Lacunosas and the Chaos Theory of Gardening

16 years ago

I garden by what I call laughingly term Chaos Theory, like in Jurassic Park. I let the plants do whatever they want until they do something bad, then they may get trimmed back if they have been REALLY bad.

This is the speckled Exotic Angel lacunosa I bought at about the same time some other folks bought theirs earlier this year. It has taken Chaos Gardening Theory to heart and gone completely mad, climbing and twining all over everything and is blooming its little head off

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Bloom close-up:

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And this is the "plain" (ie Unspeckled) Exotic Angel lacunosa I got at about the same time, also completely chaotic! (in a GOOD way)

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and lastly, this is my Hoya Kentiana (which I thought was longifolia but wasn't) in bloom and also headed toward Chaos

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Bloom close-up:

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Comments (18)

ines_99
16 years ago
I beg to differ on the kentiana id- looks like Hoya shepherdi to me, I don't believe kentiana's leaves typically get that long, they usually are lighter in color, and have darker sometimes reddish edges - also, the growing habit is a bit different..and the dead giveaway, kentiana has totally different flowers, in both shape and color.

Absolutely gorgeous specimen!! You have ideal conditions there. I would love to come across that speckled lacunosa, haven't seen it at any of my home depots or lowes - once I thought I saw one there from far away, but when I got up close I realized the white specks were just that it was covered with mealy bugs. Darn.
Sandy130
16 years ago
I was thinking the same thing, looks like shepherdii to me also....really lovely hoyas you have Bihai!

Jennifer, check out this link.....i have emailed this fellow and he has many of his hoyas are purchased from David Liddle....the kentiana in particular has narrow leaves....it does looks similar to shepherdii but not the blooms.....another one that would of been a good one to get from DL....

Sandy

Here is a link that might be useful: Roy's kentiana
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bihai
Original Author
16 years ago
You know, you're right...it is sheperdii. I don't know WHY I keep mixing it up with Kentiana, (which I also have, and which is also in bloom now, and whose bloom looks totally different)! It must be CHAOS at work!

Almost all of my hoyas are in bloom now, and almost all of them have gone completely wild with the coming of summer. Even the new cuttings I got in Spring from trades have grown exponentially and some have bloomed. The only one that has done less than well is linnearis. I have had a hard time getting it well rooted. I finally mounted it and it seems to be doing a lot better.
coey
16 years ago
I love this technique! I don't know why I'm so set on keeping things separate! Must be my need for control...perhaps this can be my first step in loosening up a little. ; )
Denise
16 years ago
Bihai... Yes, it does look like shepherdii to me, too. And what a great specimen!! Yummy! Mine went south on me a couple of years ago, then I revived it, though it is making a painfully slow comeback. I was looking at it a couple of weeks ago (taking it down for a watering and shower of VF-11...) and noticed a forming peduncle. I was amazed, since it still doesn't exactly look like the cat's meow. Shortly thereafter, two somewhat smallish flower spikes bloomed (a bit lethargicly, I might add...) The plant itself is smallish but looks healthy, so I guess it was its way of saying "Hey, don't toss me in the compost heap!!!" As I said, yours looks like a million bucks!!

Linnearis... I tried that one once and found it to be awfully fragile. I want to try it again, but only if I can find a full-sized plant LOCALLY, because I think transport is too tough on its fragile stems.

Nice CRAZY plants you got there, B...

Denise in Omaha
laura1
16 years ago
Chaos works ok if you plan on leaving the plants in the same place. I'm afraid to let them get intwinded around each other and then have to move them.
bihai
Original Author
16 years ago
well, I have absolutely no plans to move these, so I guess I am doing okay in that respect. If I need to, I will cut it back. I cut back my Green Jade Vine almost DAILY in summer, its so aggressive its like Kudzu (only much more expensive LOL)
trace00969
16 years ago
What exactly is a green jade vine......a jade pothos?? Beautiful pics, love the flowers!!

TrAcY
bihai
Original Author
16 years ago
No Tracy, the Jade Vine isn't a pothos, its a rare tropical liana from the Phillipines. Its also called Emerald Creeper. The botanical name for it is Strongylodon macrobotrys. Its a large growing and aggressive rainforest plant. A liana is, by one definition, a jungle vine that gets a diameter large enough to support the weight of the primates, sloths, and, of course, Tarzan as he swings through the jungle (LOL).

This is a photograph of the blooms on mine. Its the turquoise colored flowers on the left hanging down all over. If I didn't keep it in check it would literally eat my greenhouse. The color of the blooms is unique in the plant world. True turquoise hued flowers are extremely rare. There is one other plant that comes close to having this hue, and that is a rare Puya bromeliad, Puya berteroniana
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User
16 years ago
Hi Bihai,

Great, lovely pix, thanks for such a nice show!

Those turquoise blooms are really something, for the hue, I almost thought they were fake, except of course, knowing you wouldn't have fake flowers in yr. jungle!!! Any chance of a closeup sometime, am sure I'm not the only one curious abt them?

Am still working w/ my local HD to try & get them to order me a replacement 'speckled' Lacunosa to replace mine which tanked (since they DO guarantee their plants for a year).

Whoever it was who mentioned that thanks so much, I've got a store credit & am just waiting for them to try to special order that for me ... it's been a few wks now ... sigh!

Thanks again for the great show!!
ines_99
16 years ago
My home depot says they can't do spec orders, that all the ordering is done from the corporate offices and that they just order "assorted selections". Of course I got this piece of information from a garden center employee, and we all know how knowledgable they are about their plants.

I too would love to see a closeup of those turquiose flowers, they are awesome looking.

One hoya I have no trouble with is linearis, I bought a full size one - actually my garden center ordered it for me, so it never underwent any abuse at any store...I watched them take it out of the shipment box. It is in the foyer under a skylight, and I keep it on the dry side. When I do water, I water very lightly, maybe wetting only the top 2 inches of the soil. I had a little of it die back the first winter, but for the most part it does great. Getting very long. I think linearis is very sensitive to overwatering.
bihai
Original Author
16 years ago
I happen to have a closeup or 2.
They are very neat flowers, they almost look like peapods with claws. Each individual flower is about 2-3 inches long and there may be over 100 on an individual raceme. They are not all that long lived, they last on the stalk about a week, then they fall and you have to clean them all up!
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coey
16 years ago
Holy Jiminy Krismas!

I think I'm in lust!!
User
16 years ago
Just does not look REAL, can't get over the color (forgive me Bihai, it's color looks like plastic); very cool, thx for the pic!
ines_99
16 years ago
Definately worth the clean up time - thanks ! Did you mention where you got it? I will have to put it on my list of future greenhouse acquisitions....
bihai
Original Author
16 years ago
ines,
I got mine as a trade 5-6 years ago. Its mature now and has bloomed the past 2 years. They are hard to come by, because they are extremely hard to propagate. Air layering works about 50% of the time, rooting cuttings with rooting hormone has about a 90% failure rate, and seeds are almost non-existant.
I saw some small (very small) one gallon plants for sale in Miami in November for $99 each.
I have managed to get about 5 cuttings rooted and growing from mine in the past 2 years out of more than 30 tries. I offered one on this very forum last season on the exchange, but no one took me up on it for a long long time til I finally traded it to a great lady for several hoyas. I won't mention her because she doesn't seem to be on here anymore.
I just tried to remove 2 airlayered plants off the mother last week and lost both of them. They had been airlayering for 6 months.
ines_99
16 years ago
Well, I guess the price is justified if they are that difficult. What about growing conditions, is it the type of plant that you could keep in the average house or sunroom or are they more suited to greenhouse conditions?
bihai
Original Author
16 years ago
Definitely a greenhouse plant, preferably inside a structure where you can actually plant it into the ground. Not a candidate for a sunroom, DEFINITELY not a candidate for a house. Needs high light, lots of humidity, lots of water, a huge space to climb.

Lacunosas and the Chaos Theory of Gardening

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