Comments on Dun Hagan Gardening: Ready To Launch

I have some of this in my backyard. I "rescued" i...

2007-05-15T20:28:00.000-05:00

I have some of this in my backyard. I "rescued" it from an area that is being razed for development. I would drive by in the winter and see these beautiful red blooms that looked strange to me. So when I saw that they were going to put a housing development there, I parked across the street one day, walked over and pulled some out by the roots. I then transplanted them in my backyard, where they are doing well. They bloomed in winter down here. I know they are a succulent because of the texture and thickness of the leaves. They are some sort of South African plant....I'll have to do a search again.

It is in fact an aloe. I had thought it an Aloe v...

2007-05-04T07:18:00.000-05:00

It is in fact an aloe. I had thought it an Aloe vera, but when you suggested Aloe dyerii I did an image search to be sure. Most of the photos of Aloe vera that I could find showed yellow blossoms with the dyerii showing red so now I think it may well be a dyerii. I'm going to have to look into this further as I may have been misidentifying this thing all along. Thanks!

I have a photo of the entire plant in blossom that I'll put up when next I post to the blog. It's in the process of putting up another flower stalk even now.

.....Alan.

Looks like Aloe Dyerii

2007-05-04T06:13:00.000-05:00

Looks like Aloe Dyerii

They're outside in a hoophouse so they get sun. W...

2007-04-06T07:25:00.000-05:00

They're outside in a hoophouse so they get sun. When the weather is good I move them out of the hoophouse into the full sun. When the weather is bad they stay inside.

If I were sprouting indoors I'd definitely use lights. Ordinary fluorescent lights will do, but you have to keep them within a few inches of the tops of the plants for sufficient intensity. It's also a good idea to keep a small fan blowing across the plants to encourage sturdier stems.

.....Alan.

Those are great looking seedling there! They look...

2007-04-05T21:27:00.000-05:00

Those are great looking seedling there! They look so strong. Mine keep getting leggy, I'm not having much luck. Do you have grow lights on those?

So start small and work your way into it. Pre-sch...

2007-03-29T20:43:00.000-05:00

So start small and work your way into it. Pre-school kids can learn to grow radishes. Adults can do at least as well. The only real hurdle is to decide "Yes, I am going to do this." The rest will follow.

You'll kill a few plants in the beginning but we all did. Still do, in fact. I try to learn from my mistakes (not always successfully) and move on. Gardening is one of the most satisfying hobbies there is.

That's a nice looking travelogue you have.

.....Alan.

Boy i am so jealous of you and your gardening, i h...

2007-03-29T18:28:00.000-05:00

Boy i am so jealous of you and your gardening, i have no green thumb or patience.
Love the chicks, that i can do.

Kind of looks like Cleome (spider flower) except f...

2007-03-26T08:22:00.000-05:00

Kind of looks like Cleome (spider flower) except for the stems, or maybe a variety of bee balm.

I would feel bad about messing up your planting plans for this coming weekend, but I can't even think about putting my tomatoes in the ground for at least two more weeks. So I don't feel bad at all!

Pretty close, but not quite. This plant does orig...

2007-03-24T19:27:00.000-05:00

Pretty close, but not quite. This plant does originally hail from South Africa though just like the Kalenchoe.

.....Alan.

Looks like a kalanchloe of some sort! I still find...

2007-03-24T11:29:00.000-05:00

Looks like a kalanchloe of some sort! I still find them in the oddest places! Our citrus bloomed but the fruit fell off the variegated lemon. We do have a buddha's hand with a fruit still and more flowers.