I can't help you but to say that is purely tragic

Nancy,
I offer my full sympathy!
You've done a fine job, and I think it's healing...

Josh

Such a shame, a beautiful DR!

It might grow little rootlet stumps around the top of the wound. If so, you could maybe somehow grow some roots to cover the scar. Lean something flat against the caudex, a piece of heavy thick plastic cut in a curve to match the wound, to fit where the rootlet stubs are,--- if there appear rootlet stubbs, and give them access to soil down into the pot. Then once well rooted into the pot, gradually wash away the soil. Zat make any sense??

Wow, what a shame! I always admired your plant ever since I saw a photo of it. But it could have been worse, I would be thankful most of the plant is OK. I've had accidents with my plants too, it's bound to happen when one has lots of plants.

Best of luck with it!

Christopher

It looks amazing from the 'scarless' angle pug, I am ridiculously jealous!

Thanks so much for the sympathies and kind comments everyone. Much appreciated!

Josh, you have company (referring to your frozen Jade), unfortunately things happen to our plants that we don't wish for :o(

I still love this plant, accidents do happen and we move on, I just want the plant to heal and continue to live. If that happens I will be thrilled...

Malamola...thanks for the advise, I will keep an extra eye out. Hopefully the wound will completely heal and scar over. That's the best I can hope for.

I am sorry for the accident. But glad it still alive and well. I am newest member of this website, but I do love desert rose. Infact, I had plenty to share. I wanted to post my pictures of this website to share with you all, but because so new, I need to learn how to use it first. I hope you to guide me along the way.
I have some right now ready to bloom. Marie from Houston Texas

Thanks Marie! Welcome to the forum!! I've attached a link below on how to post pictures that someone from GW was kind enough to post...hope it helps you. Would love to see pictures of your Desert rose.

Here's mine taken a couple of days ago...its really putting on some blooms now!
{{gwi:531704}}

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Post Pictures on GW

HI Nancy,
Your desert rose is fanastic, I am glad for you that it didn't die from the accident...the flower show is great...
thanks for posting the update,,,,linda

now it has some added character and a story! i'm sure in a few years the scar will be less noticeable.

While I don't grow or know this plant, it fascinates me that while it took a heavy hit in injury, the plant seems no worse for it, nor did it seem to have interferred w/ the plant's general health or blooming.

You must be doing something VERY right Pug (above & beyond how I always raz ya abt living in FLA).

Magnificent bloom & pix (TFS), may it continue its excellent recovery.

I had this desert rose in 2004. This was one of my 2008 photo. I had so much more to show, but still learning to do first picture.

Thank you Linda, blutarsky and Pirate Girl for the nice compliments and well wishes.

Blutarsky I like the sound of my DR having character, thanks!

Marie, I'm sure you'll get the hang of posting pictures soon.

{{gwi:531705}}

ltran54, what a GORGEOUS Desert Rose!! I love the two different colors on it...I'm assuming you grafted the pink on the white or are those two different plants that grew together? Thanks for posting the picture...it is really a beautiful plant.

Hello puglvr1, I bought this plant grafted 2 years ago. It died last year. This year I bought 3 bigger pots and 6 smaller pots. Total, I had about 20 pots. Also 120 babies. The seeds from Thai Land are very exotic color, double, and unusual. But I have to wait until next summer for them to bloom to see what they are. Last year we had a very bad winter and I killed over 100 smaller ones and 4 big pots.
In my collection I had 3 pots with 5-7 grafted, but they so early to tell how many colors on each plant. I will slowly post many of my beautiful pix to show you how crazy I am about desert rose.

I'm so sorry to hear that you lost some of your Desert roses. I feel your pain...we've had a very unusually brutal winter here in FL also...lost several of my plants. Hope we don't have another repeat for 30+ years,lol...Looking forward to more pics of your DR. Sounds like you have an addiction to them. I know the feeling, I have so many plant addictions I need to go to therapy :o)

{{gwi:531706}}
My back yard...
{{gwi:531707}}
This is about 6 years old.

{{gwi:531709}}
this is my oldest desert rose about 11 years old, the root no longer there.
{{gwi:531712}}

Those are spectacular Adeniums...just amazing! You really do love them and it shows how much they love you back!

On your last picture you made a comment that your 11 year old DR roots are no longer there...what did you mean? What happened to the roots?

Thanks for the gorgeous pictures Marie! I've really enjoyed them.

Nancy, I came to live in Houston over 20 years and Texas never had a winter as cold as last winter. We had many days in 30 degrees and few days in teen digits. I took my babies desest roses inside, but that didn't help. Over 100 tiny pots were cooked after being inside few days. Their root were big about tennis ball. These seeds from ThaiLand. They were exotic in color, double and very unsual than normal ones that we see. I again bought more seeds from Thai Land and germinated them 8 weeks ago. About 120 tiny pots now growing very healthy. They are my second set of children. Marie

Nancy, each year in March when the weather was getting better. My husband helps me to move my plants from either inside the house or in the garage out to the back yard. We always thinking, "this it is, no more cold days" but we always fail. 3 months ago, after we moved them out. One cold front came, not only very cold but it also stayed for few days. That was the time it killed 3 of my big pots. The oldest DR got rotten root. I cut all the root off and now only branches. It is very slow compare to other pots. The leaves now coming in very small and slow....
I will post my 2010 pix in 2 weeks. 2 of my big pots in full bloom right now, but Houston had 2 brutal storm rainfall on Wednesday and Thursday and destroy most my blooms. I was very sad, because it never happened like that before. Marie

Thanks Marie for explaining. Sorry to hear that you lost some of those spectacular specimens...they really are so beautiful!Good luck with your new babies...Enjoy them!

It was a horrid winter! I'm in Galveston and we had the worst freeze in over 20 years. The 30' rubber tree died in the back yard. Didn't lose any of my DR but lots of other plants. The rain was nice but the wind was horrible last week with it.
Here's to a much better year!
Tally ho!

Bleachplant, I hope we are having a better year. In the summer, I get carry away of buying plants, but when winter comes all hard work comes from my husband. When it is so cold, I don't care if they live or die, but very very sad if one die. So I let him bring them all inside for me.

Wow! How did you get it to flower so profusely? I live in the tropics yet I've never seen so many flowers on 1 tree before.

tropicsnut
I am addicting to my desert roses. I just post more 2010 pix in (plumeria-desert rose looking nicely) check it out and see what you think.

puglvr1...my deepest sympathies!!! I hope it's doing better now! I bought a DR from Walmart fo $1 about 1 month ago! I have it outside now (with warmer weather in the mtns of NC it's pretty warm) and it seems to be doing well. I hope it blooms soon. It seems to be happy and is putting out new leaves. I am eager to see what my little investment does. Any suggestions would be great! Thanks for sharing you green thumb advice!

I do hope that it will never happen again to your Adenium. It is a beautiful plant. I have seen you posted it in many different posts. It is never tired to look at. I want to share this link because I found this person has covered in great detail about growing Adenium, like the accident happened to your plant.

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

Here is a link that might be useful: Adenium

How do you all get so many blooms at once on your DR? Both my DR throw out 1-3 blooms at a time but are nice sized plants? Very stingy.

-David

Sorry about your DR. How is it doing now? I think I might have one of those plants but I planted mine I the ground here in GA. Doing great so far. You might be able to use pitch at the troubled area to seal it off and or see a plant specialist. Here is a pictureof mine. It loaded sideways.

Hi c_bendas...Thanks for asking. My DR is doing quite well...here's a picture from last month...the 'break' healed very nicely and its barely noticeable :o)

Looking good. Hope mine gets as big. Not sure how fast they grow. I just bought mine in the spring. My wife loves it and wants me to move it to a different location. Think I will just buy a couple more next spring because I think it will be to hard on the plant to dig it up and relocate it since it is doing well at the area I have it now.

They will never survive a Georgia winter. Not even on the islands off the coast.
Great plants- almost impossible in cool summer California to grow to a decent size.

I live close to Florida. It is supposed to be a dessert plant and in winter it gets cold. But I know how to insulate it with pine needles and/or hay.

Wow I just found out that the sap to these plants are very poisonous.

SFGATE

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Is Adenium Obesum Poisonous to Dogs?by Susan Paretts, Demand Media

Keep Fido away your toxic desert rose plants.

Adenium obesum, commonly referred to as desert rose or desert azalea, is grown both outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 12 and indoors as a decorative houseplant. Known for its showy, bright-colored flowers, this perennial succulent produces a milky sap that is highly poisonous to both people and dogs. For your pup's safety, keep Fido away from this beautiful yet dangerous plant.

You can grow the desert rose as a succulent shrub, small tree or bonsai houseplant. The plant produces beautiful flowers that are tubular in shape and come in various shades of red, pink and rose. It also produces follicle-like fruit containing seeds when pollinated. If grown indoors, the plants typically bloom in the summer, but outdoors they can bloom all year round in warm weather. This heat-tolerant plant grows best in well-drained, sandy or gravelly soil and direct sunlight, recommends the Missouri Botanical Garden. Desert rose is a hardy plant and can grow up to nine feet tall and five feet wide outdoors.

Toxicity

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the desert rose is poisonous to dogs because it contains toxic chemicals called glycosides. These toxins are present in the sap of the plants, which can cause internal discomfort if eaten by your dog and can also irritate his skin, warns "Dog Friendly Gardens: Garden Friendly Dogs." The sap of the plant is present in all of its parts and is emitted when the plant is bruised or otherwise damaged. Desert rose sap is considered so toxic to people and animals that it's even applied to the tips of arrows by hunters in some parts of Africa, according to the Bayer Advanced website.

Effects

If your dog eats the desert rose plant, expect him to experience vomiting, diarrhea, gastrointestinal pain, excessive drooling and blistering of the mouth and throat, according to the Whitney Veterinary Hospital. This sap can also lead to blistering and redness of the skin if your pup simply brushes past the plant. For irritated skin issues, wash the sap off of the dog's skin using a nontoxic, gentle soap before bringing your pooch into the vet. Wear gloves so it doesn't get on your hands. If Fido has ingested any of the desert rose, get him to the vet immediately. In severe cases of poisoning, your pup may experience heart problems that can be fatal in some cases, warns the ASPCA.

Considerations

Keep any houseplants, including the desert rose, in an area of your home that your dog can't access. Bored house pets tend to entertain themselves by chewing or pawing at any plants they can get to, including the decorative yet harmful flowers and leaves of the desert rose, the Merck Veterinary Manual warns. When in your yard, control your pup around desert rose plants, especially after pruning them, which will release their harmful sap. While there is no cure for desert rose poisoning, your vet can administer supportive care for him, including administering intravenous fluids and inducing vomiting to rid Fido of the toxins.

Yes, I wear gloves when I prune it...luckily my dog has NO interest in the plant whatsoever!! I would definitely keep all pets away from it.

As far as protecting it from frost...I would do like you said and add heavy mulch to protect the roots and I would also cover the plant with heavy frost cloth and or cardboard box...mine does not like temps below 34 degrees...so keep that in mind in the winter, though it probably won't kill the plant till it reaches freezing temps, but surely the plant will lose its leaves at temps 34 or below...at least mine has done this.

Its a relative of Oleander. Although,so are Plumeria and Pachypodium and I don't think I've ever read they have toxic sap.

They might.