Forced to choose only 1 plant in your collection, which would you keep
Comments (36)
tanpexoctics Willis
6 years agoExtremely hard choice ,I'm not sure how many plants I got. I have to say this is the first plant I bought ,and probally would be my one to keep.it was 1 inch tall now over 18inch.but I'm hoping not to get down to one plant lol
myermike_1micha thanked tanpexoctics Willis
Kara 9b SF Bay Area CA
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoWhat a terrible/great question;).
This may change, but now I would have to save my Glottiphyllum pygmaeum. I love that plant and lately has bloomed like never before. He was my first "weird" plant. It's crazy too because if somebody asked me succulents or cactus I would pick cactus every time. A person up the street from me has a G. nelii planted in their yard and that thing is huge! I should go take a pic one day.
myermike_1micha thanked Kara 9b SF Bay Area CARelated Discussions
If you could only keep 10... what would they be?
Comments (6)Well this is certainly easier than the thread that popped up a few weeks back asking us to choose ONE plant! :) I'm trying to cut back as well, but only so I can get more of the things I actually want. My problem is, I don't feel good selling anything until it's blooming because a) I can get more moolah for it (orchids bring me one notch higher towards not being under the poverty line) and b) I think people enjoy seeing what kind of flowers are on a plant before buying. Then things bloom and I don't have the heart to sell them. Time to get serious about this. Soo..if a fire broke out in my house and I only had time to grab ten of my plants, I'd probably snag: 1) Aerangis distincta (about to bloom for the 1st time but also dying at the same time...kills me a little inside every time I look at it) 2) Aerangis splendida 3) Aeranthes grandiflorus 4) Angranthes Grandilena (aer. grandiflora x ang. magdalanae) 5) Dendrobium Peng Seng 6) Dendrobium Tobaense 7) Dialaelia 'Snow Flake' 8) Dendrobium dawn maree 9) Polyrhizza lindenii (just cause that little bugger finally put out ONE root and there's no way in hell I'm gonna let this little glimmer of success slip away) Aerangis kirkii Luckily I don't have anything too valuable or irreplacible in my collection...See MoreOnly room for 1 zucchini, which would you choose?
Comments (30)Elysium, the "best" zucchini depends on your particular taste. If you didn't like "Black Beauty", you might be careful about some of the other dark zucchinis. If you like "Italian" flavor, one of the Italian types mentioned above would be good. I don't like "Rampicante" steamed, but it's nice sauteed with garlic. I don't think it's a highly-flavored squash but is has some sweetness. It's related to butternut winter squashes but tastes better than the latter when picked young, not as good when kept as winter squash. I grew it one year with Cucuzzi gourds. The pair would be fantastic on an overhead trellis. No spines. Cucuzzi is good briefly steamed or cooked with tomatoes when very young or pared, seeded and stuffed when more like a baseball bat. Immature seeds are white and sweet. My father-in-law's favorite summer squash is "Zapollito de Tronco" or however you spell it. It is related to many pumpkins and winter squashes. Picked young, it looks like a little green cheese-shaped zucchini, but has a different flavor. Plant is huge and not as productive as most zucchinis. For "regulation" summer squash, I prefer the sweeter lighter green zucchinis like "Magda" and the yellow crookneck and straightneck squashes. This year, I am also growing "Butterstick" and a darker yellow zucchini, "Meteor" (no longer marketed) along with rather dark Sweet Zuke (breaks easily at the neck), "Spineless Beauty", "Zephyr" (not the most productive, but the most fun and keeps well in the fridge) and a couple of scallops. "Meteor" was my first squash this year, with several others coming in the next day. By the third day, I had picked 19 squashes. I think "Magda" is my most productive variety, but Farmerdill says "Freckles" is even more productive. It has a thinner shape. Zucchinis generally survive longer than other summer squashes in my hot-summer garden. Pinetree is offering a new medium or dark green zucchini with mild, sweet "almost cucumber-like" flavor, "Reward". Won their taste-test. This post was edited by carolync1 on Sat, May 18, 13 at 22:01...See Morewhich type of neighborhood would you choose/what DID you choose?
Comments (16)Either B or C...we're not the cheapest house in the neighborhood but there are some that are significantly larger/more extravagant/ pricier than ours. The neighborhood began development about 20 years ago. The original builder is completing the development. We actually chose the neighborhood before we decided to build. We chose it for the school system (best in the city), location (very close commute to work, shopping, highway, etc), and the overall feel. When we walked around while shopping for houses, other people stopped us to introduce themselves and tell us how much they liked their house, neighborhood, and the builder. We also ran into about 7 different acquaintances that all lived there! We looked at another development that is newer but the houses all backed up to each other so the backyards were not private. That was a deal breaker for us. We couldn't find a house in our price range to buy in our chosen neighborhood, so we bought the last lot and are currently builder. So far, relatively smooth sailing....See MoreIf You Could Only Keep 5 Plants
Comments (46)Lucky, when I first started out and went beyond the lovely Optimaras I could buy in stores, my first five that I actually sent for were all purple/violet in color. It took me a long time to get over the purple thing! I am still not! My reasoning was that if I was going to go to all that trouble of plunking down hard cash and sending away, then it had to be the very strongest contenders. I just had to explore the purple category first! In fact, when I first heard the word standard, I mistakenly thought it referred to the color purple, not the size! I love the color purple, and it was so ingrained in me that wild violets in the garden and woods are always purple. My favorite color with pansies, also. It is sort of like asking me what color rose? Well, "roses are red and violets are blue ... " Anyway, it is a great marketing type of question that growers like Optimara must ask themselves all the time, because they always offer a basic collection, often, one purple, one pink and one white. Anne, It is nice that you were able to post photos of most of these on a recent thread about what is blooming now! Not sure if I have CrinkleBlue, will be adding it if I don't! In rereading Lucky's query, it sounds like you have narrowed this down to the ultimate basics, sort of a "back to basics" question. Diana and Karin, too, seem to go for the bare bones basic collection. A violet club friend of mine and myself often joke that when we first started collecting violets, we both had only the solid purple pansies! It took me forever to break the sound barrier, so to speak, and buy, oh my, a pink one! Then a wine-red one! That was it, I was totally content for many years with that color combo. Just for fun, my choices are based on extensive personal research of growing out several in each category. This is what I ended up with. For today, my one red would be a true red, (not a wine-red), (drum roll ... ) Stork's Pow Wow. It is a semi double pansy with a distinctive variegated leaf. My one light blue would be the Optimara Manitoba. This is a "back to basics" choice. It is a very early Optimara and a very pleasing, soothing color combo with a good growth habit. It gets big and makes me look like a great grower. My one light pink would be another Optimara, MyDelight. This is a new one. I really wanted a flower that looked like a rose. After growing out many fussy ones, such as Anne, among many others, Optimara developed one that met my need with MyDelight. I wouldn't bother with a white. Although I have several. I would keep a couple of deep or bright pinks like Beauty Goddess or Gentle May. But you must allow me several of the deep, bright blues and purples. That would be Optimara Maui, Lyon's Starry Night Blue, Lyon's Midnight Waves, and Lyon's Simpler Times. Not sure about the fifth blue yet as many are growing out. Several Ness contenders. Yes, I am very boring and basic, but these are the ones I reproduce and keep many duplicates because I also think I have done the research, so this is the basic collection everyone should have. Well, if you really shoved me against a wall, if I could have only one, that would have to be Starry Night or Maui. They are each classics and non-stop bloomers. Sorry, Midnight Waves! But, of course, this question made me go back to basics and scour the on line catalogues to see what basic purple or blue I am missing! As if, with 200 and some odd different ones, anything could possibly be "missing." Joanne...See More
marguerite_gw Zone 9a
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agomyermike_1micha thanked marguerite_gw Zone 9a
Nil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)
6 years agomyermike_1micha thanked Nil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)myermike_1micha
6 years agoKara 9b SF Bay Area CA
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoOk Mike I took the pics. The people whose yard this plant is in is not far from my home.
This is a 15inch ruler. This Glottiphyllum nelii is close 9 1/2 inches at its tallest point.
About 15inches at its widest points:).
It's really pretty. A couple years ago this plant was about the size of mine. I should plant mine in ground. I need to find the perfect spot:). Surely it would grow better.
Always thought it was G. nelii, but now I'm not sure;).
myermike_1micha thanked Kara 9b SF Bay Area CACasualSweater
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
nanzjade z5 MA
6 years agoMaria (6b)
6 years agoThat's her from June, not long after I bought her.
And that's today:
She puts out a lot of pups, and I think main plant grew a bit too.
myermike_1micha thanked Maria (6b)
Josue (Zone 9b, Central, inland California)
6 years agomyermike_1micha
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agonotolover
6 years agoMike--not sure to which of my pink flowering hybrids you are referring to as I have several that bloom pink. But if the flower was really big, it was probably a Trichocereus hybrid. Do you know what month it was? I should put names on them, but I suspect most people don't really care about the ID. Now I see it probably is worth the time. I'm thinking you probably mean this one--it bloomed recently.
If so, it is Schick hybrid 'Enchantment'. It truly is lovely. Mine doesn't have any pups yet so I can't help you out, but at least you have a name. If it isn't the one you're thinking of, I need more clues :-)
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Rob Blomquist
6 years agoI had to think about this long and hard. I only grow cactus so the daylight is in sync with their needs. But I have different types, Schlumbergia, Rhipsalis, desert and others. Of them I would take the middle Schlumbergia X bucklii.
myermike_1micha thanked Rob Blomquist
Josue Diaz
6 years agoHere is Aloe Vaombe with about 6 inches of trunk. With age it'll grow to several feet tall. I'd keep this one.
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Gabby C (FL 9A)
6 years agoI have 33 genera currently, probably almost 200 pots by now, and I can tell you my favorite genus is the Haworthia, but I couldn't tell you a favorite species!
Dont ask me to pick one to keep, it's like asking which child you'd keep! But.... if there was a fire I'd grab Priscilla first.
I don't have many cactaceae, not a huge fan of prickles, I'm way too clumsy.
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stupidlazydog CT zone 5b/6a
6 years agoWell it would have to be the Euphorbia bupleurifolia that's kept me company for 12 years
Or maybe my Dorstenia gigas (flowering for the first time now)
Or my favorite (right now anyway) cactus, Coleocephalocereus aureus, 'cause I like its lopsided cephalium (back right in this pic)
or the 10 foot Ficus benjamina that's graced my sunroom for the last 35 years, not exciting, but an old friend.
or maybe....
This is just too cruel!
myermike_1micha thanked stupidlazydog CT zone 5b/6a
Nick (9b) Modesto Area
6 years agonotolover
6 years agoMike,
That is Paramount hybrid 'Aurora'. The Paramount flowers really are not that big. It was just the close-up of the camera. Also, I took the pic in morning sun so the color is a bit washed out. And, for some reason many of my plants flowered very weirdly this year.
Here it is from last year.
It does have some very small pups. If they grow over next summer I will be happy to send you a few. But you will have to remind me :-)myermike_1micha thanked notolovermyermike_1micha
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agonotolover
6 years agomyermike_1micha
6 years agomyermike_1micha
6 years ago
Laurie (8A)
6 years ago
Lars
6 years agotanpexoctics Willis
6 years ago
ewwmayo
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoEnjoying this thread and seeing everybody else's single (!) beloved plant. =)
It's a touch choice and wish I could pick a tray of plants, haha. Here is the one - Haworthia 'Aboukyu':
nanzjade z5 MA
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
SpanishFly - (Mediterranean)
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoI would keep my biggest Lophophora williamsii. About 19 years old.
nanzjade z5 MA