy bits have firmed back up. The tiny new bits have actually grown some. I am starting to rest easy already!

Getting plant mail during cold winter weather is very nerve wracking, though, and I'm not sure I recommend it, lol. Neverthe less, I'm really happy I did get this plant :-)

I moved her from hospital row to my Wardian case, because I figured some extra humidity wouldn't hurt.

I do believe that ordering on line in this kind of weather is fully at my own risk (as long as the plant is packed well with insulation and a heat pack) since the grower can't control the mail or the weather.

Very glad to hear it. Now if only my droopy bits would firm back up ...🤣

It’s looking real good!! :) I can relate about nerve wracking.

Haha...Bill

All is well that ends well. I did order a couple of camellias two weeks back. They came within 3-4 days from SC and were in mint condition without any heat pack. I figured they are hardy to zone 7 so they should survive with all the other packages providing insulation and they did. :)

Getgoing, I love Camellias. It seemed like only yesterday that mine here in NJ were in bloom. What happened?! Answer: January, it's been rough to put it politely!

Margaritaville, that is a very nice one (blood of China?) roughing it out in the elements. For better or worse, mine will be growing in pots and will probably take a decade to get that big. I have been growing evergreen azaleas in pots with mixed success. I have a tiny one in full bloom right now. It has barely grown in the last couple of years I have had it but it has a dozen big blooms at this time of the year so it is still worth keeping around.

I have DEER and they discovered two years ago that Camellias are edible, so they prune them to be standards. These are now too tall for them to reach. I think it's April Promise. It will bloom again in March. I have another one, a double, coming along in a pot and will protect until it gets tall enough.

I had to start whacking my camellias back a couple of years ago as I planted them too close to the house. I didn't know they got so big so fast.

About 14 feet tall March 1, 2017.

The flowering quince Scarlet Storm the same day isn't too shabby either.

I wished I had kept the names now. The only white camellia between the big red and pink ones.

R.L. Wheeler was my last one I bought and has huge blooms and grows very fast.

Gorgeous Camellias! I wish I could grow them outside here.

I wished they wouldn't bloom so early - we have freezing weather that nips the open blooms so those are goners. The years where they don't open so early gives the best show.

Central Georgia is the home of The American Camellia Society.

https://www.maconcountyga.gov/american-camellia-society.cfm

And the county next to us (Douglas County) is the home of The American Hydrangea Society (I didn't know that until just a few years ago). Started by Penny McHenry in 1994. The hydrangea 'Penny Mac' is named in her honor.

https://www.americanhydrangeasociety.org/

My Penny Mac in 2019.

It's so frustrating to see flowers done in by frost. We used to have an apricot tree, grew just fine but every spring the flowers got zapped by frost. Then, of course, there are the magnolias. It's touch and go for them every year; if they get hit by frost, the flowers turn into wads of brown tissue.

When I lived on Long Island, I used to go up to Planting Fields Arboretum, which was a short distance from my work. They had an entire cold greenhouse dedicated only to camellias. When they were in bloom the fragrance in there was without description. Some of varieties were unbelievable. I surely miss that place.

Some of the pictures on here make me wish I could grow them where I live, but unfortunately I cannot, so I'll just enjoy yours instead.

Update... she is doing wonderfully!

Wow!! She is doing great! Is that new growth I spy??

"When I lived on Long Island, I used to go up to Planting Fields Arboretum,..."

Terrific place to visit! I fell in love with their Cedars of Lebanon, majestic trees.

Bill, did you ever notice how much more lush the north shore of LI is (where PFA is located), compared to the south shore areas? The difference is quite noticeable, wonder if it soil, salt, or storm-related (all three?). I was quite surprised considering the distance is trivial.

It was due o the glacier. It pushed up the north shore, but scraped the south shore of all hills and vegitation. The north shore has better soil and better scenery. I used to live in Bay Shore by the water right across from fire island. Absolutely flat.

I worked in Syosset and used to go to the planting fields arboretum during my lunch. I really loved that place.

Yes, I know LI was the borderline of the glacial ice during the last Ice Age in North America..., Interesting. Thanks for posting.

Tika, that is new growth :-) In the photo showing the plant when I first got it you can just barely see the new growth starting, but then it was very tiny and delicate.

Very nice! That is so exciting!! 😃