Hey Alex, Your palms look like they didn't miss a beat from last year.I'm glad you showed that vinca.I have that vine taking over my back yard.I never knew what it was,it has pretty little purple flowers on it,but LORD is it invasive.The only difference between yours and mine is mine has solid green leaves,yours looks variegated.Keep your eye on it,there's places where it's three feet thick in the very back of my property.I don't know where it came from,but I want it gone.I've sprayed it with roundup,burned it,poured bleach and ammonia on it,and it still comes back every year.I like the look of all your other plants,but that one.The same goes for crape myrtles,they pop up everywhere,dont get me wrong.I have two big ones,a white one and one I call watermelon color.I wish palms would pop up like them,I wouldn't mind some fortuneis or some palmetto volunteers.Maybe in ten years or so they will start popping up since it seems like everyone is growing them now.Talking about heat it's been 90* plus for the last three days.I wish I had a pool,I'd have it opened up days ago.Love the Spindle palm.Well I hope your Banana starts doing better. Randy

Hi Jennifer, IÂm sorry I will not be able to attend the fall plant swap. IÂm recovering form knee surgery. Thank you for keeping us posted on Tally I was so worried about her. IÂve tried to contact her but havenÂt heard from her. Jennifer do you still have my phone number? When you talk to her again tell her she is welcome to come here to Waller if she needs a place to stay and I have plants for her too. How did you fair through Ike? Everyone have fun at the swap I love all the plants you have posted. Janet aka jsplants@yahoo.com

So many beautiful plants everyone! I'm really enjoying this thread & hope you are too. Socks, your variegated Scheflera is so pretty! Whenever I see them, I think of Puerto Rico, the hotel had hundreds of them throughout the paths. Crenda, I love your white edged bromeliad, I don't recall seeing that type before. All wonderful plants and I love your pool & bar set up! SLD, Holy mackerel, AV 'Happy Herald' is freakin' amazing! LOVE IT!!! I have hoya bella too, yours looks so much better, I need to repot mine soon. This is a yellow variegated Iris, (maybe 'Aureo Variegata') I planted it last summer and am happy that it made it through winter. This is my first time seeing it bloom. :) A variegated sedum (aka stonecrop). Also planted this last year. I noticed today that this a non-variegated section, perhaps someday I'll move that part. The top left little thing is variegated Bishops weed, (not a weed to me) it's been fried in the past years droughts and I am happy it is a survivor. The bottom plant, the variegated Ajuga, I bought recently at Walmart for under $2, and am pleasantly surprised at the pretty bloom. -Nancy

Hi everyone. Frankginakay – Yes I do sell some of my brom’s. Although I don’t have a professional nursery I find that by selling a few, I have money to buy other plants as well as potting mix and pots. Like any hobby, it’s always good if it pays for itself. Miami Cuse – Yes I do get my arms scratched; I think this is the distinguishing feature of all bromeliad growers. I did however buy some long gloves which come right up to my elbows and protect my arms from scratching; the problem is, I don’t remember to put them on until I see my arms bleeding from all the scratches. In the pictures you posted, none are of the flowers; they are either of the buds before they open or after the flowers have finished and the seed capsules are forming. But looking at them all, especially the last one, it looks like it is a plant that self-fertilises as every flower seems to be growing into a seed capsule, but apart from that I still can’t ID it for you. You say, “put two pups up at two crotches of the tree”, they should grow fine here, but just like any other mounted plants, they must be firm and unable to move otherwise any new roots will be broken off and won’t be able to attach to the tree. You ask, “Would a wooden stake driven at an angle be less visible?” I regularly use stakes on any of my plants that aren’t firm in the pot or the garden. It’s most common to use three stakes placed at equal distances around the plant. Once in place, you can cut them shorter to make them less obvious as long as they still support the plant. Remember they are only there until the plant grows sufficient roots to support itself; after this they can be removed. The same applies to the mounted plants, they must not be able to move; they must be tied firmly so the new roots can grow without being damaged by plant movement. Whether they are tied or staked doesn’t matter as long as they are firm and can’t move. All the best, Nev