Coral trees in northern California

[Hillizard]

Thanks Nathan for your Cactus suggestions (and your nice comment)!

I'll post some pictures of my "Success with Psorothamnus" soon!🌵

[Silas_Sancona]

5 minutes ago, Hillizard said:

Thanks Nathan for your Cactus suggestions (and your nice comment)!

I'll post some pictures of my "Success with Psorothamnus" soon!🌵

  Neat, look forward to an update..  How are the Guaiacum doing?

[Hillizard]

3 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

  Neat, look forward to an update..  How are the Guaiacum doing?

The Guaiacum coulteri are only a few inches tall but look healthy. I should have kept them in the sunroom this winter. Even though they were tented in a plastic bag, I lost three of them to the cold this spring. I understand they do grow slowly, so I'll be patient.  My potted Texas Mountain Laurel (Dermatophyllum secundiflorum) grows faster than the Guaiacum and weathered the seasons well outdoors without protection, but won't be blooming for a few more years I suspect.

[Silas_Sancona]

12 hours ago, Hillizard said:

The Guaiacum coulteri are only a few inches tall but look healthy. I should have kept them in the sunroom this winter. Even though they were tented in a plastic bag, I lost three of them to the cold this spring. I understand they do grow slowly, so I'll be patient.  My potted Texas Mountain Laurel (Dermatophyllum secundiflorum) grows faster than the Guaiacum and weathered the seasons well outdoors without protection, but won't be blooming for a few more years I suspect.

 

They should pick up speed starting next summer..  The ones i'd started from the same batch of seed i shared w/ you just started taking off this year.  They also survived being tucked in a chilly- er corner of the yard last winter ( hit 29F for an hour or two last winter, & 34-32 on a couple mornings around the same time. ) ...and me skipping watering them a little longer than i should have in June..

The bigger one i'd planted at the old house survived having no water applied to it from when we moved back in December, until someone bought the house in July.. even flowering in May.   As soon as the new home owner started watering, it resumed growth as if nothing happened. Have a couple smaller plants that survived me nearly killing them as well.  Much tougher plant than i'd assumed, even at a small size.

Would recommend picking up some Langbeinite, ( ...or something like EB Stone's SulPoMag Fert. ) and applying 3x's next year ( won't burn the seedlings at all ).  Has helped speed up the little ones here..  Had a smaller 1gal i planted in Feb. here at the new house throw a flower this year as well. Nothing off a bigger/ older 3gal planted out there yet, but growing like a weed. Growing faster than the Torch Glow Bougs. planted on either side of it in the same bed.  Anticipate i'll see at least a few flowers on it next year.

[Hillizard]

This year's blooming of my E. acanthocarpa was a bit underwhelming. Not sure why. This is a rangy, thorny plant I'd probably not grow if it weren't for the flowers! It spends at least 4-5 months a year indoors, unwatered and leafless. 

And not sure what this reddish-orange perennial is (3rd pix)? I lost its ID. Grows spectacularly well here in NorCal. Perhaps something in the Amaryllidaceae?

[Silas_Sancona]

2 hours ago, Hillizard said:

This year's blooming of my E. acanthocarpa was a bit underwhelming. Not sure why. This is a rangy, thorny plant I'd probably not grow if it weren't for the flowers! It spends at least 4-5 months a year indoors, unwatered and leafless. 

And not sure what this reddish-orange perennial is (3rd pix)? I lost its ID. Grows spectacularly well here in NorCal. Perhaps something in the Amaryllidaceae?

Looks like a sp. of Cyrtanthus ..Maybe a selection of C.  brachyscyphus

[Hillizard]

On 5/9/2023 at 2:32 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

Looks like a sp. of Cyrtanthus ..Maybe a selection of C.  brachyscyphus

Nathan: You are exactly correct in terms of the genus & species of this plant! Thanks so much for responding. I'll mark up two labels so I don't lose its identity again.

[Hillizard]

On 5/9/2023 at 12:26 PM, Hillizard said:

This year's blooming of my E. acanthocarpa was a bit underwhelming. Not sure why. This is a rangy, thorny plant I'd probably not grow if it weren't for the flowers! It spends at least 4-5 months a year indoors, unwatered and leafless. 

And not sure what this reddish-orange perennial is (3rd pix)? I lost its ID. Grows spectacularly well here in NorCal. Perhaps something in the Amaryllidaceae?

[Hillizard]

On 8/31/2022 at 1:10 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

 

They should pick up speed starting next summer..  The ones i'd started from the same batch of seed i shared w/ you just started taking off this year.  They also survived being tucked in a chilly- er corner of the yard last winter ( hit 29F for an hour or two last winter, & 34-32 on a couple mornings around the same time. ) ...and me skipping watering them a little longer than i should have in June..

The bigger one i'd planted at the old house survived having no water applied to it from when we moved back in December, until someone bought the house in July.. even flowering in May.   As soon as the new home owner started watering, it resumed growth as if nothing happened. Have a couple smaller plants that survived me nearly killing them as well.  Much tougher plant than i'd assumed, even at a small size.

Would recommend picking up some Langbeinite, ( ...or something like EB Stone's SulPoMag Fert. ) and applying 3x's next year ( won't burn the seedlings at all ).  Has helped speed up the little ones here..  Had a smaller 1gal i planted in Feb. here at the new house throw a flower this year as well. Nothing off a bigger/ older 3gal planted out there yet, but growing like a weed. Growing faster than the Torch Glow Bougs. planted on either side of it in the same bed.  Anticipate i'll see at least a few flowers on it next year.

Nathan: I didn't find any langbeinite (0-0-22) locally, but I did get some Azomite (0-0-0.2) which should help somewhat in terms of trace mineral supplement. I'll let you know if it has any effect.

[Silas_Sancona]

31 minutes ago, Hillizard said:

Nathan: I didn't find any langbeinite (0-0-22) locally, but I did get some Azomite (0-0-0.2) which should help somewhat in terms of trace mineral supplement. I'll let you know if it has any effect.

If it is available up there, E.B. Stone's Sul-Po-Mag is essentially the same thing ( 20% Langbeinite K content, vs. straight Langbeinite < Down To Earth's product > 22% K content ) Azomite is great to add too. Need to dust all mine w/ some.

Got two  two-leafed  G. coulteri seedlings from last year's batch that got nipped a little over the winter ( left out fully exposed ), and i tried to finish off by keeping completely dry - since Feb.,  in full sun.  Both are shrugging off the abuse atm.

[Hillizard]

On 5/14/2023 at 12:30 PM, Hillizard said:

Here's what the early stages of an Erythrina acanthocarpa developing inflorescence looks like. Although the plant got through the winter indoors just fine, I may only get one flower cluster this year.  The only thing it never has a shortage of are vicious, annoying thorns!