The croton plant on my terrace almost went in the trash this Spring but he has redeemed himself. Yesterday he was really beautiful backlit by the morning sun.
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About Me
- Billie Mercer
- San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
- A widow, after 56 years of marriage, I'm starting a new phase in my life and the old Billieblog just didn't seem to fit. I'll be writing about finding my way.
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10 comments:
gorgeous! I had some in Canada (in the house) and they dropped as many leaves as they grew. I think the humidity was not high enough, who knows. I haven't tried them here yet.
Have fun with your renov., are you eating out lots now or how are you managing the cooking?
Brenda
So far we are just 2 days into it and we have been eating at home. Today we did stop for a light comida just because we were out shopping. Not sure what we will do tonight. It might be sandwiches at home or maybe a walk to the taco place.
Don't know how your weather or soil would compare to Cancun but they have lots of crotons there and some of them are under palm trees where they get shade a part of the day.
Our soil here (using the term "soil" loosely, is rock and sand. We purchased "soil" in a bag from the viveros (30 pesos for 25 litres) and it is not soil as I knew soil. HA HA It is a very light mixture that seems more like chopped up vegetation. We will see what happens. Our landlords just plant everything in the sand and it grows. Yes, there are lots of Crotons growing outside here; but so far I have been buying things that flower more. The landlord brought me up an Jamaica (sp?)plant this evening, he says he loves the flowers on it. We discussed the medicinal properties of it last evening. He and I are both plant lovers, so it gives us something to chat about.
Brenda
It was the same in Cancun. For the most part the ground was limestone. The "dirt" for grass or plants was brought in and put about one inch deep. I don't know how anything grew. The dirt that is sold here is really different than the dirt we had in Houston. And they do seem to add a lot of leaf mold to potted plants. Gardening is different than back home.
Yes, gardening is different here. In Canada right now I would be looking at the gardening catalogues, planning for next year and sitting in front of the fire. Here is gardening is just beginning for the year. Que diferencia! I also am trying to put more planning into what plants I get here as I am used to 10 acres of room rather than a patio of about 12 x 30 feet! It is hard as all the plants I was used to as house plants are now outdoors plants and it would be so easy to go overboard as there is such a huge selection. The landlord has already given me 2 plants, so they need to fit in somewhere also. I am trying to keep in mind the final size also, being that we are upstairs. It is fun though trying to learn the new ways.
Brenda
I love those gaudy crotons. I couldn't decide so I bought 5 different ones and planted them all together. I especially like those with the very narrow leaves that shoot out like a wild curly hairdo.
Tonight I was reading an old Garden Design magazine and there was an article about Coleus. I don't usually see them here but I need to bring some in. They might be an answer to color in my shady patio as well as a good pot plant on the sunny terraces if I bring in both sun and shade coleus. I love the lime green/rust coleus. Do you have coleus in Honduras? Brenda, how about you on the west coast of MX?
Yikes, wrote this long answer and blogger lost it when I went to publish it. GRRRR
Yes, we have lots of Coleus here. I love the ones with the deep/dark colors; but (not positive about this) I think that perhaps the darker colors need more light. I am not sure how cold it gets there in the winter, is it possible that if you don't see them much there that they don't overwinter well?
A couple of places to look for them if the viveros's don't have them: Your local abuela down the street may have some in her home or yard and let you take some snips off, they root easily. Some of the local tiendas have a few plants in them, struggling to grow in no light, rock hard soil, and lots of dust covering them, LOL LOL, they also may let you snip them. Here at the local tianguis some of the small vendors sometimes have little plants in margarine containers for sale. They are usually tucked away under a table or somewhere, just look wherever you would least expect to see a plant for sale and that is where they will be LOL LOL. Another plant that they grow here is the Wandering Jew, my grandma used to grow it all the time and I hadn't seen it for years (not high on my interest list).
Another good plant for shade is the begonia, either the tuberous or the smaller flowering rooted ones. Some of the rooted ones have lovely purplish foliage. There is another plant for shade that I really liked, just on the edge of my mind; but for the life of me, it won't come forward right now. If I think of it, I'll let you know. Try googling shade plants and see what comes up.
Good luck, and have fun. Brenda
Yes, we have coleus in Honduras. I haven't seen much variety in La Ceiba. The ones I had grew very large and didn't make it through the dry season -- because of my neglect, I'm sure.
I think Brenda is right about the dark ones needing more light to maintain the deep colors.
Just to let you know, I'm finding that when I try to comment, I get a popup window and a regular window. The popup window doesn't work but the regular window does.
La Gringa, Don't have a clue why the popup and the regular window. I'll try to do some research and see if there is anything I can do on this end to fix it.
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