Saturday morning chores

Looking butch Morgan.

I’m doing some gardening this morning. Adding some color to the front yard.

Added two more birds of paradise, ginger plants and a little color. They will take off in no time.

Morgan you have the most beautiful yard on the block!

That's what happens when HOMO's move in the nieghborhood

It does look very nice....a job well done!

When HMOs move into neighborhood? Does the healthcare get better?

It does in his neighborhood, beautiful Morgan!

Morgan, are those Strelitzia reginae or Strelitzia nicolai? They look like S. nicolai to me. The reginae are the smaller ones, and the nicolai the ones that get to thirty feet tall. They look planted too close, whichever they are. Reginae should be planted 24 - 36 inches apart (me, I'd do them at least 36), and apart from the pavement (me, I'd do them at least 36), and the nicolai, according to the website Dave's Garden (very useful site), 4 to 6 feet apart.

You'll save yourself a lot of grief in the long run if you a) buy your plants from a nursery with very knowledgeable staff, and b), no matter what they say, also research the plant online.

One of the good go-to sites:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2466/
My own reference bible is Sunset Western Garden, but they direct their publishing energy and deliniation of climate zones (both re heat tolerance and cold hardiness) to the western u.s.. Many plants grow in both Florida and CA, though.

Are the little ones, impatients? Seriously I am serious ...

I forgot the names of some of them sometimes I make the mistake of planting things that get too big

They are!

I changed my mind today and added a little more and a border around to keep the weeds out.

speaking of things that get big, you need some cannas. your climate will be awesome for them...

mine's a bit chilly, but they are a perennial where you live....

I think I may sound snotty sometimes, and don't mean to - I've specified thousands of plants and learned some stuff the hard way. I like both Strelitzias depending on the circumstances and have used them often. Have been meaning to find a photo to show you.

SAVE TAGS!!! look up the mature size of the plant..

You do not sound snooty

I should have saved the tags, I remember the ginger plants only get about three feet high. I had planned on doing some gardening on the rental next door but the lady that lives there wants do to it herself, she like gardening, we should get along fine.

I will have to look into those, I still have an entire side yard the needs some work.

most of the stuff I grow around my pond would work better in your climate, truth be told. I work to keep it moist enough after the temps come up.

do you have any bananas?

I'm in the same climate area as JC (45 mins south) and I've watched a tall shrub which was cut back bare to the woody stem grow leaves in about one week. Stuff grows here like it's put in a greenhouse nursery. I wish I had property..this place is amazing.

I noticed my friend's cannas in Albany NY grew to nearly 5.5 - 6ft tall. (Make sure they aren't giant cannas as I hear that they can grow to 7 or 8 ft tall. Cannas come in short 2.5 - 3ft.. med.. 4-5 ft and giant..more than 6 ft). The second year he had his planted they took off like mad. The climate there is hardly warm.

My older sister lives in Sarasota and has ginger plants. I think hers are 2 - 2,5 ft tall'.

Which brings up that I'm not sure if Morgan is relying on Home Depot for plants -

How to say this: it is a mistake. I won't elaborate as others have done that before me.

Every area I have known moderately well has had a primo nursery or two or even three or six somewhere in the geographic space. Trouble is, the most famous one is not necessarily the best, the commonality of popularity not the key (I'll refrain from mentioning examples).

Here in Albuquerque, my chosen nursery is a place I named Earth, Wind, and Fire (not its name), since I never remember the name, sort of blando. Woman who runs it knows her beeswax. Next in line is the Santa Ana Pueblo nursery to the north, or maybe equal in line as they work with only natives, though ew&f zeroes in on them too. Also the Alameda Greenhouse & nursery, people with knowledge growing plants from start in this climate.

If you want to know plants in your climate, drop kick the big stores.