Herself’s Houston Garden

I belong to an ‘orchid of the month club’. Which means that before too long I have orchids coming out of my ears and no place to put them. Last winter I decided the cattleya orchids were on their own. ‘Live or die’, I declared, the choice is yours.

Surprisingly they did survive the winter, and the summer, and while they are not yet thriving they are adapting. A few of them even flowered this year.

To grow cattleya orchids outside in Houston year round you need a wet spot in the garden. They love to be damp and it just can’t be too humid for them.

Despite being sun loving plants, full sun in Houston was too much. I find 2-3 hours of sun is enough to keep the leaves kelly green and give them enough food for blooming.

If the weather gets cold protect them when you cover your other tender plants.

Cattleya plants first arrived in the new world from South and Central American unexpectedly. They arrived in England with a shipment of ferns and were used as packaging for the ferns. William Cattley potted some up out of curiosity. In 1818 they bloomed and have been the love of flower lovers ever since.

Despite attempts to grow and local more they were lost to the new world until they were re-found in 1889.

Their popularity decreased their numbers in the wild and continues to do so today.

Problems:
No bloom - plant needs more light
Root rot - they love water but be sure they are not sitting in water. Move them to a new better draining location.
Virus - their is no hope, destroy plants before virus can spread ( leaves get yellow blotches and streaks that turn brown. Leaves may have rings of yellow dots. )
Scale - physically remove scale, treat with insecticide oil.
Mealy bugs - wash off with soap and water.

Propagation is easiest by division.

I planted this vine with the greatest of hopes. It grew, and grew and every week I beat it back. Nary a single flower. Tiring of beating the vine back, I cut it down and am now trying it in a new location. Perhaps next year I’ll have some flower photos of my own?

Fast grower! Can easily reach 20′ tall in two summers.

Grows best in moist woodland areas. But must have several hours of sun for blooming.

Blooms appear early summer, flowers can be anywhere from 8″ to 20″ on older vines.

This is one of the few vines that is easier to grow from seed than from cuttings.

Aristolochia grandiflora is originally from Central America, there are about 350 species worldwide. Some grow in tropical areas others in temperate forests.

Highly toxic plant - do not ingest.

Problems:
Spider mites may attack this plant.

This is an interesting plant in that its flowers give off a scent to attract flies. Flies fly into the flower and it traps them. They fly around inside the flower getting totally covered in pollen. In the morning the flower opens allowing the pollen covered fly to escape and pollinate another flower.

Swallowtail and birdwing butterfly caterpillars use this as a food source. They absorb the toxins making them toxic to birds that would eat them. Some species of this plant are toxic to butterflies and they can get confused and lay eggs on the wrong species of Aristolochia ( elegans ). So know your species before you plant it.

blood lily

I don’t have one of these yet. I saw my first one at the 4th of July sale at Jerry’s Jungle and it was love at first sight. They didn’t have any for sale then. I have it on my ‘must acquire’ list for the fall.

Plant in sun to part shade. You will get showier flowers in sunnier areas and the flowers will last longer in part shade.

Like most bulbs it will want moist soil in the warm months, and drier soil in the colder months.

Blooms appear in the summer, it may take a couple of years after you plant the bulb for it to bloom. Blooms only last a couple of weeks. Berries appear after the flowers.

Plant dies back in the winter and appears in the warm weather, usually after a rainstorm.

Plant will naturalize.

Plant is toxic, don’t eat it. Arrows are coated in the toxin from this plant in African tribal areas. It is also used a medicinal plant but I would not try it.

Problems:
This is part of the amaryllis family and can be attacked by amaryllis lily borers. Snails and slugs may also bother it.

goldenrod

While I don’t have any golden rod in my garden it is all along the trails of The Woodlands, blooming for most of October.

Around here goldenrod grows to about 6′ in height, further north it tops out at about 4′ in height. IN a garden it will grow taller and wider than in the wild, so leave it some room.

Plant in full sun to part shade. My books say to plant it in well drained areas. Here it grows in damp areas, so I expect it isn’t picky about that.

Don’t fertilize, it is used to growing in poor soils and quite happy doing so.

Cut the plants back after blooming if you wish.

Propagate by division after blooming or in early spring. Transplants do best if planted early spring. Goldenrod will reseed and spread by root.

These are excellent flowers for cutting and drying.

Problems:
Needle rust - small white blisters appear on plant. This is caused by a fungus, use your favorite fungicide.

Goldenrod has taken the blame for many a hayfever, but it’s not the goldenrod that causes hayfever. The pollen is very heavy and does not travel far in the wind. Ragweed blooms at the same time and its pollen does easily travel.