Can you post a picture? Aeschynanthus are epiphytic so it's likely a root. In humid climates they develop more readily. When you say "base of the flower" I think you're talking about where the inflorescence diverges from the vine. In that case it's very likely to be a root. All of my aeschynanthus have small nubs in a similar area that are the start of roots. Mark

Fruits here will need water. I'm having some luck with celeste figs, asian persimmons, asian pears, oriental pears, jujube's, fruits I don't need to spray. Womack's website is a great place to start, anything they sell will grow here, though apples, peaches, ect will need spraying. Neil Speery, the talk radio guy, will host a local Texas A&M expert once in a while, here's the varieties he recommends for our area Question: I have heard a Texas A&M expert recommend specific fruit varieties for North Central Texas on your WBAP radio program. What are those varieties? Answer: Fruit Varieties for Texas Your county Extension office maintains a list of Texas A&M-recommended varieties of fruit and pecans for your area. Specifically, for North Central Texas For our Website visitors from the North Central Texas region, Dr. George Ray McEachern, Fruit and Pecan Specialist from Texas A&M recommended the following 10 varieties as being the best of each class for that part of the state as he is an annual guest on Neil Sperry's Texas Gardening radio program. Pear: Orient Plum: Methley Peach: Red Globe Blackberry: Arapaho Pecan: Caddo Fig: Celeste Persimmon: Eureka Grape, white: Blanc du Bois Grape, red: Champanel Grape, purple: Black Spanish Muscadine: Black Beauty Citrus: Satsuma Mr. Mac Apple: Holland

It is a great groundcover . Loves full sun - not shade . Hardly ever needs water but does much better now with our rains than earlier during the drought . Very easy to make cuttings and sprig your planting area . I trim overgrown areas and just insert the cut pieces directly into the bare soil . You can mow right over this stuff if you use the highest possible setting on your mower . This is also the best form of weed control except for hand pulling . The ornamental peanut should do very well for you long term .

Sorry to say, but you are likely too late to have them produce for this year, but not too late to grow the plants. Artichokes need a cold period called vernalization to initiate flower stalk production. I'm in Cincinnati, and I start my seeds indoors under lights in January. I move them out and harden them off in mid March under frost blankets, and plant them the first week of April, covering them on freezing nights. Last season out of 28 plants, I had 10 that produced. Artichokes can be perennial. Cut the leaves back in the fall after they are frost killed, put a small flower pot over the crown and/or bury it in leaves, straw, whatever. With luck it will resprout the next spring and will certainly produce flowers if it does. This has worked for me in years past, not sure how they will do with this epic winter we are having. Alternately you can dig up the roots in the fall and overwinter them like Cana Lily. Keep in mind the plants get quite large, even in the first year. Some of mine were at least 5 foot across, so give them a lot of space. Lettuce: Succession plant in the bed every 3 weeks in early spring, every 2 weeks getting into may and June. Don't be afraid to start them indoors as well. It grows great in containers, which can be moved into shaded areas as things heat up. Its just not worth messing with come July, it won't do well in the heat and dry soil. Check out New Zealand and Malabar spinach for summer greens. Start planting again in September, and make sure you keep it irrigated. You should get harvests through October, even well into November with row cover or a low tunnel. Happy growing!