The Landscaper

Happy New Years Eve everyone!!!!

This is one of my favorite fountains in Houston. It is on Allen Parkway and it is so much fun to go and watch people playing with their dogs.
The dogs actually get in the fountain and then run like crazy. It's great!
I will probably drive by it today and take advantage of it's calming effects.

Can't wait for 2009 to get here :)

Who said you can't have some color in the Winter time.

Here in the Blue Glazed pots (pots - Joshua's Native plants in the Heights) we have a variety of texture and color. I recommend a little bit of fern texture, some bold foliage, a bit of Variegated
material and something creeping or cascading.

* Starry Eyes Nierembergia
* Thelmas Pink jacobinia
* Nierembergia garacilis / Pink Buttons
* Variegated Pedilanthus/ Lady's Slippers
* Kingwood Torch Coleus
* Bellis-English Daisy

Thanks to Tree Search Farms, where the pickin' is good when other nursery's tend to be
bleak this time of year.

If you have any questions on what works this time of year, feel free to contact me through this blog or email me.

Happy Holidays!!!!!!

Hanging out with my Pug Pepper on a cold and wet day, taking care of some internet business.
Obviously she get's a little too comfy cozy.

Jatropha integerrima:
Common names are Peregrina or Spicy Jatropha
Family:Euphorbiaceae
Zones: 9-10 (sensitive to frost)

Peregrina is a evergreen shrub or small tree with glossy leaves and clusters of small star shaped bright scarlet flowers.

A native to the West Indies and is especially known for being cultivated in Cuba and Florida.

This wonderful plant has also been discovered to be a great source of Bio fuel. It is being grown and harvested in large capacity throughout many parts of Africa just for this sole purpose.

Peregrina is a spectacular shrub when in bloom, attracting many varieties of Butterflies and Hummingbirds.

Jotropha is a very diverse genus which includes cactus like succulents, herbaceous perennials and woody trees. It can be trained or pruned easily to form a single trunk tree/espalier, or it can be trimmed as a dense flowering shrub. It likes well drained soil and can be drought tolerant.

Please Note:
Keep all parts of this plant out of the mouths of people and pets, for it is extremely toxic if ingested.

Please feel free to write me to ask any questions you might have and I would love to hear your comments on my blog.

All the best,
Portia

Schlumbergera (shlum-Ber-ger-uh) or Christmas Cactus

Is a fun and quite easy cacti to propagate.
Simply remove a section at the joint, dip the bottom in a rooting/hormone solution and plant in a sandy soil. Bury it down in the soil a quarter of it's length deep.
Place the container in a well lit area with indirect sunlight (not too bright) and keep the soil evenly moist.
The cutting will show signs of new growth with in 2 or 3 weeks.

I recommend planting the cutting in a nice Bonsai container and trim it occasionally to give it an interesting shape and growth pattern.

This is a great plant to share with friends, family or other members of your local garden club.

Please feel free to ask any questions.
Enjoy!