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Monday, October 15, 2012

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day October 2012


 Lipstick pink ixora in full bloom in the back garden and outside the wall.

 Lisianthus in bud

Lisianthus in bloom

Hello and welcome to Garden Blogger's bloom day where gardeners around the world show what is blooming in their gardens. There has been lots of rain generated from tropical storm Rafael around the islands. Barbados got its share as well as some high winds. My garden fared well with just several potted palms falling over and creating a domino effect. 
I have been attempting to grow lisianthus  and it has been an interesting journey. Earlier this year I was browsing through some online seed sources and fell in love with lisianthus. I thought I might be able to grow them here so why not give them a shot? I got the seeds and sowed them around the end of April. They took about  six weeks to emerge and I almost gave up hope.  They were slow to start off.
 At the end of June some were large enough for transplanting. I then put them into larger pots and as they grew I transplanted them into larger and permanent pots.


 As I read up on their culture I noticed that many were bushy and not getting tall. Two grew tall and finally a flower bud appeared on the taller of the two. As I read up on their cultivation I read that very hot weather over 25C  at night will put them into a state of dormancy and they will not get tall. I figured that they have gone into dormancy and I will have to get them out of it. I have also learnt that there are some Florida species that are tolerant to high temperatures over 25C. I have also learnt  that applying gibberellic acid a natural plant hormone will encourage them to grow taller. I have found a fertilizer that is calcium based and contains gibberellins that I will try in another week or so. Another thing  I learnt  is that they do not like overhead watering when they have reached the transplanting stage; with the heavy rains we've been getting I have been uneasy watching for any signs of disease. So far so good.  
To see more of what is blooming around the world please go over to Carol at may dreams gardens.
Have a pleasant week my friends!