Barb - Thanks, I'll probably go ahead and leave the DR in the window since David does the same. It's still small because I just got it from Joey at the swap last fall.

mnwsgal - Where are you going in Texas and do you have a specific date? There are so many options we could point you to. There are usually a few brugs for sale at some of the nurseries, but if you can make it to a swap that's even better.:-) We'd love to meet you.

I am in Texas also.. Pam and Kristy are as well...

Kylie

Beautiful Blooms Dave!!
Karyn I love the Jade blooms.. I have not grown a Jade plant since I was a teen..I would love to find a Variegated one..

Kylie

Kylie I probably have a variegated jade somewhere. I don't even particularly like jades but I have a bunch of different ones. If I have it I'll send you a cutting when it warms up enough to send the brug.

Well, like everyone else up here in the northland, I've been hibernating or dealing with 27+" of snow...and going down to the basement to talk to the cuttings.
The TV weatherpersons are all agog as to whether we'll set a new record for December. Hmmm, guess I'm still a southerner at heart despite 37 years in the tundra - LOL.
Will

I will be in TX between mid-January and mid-February. Will spend some time in Houston with family and may go to San Antonio. Do you all have swaps during the winter? Ours are in the spring and fall.

We missed the last snowfall, Will. Just 20 inches here. Thank goodness for neighbors with huge snowblowers helping to clear the end of the drive after the snowplow has passed. This seems more like the winters we had when I was a kid.

Thanks Karyn..I think I saw one at Wally World last yr or yr before..

Barbra (hunnybunny2) lives in San Antonio..She's a sweety!!

20"~27" of snow!!! I would just die..LOL I hate the cold!

Kylie

mnswgal - The San Antonio Swap is usually in March. When you said you were coming down in the winter I was thinking of the longer winter up there and that it just might work out since spring here is much earlier. We have to get most things planted early before the heat sets in.

Here are some ideas for Houston:

Antique Rose Emporium - Great gardens and they have brugs in the display area but not sure if I've seen any for sale there. It's a little out of town, but if you do go to San Antonio then skip the interstate and go through Brenham. It's a little longer drive but well worth it and you can stop at the great outlet mall in San Marcos. There's also a nice San Antonio display garden worth seeing if you do get over here.

Buchanans - All kinds of great plants here mostly for a zone 9 climate, but a nice place worth checking out if you're in the neighborhood.

Houston Garden Center - I hear the other Texans laughing and it's because HGC is a parking lot with plants. I've seen brugs consistently at Houston Garden Center so it's a good option. They have an amazing selection at great prices if you print out the coupons from the website.

Zone 9 Tropicals - He's only open on weekends and generally doesn't open in the winter but you can contact him anyway. Definitely worth a visit if you love rare tropicals.

There are a lot of brugs in yards around Houston, but it will probably be a little too early for them to bloom unless we have a really warm winter this year.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I should have fun checking these out.

Those are the coldest weeks in MN. March is the beginning of spring for us, melting snow and shedding bulky winter coats. I love the winds of March. Actually spring doesn't really come here until May, but March gives me hope.

Mn Gal, right now its in the 70's in most parts of Texas, we usually do not get our cold weather until middle January and February. Houston has the best deals on plants, this time of the year. Let me know if you are coming down to San Antonio, I would love to meet you.. What kind of plants are you looking for? I have mostly tropical plants. Barbra

Thanks, Barbra, it would be fun to meet you as well. I love meeting GW friends.

I am looking for variegated brugs and maybe amaryllis. Don't have a greenhouse so am limited in the plants I bring inside each fall. I've been decreasing the number that need to be overwintered inside and still have too many. Even with those in dormancy they need too much care and take up too much space. Gave away most of my tropicals including sending two hibiscus to Houston a couple of years ago.

mngal - I'd love to meet you too so let us know your schedule as time gets closer. San Antonio is a wonderful place to visit so I do hope you can get here. Check Buchanan's for amaryllis bulbs in the spring.

I'll let you know how plans work out. More snow again today.
Those banks are getting pretty high, hard to see cars coming at the intersections.

That's really dangerous. We used to tie a red bandana on the antenna when we lived in Wyoming, but that's not an option for most cars now. Be careful out there!

Kylie, where are you in TX? Maybe it will be on our way to or from. We have no agenda, just escaping MN winter and wandering here and there.
Bobbie

I'm also up north like Bobbie, all the brugs are in the basement.I won't start seeds until march. We don't have as much snow, but friday could get 8 inches. I think I like the single brugs also, with our short growing season I get to see more blooms. Happy Holidays.

Zone 9 is my absolute favorite tropical nursery. Bob and Wayne are as wonderful as their plants. I've been buying from them for years. I'd love to be able to visit in person. I'm not sure how far Rosenburg is but Caldwell has some great plants, all kinds, not just tropicals. I used to buy from them but they stopped doing mail order a few years ago.

Here is a link that might be useful: caldwell nursery

Thanks, Karyn, I will add them to my list. Sounds like they are on the way to my brother's SW of Houston. They also have a nice selection of alocasia which I have started to collect.

Waving to you, Carol. Are you in the NE? I hear a storm is headed that way. We only had 4.5 inches on Monday and the one coming tomorrow is to just dust us.

I will also wait until March to start my brug seeds.

Where do you think? We're Christmas shopping and baking cookies! LOL! I'm done, now I have to clean the house. Making Christmas dinner for the smaller wing of the fam. Brugs are all comfortably asleep, I just watered them for the first time the other day. I'm enjoying other things in the house: abutilon (red), african violet (purple edged white), amaryllis (apple blossom and red lion), christmas cactus, streptocarpella, would you believe potted rosemary is blooming?
Diane

Diane - That's great your rosemary is blooming indoors and all the other blooming plants that are doing so well indoor for you.

mngal - I'm pretty sure Kylie lives near Ft. Hood off I-35 between Austin and Dallas. If you head home from San Antonio you would definitely go through there.

Of course if you are close to Kylie then you'll pass right through princealbert's neighborhood and you don't want to miss meeting PA either.

Just relaxing here at 5 AM until all the activities began at 5 PM. My 17 y.o. gd and her bf are cooking Christmas eve dinner for 10. Yesterday late afternoon, my dd called that the menu was ham, and Cornish hens for those of us that don't eat pork (think I'm the only one), and that gd and bf would do all the cleanup before as well. I asked if they had started already. No, they went out! We had a good laugh because these kids have no clue on how much time it takes to cook a dinner, and cleanup, LOL!

Anyway, I had been without computer since last Friday. The dsl people couldn't help me, but two days ago I was finally able to get on using 'safe mode'. Now, I'm only on the computer for short spans. After the holidays, I will take it in to Best Buys and have them check it out.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Last minute change of plans- bad weather ahead for Christmas day so we won't be traveling to our son's homes in VA. We'll be spending a quiet but safe day at home with our grown daughter. Her & I will be baking cookies together today! We're so grateful to have her still at home- she brings so much life to the house! Guess I'm feeling a bit old this season!
Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Years to all!
kasha77

Hey!! I am in Millsap .. That is about 50 W of FT Worth TX. off of I20.. Kristy is in Copperas Cove by Ft Hood and PA is in Belton about 45 min or so from her..If you are coming my way be sure to let me know.. I would love to meet you!

Kylie

Thats me that lives near Fort Hood. Come on up and we will gather the gang to meet you, lol. Merry Christmas to you all.

Ooops! I got you mixed up didn't I? At least you straightened it out for me. Thanks ya'll!

Hope everyone had a great holiday.

Thank you all for the invitations. I will notify you closer to the time. We will be watching the weather and head out when we see a good driving period. This winter is already long enough for me with over 40inches of snow so far. Hear that Thursdays storm may be rain which will melt down some of the snowbanks but also bring ice worries.

mnwsgal
If you happen to go home by way of IH-35,
I am about 3 miles off IH-35 between Austin and Waco.
Now for the punch line---
I have a varigated noid brug that I needs cutting back. It blooms repeatedly in the summer here. I have lots of other brug cuttings also, mostly noids.
yes I am trying to bribe you. I have no shame. LOL

If you come by I will try to get Kristy (Foolforflowers)to come over too.
pa

pa, you were already on my list and you did not need to bribe me, but I'm not saying no to a cutting of a variegated brug which blooms repeatedly.

I'll be in the Nolanville area of Texas end of January for a week to see my new grandson and the rest of his family...My son leaves end of January for his 3rd tour to Iraq and wanna see him before he leaves too.

My granddaughters don't know my Mom & I are going down...They are gonna be SOOOO surprised!!

My grandson was born on Christmas eve.

knotz

Congratulations on the birth of your grandson. What a wonderful holiday blessing that was.

I'm in Galveston, just down the coast from Houston. So far not a bad winter, no freezing temps, few wind chills in the 33 degree range. Mid 60's today & it looks like the sun is coming out.

MNWSgal drop me a line when you're down here. I'll give you a tour of Galveston. We only have one nursery on the island though.

I suggest Maas nursery in Kemah (they are having a bamboo sale right now!), Somewhere in Time, Buchanans both in the Heights. Josephs in Pearland. Houston Garden Center has limited stock right now & it's 80% off till Jan. 9th
My brugs are blooming right now! There were a few that survived Ike and the freeze and some cuttings from spring. They finally all started growing & blooming around October. Desert rose are in bloom as are a few cactus, succulents, canna, clerodendrum sp, obedient plant, salvia, peppers, lions ear, amaryllis, hoya, shrimp plant, crinum americanum, few other things. The garden really likes the cooler temps and all the rain we've had recently. Finished digging the pond now just have to find a liner. The inside of the house is finished, fire and hurricane. Going to start the outside in the spring.
Cuttings are all doing well except 2 which look like they aren't going to make it.
Happy New Year!
Tally HO!

Thanks, beachplant, for the suggestions and the invitation. I have added both to my lists.

My cuttings are full of roots and leaves.

mnwsgal (Bobbie)

I thought I would tease some more. Here is a pic of one of the flushes on the varigated one.
pa

{{gwi:589700}}

Caren, congrats on your new gs! It will be so wonderful to hold a baby!

PA, great looking variegated brug!

Thanks eloise,
That one was in the heat of the Texas summer.
pa

Oooh, you are a tease! Great photo.
Bobbie

Caren, shoot me an email when its close to time for you to come and I will try to visit. Albert that variegated one I got from you is still alive cross my fingers. It will be the only one I have ever managed to not kill if it makes it over the winter.

Kristi,
I'll give you another if it dies.
When karen comes down maybe we can all get together and do lunch. How is Lucy? I haven't heard from her in a while.

Bobbie,
I already have your branch/cutting picked out. it has 3 branches and is about 1 1/2 ft tall.
pa

PA, that is quite a cutting! You are a master at this bribery thing.

Bobbie,
I made a mistake. It has 4 branches.
pa

Lol, Albert you are really doing the bribe thing. Lunch sounds good. Lucy has been busy with the kids and grandkids I think. We talked around Christmas but neither of us felt like getting out of the bed to meet, lol. I'll be glad when warmer weather gets here. Been sick on and off since before Thanksgiving but I am thinking most of it is allergies. Get ready for a long hard freeze next week.

PA, I'm chuckling.

That big freeze headed this way next week looks like a monster! Brrrrrr!

We could get single digits for the first time in years. Last year was one of the coldest on record and the lowest night was 14o.

I'm moving everything inside too. Planted one brug out last summer so will double mulch and wrap the roots with Christmas lights.

I guess I need to get the heaters out and check them out.
pa

The "Deep Freeze" dire warnings are turning into "Sorta Chilly" and not so cold after all. It's a good idea to get a plan in place anyway in case we do get a big freeze sometime this winter.

Getting together with you all down there would be fun...Not sure how our time will go though...We only have 5 whole days to visit...I SOO can't wait to meet my new grandson and see my "girls"...Of course my son and his wife too...lol

Maybe I hide some palms or bananas in my suitcase and bring them home...lol

Kristy and Kylie...Can you give me your emails again please??

I sent you an email!

Kylie

We are heading south this Friday. We are wandering our way down and will take 3 or 4 days to get to TX. TX people, if you send me contact info I will give you a call or e-mail when I am in the area. Plans are still fluid while in TX but would let you know ahead of time before coming to your area. Anyone in the Dallas area? Will be going through there early next week. I do get e-mail regularly through GW.

mnwsgal
I hope I don't miss you.
I sent you an email.
princealbert