Sulcata- Friendly Flowers?

[T33's Torts]

Hello!
Today (tomorrow, actually) I shall embark on a voyage to the ever- (money) consuming Home Depot.
I intend to purchase the flesh of dead trees (aka wood) and sheets of wondrous material used to contain the all important heat.
**I'm building a heated box**

For thee decor, sulcata friendly flowers have come to need.

Which variety do YOU fancy?
I do have certain liking for the rose bush, but thou aren't in the season of blooming.

Any suggestions are deemed wonderful and are taken to the highest consideration.

Thanks,
Tiffany.

 

[Dizisdalife]

If you are looking to buy plants that will provide food for your sulcata in the future I suggest at least one hibiscus (more is better) and a grape vine (more is better for this one too). The leaves from these two are great for a juvenile sulcata. Flowers from the hibiscus are a nice treat. And rose is a good treat too. In the summer time my sulcata gets both grape and hibiscus pretty regularly and, when I trim some from the neighbors tree, he gets mulberry leaves.

 

[T33's Torts]

I have a row of large hibiscus bushes, and a lot of roses in pots, I was thinking more like pansies, you know, low flowers. Not necessarily a food source, just plants that are decorative and wont harm the tort if eaten.

 

[Barista5261]

Mine eat dried marigolds mixed with Timothy hay (both which I rehydrate). So I would think fresh marigolds would be a welcome choice [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH]

 

[T33's Torts]

Ah-ha! Thanks! Thats officially on the list.

 

[Tom]

You think you are going to plants flowers within reach of a sulcata and you use the word "if" about eating them? Bwahahahaha....

Seriously though, if your sulcata is very small and you plant a lot of stuff in a large area, some of it might survive for a while.

The problem is that you can't just go to HD, buy stuff and let him start eating it. All commercial nurseries are using systemic pesticides now and these can live in the tissues of the plants for up to a year. So you either need to grow your own from seeds, or plant and weather these new plants for a year before allowing your tortoise access to it.

 

[Barista5261]

African violets
Snapdragons
Evening primrose
Geraniums

Just a few more common flowers from the tortoise table [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH]

Oh sorry I thought you were gonna grow these from seeds [GRINNING FACE WITH SMILING EYES] but I was just at Home Depot an hour ago and saw all these types of flower seeds that were organic [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH][THUMBS UP SIGN]

 

[T33's Torts]

Re: RE: Sulcata- Friendly Flowers?

You think you are going to plants flowers within reach of a sulcata and you use the word "if" about eating them? Bwahahahaha....

Seriously though, if your sulcata is very small and you plant a lot of stuff in a large area, some of it might survive for a while.

The problem is that you can't just go to HD, buy stuff and let him start eating it. All commercial nurseries are using systemic pesticides now and these can live in the tissues of the plants for up to a year. So you either need to grow your own from seeds, or plant and weather these new plants for a year before allowing your tortoise access to it.

I don't intend for the plants to be consumed within the next 8 months. For all my plants, I replant them into organic soil, rinse them and let them grow out for up to a year.

I was also looking for ideas as my friend has a small nursery where she grows organic plants from seeds.
She is were I get 95% of my plants and such. I think she has a website, I'll look for a link.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

California poppy. Mallow. Wild geranium.

 

[Tom]

You think you are going to plants flowers within reach of a sulcata and you use the word "if" about eating them? Bwahahahaha....

Seriously though, if your sulcata is very small and you plant a lot of stuff in a large area, some of it might survive for a while.

The problem is that you can't just go to HD, buy stuff and let him start eating it. All commercial nurseries are using systemic pesticides now and these can live in the tissues of the plants for up to a year. So you either need to grow your own from seeds, or plant and weather these new plants for a year before allowing your tortoise access to it.

I don't intend for the plants to be consumed within the next 8 months. For all my plants, I replant them into organic soil, rinse them and let them grow out for up to a year.

I was also looking for ideas as my friend has a small nursery where she grows organic plants from seeds.
She is were I get 95% of my plants and such. I think she has a website, I'll look for a link.

That's great if you can get plants that you are sure have no chemicals in them.

Gazanias are one of my favorites. They do really well here. I've also had good luck with nasturtiums and pansies. African hibiscus are great. Blue hibiscus and lavatera work well. I'm looking for "hardy" hibiscus but haven't found it yet. Maybe your friend will have some chemical free hardy hibiscus? I'll buy it if she does.

 

[T33's Torts]

Last time I checked they only have the regular orange variety. Not hardy at all. I have the large light flowers that make up large bush- trees.

 

[capedthespian]

Daisies

 

[Tom]

Daisies

There are a lot of types of Daisies. Most of them are toxic. Be careful with this one.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

When Tom says “hardy" hibiscus for him, he means heat tolerant, right Tom?

 

[T33's Torts]

Re: RE: Sulcata- Friendly Flowers?

Daisies

There are a lot of types of Daisies. Most of them are toxic. Be careful with this one.

I avoid daisies. I'm allergic. :shy:

 

[Tom]

When Tom says “hardy" hibiscus for him, he means heat tolerant, right Tom?

Regular hibiscus burn in the summer and freeze in the winter here. If I plant them in the right place, I can get them to survive the summer, but then they all freeze as soon as winter comes. There is a "variety" or "strain" called "hardy hibiscus" that seems to tolerate our scorching summers and below freezing winter nights. I saw it at the home of one of our members here, about an hour from my house. The leaves seem a bit larger, thicker and tougher.

 

[T33's Torts]

My little bitty plant survived this winter. Its leaves are as big but seem to be more rigid and brittle.
This picture is from last spring, but I saw a few buds on the stem a few days ago.

 

[Dizisdalife]

When Tom says “hardy" hibiscus for him, he means heat tolerant, right Tom?

Regular hibiscus burn in the summer and freeze in the winter here. If I plant them in the right place, I can get them to survive the summer, but then they all freeze as soon as winter comes. There is a "variety" or "strain" called "hardy hibiscus" that seems to tolerate our scorching summers and below freezing winter nights. I saw it at the home of one of our members here, about an hour from my house. The leaves seem a bit larger, thicker and tougher.

I have a hibiscus that has leaves like that. Got it at HD a couple of years ago. The flowers are thicker and tougher as well. I bought it because the leaves were thicker than the other hibiscus that were there. It did get "burned" by frost last winter though. Then it bounced back last summer. You might be better off taking cuttings from your friends plant and getting them started.

 

[T33's Torts]

I'm going to go later (after I buy wood) and see whats there.