Welcome to Louisiana. I enjoyed your pics and it looks like you are going to have a wonderful jungle in no time. One thing about living here, you can stick almost anything in the ground and it will grow.....except for lilacs that is.

Betty

Betty,

Thanks for the welcome. I've fallen madly in love in the short time I've been here already.

I grew Lilacs up north (since they must freeze for six to eight weeks at least or will not bloom) but I had horrible issues with powdery mildew on the leaves. I never did anything; they survived and bloomed, but the leaves always had a dusty gray look to them and were often deformed. I have a Crape Myrtle here in the front yard and it looks like I saw some little patches of powdery mildew on the leaves today. ACK!

Do you know what I need to do about it? They are growing in full sun (as were my Lilacs up north) and too much shade and too much moisture is definitely not an issue with the location of these Crape Myrtles. I know there are sprays out for it but this is something I've never dealt with before so I prefer getting some experienced advice prior to me taking any inexperienced action if you know what I mean.

I think I've read that some varieties are more susceptible than others. I know air circulation is always important for mildew control. I've never done anything mine and I don't have a problem--hope I haven't jinxed myself by saying that!--and I don't like to spray either. If you feel like you need to, you might try Neem Oil--it's supposed to be about as safe as anything you can use, and would also help with the aphids, I think it is, that create the situation that brings sooty mold. (Grows in the secretions from the aphids. Aack!) But I don't get that either (knock wood!) Birds are a big help--they eat the bugs so you don't have to spray as much. Or at all, if you're lucky. Glad you're enjoying it here! I think this is a great place to be--tho' sometimes my faith is shaken about August.

Thanks for the info greenelbows1!

I took a really good look at it today and figured the very small occasional patches of powdery mildew are not bad enough to merit any action - yet. But I'll be watching it closely.

Here is a link that might be useful: The No Secret Now Blog

Welcome to LA Len,
Your place looks lovely. I live near New Orleans.
It's been pretty warm here and I've been working
in the yard alot. It's small but I get alot of
bang for my buck. Good luck with your yarden.

Here is a link that might be useful: Community Webshots

In your second to last picture, I noticed what looked like some dwarf elephant ears (taro). Beware this plant will spread everywhere and is almost impossible to get rid of. I planted a few three or four years ago. Last summer I had at least a few hundred of them in all of my flower beds, in my grass, everywhere. When you pull them up if you leave any piece of the tuber, it comes back. If you leave a piece on the grass, it roots. If you divide a plant and there is a small piece of it with the plant, it roots. I finally killed most of them by painting on each and everyone of them two or three times, undiluted Round up for brush. Otherwise, all of your other plants are good choices. I like the yellow flag iris and hymenocallis. (Do watch for the yellow iris seeds because they will make lots of baby iris but can be harvested and planted where you want.) There are blue flag iris growing wild around Southeast Louisiana and there is a red iris that is native to Abbeville. Perhaps you can pick some up. The spider plants freeze to the ground but return for me every year. I planted a variegated one several years ago.

lisa455,

I will probably hate myself later for it, but I have planted the Taro along the North side of the house (as seen in the photo you're referring to) and also along the back porch.

BUT, I am hoping to eventually find myself with a kind of overgrown jungle feeling. So I'm kind of thinking along the lines of Taro, Castor Beans, Elephant's Ear, Big-Leaved Philodendrons, Calla Lilies, Cannas, Caladiums, Hostas, Aspidistra (Cast-Iron Plant) and Amaryllis, to name just a few - stuff that is regal (as in large and showy) and fills in the spaces fairly quickly. It might be a big mistake down the road, but for now it seems like a good idea.

Also, I'm very fond of the use of wide strips of very hard plastic or currogated sheet metal hammered into the ground around invasive plants. I learned that many years ago in California when I planted some bamboo. Cannot recall the variety, but it is the BIG cane type you see furniture made from - grows 20 to 30 feet tall - but the big thing is that it spreads 8 to 12 feet a year in all directions. So I learned back then to bury sheets of metal about 18 inches below ground and about six inches above ground to keep the beasts in check.

I may find myself having to "cage in" my Taro soon enough!

I am going to transplant some of the Spider Plants into hanging baskets before too long for the front porch. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: The No Secret Now Blog

Oh, well. At least you know how to kill them. :) Callas do well. I have them on a western exposure about a foot from the house in almost full sun and tucked in behind some liriope and in front of Indian Hawthorne. (Before I had them in a more exposed area and they froze back to the ground and only got six inches tall). They are twelve to eighteen inches high and stay evergreen except for as few months in the summer. (They are evergreen from September through June and bloom in April.) Cannas do well also, but there are the dreaded canna leaf roller caterpillars than I keep fighting. Hostas do much better in pots than in the ground because they get colder in the winter and the drainage is better. I have Patriot hostas and some of their offspring.) You might want to check out the daylily festival in Abbeville. It should be coming up soon. You can grow evergreen daylily varieties. As far as the amaryllis, I have several. You can pick them up at Wal-Mart and Lowes around Christmas for a few dollars a piece. They are evergreen and bloom right now. Also, there are a lot of cool gingers you can grow. Check out gingerwood nursery online. It is located right outside Baton Rouge. Tim Chapman is the owner and he is on the ginger forum and is real good about answering questions. The white butterfly ginger (Hedychium) is really nice and spreads rapidly and is junglesque. I also like crinum and eucomis. They do well. A rapidly spreading plant is mexican petuia (ruellia). I have purple and pink ones that get three feet high and are covered with flowers all summer. I could send you some seeds later in the summer if you remind me. The evergreen dwarf agapanthus are really nice too. Home Depot has them right now. As far as reading, you might want to check out Louisiana Gardener (it is the only magazine I get) and Southern Livings Garden Guide (an encyclopedia of 5,000 plants) and Louisiana Gardener's Guide by Dall Gill and Garden Perennial for the Coastal South by Barbara Sullivan (Beautiful pictures and some different plants)

Hey everybody,

Not all EEs nor bamboos should instill horror. Some are very definitely invasive as they spread by stolons or running rhizomes. There are varieties, though, that are well behaved and form nice, neat clumps.

You don't see it referenced with EEs very much, but bamboo is talked about in general terms as runners or clumpers. As the names imply, runners will go a long way as they form a grove, and clumpers will stay localized.

Even if you do have something that "runs," IF you do your homework, IF you research and understand the plant, and IF you devote time to caring for it appropriately, you don't have to be afraid of it.

Dave

Oh, by the way Len, put some bananas in . . . great way to tropicalize!!!

Dave & Laura,

Ah yes - Bananas. I forgot about those! I also intend, just for fun, to plant a clump or two of sugar cane simply because I can. Which reminds me, is there a way to 'harvest' sugar cane in very small quantities to be of any real use in my home? Or does the effort outweigh the reward? I've also read of cows dying from bloat when eating sugar cane in the fields but unsure if this is an urban legend or truth.

One thing I generally do is observe the habit of plants in their native environment and compare that to what I am capable of providing when trying to grow them myself. For example, I have some houseplants that are natives of Tanzania. I did a lot of research on what the weather and environment is like there and have attempted to duplicate that with my plants. Such as, the summer there is very dry and barren for several months and then there are torrential downpours during 'monsoon' season in the late summer. Therefore my plants I do not water for at least three months in the summer (they are succulent) and then in mid to late August I thoroughly soak the soil and set the plants in a tub of water for about three days so they are fully waterlogged. As a result they spring forth loads of new growth and burst into outstanding bloom.

Here is a link that might be useful: The No Secret Now Blog

I'm not sure about the sugarcane. I think the common agricultural cane is probably "designed" for large-scale harvest and processing. However, I do remember from my younger days in Missouri seeing sorghum syrup made in small, "home" batches. Maybe with your own sugar kettle you could do something with some sugarcane.

You seem to be the type that does your research into the plants you grow. Laura thinks I'm bordering on obsessive when it comes to researching something for our yard, but it pays off in being able to successfully grow a given plant.

Dave,

Very true - research is not only beneficial but it can be a lot of fun too. It can be lively to add little "factoids" on your plants when having friends over. I enjoy telling people that this houseplant is native to Tanzania in Africa, that this other one is native to Brazil and that one over there is native to a small island called Sumatra, etc, etc.

NSN,

There's a great tropical nursery right near you. Stokes Tropicals is just south of New Iberia, on Hwy 182, just near the UPS building out there. They got everything you could want for that tropical look.

As for that 'cane: See if you can find 'Pele's Smoke' which is an awesome looking purple cane, very architectural...

sea ya
tami

Tami,

I'll check out Stokes Tropicals soon. I have driven past there once before when visiting friends in New Iberia and remember my jaw hitting my steering wheel (almost required stitches!). ;)

I did some searches for the purple sugar cane and found some places that sell it. I may have to give that a shot.

I hope to save some seeds and some bulbs, etc and later this Fall or early next Spring maybe swap with some fellow GardenWebbers to help increase my variety as well.

Here is a link that might be useful: The No Secret Now Garden Blog