Isn't She A Beauty

Thank you Jennifer for sending me this beautiful picture of a Mandevilla.  This is a beautiful example of a small plant that can become very large as it vines its way up.  Jennifer, can you tell us how lod your plant is and do you keep it prunned to be sure that it does not get to big?

For those of you who have never seen a Mandevilla, this is a pink one and the easiest to find.  It also comes in white, red and yellow.  I will dedicate a posting on this plant soon.

Jennifer also sent me a second plant that was not in bloom but it is one of my favorites too.  It is a jasmine plant.  Unfortunately, my download failed.  Maybe we can get Jennifer to resend this picture and hopefully it will be in bloom. 

 Thanks again.

Coleus A Jewely In The Garden Or On The Window Ledge

The Coleus is a common name for the genus Solenostemon. Don't bother using its genus name because not many people will know what you are talking about.  I actually had to look it up.  It has a blossom that grows ain a spike form and is very small.  I personally think that it takes so much energy for a plant to create a bloom that unless it is outstanding it should be cut off.  This will also allow the plant to branch and encourages more growth.


Many of the Coleus we see today are hibrids with a large varity of pattern in colors of red, green and gold.  Take a look at the two Coleus below.  The one on the left is a fairly old leaf pattern and the one next to it is a newer one that appears to have been created from it.

Rosy Dawn Gardens calls this coleus
"Under The Sea Electric Coral"

Care of Coleus

New this year, this style of leaf
is a Hort'couture

Temperature:  All Coleus are tender.  This means that though you will see them in many gardens they will not survive a freezing temperature.  Because of this they make great houseplants.  They like temperatures above 60 degrees and will tolerate a low light situation.  

Light: In their natural habitat, Colus will be found in deep to dappled shade.  This makes them great for a window that gets little actual sun.  A little extra light will keep the foliage color more intense.  

Water: This plant likes to keep its roots moist but be sure you allow it to drain so that it does not drown.  

Pests: Coleus can become infested with the list of common bugs I talked about before.  If you have forgotten you can see them on my Pinterest Board. The posting on 5/9/2013 will help you with instructions on how to debug. One bug that I did not mentioned was the soil gnat or fungus gnat.  This is a tiny black fly that will hover around the soil in the pot.  This insect is usually an indication of too much water. 

Propagation

Propagation is so simple. This is a wonderful first-timers project.    All you need is a mother plant, soil, scissors, water and some rooting hormone.  You may even try just take a cutting and place it in water. A cutting is taken from the mother plant with the top and at least two or three inches of stem.  Remove the lower leaves carefully so as not to tear the stem.  Dip the stem in water deeper than the nubs left over from the removed leaves.  Now dip into the rooting hormone to the same depth.  Place in soil that has been watered and you are done.  Be sure that you do not let the soil dry out and before you know it you will have a new plant.

This is the first time that I mentioned propagation of the plant I am talking about and I did so because it is one that you can share with all your friends and family.  Now is a good time to pick one up because gardeners use Coleus as annuals and are easily obtained from any garden center.  So go ahead and choose.  You can let it grow in the garden all summer and then propagate houseplants for your and your friends' homes.

I have added these pictures and more to the Pinterest Board Beautiful Foliage. If you have any questions or pictures of your own Coleus please email them to me at houseplantsos@gmail.com.

Catching Up On Odds & Ends

Strawberry Begonia

I added this picture and more to my Pinterest Board "Beautiful Foliage"

For the record, a strawberry begonia is neither a strawberry nor a begonia.  I do not know why it is called this except that it has a begonia looking leaf and it has marvelous runners like a strawberry that can grow up to two feet long.  

This plant is a Saxifraga Stolonifera which is an all together different family.  The runners make it a good grown cover in the frost zones between 7 and 10, but is favored as a houseplant because of it's beautifully marked foliage and the runners that will trail over the lip of a hanging pot. 

To grow inside, the Saxifraga Stolonifera likes a cool filtered sun.  It will grow in height to about eight inches.  You should feed it a standard fertilizer during the growing season.  Cut back on both fertilizer and water over the winter rest period.

Gardenia radicans?

 I have added some new pictures of this flower to

 my Pinterest Board "The Gardenias Are In Bloom".

Remember me telling you that the Gardenia is a large genus of plants?  Well here is one that I think is a good one to find.  As you see, the blossom is much smaller than the Gardenia jasminoides that I mentioned in a previous post.  This is a miniature Gardenia.  It grows in my neighbors yard and smells divine. Unfortunately, I am having difficulty finding out anything about this variety. It might be part of the radicans family but the ones I find on line do not have as many petals.  I am hoping that there is someone out there who might recognize it and tell us all more about it.  The plant is only about 3 feet tall which would make it a good plant for a conservatory or a large sunny window.  I will keep searching for answers.

I Guess I Know More Than I Thought

In February, I mentioned that sometimes plants do things that we don't think they should do.  My example was a flower stem of a phalaenopsis that I had cut off the plant after it was finished blooming.  I had stuck it in the dirt and to my surprise I watched it create two new buds.  I did not know what to think but hoped that the buds would become the beginning of plants, since I was sure that they could not really be flower buds.

Here is the update on this strange phenomena.  The buds dried out without producing anything.  Two more developed with the same results.  I finally removed the stem from the soil to see what was going on below and there was nothing.  So, my plant was the liar not me.  Do not let this discuorage you from trying something new.  My friend Rhona thinks that you can stick anything in the soil and it will grow.  Many times she is right.

Next time, we will talk about the wonderful world of colorful coleus.  These are great plants that can bring a myriad of color to the house. Until then, write me at houseplantsos@gmail.com or add any comments right here.

Begonia Part 2 - Tubers and Corms

Regal Begonia

Beauty from a Corm

I love this flower.  It is as beautiful as a rose and much more sturdy. The stem is short which means that it would be hard to place it in a bouquet but a single bloom in a shallow dish can really make a statement.  This is a Begonia Rex or sometimes called a Regal Begonia.  It is grown for it's majestic flower and it starts with a corm.

Corm of a Rex Begonia

For those of you who do not know what a corm is, it is a type of tuber.  The tuber most people are familiar with is a potato. As potatoes come in all different shapes and sizes so do tubers.  Corms are in the specific shape that is referred to as a button. Much like a bulb, it has an up and down side to it and needs to be planted correctly for the best results.  Unlike a bulb new plants will grow from the same corm and it can be easily propagated by cuttings the corm into pieces.  You just need to be sure that there is a good "eye" on each piece.  The corm is planted quite shallow in a wide mouth pot and placed in a well lit location.  You can buy this Begonia already blooming but for a bigger variety you can start with corms from a number of good growers.  I do not want to endorse any in particular so I will suggest that you ask the experts starting with The American Begonia Society .

Tubers That Are Not Corms

Also, included in the tuber family is the Begonia that they call a Rhizomatous Begonia.  This tuber looks more like a lumpy potato  and as you can see it can be quite large.  If you go to my Pinterest board on Begonias I have included a picture of a tuber without dirt and you can see that this style of tuber is more complex but much easier to cut apart for creating new plants. You plant it the same as you would the corm.   I have added a planting diagram at the bottom of the page to help answer any questions you may have.

The Rhizonatous Begonia usually does not have a showy flower and is mainly grown for its interesting leaf.  This is mine.  The leaves are about the size of a man's hand and have a hairy surface that kind of feels like new beard stubble.  The stems are very hairy.  I added a picture of the flower on the last posting so I will not take up space here.  What you do not know is how small the flower is.  Look closely at the upper part of the picture and you will see a small branching to the back of the plant.  This is not another plant behind my Begonia. It is the flower.  I will be adding some more of these beauties to my Pinterest board so you can see how beautiful they are.

Care

Like the rest of this family most tuber Begonias like bright but not direct sunlight.  It will be quite happy in an Eastern window.  If you need to put it in a Southern or Western window you would be wise to keep it back from the actual light by about 2 feet.

Some tuber Begonias will become dormant.  If yours starts to look peeked then this may be the problem.  Stop watering and allow it to rest.  If you loose all your leaves you will need to check the the tuber to be sure there is no rotting.  Replant in new potting medium and wait to see new growth before you begin to water.

Begonias like damp soil but not wet so be careful not to over water as they will rot.  They would prefer to be misted daily or placed on a humidity tray like I have mentioned.  

Well, that is it for today.  I hope you like my posting today.  I got more into the how and would like your opinion on this posting.  Would you like more postings like this, that would cover things like propagation through cuttings and seeds?

Add your comment to this blog or email me at  houseplantsos@gmail.com . Remember  to send me any questions you have or you can contact me through Fiverr to set up a Skype  diagnosis visit.

Til then, all my best.
k.k.jones

One last word, a Strawberry Begonia is not a Begonia.  I think it is called that because of the shape of its leaf.  We can discuss that at another sitting.