My succulents...

[lucky1]

Apart from the Jade Tree and Madagascar Palm, I have no idea what any of these are.
They'll soon be back out on the patio. Seem to have done OK in that cold building over the winter.

[Knnn]

I didn't know these would take on tree like growth,
How old is that one?

[lucky1]

30...31 years! Once I stopped putting it in a hot, dry house for winter (and into the cold, barely-heated building, at a south window, no water for 3 months), then it really started putting on a show. Which was positive proof for me that all plants need a rest.

Tree-like growth...that's my TRUE passion. Virtually any ordinarily shrubby plant can be "limbed up" to become a tree or standard, sometimes its a lot of work always pinching off buds but after a while it works as the trunk becomes older.

I'm now working on "treeing" cotoneaster. We have lots of cotoneaster (the ground cover kind). There are usually lots of little baby cotoneasters springing up all over the garden. I dug a few out and planted them into 5 gal pots, and pruned off everything to one stem. Then the plant wants to replace all those little branches. I just keep cutting them off flush at the stem until the thing can't do anything else but grow UPwards.

Will get a pic of those...later, it's snowing again. Darn!

I want to standard (tree) my orange but unless it's done when the shrub is really young, it's pretty hard on the plant coz' by then it's really branched a lot and tough to pick a central leader. I'll have to buy another one

[Knnn]

That is a nice specimen, Thanks for posting the photos!

Been trying to shape some things in the GH, if nothing else just to get them to fit Been wanting to try some of the tree type aloes. I wonder if the common ones would react in the same way ? I do have an older one that has lifted itself up about 3"- 4" so far.

[lucky1]

Thanks for lookin' at 'em!

Re "treeing", here are those groundcover cotoneasters that I'm training. It'll be a lot of work to pinch out everything that's trying to bud below the top but with perseverence, I know it'll work.


Just about cried walking past my dead Pachypodium again...


Aloes, I bet, would tree a bit if they're reaching for sunlight. I suppose if you keep cutting the bottom leaves off, it should do the same and keep growing up. Might be a lot slower than other plants, but it would be a very interesting (and top-heavy) standard. I've got a young one that's not much to look at...maybe we should both try it.

Wherever did you have all those gorgeous plants BEFORE you got your dream GH?
The nice thing about turning shrubs into standards is that they look nice on the patio in summer...with all the smaller pots clustered around them. It's fun to make nice arrangements...I'm forever moving mine around in the summer (ouch...sore back).

[Knnn]

Good luck with the Cottoneasters and sorry about your Pachy, Does look like your replacement one is nice & healthy

Think I will try experimenting with my Aloes this a bit this season...Finding space to keep all these things is something I am still in denial about...lol

[lucky1]

And just think...spring sales are just around the corner!
A new wing on the greenhouse perhaps?

[Knnn]

I think another 1000 Sq. feet and a 100k BTU heater would be ideal............
The reality of it is I have been saving old windows and lumber and will soon attempt to build something else that resembles a GH

[Barrie]

Very nice plants lucky1 ... ! I have a Jade about the same height and very thick in the trunk. It got left out and the cold "nipped" it back a bit so it's in the early stages of recovery. I'll have to post a pic later for you to see.
All your stuff looks very healthy and happy ... condolences on your Pachypodium.

Cheers, Barrie.

[Wes North Van]

Nice Madagascar Palm.
I have never actually seen one. Where did you get yours?

[lucky1]

Wes, check the succulent section of any Art Knapp's.
I bought both of mine there.
Late winter/early spring is a good time to seek out a Pachypodium lamerei.

I almost mistook (when buying the second one) it for one of those devil's walking stick plants (I was in a hurry).
At a quick glance, they do look similar when young, with their spikey habit on one succulent stem.

One particularly boring night I did a Google Earth Madagascar search...spent a couple of hours looking at what seemed like every mile of that almost barren island...learned about their government, etc. I found it interesting, and was stunned to read about all the endangered (listed) plants that come/came? from there.

The Madagascar Palm apparently comes from two places on Madagascar: the dry, arid, clear-cut south west, or the humid and still-tropical (not deforested) north east. Which didn't tell me a lot about how to care for MY pachy...
So I keep mine in fairly dry soil, but daily spray a little mist at the plant's growing shoot.

I hope you find one, Wes.

[Wes North Van]

Thanks I will keep looking around.

[lucky1]

Just a note on how I found information that WASN'T on Google Earth.

You folks probably already know this, but just in case...
On Google search page, enter Madagascar and then press Images (ABOVE the Search line).
Thumbnails appear, and once you press on a thumbnail, the document in which the picture occurs comes up.

Great way to spend a rainy day...looking at literally hundreds of pics of, say, your favourite plant.