Sunday 24 August 2008

Exciting plants...NEW and OLD

A newly bought Aloe;


Graptosedum


Does anyone know the name of this plant? The flowers are wax like and the hanging stems grow in segments. I knew its name but it got lost a long time ago.



The "Flaps" are growing; Kalanchoe thyrsiflora; over winter they have acquired a deep red on top of their flaps.
Crassula , I do love their dainty flowers. This one I have trained like a sturdy little tree.
A new acquisition; it looks like a Echeveria!

This "hairy" little thing, I think goes under the name of Cyanotis. I is new in my collection. I have received it from my neighbour V. a few days ago as a cutting. She didn't know its name. Most of my succulents are growing under the broad overhanging roof.

Golden barrel is over 30 years old it was grown from a seed.



A newly bought Aloe came without a name!



Echeveria shaviana, pretty in a grayish pink is also a new acquisition.



New Echeveria nodulosa looks very attractive with turkish hued leaves with burgundy markings.


Echeveria, over winter the leaves have turned a dark pink with a bluish sheen. In the middle the new "arrivals" are still a soft green with a little pink trim, very pretty.

Echeveria is a large genus of succulents in the Crassulaceae family. The genus is named after the 18th century Mexican botanical artist, Atanasio Echeverría y Godoy. They are drought resistant, although they do better with regular deep watering and fertilizing. Most will tolerate shade and some frost, although hybrid species tend to be less tolerant. They can be propagated easily by separating offsets, but may also be propagated by leaf cuttings, and by seed if they are not hybrids. Echeverias are polycarpic, meaning that they may flower and set seed many times over the course of their lifetimes.


This Gasteria grows since many years in this trough; it is very prolific with its flowers.


My new Aeoniums


Aeonium arboreum var.atropurpureum "Schwarzkopf"

Aeonium Cyclops
Aeonium arboreum atropurpureum


Aeonium tabuliforme

Aeonium is a
genus of about 35 species of succulent. They are subtropical plants of the family Crassulaceae. Most are native to the Canary Islands.
The rosette
leaves are on a basal stem. Low-growing Aeonium species are A. tabuliforme and A. smithii; large species include A. arboreum, A. valverdense and A. holochrysum.
Aeonium are not frost-resistant. They are related to the genera
Sempervivum, Aichryson and Monanthes, which is easy to see from their similar flower and inflorences.


Believe it or not: Audaces fortuna adiuvat! (Fortune does favor the bold!)


Organic tip of the week:
Grow your own sweet potatoes if your climate allows it. Otherwise buy them on the market. They are delicious; many great recipes are available. I grow the white and the orange sweet potato; both are delicious.

The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a dicotyledonous plant which belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Amongst the approximately 50 genera and more than 1000 species of this family, only I. batatas is a crop plant whose large, starchy, sweet tasting tuberous roots are an important root vegetable (Purseglove, 1991; Woolfe, 1992). The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. The sweet potato is only distantly related to the potato (Solanum tuberosum). It is commonly called a yam in parts of North America, although they are only very distantly related to the other plant widely known as yams) (in the Dioscoreaceae family), which is native to Africa and Asia.

The edible
tuberous root is long and tapered, with a smooth skin whose color ranges between red, purple, brown and white. Its flesh ranges from white through yellow, orange, and purple.

Sweet potatoes are cultivated throughout tropical and warm temperate regions wherever there is sufficient water to support their growth.
The plant does not enjoy
frost. It grows best at an average temperature of 24 °C (75 °F), abundant sunshine and warm nights. Annual rainfalls of 750-1000 mm are considered most suitable, with a minimum of 500 mm in the growing season. The crop is sensitive to drought at the tuber initiation stage 50-60 days after planting and is not tolerant to water-logging, as it may cause tuber rots and reduce growth of storage roots if aeration is poor
Depending on the cultivar and conditions, tuberous roots mature in two to nine months. . Sweet potatoes rarely
flower when the daylight is longer than 11 hours, as is normal outside of the tropics. They are mostly propagated by stem or root cuttings or by adventitious roots called "slips" that grow out from the tuberous roots during storage. True seeds are used for breeding only.
Under optimal conditions of 85 to 90 %
relative humidity at 13 to 16 °C (55 to 61 °F), sweet potatoes can keep for six months. Colder temperatures injure the roots.
They grow well in many farming conditions and have few natural enemies; pesticides are rarely needed. Sweet potatoes are grown on a variety of soils, but well-drained light and medium textured soils with a pH range of 4.5-7.0 are more favourable for the plant (They can be grown in poor soils with little fertilizer. However, sweet potatoes are very sensitive to aluminium toxicity and will die about 6 weeks after planting if lime is not applied at planting in this type of soil Because they are sown by vine cuttings rather than seeds, sweet potatoes are relatively easy to plant. Because the rapidly growing vines shade out weeds, little weeding is needed. In the tropics the crop can be maintained in the ground and harvested as needed for home consumption. .

Besides simple starches, sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta carotene (a vitamin A equivalent nutrient), vitamin C, and vitamin B6.
the
Center for Science in the Public Interest compared the nutritional value of sweet potatoes to other vegetables. Considering fiber content, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium, the sweet potato ranked highest in nutritional value. According to these criteria, sweet potatoes earned 184 points, 100 points over the next on the list, the common potato.

Sweet potato varieties with dark orange flesh have more
beta carotene than those with light colored flesh. Despite the name "sweet", it may be a beneficial food for diabetics, as preliminary have revealed that it helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and to lower insulin resistance.

Ethnomedical Uses;
The
aerial parts are used as a galactogogue.
The
leaves are used to treat diabetes, hookworm, hemorrhage, and abscesses.
The tuber is used to treat asthma



Thank you for your visit


Copyright: T.S. Yesterdaytodayandtomorrow in my garden.

Photos: T.S.











29 comments:

mr_subjunctive said...

The no-name Aloe looks to me like A. variegata, the partridge-breast aloe.

Anonymous said...

Ah Titania, your wonderful "Paddle Plant"! Mine is already looking a little worse for wear I am afraid! The bottom leaves keep wilting and dying. I have been removing them because the center looks quite healthy but don't know what else to do. I am watering it every 12-14days or so, and not allowing it to sit in water. What else should I be doing? Is it because it is inside? I never seem to have much luck with succulents much as I love them. Thank you my friend! Mo.

Rowena said...

All of your new and old succulents are gorgeous, and I really appreciate the information that you share on each one. Perhaps one day I'll be able to tuck some here and there out back in the garden or on the terrace. I love the range in which you grow things!

About the Euphorbia, thank you for sharing your knowledge on that one. We went on a hike at Lake Como yesterday and I took a photo of a plant that of course, is unknown to me. Will be posting that up next for help on identifying it.

chaiselongue said...

Beautiful drought-loving plants! Thank you for these pictures. So useful to have all the information as well as lovely photos. I like sweet potatoes but it's difficult to find them here as apparently the ones you buy in shops (to eat) have been treated so they don't sprout!

Helga said...

Oh, was für schöne Pflanzen. Dein Affenbrotbaum blüht sogar. Bei meinen warte ich sehnsüchtig auf eine Blüte aber ss tut sich nichts.
L.G.
Helga

Barbara said...

Sooo viele interessante Pflanzen. Dein 6.Bild schaut aus wie eine Sempervivum die ich habe (ich sammle ja auch Hauswurze). Deine Crassula ist doch der hier bekannte Geldbaum, nicht wahr? Ich habe mir vor einigen Wochen auch eine Kalanchoeart gekauft, weiss nur nicht mehr wie sie genau heisst. Sie schaut auch wie deine aus mit den rötlichen Spitzen. Mir wurde gesagt, je mehr Sonne sie bekommt, desto mehr rot werden die Spitzen. Jetzt steht sie vollsonnig, aber sie hat sich nicht verändert....Du kannst die Pflanzen sicher alle über den Winter draussen lassen, oder?
Sei lieb gegrüsst, Barbara

Eric Bronson said...

Great post! I love all those succulents. I grow the Kalanchoe thyrsiflora here. And the thirty year old Golden barrel, awesome. I think my favorite was the Aeonium arboreum var.atropurpureum "Schwarzkopf" what an amazing plant! Thanks for sharing the great photos and info.

Eric

HappyMouffetard said...

Lovely to see all the succulents. Can you keep them out all year round?

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Rowena thank you, I always lost succulents until I learnt not to water and keep them out of cold winter rain and too much summer rain. My climate is not really that ingenious for succulent,as it is very humid in summer.
Lake Como such a wonderful area. I look forward to see your mysterious plant. I am sure somebody will be able to identify it for you.

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

chaiselongue, thank you for your comment.

Helga danke fuer's reinschauen.

Danke Barbara fuers Bsueachli. Ja ich kann alle Succulenten draussen ueberwintern. Diese Kalanchoe wird rot von der Kaelte oder Sonne. Die rote Farbe schuetzt die Blaetter. Hier sind an vielen Baeumen die ersten zarten Blaetter tief rot gefaerbt zum Schutz vor der Sonne oder Kaelte. Succulenten sammeln ist ein tolles hobby, sie haben so fantastische Farben und Formen.

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

happymouffetard; thank you for your visit. Yes, all my succulents grow and stay outside; some have to be protected from to much rain.

Frances, said...

Hi Titania, that is a fascinating group of drought hardy plants. They are all considered annuals or houseplants here, but we like to plant some up in the troughs for the hot summer weather and no rain as we are in extreme drought conditions in Tennessee for now. Those succulents are thriving. Thanks for showing your new and old friends.

Frances at Faire Garden

Tira said...

I love the newly bought Aloe, the Golden barrel and the echevierias. I also have a Kalanchoe thyrsiflora, mine is actually putting out side shoots, so I hope to be able to propagate more from this.
I would like more echevieras and other succulents, but people here don’t seem to like them much, even though they are so well suited to the climate, so finding different varieties is difficult.

Ewa said...

wonderful collection of plants - I love them :)
maybe you know what to do, to make crassula blooming?
greeings,
Ewa

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Frances thank you for your visit. I hope you can keep your wonderful garden happy while the drought lasts. I wonder what our summer brings this year. Last year we had so much rain the grapes didn't ripen not enough sun! The weather gods and goddesses are sometimes very temperamental!

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Hi Nicole; thank you for visiting. It is a shame that you can't get the plants you love. Here it is a little the same.Certain plants are fashionable and therefore available while others disappear from the nurseries. Unless you go to a specialist nursery. Perhaps you could find some on line. Perhaps on Eby, somtimes private people sell their surplus plants.

Anonymous said...

Years ago I used to think succulents were rather boring but not any more. I bought one and suddenly realised how many different shapes and colours there were. Some of the flowers are impressive too.

Unknown said...

Hi Trudi,
Whether old or new your plants look fabulous. I particularly like the aeoniums--the colours and the way they spread out.
Thank you for including sweet potatoes in your post. I remember having the leaves as greens as a child but I haven't had the opportunity to taste the same in years. Maybe I'll scour the veg market to get the taste again! Always love going through your pictures, wealth of information, and yes, valuable tips!

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

easygardener; thank you for your comment. Good on you, just be careful not to be caught by the collectors bug!

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Hi Kanak, thank you for your comment. I haven't cooked the leaves of sweet potatoes, I guess they taste a little like spinach?
On the market are usually only the sweet potatoes available. You might have to plant one!

 gmirage said...

Wow! Most of those plants and flowers: I've seen for the first time! What a great garden you have! And its winter there?? (Its summer here in Austria, the crickets still sing)

Thanks for dropping by my page...have a nice week ahead!

Hort Log said...

I started off with succulents too but they do not do well in this climate. btw I am looking for seeds of a local Australian aroid, Amorphophallus galbra, do you know of anyone having this plant ? Its said to be very common near Cooktown. Can email me, the link at my blog. Thanks in advance.

marmee said...

hello this is my first visit to your blog. i have never seen half the plants you have but i love the looks of all your succulents.
i used to grow aloe when i lived in florida.
the first aeonium is so dark and gorgeous!

Marie said...

How lovely to see all the succulents. I only have a few. They don't like all the rain and sometimes frost (in the winter) we have her.

Have a nice day :)

sue.p said...

I agree that the noname aloe is the partridge-breast aloe. Thank you very much for your website. I have discovered the name of the kalanvchoe thyrsiflora. The one I have came from Naivasha in Kenya and will be selling at the flower festival in Wembury, Devon in Sept. I am searching for the name of another plant so will keep trying. sue.p

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

mirage2g thank you for you return visit and comment. I will drop in from time to time.

Marie; thank you very much for visiting. Yes, I guess they need shelter in winter, but I think they do alright inside as long they don't get to much water.

sue.p thank you for your comment. I am sometimes in the same predicament I have to search for a name, I lost or never had!
Have a nice time at the flower festival. Are you posting about it later?

Tammy said...

Great photos Tatiana,

I love that Schwarzkopf Aeonium. Black is so becoming to a clump of leaves. Good looking chicken you have there. I really need to get a better camera soon.
Lost In The Flowers
Guilty Gardener

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Thank you for all the comments.

Maria said...

So beautiful!