Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
birdsnblooms

Purple, Callisia progress

birdsnblooms
11 years ago

Remember the Callisia cutting I planted outside 3/25/12.

Well, it's grown, putting out runners, but I believe the heat wave halted some growth.

After major T-storms, and cooler temps, '90's,' Callisia sent out runners.

{{gwi:93559}}

{{gwi:93560}}

Cutting when first planted in ground

{{gwi:78604}}

Perhaps, a brighter position would have sped the plants growth..on the other hand, during our heatwave, most plants, including native and perrenials halted growth and flowers. Toni

Comments (22)

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    That looks really good. It sure is fun to play with plants that grow so fast! I don't remember which side you said this is facing. Although I know I need to remove it if winter doesn't kill it, I succumbed to the temptation to put a piece in the ground here too. It's only been a couple weeks, will post a pic soon though.

    Curiosity killed the cat... and landscaped the yard!

  • birdsnblooms
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks...north with some west, but fairly shady.
    It was an experiment, lol.

    This year, we didn't get annuals, so guess I'm going to fill the yard w/cuttings..Especially Mother of Thousands/Millions...Should have done it sooner, but thought we'd get a few flats..oh well.

    Post soon.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Here's the cutting I put in the ground, just before doing it.

    {{gwi:93561}}

    As of today, it doesn't look like much. It's so dry here but I've watered it a couple times. I just pulled oak sprouts 2 days ago. There's another thousand out there again, covering the whole area. Aaaaahhhh! But that's another story...
    {{gwi:93562}}

    Here's pics of the mama today. Now that I put it in a hanging basket, I think I can stop picking at it and "sharing" the pieces with other pots (and people.)

    {{gwi:93563}}

    As you can see above, that is naked ground, which is against "my rules" but I just dug up the grass over there and decided to stick oddball plants there instead of trying to cover it with any kind of leaves or mulch yet. At least until the acorns stop sprouting. Wish the squirrels would eat more!

  • birdsnblooms
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Purple, did the first cutting grow into that big plant??
    Wow! What a difference!
    How much sun did it get and which direction?

    Yes, your soil looks as dry as ours did, but we've had rain 3 days in a row..now everything's muddy..after yesterdays temp of 104F.

    Any flowers?

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    O nooo, sorry. The first pic is about 2 weeks ago, the other 3 pics are from today, one of the cutting in the ground and 2 of the mama. Sorry, thought I was making that clear but the internet continues to teach me that unspoken words are not as clearly understood.

    But anyway, it's kind of under an oak tree and gets sun in the afternoon/evening - the cutting I mean. Will take another pic when it's "done something." No more flowers yet but hoping for more later this winter, from the mama in the house, like it did before. That was cool!

  • birdsnblooms
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Purple, mom looks great! Do you think they flower more in late summer/autumn? Seems that's when they produce..at least mine do..

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Can't say what this usually does since I've only had it just over a year now. Just hoping it does make more flowers sometime, anytime.

    Started noticing the flower stalks around Christmas. I think it would still be flowering if the 2 stalks of flowers hadn't gotten broken. Put the first in water and it kept flowering for a while, grew roots, and was still flowering when the tip got broken. Now it's in another pot. (Pics of that with flowers and roots on the "weird-o" thread.) The second broke not long after, just the flowering tip, and kept opening flowers once every few days in a little cup of water until about a week or 2 ago when it was too rotted to go on, there hadn't been enough stem on that one to make roots I guess.

  • birdsnblooms
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Purple, forgot to tell you.

    Remember my larger Cal? While hauling plants outside this year, I was about to move my larger Callisia to another location when I noticed hundreds of ants!!!
    I freaked out!

    Don't ask how, but I dragged it out of the house w/a long stick, lol, and placed on the side of the house in a container w/o drainage and filled w/water.

    I'm not afraid of ants, 'one or two,' but cannot tolerate lifting a plant only to have a 'herd' lol of ants crawling over my hand/s.
    It's been outside in the pot since, doubt it'll come back inside.
    I was going to take cuttings, but I still have the smaller Callisia started from cuttings, and since Cal is an invasive house plant, the smaller Cal is fine.

    I also have the variegated Callisia, can't wait until that gets bigger. If it grows larger.
    I've heard variegated Callisia grows much slower than green. Don't know if it's fact or myth, but so far it hasn't done much..could be the heat.

    What weird-o thread? lol.

    Purple, do you have Tradescantia Navicularis or Chain Plant? If so, will you please post a pic and suggest light?

    I was given cuttings as a bonus. The nursery suggested indirect light. Although it looks healthy, leaves are far apart.
    Also, should I pin stems into the soil? Thanks

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Ants, oh man. I've had to become a lot less squeamish about that kind of thing if I want to garden here. I remember seeing a pic of your variegated Callisia, very pretty! Sending it good vibes, I'm sure it will grow.

    I wish I had T. navicularis! What a cool-looking plant - on google, anyway. Never heard of a Tradescantia that didn't do well with at least morning sun though, if not more. Can you show a pic?

    weird-o discussion.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Here's what my in-ground plant looks like as of yesterday. What does your outside plant look like now, Toni?

  • greenlarry
    11 years ago

    Not heard of this genus, relative of Tradescantia?

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Yes, they are cousins from the Commelina family.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Clicked submit too soon... Here's a native Commelina I found last week. Hope it's happy in a pot, I snagged some.

  • birdsnblooms
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Hi Purple..

    My Callisia grew more runners than height. But, you know what? Wherever Callsia's are hardy, they are very invasive. Somehow, Callisa's ended up in the back yard, three different locations..Nowhere near the plant I rooted in the ground. My potted Callsia stayed inside this summer..

    Pics taken last night.

    {{gwi:93565}}

    See how runners spread out? They've started producing babies..Oh yeah, very invasive.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Yes, I keep picking up the runners and moving them, they burrow and the aerial roots keep trying to get a hold. I'm going to remove this if it's still there in the spring, don't know if it's hardy here or not. This exposure doesn't seem to produce the color I had hoped for, except on the runners, which is strikingly similar to yours, purple on the runners but not the mama.

    Really just want to get the knack of the flowering. Hoping it just liked the window it (the main potted mama) sat in last year and I'll get blooms again. Will have indoor plants in different windows and this one in the ground and others in pots outside to see what/how they do. I want more of those flowers!! The actual plant doesn't do much for me except that I'm constantly amazed by how fast and gangly it grows.

  • birdsnblooms
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    How on earth, do small plants end up 70' away from the original, in-ground cutting? A mystery.

    If Callisia is hardy to your zone, I don't envy you next year. LOL.

    I might try again next spring, but place in a brighter location..west-facing. The little strip is pretty shady, except for an hour, if that, of western light.

    Wonder if there's a specific time of year they bloom?

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    The past couple years, the blooms have appeared just after Christmas. Hope this wasn't one of the plants you had to toss recently. If not, how's it going? Any sign of buds?

    This is the plant that was in the ground last summer. I did end up pulling it up, it just looked to good to let it get frosted. Most of the stolons were removed for other purposes, and other plants are added as a hodge-pot. Think this will hang in a tree, but I have to fashion some kind of hanging things for the last dozen or so hanging pots for the year. My Mom buys them for the plants and just cuts the hangers off to get the plants out although I've begged her many times to ask me, I'll come over and remove them for re-use.

  • teengardener1888
    11 years ago

    Interesting container purple. Reminds me of the forest floor

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    10 years ago

    Being the most recent general discussion about this plant, I think, I picked this one to say, "It bit me." Surprised it's never happened before. I happened to slide my thumb along the edge of a leaf in just the right way, it gave me a 'paper cut.' Don't rub along the edge of a leaf from tip to crown, that's how it got me. With fingertip, much tougher skin, I checked & yep, there's tiny little 'razors' all along the edge, in one direction I think.

    The last pic I showed, here's that pot as of a few days ago, the one on the right, helping decorate our dog house (and distract from the abandoned crap next door.)

  • birdsnblooms
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Forgot about this thread.

    Purp, you're so lucky you have a mother who shares your interest. It's great you and she are close.

    Wow, even your doggie house is decorated w/greens. :)
    How cute.
    The dog house is well built..nicer than my house. lol.

    Callisia leaves have sharp edges? I never noticed.
    I'll 'look' at my leaves, but I believe you so won't try testing.

    My variegated Callisia died. Boo hoo.
    During winter, it was moved in a different room..big mistake. I think the room was too cold for the tiny roots on var Cal.

    Purple, my eyes are getting worse. What IS the plant growing on the doghouse? Is it SP? Ipomoea?

    Also, is the plant in hanging basket, on fence, your Callisia?
    I can't see leaves..whichever plant, it's HUGE!

    You asked if my green Cal died.
    Do you remember spring 2012 while hauling plants outside, my Cal had 100000000 ants?
    Getting that plant outside w/o ants covering my handa was a real chore and a true comedy. It'd have made a funny skit.

    Well, I carefully placed Cal in a large pot w/o drainage. It sat in the pot most of the summer.
    Don't know if you recall, but I had a second Cal...cutting from mom.
    No matter how bad I wanted mom back inside, I couldn't do it. Way too many ants. Although they were probably goners, I couldn' take the chance.
    Wish I'd taken a pic to prove my point. I'd never seen so many ants on a plant.

    Anyway, I still have the cutting which is almost as large as mom. It's 'hanging' in a different room, didn't get to summer outside this year. I feel bad, but would feel a lot worse if ants moved in the second Cal.

    The sad part is, leaves are big but nowhere as large as they'd be if summered out in light and fresh air.

    I wish you had mentioned planting Cals outside this spring as a reminder. It's too late now. Remember I wanted to plant a cutting in brighter light? Curious what it'd look like and if it'd flower.

    Do you have closeup pics? Thanks


  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    10 years ago

    So sorry, Toni! "We" will find another variegated one sometime. I can't even remember to take my shopping list to the store, and you think I can remember a reminder about your plants? I'm flattered, but you're gonna be in sad shape waiting for me (to remember) to remind you about anything. Sounds like you really don't want to anyway because of the ants. I battle them all summer, but evict them in the fall by dunking plants under water if they are in a pot. I'd love to see your ant dance though!

    Yes, that is sweet potato vine decorating the dog house. The pot on the right, well I hadn't realized until you said "on the fence" that this pic is a great optical illusion. The pot is really hanging from the black hook on the side of the dog house, about 8 feet in front of the fence. That's the pot I mentioned having Callisia in it. There's also C. repens, Tradescantia fluminensis, wax Begonias in that pot.

    I haven't taken a bloom close-up pic in a while, all of the ones I have are kind of fuzzy. I should ask DH, he's better with the camera.

    If anyone wants any Callisia fragrans for postage, please PM me! Open to trade proposals also.

  • birdsnblooms
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Morning,

    Purple...yeah, ask what I did yesterday...I have to think and re-think. Maybe the answer will come.
    Ask what happened 25 yrs ago..I'll remember every detail.

    You may or many not remember, but last autumn 2012, I decided once spring hit, I intended to plant Callisia, Purple Heart, Variegated Purple Heart and an avocado in-ground. Non were planted.
    In fact, we bought a few annuals mid-July. Getting lazier by the day.

    If all is well, there's always 2014!

    Oh Purp...BTW, I intended on planting cuttings, in-ground..Not mom plants.
    You're right, don't need more ants. Or spiders.

    If I had the energy to submerge ALL plants summered outdoors, I'd run out and buy a huge container this minute.
    Not only is lack of energy an issue, but I fear, while submerging, a huge spider or earwig will pop out!
    I know it's silly, but I honestly have a spider phobia.

    My ant dance is cool, but you'd have to see my spider dance. Hysterically performed.

    After you dunk plants, do you haul indoors soon after?

    I looked at the photo of your hanging basket..you're right, it's an optical illusion alright! After looking closely, I saw the hook.
    Purp, as I mentioned before, my eyes are bad. I can't see which plants are in the basket, but those chosen sound nice.
    Basket really looks like it's hanging from the fence.

    May be another optial illusion, but the hanging plant looks huge..as in long vines, lots of foliage.

    Why do some photos come out fuzzy? Sometimes, I'll take 2-3 views..same distance, same plant..yet, one or even two are so cloudy the pic isn't legible.

    Anyway, your dog has a very nice home. Toni

Sponsored
Yellowlite
Average rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars7 Reviews
Chicago's Leading Clean Energy & Solar Panel Provider