Herself’s Houston Garden

Dec 3rd 2008 about 3 years after planting

Jan. 2010 after the freeze

This is one of the few philodendrons that are not climbers. Instead it grows as a woody shrub. It has huge leaves and one stem that does not branch. The branch falls over when the top gets too heavy. Aerial roots come off of the stem. Even though it is not defined as a climber, if planted near a tree it will climb your tree. And the stem that falls over may wind its way around your yard.

It has the most unusual flower. Mine has been in the back garden 2 years this is the first bloom I’ve seen. There are two more flower pods I expect will bloom soon.

It can get to 10′ tall and 15′ wide with a stem as thick as 6″ in diameter. This plant is native to the rain forests of Brazil. I’ve read some reports that it will grow to 50′ in Florida. So plant in a large area.

It grows best in moist, but well drained soil. It does not want full sun, dappled to part shade is best. This plant is not drought tolerant, so water when times are dry. Other than that it needs little care.

It is not frost hardy. We’ve had several light frosts and temperatures as low at 28′ and the plant has done fine with no protection. It can be damaged by frost. Just remove damaged leaves. If it dies back to the ground, wait. Often it will come back just fine when the weather warms.

This plant is poison — do not eat it.  All philodendrons contain calcium oxalates. Depending on the plant it might numb your mouth, or cause severe stomach pain, nausea, and or irritated skin.  Wear gloves while working with these plants.

If you wish to prune it, remove leaves beginning at the bottom to let in light to plants shaded out from this plant.  If you remove all the leaves, newer leaves should grow in at the top that are smaller than the existing leaves you removed.

If you cut the stem it will not branch out.  It will send up pups from the roots somewhere nearby.

We recently had a 3 day freeze. All the leaves rotted. I waited a couple of weeks, then removed the leaves yesterday. Time will tell if the plant will revive itself.

When I removed the leaves I discovered three babies that had grown up from the roots near the base of the plant. The leaves had been sheltering them from view.

More information:
Floridata: Philodendron bipinnatifidum

I’ve been lucky so far. I wandered into a nest of them once last year and that’s been it so far. Not bad for two years of gardening and wandering through woods and fields.  These ants are terribly aggressive and attack anything vertical that disturbs the mound. The husband ran across an ants nest and wanted me to come look and tell him if they were fire ants. I told him I didn’t have to, since he had not been attacked they weren’t.

Fire ants came from South America to Alabama in the 1930s. They reached Texas in the 1950s and have spread across the eastern two-thirds of Texas.  We currently have four species of fire ants in Texas. ( Southern, Desert, Red Imported, and Tropical ).  The red imported are our biggest trouble makers.

Treatments should be done in late April-May and again Sept.-Oct. If you work with your neighbors and treat the whole neighborhood at the same time you’ll have much more success.  Bait is the most effective treatment we know for fire ants.

The Coop Extension recommends ‘The Texas Two Step Method’ of treatment. They recommend using bait broadcast over your entire lawn. I’m not a fan of broadcasting pesticides, the extension office says there is very little pesticide in the bait and it is safer because it is carried back into the nest. Do as you see fit. Baits should be scattered lightly over the entire area. Bait is only effective when used between May and Oct. when the ants are actively looking for food. Baits work slowly, those containing indoxacarb, hydramethylnon and spinosad work fastest. Still you should expect it to take 2-4 weeks. Use fresh bait, don’t water for at least 8 hours. Bait quickly loses its effectiveness in the heat. This is best done in the spring and fall.

The second step is to directly treat any mounds you find. Apply insecticide directly to the mound. Use one to two gallons of water mixed with pesticide per mound. Otherwise it won’t sink deep enough to kill the queen. Dusts should be poured heavily over the mound, baits can be placed on or near the mound.

It is very important you do not disturb the mound when laying bait.  Not only will they attack you, but they are likely to move the nest and your bait won’t be eaten.  Fire ant mounds are generally out in the open with out a visible opening.

If you are using a liquid pesticide, dampen the area around the nest first.  When the weather is dry they all hide deep in the nest and won’t come into contact with the pesticide.

Fire ants will move into buildings if an area has been flooded, but usually are not found indoors.

I find shoveling the nest out and pouring boiling water soapy water works for me. And you don’t have to dump chemicals everywhere. If you don’t have much of a fire ant problem, I’d recommend treating that way and reserving more serious treatments for more serious problems.

Fire ants love to build nests in pots.  Be very careful when repotting potted plants or when you bring in the potted plants for the winter.  Fire ants also prefer dry areas to damp areas, which is probably why I rarely see them in my gardens.

Fire ants eat ticks and fleas which is why you have so few problems with fleas and ticks down here.

Most importantly it now appears fire ants will not move into areas occupied by other ants.  If you leave the native ants alone, you won’t have fire ant problems.

I’ve been told the Texas Fire Ant population is decreasing, seems one of our native nematodes has developed a taste for fire ants. In case the nematodes in your yard haven’t yet started to attack your fire ants try your local nursery. Many of the larger organic nurseries are carrying non-native nematodes you can spread in your yard to combat the fire ants.

More information:
Texas Imported Fire Ant research and Management Program

Thanks for the image!

Of interest:
Red fire ants facing killer virus
Experimental evidence that human impacts drive fire ant invasions and ecological change
Nematodes grown in cultivation as a pesticide are not as good as ones that develop in the wild

There wasn’t too much to do this week in the garden. The weeds are mostly under control. Things are just getting going growing so there isn’t much pruning needed yet either.

I did put out a little iron. Last year the passion flower and tomatoes had yellow leaves with green veins which can be a sign of iron deficiency. I added just a little to each of the beds. HD only had 50 pound bags so I have a life time supply of iron in the garage. They sell it only in dry form, in large bags in the lawn section down here. I had the whole staff of the garden shop looking for it and am sure I am not a popular person there this week.

The Flag Irises are still blooming. The Passion Flower has been blooming for a couple of weeks now. The roses are and have been going strong for months. Every thing is enjoying the rain and cool weather. Cool for Houston anyhow. The oleander is just starting to bloom. Only a few flowers have opened.

The Irises and jasmine are winding down. I don’t think either will still be blooming next week. The wild flowers should be faded as well by the time another week passes.

The last of my hostas popped up this week. Though they are only are few feet apart the earliest ones popped out of the ground over a month ago. Some of the calla lilies are up. I’ve always had a difficult time growing them, both back in New England and down here in Houston.

The wind last night broke a new maple we put in this spring. The yard guys always bring the biggest tree they can find. I find the smaller ones work out better over the long haul. Large transplanted trees don’t weather bad weather well at all. The nursery should replace it. So it shouldn’t be a big deal. My yard guy may see it differently.

The rain has been wonderful. I’ve rarely had to water this spring. Which may explain why the plants look so good despite last winter’s cold. They strongly prefer acidic rain over basic tap water.

A few humming birds have been through the yard. They’ve been passing through in ones and twos for about a month now. In the spring they come, take a drink and continue north. In August they will hang around for a few weeks.

See also:
Oleander
Yellow Flag Iris
Star Jasmine

It’s that time again. The cool weather has kept them at bay but I’m starting to run in to them now. I heard a talk on mosquitoes this week and thought I’d share what I have learned.

There is only one local mosquito carrying West Nile in the Houston area so far this year. There are about 15 species of mosquitoes found in this area. We have a new mosquito joining us from Asia. She is larger than most, more hungry and leaves bigger and more bites on you should she find you. She is so big you’ll be able to see her tiger like stripes with the naked eye.

Mosquitoes rarely fly more than 100′ from where they are born, never more than 200′ So if your yard has tons of mosquitoes you’ve only yourself and neighbors to blame.

Female mosquitoes are the ones that feed on your blood, male mosquitoes ( those clouds of gnats ) eat pollen.

Eliminate all standing water – drainage ditches, leaky sprinklers, pet water bowls, toys that collect water. If you can not eliminate it, treat it.

Rinse, scrub and refill pet water dishes at least every other day, don’t forget the bird baths.

Fill in low areas around the yard.

Use insect repellent when you are out in the garden DEET is the recommended repellent. Wear long sleeves and long pants if possible while outdoors.

Watch for standing water in:
Rain gutters,
Trash,
Debris,
tarps and other plastic covers,
leaks of sprinklers and other water pipes,
containers,
plant saucers,
French drains,
etc.

Use mosquito dunks in drains and other places that have water that isn’t easily removed.

In New England the older women would pour a thin layer of oil on standing water. It is my understanding that prevents mosquitoes from breeding in the water.

See also:
Mosquito fish