Garden chat & photos for torts and people ♫ ♫

[Oxalis]

That looks like plain old mallow to me. If you'll look at my last picture above, that's malva or lavatera.

When I see those rust spots starting on my mallow plants, I cut the affected leaves off and toss them where the critter can't spread. I've noticed that if you catch it early enough, you can nip it in the bud. But if you allow it to start spreading, you might as well just ditch the whole plant.

It's rust or fungus:

http://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden...t-by-rust-disease-needs-attention-3637832.php

Same. Excellent advice. I've had this happen in my garden as well, mostly on my hollyhock (Alcea sp.) but also on my mallow (Malva sylvestris). I'm wondering if it's something that plants in the Malvaceae family are especially prone to? It can be hard to keep up with pulling the leaves off but it's all I've found so far to save the plant. Just in case, you should be able to find plenty more affordable flowers in the mallow family. They should really enjoy your California climate.

This is the Malva in the leopard tortoise yard. It always has flowers on it, all year long!:
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Awesome Malva, @Yvonne G!

My turn! Everyone had great photos of spring's return while it was snowing outside here. But pretty much all of the snow has melted (for now) and some sunshine yesterday lured me outside to turn over our compost bin. I moved all the fresh compost from the right one to the left. We have a good haul! Hopefully we'll build some stronger compost bins this year with cedar framing.



Here's the tortoise garden today. I've already started clearing out some of last season's growth. We have a lot of native seeds leftover like asters and evening primrose. I have big plans for this year!

 

[Pearly]

My pictures can't hold a candle to all of yours, but I'm posting them anyway! It's still a bit early here.

My Iris bed. It used to be full with no dirt showing. I'm assuming all the bare spots are where my pretty colors were. Now it's mostly white and yellow:

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You can see my favorite climber rose on the right. That's Cecile Bruenner, a miniature rose.

This is a Oklahoma Red Bud. It's not quite open yet, but almost:

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And over the fence in my cactus garden the aloe or agave is blooming. I can never remember which one it is:

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I forgot I had my camera on close-up when I took this picture of the peach tree. Oh well, you can see the pretty blooms better:

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This is a type of Magnolia. Has such pretty, dainty-looking blooms:


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This pot used to be planted in blue violas. They have all reverted back to their native color. Still pretty, though:

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The begonias in the greenhouse are blooming nicely:

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This is the Malva in the leopard tortoise yard. It always has flowers on it, all year long!:

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Ahhhh!!!! Beautiful! I wish i could have seen that iris bed in full bloom with all the colors.... and ... I WANT YOUR GREENHOUSE!!!!!!

 

[Pearly]

Hi guys!
I'm kinda freaking out because it took forever for me to find this lavatera and it was growing great until it got infested with something!
What can I do?
Cut it back to the ground?
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Very common! Think it's fungus ir virus, or whatever the heck kind of infection it is that gets those poor plants. Mine always get them too and I cut them back, then depending on weather conditions at the time they come back with or without it. I bet there is some organic way to help with this. Have you checked on Pinterest? They have lots of info about organic gardening

 

[Pearly]

Do those critters on it move around, or are they stuck in place so that you have to scrape them off? If they're stuck in place, it might be scale insects. I've never had success getting rid of scale.

It's not insect infestation, but rather infection producing warts on the leaf undersides. If you look at the light through the leaf you'd see tiny little holes

 

[Pearly]

Thank you Yvonne! I'm so sad
I can buy another but this one has grown so nicely and now I have to get rid of it.
I think I may just cut it down to the ground and see what happens.

I'll also check my local nursery and see if I can plant another.

Don't dig it up just yet. Try cutting it way back and amend the heck out of the soil around it's roots, water, pamper it for few weeks and see if it comes back for you stronger and more resilient

 

[Pearly]

Same. Excellent advice. I've had this happen in my garden as well, mostly on my hollyhock (Alcea sp.) but also on my mallow (Malva sylvestris). I'm wondering if it's something that plants in the Malvaceae family are especially prone to? It can be hard to keep up with pulling the leaves off but it's all I've found so far to save the plant. Just in case, you should be able to find plenty more affordable flowers in the mallow family. They should really enjoy your California climate.
Awesome Malva, @Yvonne G!

My turn! Everyone had great photos of spring's return while it was snowing outside here. But pretty much all of the snow has melted (for now) and some sunshine yesterday lured me outside to turn over our compost bin. I moved all the fresh compost from the right one to the left. We have a good haul! Hopefully we'll build some stronger compost bins this year with cedar framing.

View attachment 202814

Here's the tortoise garden today. I've already started clearing out some of last season's growth. We have a lot of native seeds leftover like asters and evening primrose. I have big plans for this year!

View attachment 202815

Yes, this entire "malva family" is very prone to this disease. I find thst best way to deal with it is giving them REALLY GOOD START in the spring, lots of compost with some bone meal worked into the soil around the roots, plenty of water when dry and hot, and the plant is less vulnerable to pests of all sorts. That really goes for all of them (plants) it's just... who has that much time to do all that?!

 

[Oxalis]

I WANT YOUR GREENHOUSE!!!!!!

Me too!!!!

Yes, this entire "malva family" is very prone to this disease.

Yeah, I read that on the link Yvonne posted after I wrote it. *facepalm*

 

[Momof4]

Thank you @Pearly & @Oxalis!

I have had time to cut it back yet.
I need some good pruners.
I'll try good dirt and bone meal! That's easy to do.
Fingers crossed it comes back. I'll baby it for a while and see what happens.

 

[Yvonne G]

Then when it comes back, go out there daily with scissors and a plastic bag. Cut off the newly infected leaves, stem down to the trunk and put them into the plastic bag. After you've cut off all the infected leaves, tie the bag up tight and toss it in the garbage.

I had a young mallow weed that I was allowing to stay in order to be able to pick daily for the babies. I noticed a couple leaves with a few rust spots. I cut them off and now the plant is fine - no rust.

 

[Oxalis]

Then when it comes back, go out there daily with scissors and a plastic bag. Cut off the newly infected leaves, stem down to the trunk and put them into the plastic bag. After you've cut off all the infected leaves, tie the bag up tight and toss it in the garbage.

I had a young mallow weed that I was allowing to stay in order to be able to pick daily for the babies. I noticed a couple leaves with a few rust spots. I cut them off and now the plant is fine - no rust.

That's awesome. Thanks here too for the insight. I'm sure I'll be bagging up a lot of rusted leaves this summer. Steve has a mallow and hollyhock in his enclosure. Since I planted Steve's hollyhock, it's seeded and we've started spreading the seeds all over the yard so we'll have LOTS of hollyhock to monitor this year!!

 

[Yvonne G]

You should SMELL my lilac! Today it's open for the first time and it smells glorious!!! I only wish it bloomed more than once a year. My camera's batteries are charging or I'd take a smell-o-vision picture for you.

 

[Oxalis]

You should SMELL my lilac! Today it's open for the first time and it smells glorious!!! I only wish it bloomed more than once a year. My camera's batteries are charging or I'd take a smell-o-vision picture for you.

I could go for that right now. I'm amidst spring cleaning now!

 

[Maggie Cummings]

This is my Giant African Rhubarb last summer, a couple of leaves got over 7' wide. I'm gonna try for 10 feet this year

Last summer



This winter


And today...what a strange plant

 

[Eric Phillips]

Last year I decided to give the hardy Chicago fig tree a try in my back yard. I'm in zone 6. I am wondering if I should prune it down like I do with my hydrangeas or if I need to leave it be? Any suggestions with this fig tree is greatly appreciated.

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't know about different species, but I just leave my fig trees alone. They lose the leaves in the fall and go dormant, then sprout new leaves in the spring.

 

[Yvonne G]

This is my Giant African Rhubarb last summer, a couple of leaves got over 7' wide. I'm gonna try for 10 feet this year

Last summer

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This winter
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And today...what a strange plant

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Shoot! I'm so jealous!!!!!!1

 

[Eric Phillips]

I don't know about different species, but I just leave my fig trees alone. They lose the leaves in the fall and go dormant, then sprout new leaves in the spring.

Thanks Yvonne.

 

[Oxalis]

This is my Giant African Rhubarb last summer, a couple of leaves got over 7' wide. I'm gonna try for 10 feet this year

Last summer

View attachment 202907

This winter
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And today...what a strange plant

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Very cool plant!

I played hookie today to spend some time with Steve out in the garden! It got warm enough for him to play in his enclosure, yey! I took some pictures for you guys:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...nclosure-and-garden.92343/page-9#post-1467798

 

[Jacqui]

This is my Giant African Rhubarb last summer, a couple of leaves got over 7' wide. I'm gonna try for 10 feet this year

Last summer

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This winter
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And today...what a strange plant

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I think it's a neat plant.

 

[Paul M Jones]

I finally found something to photograph for our garden thread! My husband was trimming our raspberry plants for the winter when he found what looks like a chrysalis or cocoon attached to one of the stems. At least, we're hoping it's a native insect and nothing super harmful or invasive. I did a brief image search on Google and it does look similar to a praying mantis egg, but I'm no entomologist. What do you guys think?

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That's a preying mantis egg sac