I have some Daturas started in the basement. They are called ballerina daturas. Purple, yellow and white. I will open the greenhouse the middle of march and start a lot more seeds. I am so ready for spring. It is going sub-zero again tonight.





Sally
Zone 5b
heat zone 4
Enfield Connecticut



http://community.webshots.com/user/sallycummings

Isn't it great to have some fresh new plants at this time of year? Spring WILL come!

Patrick
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

They are great looking plants, Sally. If I had them here, I would plant them out now, and just cover if need be. I have six started in the plant room, but most of my seeds will be planted inground as soon as I get the beds cleaned out.

USDA Zone 7/8
Copper Canyon
North Central Texas

I'd need a pick ax to dig in the ground here right now.



Sally
Zone 5b
heat zone 4
Enfield Connecticut



http://community.webshots.com/user/sallycummings

Oh, my, that does not sound like much fun. Hopefully, Spring is right around the corner for you, and this year will be the best one ever !!! Chad is still blooming for me .... such a great plant.

USDA Zone 7/8
Copper Canyon
North Central Texas

I have buds on Chad in the living room, I'm wondering if they will be mostly red again or revert back to the yellow/red combo.

Sally
Zone 5b
heat zone 4
Enfield Connecticut



http://community.webshots.com/user/sallycummings

Mine have some yellow on the underside, but all red on the front side.

USDA Zone 7/8
Copper Canyon
North Central Texas

Sally, I hate to make you feel bad, but was 80 here today. All of my flowers are budded out

Larry, it is after 10 P.M. here and still 70 degrees. What a roller coaster year this has been.

USDA Zone 7/8
Copper Canyon
North Central Texas

Just keep rubbing it in


Sally
Zone 5b
heat zone 4
Enfield Connecticut



http://community.webshots.com/user/sallycummings

Sorry about that, Sally ....look at today .....85 degrees, so, of course, that means I am watering like crazy and praying "no more freezes" !!!!

USDA Zone 7/8
Copper Canyon
North Central Texas

Carrie caught me on a rare crabby day...I told her it obscene for her to have 85-degree temps. with me watching our latest snow melt, and I threatened her with a "Bad Weather" dance. If her weather does go bad, I'm in a world of trouble...lol.

Today is very pretty here...only 43F, but clear skies & sunshine - very little breeze. If I didn't have to leave for work in a few minutes, I would spend the rest of the afternoon outdoors. We will go back to rain very soon, but I've been spotting some of the early spring flowers starting to bloom....yay!

Patrick
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

Sally, sorry about that, 80s again today. My china doll brug. is in a pot and growing like crazy. Do you think I can grow it outside like my others? Let me no when you are ready for some real old southern seeds an buds. Carrie I owe you big time. When do you want them sent? You just got to have one of the little hibiscus I got in the zoo in New orleans. I still haven't figured it out. I know it is a hibiscus,but that is it. It does not get killed to the ground in the winter, stays green all year long, but will only bloom when it gets hot. This time I hve some seeds that will germinate. Are you familiar with the heart vine aka known as top ground potato. beautiful vine on a trellis. Potatoes grow on vine instead of the ground. I have a bunch if anybody else wants on. Very old southern plant. I have you profusin zinnas for sure this time. I kept the seed of the whole bed. Carrie I have a couple hundred tulips, How long to you keep in fridge. Its a shame they will bloom only once here. Have lots of seeds, if anyone wants

Larry are the potatoes edible? Don't feel bad about your wonderful weather...just wonder why some of us persist in living in a cold climate. No signs of spring here yet, but soon.



Sally
Zone 5b
heat zone 4
Enfield Connecticut



http://community.webshots.com/user/sallycummings

Sally, so far as I know, the potatoes are NOT edible. I have had this vine for a number of years, Larry, but it did not return last year and I had given all my potatoes away. It is a lovely vine with big heart shaped leaves. The hibiscus sounds very interesting.

And Patrick, you are in DEEP trouble as the weather turned colder today and will be even colder tomorrow. Just wait until MN's weather fairy gets even .... you will be sorry you did the dance.

USDA Zone 7/8
Copper Canyon
North Central Texas

Carrie, so far I've only half-heartedly done the dance. Watch out when I really crank it up!! Cold temps are just the beginning...lol.

Patrick
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

Just remember, Patrick, paybacks are HE-- !!!!!!

USDA Zone 7/8
Copper Canyon
North Central Texas

Carrie, believe it or not you can eat them. But I will stick to the other kind They make a beautiful vine, big heart shape leaves I usually keep a dozen or so, but it does not get cold enough to kill the ones in the ground. You could put them in a pot and save the ones on the vine for next year. I am trying to get me a loquot to grow>it is about 5 feet tall now. I realy don't know how long it takes to fruit.. I got one from my friend Rod, who ownes Prejeans nursery in Lake Charles Lousiana. He is a very good Christian man who will send you a plant and you pay whenever. He has all kind of brugs. and tropical plants. Sally, I really don't know what to tell you about the cold, I could not handle it. All the shrubs and trees here are leafed out.

Here, too, Larry, and my Louisiana phlox are in bloom .... they always make me happy. Most of daffodils are finished blooming, but I still have a few of the minnies blooming. My daylilies are getting quite large and should be setting buds before too long. We have had such a strange winter ... milder than usual, but with intermittent freezes --- just to keep things interesting I think.

USDA Zone 7/8
Copper Canyon
North Central Texas

Carrie...what do you MEAN your daffodils are about finished blooming?! In my area, they are just showing buds! I've seen minies blooming & maybe one standard daff that was in a particularly "warm" microclimate! I may have to move to Costa Rica, just so I can show you up. lol


My niece is bringing her children to visit the grandparents in a few weeks. The 5-year-old said he and his granddad were going to go to the store and buy flowers for his mommy, like they did last time. The little dude was here in March last year and they went to a bulb farm, where they did buy cut daffodils. Amazing what little kids remember! It truly amazes me, because he leads a very active life with quite a bit of travel, plus he's in school & involved in extra curricular activities and keeping up with his big sister. Yet he remembers so much!

Patrick
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

my daffodils are under 12 inches of snow. I really need to get out of the snowbelt.


Sally
Zone 5b
heat zone 4
Enfield Connecticut



http://community.webshots.com/user/sallycummings

Larry, What color are the leaves on the potato? I saved tubers from mine & I am going to see if they grow again. I have light green, black & tricolor.

You can just see green coming out of the ground on my daffs. I am soaking seeds & warming up the heat mat & will start planting tonight.

Linda hhttp://www.network54.com/Realm/Bobky/flowerysmile.gifttp:

Linda, I think we are talking about two different things. I am sure you are talking about the ornamental sweet potatoes which I have grown before, they come with 3 different colored leaves. My mother use to call these top ground potatoes. The leaves are large green heart shaped, and some people call them heart vines, the potatoes grow on the vine and not in the ground. The vine grows quite long, but are beautiful. It is really something you will see in some of the old plantation homes you see in Mississippi and Lousiana. I have 15 if anyone wants one. I aways pick them from the vine just in case my does'nt come back, but they usually do ,cause it does not ever get cold enough to freeze the ground. Carrie, lazy as I am Iam trying to cram two messages if you read this. I know you know what a vitex is, blue right. I got one last year in New Iberia louisiana that is white. It will grow from seeds, cause thats how i got mine. I didn't really believe till it bloomed, well it was white.

Is yours Ceropegia woodii - common names: String of Hearts, Rosary Vine, Hearts Entangled, Hearts-on-a-String? Here's a photo: http://home.howstuffworks.com/string-of-hearts-plant.htm

If it's that one, they're not edible. I have heard that the ornamental ones are edible but I haven't tried them myself. I kept a few potatoes all winter last year & before I got them outside to plant, the dog ate them. It didn't hurt her but she does weigh 150 lbs & only ate about 3 good-sized spuds.

If yours is different than these, I'd love to try one.

Linda

Linda, I am familar with the photo. it is not in anyway what I am talking about. These vines have huge green heart shaped leaves. You will never find them in a nursery. I got mine from my Mother before she passed away. You will never see them except in Mississippi or Louisiana. I will be glad to send you a couple.Just pull off vines before first frost and just put them away. I just have them in a bowl and they never rot or go bad. They are so pretty on a trellis. Tell me where you want thm sent. I have also some real pretty hibicus, including Texas Star, which I know Carrie has. I will wait awhile, cause I am afraid the may freeze if sent now, by the way next 5 days supposed to be in low 80s, just had to add that.Ha!

I'm looking at 59 tomorrow woo hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Sally
Zone 5b
heat zone 4
Enfield Connecticut



http://community.webshots.com/user/sallycummings

Larry, Click on my name & send me an email. I don't know how to get in touch with you. It is supposed to be 62 tomorrow & nice into the middle of next week & above freezing at night so it should be safe to send now. I don't know how long it will stay warm, my frost date is April 30 so anything can happen. I can pay postage or maybe I have something to trade.

Linda

And in Texas, Larry. My family has grown them for years, but I don't have one at the present time because I gave all my potatoes away.
I remember a few years back that a girl who worked for my nurseryman had been to Louisiana, and brought these back with her. I shall never forget her stressing how they had to be grown in complete shade, and as you and I both know, quite the opposite is what they need. Anyway, to those of you who haven't seen them, they are beautiful, but need a lot of room.

USDA Zone 7/8
Copper Canyon
North Central Texas

Linda. just e-mail your address, I work for the government and right now cannot e-mail anything.

I call them air potatoes,but my MIL has some too but hers are more smaller like walnuts.she was told they was monkey balls. I got mine from a friend,they are more egg-sized a few larger ones.My friend says they have a larger one from china or japan that is a Rock-something and another that turtleshell or tortise shell.Those 2 sit on the ground and a vine grows is suppose to have tiny tiny flowers that most people miss that the,tubers form from.They pass the tuber from family to family by daughter-daughter.its suppose to bring luck& wealth.


I had a blackie sweet potato vine once.I sure miss that thing its coloring was awesome.I killed it last year wintering it in hanging basket..I guess it needed more water huh.


I'm glad MN didn't give us a 2nd flash cold spell.we hit 35& yet Conroe more south of me was 32.It took me over an hour to haul stuff back in GH& some things planted already got ladders& comforters....sheets.i was clothe pinning pillowcases around hanging baskets...lol.I realized I've got some MIA 5 gallon buckethttp://www.network54.com/Realm/Bobky/dunno.gif My orange tree that had already been blooming and starting fruit....dropped those.I did NOT have kind words for MN when seen under the tree.most we're just past pea sized.But yet my fruit held on tree durring the hurricane.

Njoy


SE TX Z8b
Coastal~Tyler Co TX