Project Grow Your Roots – Toad's Permaculture

Project Grow Your Roots: I love Plants

These are her Osteospermums. She took this picture in April. They are so happy in her green house.

These flowers are better known as African Daisies, I had to look it up because I couldn’t pronounce that. I didn’t find any benefit other than looks but it is still a win in my book.

She let’s us know this is a pomegranate tree from Granada, Spain. She say the birds love the fruit, which I don’t doubt it is a magnificent tree.

Fun fact I learned from our contributer: the word for pomegranate in Spanish is Granada and has beautiful red flowers.

This gets me excited about my own pomegranate trees. I hate having to wait for things to happen.

While sharing her plants she said, “2020 – when things go wrong find the little left that gives hope, nurture it and watch it grow. Wishing you, yours and my tradescantia a happy and healthy 2021.” We appreciate the warm wishes and our homestead wishes you the same.

This is also called a Spiderwort. This is a perennial flower and allegedly can be grown in any part of the United States. Western spiderwort is considered an endangered species in Canada.

Native Americans may have used this go relieve stomach problems. I don’t know for sure, I’m not an expert but it’s on the interweb so you can find it yourself if you want more specific information.

Fun fact: the flowers are blue but if they turn pink it is because of radiation levels. These flowers can be used as a bioassay, how you determine potency in a substance, to measure radiation levels. I thought that was a cool cookie.

Delphiniums come in lots of colors and are perennials as well. They are not are not for my zone. Only to 7… I am disappointed, but they are cool to learn about. All flowers are toxic to humans and livestock and is also known as Larkspur. These flowers can be used to make a dye.

Project Grow Your Roots: Update

Good day humans, it is I. So I have gotten a lot of responses which I love and with that comes the fun part. So I have been keeping up with these as best as I can, but my plan is to make a video and go over it together on New Years. Hopefully my kids will appreciate the time I put in and my oldest said she’d help, which is always nice.

Now without further ado more pictures of plants from all over:

She calls his her dragon tree because of the dragon figurine. This is how they figure our if they need to water their houseplants, which is brilliant. He has also made flowers which is the best part. I love the dragon figurine ideas, if it sinks the ground needs water. Smart stuff from strangers on the internet.

She grew some pumpkins out of her compost and they seem really happy to be there. This is from her 2019 garden, she’s right: Mother Nature will find a way.

Now this lady wanted to show off her pumpkin, she put it in a hammock to support it’s growth and boy did it grow. I am impressed. She says it came out to be a 35 lbs pumpkin. I am impressed and I hope you are too.

We have more on the way as soon as I sort them all out. Have a great day and stay safe.

Project Grow Your Roots: From Indiana

Mr. Hollis said Merry Christmas with a lovely mammoth sunflower. He is from Indiana.

Now the Mammoth Sunflower grows wild from the Carolinas to Canada and over. It is just everywhere, no wildlife conservation unit is keeping an eye on these giants. They are well loved by all and I say giants because they can grow up to 13 feet tall. That’s right they are huge and that is one of my favorite things about them.

The Dahlia is the national flower of Mexico, which is fun because that is where the flower is native to: Mexico and Central America. They are Edible and that is awesome. Can’t wait to try one in my salad.

Project Grow Your Roots 2021: Victorious

This Groot house plant was sent from Bauxite Arkansas and where a father is homeschooling his 2 daughters, ages 11 and 8.

This amazing father got his daughters an African Violet, which is a perennial and have lovely fat leaves that look like hairy green tongues. That is not a scientific description don’t write that down.

He sent us a better picture to show off the leaves and the flower which I appreciate. African Violets do not like extreme temperature changes and come from tropical Africa. So they don’t to be cold either, don’t do that.

African Violets are associated with moms and motherhood. I am sure your mom will love the heartfelt well thought out idea. Regardless, love the plant love the pictures.

This amazing Gem was her first plant and it is looking happy.

Project Grow Your Roots 2021: Happy Plants

Last night as I was passing out I got a little lazy. My problem is that I got so into speaking to some of these amazing people that I let my posts get a little sloppy and instead of going back and checking each article over (this is a labor of love not money) I just kept going.

I apologize for my negligence, but I was really enjoying this project. I am still on day 1 submissions if that shows you what an amazing response this has all been. Thank you for your overwhelming support and now without further ado…

There was a lovely lady online who rescued Orchids and gives them a place to stay. I admire her work and I love the flowers (have never been able to keep them alive but someone had to be able to in order for them to be such a widely given gift). She let allowed me to share her picture and said:

“This is one of my rescue orchids – I have 3 that I rescued from the rejected section in Asda for just 10p each. No one wanted them because the original flowers had died, but I knew that with a little tlc they would flourish. This was my reward . Shows that with a little care and attention, wonderful things can happen.”

Orchids have over 28,000 accepted species and are members of a huge plant family. They are roughly between 6 and 11% of all seed plants. They are perennial without the woody structure. Not going to lie there is so much information out there, because there are so many that I am getting a little overwhelmed. I’ll have to look back into this when I have more time on my hands. There is so much Information.

These are her favorite roses! She loves them and takes great care of them. Look at all of those amazing blooms. I am impressed.

This was a mini rose that she bought from the grocery store. Now it’s “3ft tall and gets more beautiful every year!” I love her enthusiasm for her roses.

There is a lot of Information about Roses and I’ll have to do something about them later.

“This was a tiny plant in a small basket 12 years ago. It loves its spot by the window,” she says about her house plant as we see how excited it is about the fresh light.

Thank you for this beauty. These plants always make me feel like I am in a jungle. I love it when people share the pictures in my many plant groups.

This plant has grown over the years but it comes with a fun story:

My husband saw this as he was queuing in B&Q. It was £1 (and only a couple of feet high). He could sense that the lady behind him was staring at it too so he picked it up. It makes us smile to think it is doing so well in our house!

We are so glad you bought it all those years ago. Look how it’s grown from a baby in a tiny pot. We are lucky to see your amazing plant. We’ll call it a love-love tree as it is a symbol of you and your husband’s love.

What she loves about this Succulent Ghost Plant is that “it grows with very little care” and “overflows from a tiny 2 inch pot looking beautiful”. It really seems to be happy and at home with you.

These babies are native to Mexico and their appearance depends on soil and exposure. The Succulent Ghost Plant is a common succulent that has been mass sold at the store. They do not like lots of water but love the full sun to part shade.

Project Grow Your Roots 2021: Beautiful Flowers

She wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and reminds us that Jesus Lives. These are her beautiful hibiscus. I love the cottage core feel to this picture.

The Brittlebush is a desert native plant. This picture was taken in the Mohave Desert in Oatman, Arizona. They are frost sensitive and drought tolerant.

Did you know they are a relative of the sunflower? I thought that was pretty cool.

She has so many lovely coneflower growing in her garden. I am so envious. I bet her coneflower brings all of the butterflies and bees to her yard.

She has paired us with two of her favorite living beings. Here is what she told us:

I got this wonderful, photobombing, dog in 2020. Bristol is the farm dog I’ve always wanted and with her I don’t feel scared on my own anymore.
Pictured with some of my favorite prairie flowers. Pink Sensation Coneflower (echinacea).

I just want to continue to thank everyone for their overwhelming support so far. I appreciate you all so much. Until next time 💚

Project Grow Your Roots 2021: A Story of Love

This amazing lady Allana Greuel shared something I am honored to share. Here is what she said:

My Heartleaf Philodendron. Although so common, this plant is priceless in my eyes. My dad had passed away in a freak accident this past June; and this was a tiny starter plant in an arrangement a family friend had gifted me. Of course I have my many peace lilies, but something about the heart-shaped leaves really draw me to it. My dad was my best friend for 19 years, so when I look at my philodendron and see new growth I feel that he still lives! I believe the spirit lives forever, but this plant keeps me connected physically. The hearts remind me that his love is never ending regardless of our physical existence. Sorry if this wasn’t exactly the answer you were looking for. I know it’s mainly from Central America! Although what happened is not a “nice” thing. This was what got me to notice plants and actually enjoy the varieties, so I guess you could say I found a hobby in something horrible. That’s nice to me I guess.

That is absolutely beautiful. This plant is definitely your father telling you he is happy and safe and feeling amazing. The plant is amazing too.

Heartleaf Philpdendron is an indoor house plant around these parts and it does originate from South America. It can trail out up to 4 feet.

This is a beautiful plant with a beautiful story.

Project Grow Your Roots 2021: Plant Sharing

Contributed by Janessa Stewart and the picture was taken on the American River Parkway

This is a Dwarf Lupine and it grows along the river and through the hills of the Sacramento Valley. This is hardy in zones 4 to 9 and is a perennial. I am kind of excited because that means that I can plant them as well. That is really exciting news.

Sharing a Monstera and a lovely story. This is her very first ever plant and it was given to her by her best friend when she moved back to California. This plant also has a name: Sage.

Fun Fact: This is also called the Swiss cheese plant

Hailing all the way from Ontario, Canada: Vera the aloe vera. She is a proud mother of two pups. Their names are undisclosed as they are minors. It’s for their protection and Safety.

I love aloe vera plants. I actually have quite a few that I hope survive.

Project Grow Your Roots 2021: Fun and Short Additions

All the way from Oregon, Groot wants you to know he is proud of you.

This is a weeks worth of growth on a Sunflower she planted with her daughter. I love the way she made the pictures come together in this photo. I love the family bonding in Indiana. Enjoy raising those Sunflowers.

These bad boys are the state flower of Kansas. They can grow in medium light and in clay soil. I’ll keep that in mind when I am planting. Birds love Sunflower for their seeds and who can blame them really?

But the most amazing thing is the amount of uses:

Poultice from the flowers for burns
Crushed root to draw out a blister
Leaf tea for high fevers

Also, one last bit a little bit of folklore: some places believe that planting sunflowers can ward off malaria.

Started from leaf cuttings these Violets have grown to be lovely. So lovely she plans on spreading the love this season. I am sure that everyone will be thrilled, I know that I would.

Many are perennial but some are annual and very few are shrubs. The viola category has around 600 species which is amazing and a little overwhelming, but the flower is edible and can be used to add color to salads. If you needed a reason to plant this beautiful flower.

There are so many absolutely amazing people out there. As the pictures flow in I just keep becoming more excited about the outcome. Keep your eyes out for more plants that people are excited about.

Project Grow Your Roots 2021: Tonasket, Washington

Another lover of plants like myself is out there living the dream. She has sent us pictures of three different plants that are amazing and I can’t wait to look into and mention some cool facts about these amazing plants.

First, we have our Thanksgiving Cactus which is native to Brazil. These are primarily house plants. They are known by many names and there are only around 6 to 9 species of this genus. I found that to be very cool.

First thing that drew me into this picture was the amounts of snow. I could not imagine or survive such a large amount.

Amazingly, the Douglas Fir can. This tree has a hardiness of zones 4 to 6 and is number one in the lumber industry. If you couldn’t see this tree is an evergreen and absolutely amazing looking in all types of weather, but it really seems as though this tree enjoys the freezing temperatures.

This lovely cactus is unknown for now, if you have the answer comment below and I’ll update it. This was an anniversary cactus so we will call it a love cactus or a cactus of love. This commemorates 5 years of marriage and 2 beautiful children.

Greetings from Tonasket, Washington.

Project Grow Your Roots 2021: Pencil Cactus

So I was sitting here thinking about all of the cool things I could do for the New Year that didn’t require money or leaving the house. So I sent out an SOS in a lot of my cooler groups and requested plant pictures. Here is the beginning to my new adventure

This is a pencil cactus. She contributed this because she informed me her love for the Pencil Cactus but let me know that the sap is considered a neurotoxin. This plant can be dangerous if ingested so we have to be careful.

This intrigued me and so I dug a little deeper. This plant produces a poisonous latex that can cause blindness. That does not sound fun but the pictures are absolutely beautiful. The sap is milky, toxic and corrosive.

The blindness is said to be temporary and if exposed to the skin it can cause redness and irritation and burn the skin.

It is native to India and Africa and can be grown in sub tropical areas and greenhouses. I found some Online Tips to help you if you are interested in this lovely and very hard core plant. Definitely deer resistant and just cool to have around.

I think it’s pretty metal that people keep these as house plants. This is a gold star first submission on my mission to keep my kids awake until midnight with cool information and facts that I collected from all over the world.

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31