Leaves, Leaves and More Leaves

This morning I spent three hours moving plants around, trimming back and picking up leaves that had fallen off.  When I planted everything in the spring, I had no way of knowing how everything would grow.  I've been shocked at how fast and full things have filled in, so I needed to rearrange a few things.  In doing that, I ended up rescuing a bunch of leaves.  The ones in the two stackable ones are leaves that need to root and the ones I the silver tin had begun to root already.  Then there is the pile of  Kalanchoe cuttings that I'm going to share.  

Hopefully, I'll have more babies than I'll know what to do with!

The cleaned up beds will be another post for another day...

Happy Gardening!

Mandy

Kalanchoe Mortagei Crenata

 

My plant has a real, bonified name!!  Meet Kalanchoe Mortagei Crenata, with much thanks to my Florida blogger friend, Julie at A Succulent Life for her tenacious researching skills!!  She found it on this really cool website that I somehow had forgotten about Glasshouse Works, let's just be clear that I've now added this to my favorite list so I don't lose it again!  They have it with the fun name of 'Mother of Hundreds', but I much prefer my nickname of 'Big Mama Donkey Ears'.  These leaves are so much larger than my regular 'Donkey Ear' has ever gotten.  Of course, I lost my original plant after she bloomed.  Once they bloom, they begin to die, so I'm on year one of babies trying to get big and beautiful.  Thankfully my neighbor friend, Amy, has a ton of them as well in case there's an emergency and I need more. 

 

I'll have to take pictures of the plantlets on this one, they are very different as well.  They seem to have a ball that connects to the leaf with bigger roots.  It makes them a little odd to put in the dirt, but we're working on that. 

 

Thank you again, Julie!  I believe you should go by the title of Succulent Rock Star from this point forward! 

 

Make it a great day!

Mandy

The Plant Fairy

Last week I ran into my neighbor down the street, and of course we started talking plants.  I didn't see much of her during the winter, and right before it got cold, she had given me several cuttings of different things.  Thanks to the heater mishap, I lost almost all except one of the plants she had given me.  She mentioned that she was going through her plants because her and her husband plan to travel a bit this summer in their new RV and asked if I wanted anything.  Of course!!  I told her I'd take anything that she wanted to get rid of.  I pulled in the driveway Thursday night and it looked like the Plant Fairy had made a stop at my house.  Oddly, I didn't think to take a picture of it all together, but here are some different shots of what she left. 

There's a huge Epiphylum oxypetalum 'Night Blooming Cereus' that Amy and I took apart tonight.  She's lovely like this, but needed a little attention and cleanup.  We can't wait for her to bloom, Amy's a bit more excited because she's had one that bloomed in the past.  Me, I'll be the loon up till midnight or whenever to get the full bloom on camera!

She brought more of the Heurnia schneideniana 'Red Dragon Flower'.  The funny thing with this one is, when when brought me the first cutting I wasn't too sure about it.  As I've watched mine, and of course Amy's do way better than my own, it's really grown on me and I was thrilled to get more.

Ignore my nasty, unorganized shelf...my husband is always after me to clean it up, but it never seems to stay that way.  I had to be able to show off the really long piece and this was the quickest option.  Of course, she's already been separated with new pots started as well. 

Here's a grouping of several of the others that she brought.  We separated the Kalanchoe tonight as well, everything else will have to wait.  One thing I'm really excited about are the Neomarica gracilis 'Walking Iris'...those beauties have a perfect home waiting for them under the Crape Myrtles that line one side of our backyard.  I googled them and can't wait for them to bloom...gorgeous!! 

We finished up well after dark both nights, so we failed to get pictures.  We both have our little "nursery" sections in our backyards where we are growing the new guys along with other things we have going.  They're all tucked away and ready to grow!

Have a great week!
Mandy

Lesson Learned - Writer's Workshop

This year, I bought myself a portable greenhouse and was very excited not to have to cart things back and forth from the garage.  Even better, my husband was thrilled not to have his garage overran with my plants.  Everything was going smoothly until record breaking (to my memory) low temps hit our normally warm city for a solid week.  By low temps, we're talking 20's, but that's not normal for us.  I had already bought a little heater for the greenhouse becuase my succulents don't like to be below 45 degrees.  Very diligently, I would go out and turn it on and then adjust it before bed.  I managed to still kill my only two Pitcher Plants, of course it would be some of the most expensive to bite the dust first.  I added another heater for the week of the artic blast and on the first night felt real smart when I went to bed with them both running.  It wasn't until the next morning when the blow dryer wouldn't work that I knew we had a problem.  I put the two heaters on the same outlet and evidently you can do that without blowing a fuse. 


Before Freeze



After Freeze



Major losses in the greenhouse, I was in the depths of dispair, yes, the depths of dispair for days after this.  I'd go out and just stare at them and remind myself that that was a pretty idiotic thing to do.  Finally I came to my senses and cut all the frozen damage off so maybe, just maybe the little darlings will grow back.  We'll see. My husband ran another extension cord for me and they ran fine after that, but the lesson was learned...never, ever put two heaters on the same extension cord.

Stop by Mama Kat's to read more great entries in this weeks workshop. 

Mandy

Spring, Spring, Spring

I know, I know...it's no where near spring, but it sure felt like it today!  I've also had the children's book, A Home for A Bunny, on my mind for several days and if you've read it, things are repeated in threes.  It's been a while since we've read it considering the youngest is now 10, but it's still a favorite.  Haven't read it to your children yet?  It's never to late to pick up a copy at the library, sorry, but I don't have the author off the top of my head.

Back to the matter at hand, it was so nice today and it gave me and Amy the perfect excuse to drive over to Shades of Green.  Hello, succulents!!  Their succulent house was loaded and I had a wagon loaded in record time.  I lost quite a bit when it got into the 20's (unheard of) and popped a breaker trying to run two heaters on the same plug.  Stupid yes, will I make that mistake again, NO WAY!!  They had several things that I had lost and several things that I just needed.  Yes, needed.  They're all pictured below, minus an pink egdged Aenioum that I had already tucked into a hanging basket and a lovely Goldfish Plant hanging basket.

Closeups...

This looks like an octopus, but I'm thinking it might be something called Medusa's Head...it's really cool regardless!

My previous 'Bear Paws" didn't make it after the girls toppled it, how could I pass this one up!!

Our little "Ric-Rack' Cactus is trying, but we couldn't pass up this one.  We both brought one home.

This is one of my favorites, her leaves are trimmed in purple...what's not to love! 

Have a great week!
Mandy



Greenhouse Happenings

It's incredibly cold outside, the temperature didn't get above 40 today and for this warm weather loving Texan, that's about 40 degrees to cold!  I've been keeping, or rather trying to keep my succulents warm in the little greenhouse.  The little heater's been running through the night and some days to keep them warm.  When I went out the other day, I was delighted to find that several of them are blooming.  I'm not sure exactly what this first one is, but the blooms on this gem are a gorgeous deep pink. I think it's a Pachy-something, but whatever it is, it's one of my favorites.  Last year, she bloomed in February...it must be the greenhouse!

This next one has always been high on my list because it's so weird looking.  I found it labeled as a 'Maternity Plant' at Walmart only to find that it's a 'Chandelier Plant' Kalanchoe Tubiflora.  At one point, it was like a little bush...

 ...and then got kind of leggy

Shortly after this picture, I cut her back and started another couple of pots.  She doesn't look good at all right now, but decided to bloom anyways.

And what lovely orange blooms they are! 

As for the rest of the succulents...between the greenhouse, the laundry room and the garage, they're still holding their own and looking quite nice considering the weather.

That's it for today, I just needed some color and thought I'd share with you as well!

New Plants

I must have been going through withdrawals!  My husband and I were at Home Depot on Sunday looking for a specific battery.  While there, I thought it'd be a great idea to see if they had those frost covers for my succulent pot that isn't able to be moved.  We conveniently walked past where they keep their little collection of succulents and I found another Senecio Medley woodii!  Mine didn't appreciate the temperatures this past summer and died, so now can try again.  I like the way it looks like the leaves are covered with cobwebs.

Senecio Medley woodii

Then we were on our way to the register and I found these.  My co-worker has one and I thought I needed one to, so I'm sure it was sitting there waiting for me to take it home with me.

'White Anne' Fittonia argyroneura

And this one.

'Red Angel' Fittonia argyronerua

And this one...I really like her, she's fuzzy and very soft!  The purple is nice too.

'Purple Passion' Gynura aurantiaca

That was that for that trip.  Tonight we made a trip to HEB to get everything for his last hunting weekend.  It wasn't until we were standing in the express line that I saw these.  They look a little abused, but they were only $1 each and I really wanted Tulips.  One is red and the other is purple.  My husband's response?  I think he growled at me, followed by rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath.  You think he'd learn by now that if there is a plant to be found, I'm going to find it.  I don't have the first clue what to do with Tulips except that I read a book once by Robin Jones Gunn about two friends in the Netherlands I think it was, and ever since I've wanted them.   I'll research them when I'm done here, for now they're just fine on my cluttered table. 

That's it for this week.  I just thought of something, I read some book blogs that do weekly memes on what books arrived in their mailboxes that week...we need one to discuss what plants made it to our houses! 

Mandy

Readying for a New Year

I'm not much for New Year's Resolutions.  It's not that I don't like the idea of committment, but New Year's Resolutions are notoriously broken, and I personally feel it's a waste of time.  I do like challenges though, and think I'm up to a few.  This past year, the only thing I stuck to was reading my Bible in a year plan.  While I'm a bit behind, I'll be caught up by the end of the week.  I used Max Lucado's Grace for the Moment Bible, and I think I'm going to go through it again this coming year.  The only thing I want to do differently is to read everyday instead of getting behind and having to read several days at once.  With that, here are my goals. 

1.  Read through the Bible...everyday this go round. 

2.  I'm "borrowing" this idea from A Not So Angry Redhead.  She did a post about a brilliant idea of tracking all her plants using index cards.  This was music to my sometime overly anal ears!!  Not only can you categorize them, but you can take the labels and stick them onto the index cards...talk about cutting down on writing time. 

3.  Same concept, different hobby.  I have wanted to catalogue my books for years now.  I stumbled on this idea from another blog too.  I'm going to subscribe to Library Thing and catalogue my library.  What's so great about this you wonder?  Well, once it's done I'll have access to it on my home computer and on my mobile.  That's huge because now instead of calling home and having one of the girls go in to "look on the second bookcase, about the 3rd/4th shelf and look for this author", I can just pull it up on my phone!  That and my mother will have access to mine and I'll have access to hers...that should cut down on buying duplicates. 

4.  Going to restart the C25K Running Plan again and finish it this time!  Along with that should come some much needed weight loss and toning for this little body of mine.   

5.  Our family does much better with menus, so this year I'm going to go back to putting them on the calendar and maybe, just maybe we'll eat more routinely.  We eat alright, but it's gotten to be really just junk because we're always running from one thing to the next.  That is a sorry excuse, so out comes the menu!

I think this is a good place to start, and I'm pretty confident that I can accomplish all of these early on in the year.  The succulents, plants and books will be ongoing, but I'm looking forward to a bit more organization. 

If you can't tell, I like lists!  I also enjoy research and all of these except the running involve research.  I like facts and facts are best kept organized so that they can be shared with others.

Mandy

Delightful Garden Smells

Today while Shelby and I were out and about, we stopped at Milberger's...just to look around of course!  I gave her strict instructions to not let me walk out of there with any new plants; I just needed to wonder around.  She must have been a little weak today herself.  First I saw the cutest little Plumeria's, and I needed the red one!  It's not blooming, but I'm going to trust the label and expect some pretty little red blooms that will smell heavenly.  Next was the Lavender.  Mine recently bit the dust, and I'm completely baffled.  It made it through last summer when we had 50+ days of triple digit heat with no rain, a colder than usual winter and she just up and died a few weeks ago.  They had the Goodwin Creek variety, and that happens to be my favorite with her frilly leaves.  What was I supposed to do but to bring two home and put them in the ground!  They're tiny now, but they have plenty of time to grow and it should start getting cooler in the next few weeks.

Goodwin Creek Lavender

Then we found the highlight of the day!  Patchouli plants on the next aisle over...wahoo!!  I love Patchouli  and have been on the look out ever since I found out it was an actual plant and not just a yummy scent. She looks pretty plain, but smells divine!! 

Patchouli Plant (Herb)

She is going to be the perfect front porch companion to my Vick's Plant that my neighbor started for me.  I think I've mentioned it before, but don't remember sharing a picture.  If I did, oh well...enjoy it again, my memory isn't so hot at the present time.

Vick's Plant

This one's got fuzzy leaves and smells just like Vick's Vapor Rub.  I was even more excited to find out that it's considered a succulent, and we all know how I adore succulents!  I had her in the backyard and the sun was a little much, so she's recuperating rather quickly on the front porch. 

I'm thinking that next spring I'm going to create an aromatherapy garden.  These will all be nice additions as well as my Chocolate Mint to whatever else I come across. 

Chocolate Mint

Looking forward to a wonderful week!
Mandy

Weekend Happenings

What a weekend!  My husband went fishing at the coast, so it was just me and the animals.  I've been missing my girls and all the commotion that comes along with them, so I invited their friends from down the street to come down for pizza and swimming.  They're great girls and we had an equally great time!

Saturday, Goldie had a vet appointment to check on some growths...she's just getting old, which calmed me down as I was prepared for the worst! Then, I went on the hunt for treasures!!  I hit Thrift Town, it's a local second hand store, and made out like a bandit with a bag full of books and some coffee cups/containers I'm going to use for some succulent cuttings.

I'm most excited about the wire thing and the little green jar mug, but I thought the others would make nice pots with some pebbles in the bottom. It's too hot to go out and mess with them today, that will have to be an evening project.

Then, I stopped at this placed by the petstore and oh, my!  I took pictures of everything in my car because my husband will not believe that I got it all in there!

This pot is huge and much more fitting for my yard than the horse trough I wanted to find!  It had a crack in it so it was marked down to $20, this was incredible since damage free it sold for $139!  A little epoxy glue and with the crack facing the tree, no one will be the wiser! The baker's rack was 1/2 off and the other little holder was on the clearance aisle as well. 

I moved some of the succulents that need a little more shade on it since it doesn't get as much direct sun as the other side of the porch. 

I don't remember having so much fun by myself! 

Mandy

Hibiscus and Succulents

I can't believe that it's already the end of the last day of the long weekend...it went by much too fast, as usual!  Our neighbor friends decided to finally tackle the crushed granite path they wanted to make from the front fence all the way back around their back porch.  We always work together, this one my husband represented our team more than I did, but from Saturday morning through 2 p.m. today they got it done! There's something about mud that does nothing for me, so I was much more useful today than the other two days.  I dabbled more at cleaning my house and getting the back porch in order; still have a ways to go with both!  I did however get the succulent hanging baskets done for the front porch.

Other than the Kalancoe 'Chocolate Soldier's' in the middle, everything should grow and hang over.  There's a 'Brown Bean' Sedum, 'Vera Higgin's' Apenglow and a few other Sedum and Echeveria varieties.  Hoping that these should do better in this spot than the Chocolate Mint did...that got repotted and put in the back yard in a shadier spot.  I also worked on the succulent pots that my mother bought and left for me to pot.

This one's my mother's.

This one is mine.

It was dark when I finished these, but I figured I'd take more as they fill out.  Julie, the 'Mother of Millions' you sent me has done really well, so much so that I shared one of them with my mother.  I put my Kalanchoe Serrata, 'Magic Tower', on the top of mine with an Echeveria.  The 'Magic Tower' is more pinkish than the 'Chandelier Plant' that I already had, and it's leaves are serrated, whereas the other is more tubular.  I bought another Hibiscus Saturday morning, my neighbor and I couldn't not leave Home Depot with them.  This is her first and I did warn her that they're also addictive.  They had these great little bushes called 'Carolina Breeze'...a gorgeous orange! 

Off to make an enchilada casserole before we start wilting!

Hope everyone enjoyed their long weekends!

Mandy

Back Porch Visitors

I have lots of new plants to talk about, but I don't think I have the energy tonight.  I did have two cute and not so cute vistors today on my back porch.  I went out this morning to show my spoiled princess that it wasn't raining so she could go outside.  A cute little gecko was perched on one of the sanseverias.  I've never seen one on my plants before, so of course I had to run in and grab my camera.

Tonight, I decided to put my newly acquired Passion Vine in the ground and when I went to grab my little shovel from the extra dirt I keep in a pot, I was greeted by this not so attactive toad. He was hiding under the shovel of course, so I jumped first and then hurried to get the camera!

This little guy sat right there and watched while I potted two succulent strawberry pots and some other things.  It wasn't until I was finished because it was getting too dark that I heard him moving around and finally hopped off somewhere in the yard. 

One thing that I did get today and will post it's final home tomorrow is a Passion Vine plant.  I thought the bloom was too whimsical not to have, and while I was at it, picked one up for my mother.  I put it in a corner on a trellis behind a Mexican Petunia that my mother brought me.  It was too dark to get decent pictures of that though tonight.

Have a wonderful 4th of July!

Mandy

Quiet Equals Boring

My girls have been gone for three days now, and this is going to be a long five weeks!  It's not that I don't enjoy the break; I do, but I like noise and they make lots of it! 

They're enjoying themselves though, although they both claim to be bored at the moment! They're so used to being on the go here, that even with everything available to them there they don't "go" as much.  This morning, they both helped my dad with the horses and the little one got a kick out of how big the horses were compared to her!

My husband went fishing this weekend because my sister, who just moved to town, was supposed to stay over, but she ended up not needing to come over.  He'd already made plans and so I was looking forward to a nice quiet weekend by myself...you think I'd know myself better than that by now!  I have enjoyed having full control of the thermostat, menu and remote control, but it's so darn quiet!  My neighbor friend (our husbands are off fishing together) and I spent the day returning things that didn't work out from last weekend's shopping adventure and discussing our plants.  I decided that the Chocolate Mint that I have hanging by my front door is not going to survive the heat/sun combo if they're wilting daily this early in the summer, so I've decided to make succulent hanging baskets.  We stopped by a nursery and I got the plants for the center of each basket and some other little clumping/spreading thing that I thought I had to have!  No pictures yet, but hopefully by the end of the long weekend coming up, I'll have two new creations hanging in my door way.  Looking forward to putting them togehter!  I also made a delicious cheesecake like dessert called Sopapilla Cheesecake and took some over to my friend. 

Had some more blooms on Friday as well...

This is one of my mother's that I'm "succulent sitting".

And one of my Echeveria's blooming...love it! The only thing that bugs me is that they don't open up big and showey...they tease you!

I suppose I should call it a night...haven't even read yet today and I have no one here keeping me from it...crazy!

Mandy

Simple Woman's Daybook - Week of June 21st

For Today...from Mandy's Daybook


Outside my window... the pool is being topped off with new water.

I am thinking...there are some weird people that try out for America's Got Talent!

I am thankful for...getting to spend more time than usual with my mother this summer!

From the kitchen...a mess just begging to be cleaned up.

I am wearing... black shorts and a black/gray striped t-shirt.

I am creating...nothing at the moment, but yesterday I did put together several succulent plantings.

I am going...to check on the pool and take my bath a little early tonight.

I am reading...a book by Beverly Lewis, can't remeber the title right now, and Max Lucado's One Year Bible.

I am hoping...that I don't start crying too early when my mother and girls leave...my tears are like a waterfall, doesn't take much to get them started!

I am hearing...the water funning and crazy people on America's Got Talent.

Around the house...the same clutter from last week, only a few more "finds" added to the mix!

One of my favorite things...spending time working with my succulents and other plants.

A few plans for the rest of the week...getting my girls packed, spending time with my mother and seeing them off for their summer adventure!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...with my girls getting ready to leave, there's been much talk of staying in a hotel (they're not, but they have an obsession).  It reminded me of their first hotel stay several years ago when they were still so little!!

You can participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook by going to the link below.

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Have a wonderfully delightful week!

Mandy

Succulents Galore!

I posted the photo of all the succulents my mother picked up during her various stops from Alabama to Texas earlier...well, we (I) finally got around to potting them this afternoon.  We made a visit to a succulent nursery close by on Saturday, and I think we did really good...only brought home 7/8 plants combined!!  While the girls played in the pool with friends, my mother kept me company in the shade while I went to work! Here are my mother's...

And mine...

 

Her intent was for us to split all the ones she picked up on the way here and then we tried to find plants that had 2 in them so that we could split them as well.  Her collection grew because I kept remembering ones that  have that I intended on pulling off for her!  She "forgot" that she's driving a smaller vehicle this year, so I get to "succulent sit" these lovlies until she brings the girls back at the end of July! I've got to find more pots though for some Hen and Chicks that didn't get potted today as well as some Hawthorias that I need to get ready for my kitchen window.  I ran out of dirt too...hate it when that happens!

Tomorrow will be a little sad...the last day until they take off on their summer adventure!

Have a wonderful week!

Mandy