Japanese Maple (Acer Palmatum) 'Monrovia' - 2.0 -UPDATE

 below exerpt from most recent entry to the Photo/History for Monrovia 2.0. Click on link to access or use the menu on the r-hand side of every page.

In spite of the heat wave, Monrovia 2.0 is continuing to develop..foliage color & leaf size, and I'm wondering if he will take on fall colors, this year. 

I am still amazed at the technique of basically "chopping-down" a tree, in order to save it. However, I have not de-potted yet to take a look at the roots & see if his rejuvenation extended to the root system. I pruned the roots on Monrovia 1.0 a couple of times, trying to cure whatever it was that ailed him, but that seemed to have little effect.

My plan for this specimen now is to watch & learn. At the very least, this plant can teach us about resilience..so far, the gamble is paying off.

Madagascar Dragon Tree (Dracaena Marginata) - UPDATE

 Excerpt from the latest entry to Photos/History page for Madagascar Dragon Tree (Dracaena Marginata) 

This summer has been uneventful for the Dragon Tree, until...me! I tripped & fell against the plant stand, knocking the Dragon off & of course, shattering his ceramic pot that was supposed to be his "forever home" when I potted him in July '25.

Luckily, I had a spare & here he is, Re-potted & "back to work". I could have taken the opportunity to do some root pruning , but the root ball was intact, I could see no obvious need to cause any further trauma to this plant.

He fit into this low-cut tray easily & I planted him "proud" to show-off his base & lower-trunk. He has
shown good growth this year..enough that I could tell the difference when I re-potted him.

1st Bloom on Pomegranate

 this copy exerpted from the Photo/History page of Dwarf Pomegranate (Punica Granatum 'Nana')

I did not expect this! The Pomegranate has produced it's first flower, which I did not expect to see, this year. When I received this plant 4 months ago, he was little more than a cutting..or possibly an air-layered branch & I did not expect to see blooms &/or fruit this year.

However, a bloom does not guarantee fruit, which would be REALLY unexpected, we'll just have to wait & see if he produces more blooms or if this is an anomaly.

Considering that he was up-potted just a couple of weeks ago may partially explain why a bloom, but we'll have to give it a few more days & see if any more appear.. he continues to grow, well beyond my expectations. I don't know whether to credit good stock, a successful transition to our environment, the recent heat wave & consistent direct sunlight or feeding him with a high-nitrogen fertilizer for plants that are considered acid-loving feeders.

News from the Patio

It's been awhile since I posted any pictures of "Jerrys Patio", so thought today I would share some views for anyone interested.

I finally figured out some workspace where I can sit & work on individual specimens..this will also be the new 'potting station'.

Central to the workstation, you can see my new turntable, so I can rotate the plants as I am pruning..don't know why it took me so long to get a turntable, but I'm sure glad I have one now.

Since this is under the overhang of the upstairs apartment, it also makes a ready-made space for my "understory" trees..the Japanese Maples, Flowering Dogwood & any other trees that do not handle full sun well.

Looking West, this is shelving for "sun lovers", the only location on the patio that gets full sun throughout the day..the lower shelves house plants less hungry for full sun, cuttings & young, newly-potted specimens.

 

Looking South, the patio wall gets about 2 hours of sun in the morning & about the same in the afternoon..the rest  of the day, it is shaded by a mature Magnolia tree. I rotate trees between the shelving, wall & floor, according to whether they need more sun, less sun or protection from the afternoon wind.

This photo looks back towards the west & shows the boundaries of the patio..prox 13 X 13 (169 Sq. Ft.)  Small, by some standards, the patio houses & displays my entire collection of "little trees".

That's it for the "mini-tour". If you want to see how the patio looked a year ago, when I started the blog, use this link to see Jerry's Patio: September 2025

Red Bird Azalea (Rhododendron) "Red Bird" - UPDATE

 latest entry to Photo/History page for Red Bird Azalea; to see complete history of this plant, click on link or use the menu on the r-h side of every page

Aug 11, 2026

It's been an un-eventful summer for the Azalea..in fact, there has been nothing to talk about until I discovered some discolored leaves w/ brown/blue-black splotches..that discovery led me to taking a closer look & I discovered some whitish powder-like substance  on the underside of some of the discolored leaves. 

A quick Google search suggested that the brown spots were a fungal infection, possibly caused by the Azalea Lace bug. While the solution for eliminating these insects is pretty easy (spray off with water), the literature calls for the use of potassium bicarbonate to fend-off & heal damage that may have occurred.

Reading further, I discovered that although the Azalea can be considered an "under-story" tree, it is susceptible to fungal diseases if the location of the plant is exclusively in shadow, with little air circulation &, the nemesis of all container plants, overwatering.

Yesterday, I pruned every leaf with discoloration & buds that were encroaching on neighbors in such a way as to block the sun & have re-located him to get some direct sun & increased airflow. Going forward, my strategy will be close observation & finding a spot for him that suits this plants requirements.

Yes, azalea's are finicky & can be difficult to live with, but the rewards are great if you can persuade them to "go with the program'.