| Project by sharad | posted 1170 days ago | 1552 views | 0 times favorited | 15 comments |  |
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Adenium was given to me as a gift by my neighbor and has been in my garden for a few years. It was however totally neglected until recently I understood its importance and now is one of my favourite plants well taken care of. Excess of watering is detrimental to the plant. To maintain proper humidity I have added small pieces of brick.
Adeniums are long lived, evergreen succulent perennial flowering plants from tropical and subtropical regions. They are also known as Desert Rose, Kudu or Sabi Star. They need a well aerated and moisture retentive media for optimum growth. They have a stout, swollen woody stem called Caudex for the purpose of water storage. The flowers are colored red or pink and have five petals. The leaves are leathery in structure, shining and spirally arranged. They are propagated by seeds or stem cuttings. They are among some of the expensive flowering plants.
Sharad
-- Bagwan-- “If someone feels that they had never made a mistake in their life, then it means they have never tried a new thing in their life”.-Albert Einstein
15 comments so far
Bon
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7357 posts in 1918 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 1170 days ago
What a beautiful flower Sharad.I love the color of it.Thanks for sharing it.
-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more
Radicalfarmergal
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3982 posts in 1401 days
hardiness zone 5b
posted 1170 days ago
What a wonderful plant! Both the flowers and leaves are attractive. I can see how it has become one of your favorites. Thank you for the photos!
-- "To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves." M. Gandhi
MsDebbieP
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13902 posts in 2138 days
hardiness zone 5b
posted 1170 days ago
that is one of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen… absolutely gorgeous.
-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)
Orchids77
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268 posts in 1387 days
hardiness zone 5
posted 1170 days ago
Beautiful flower! Any scent?
Thanks for sharing
-- Orchids77
sharad
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1544 posts in 1355 days
hardiness zone 11
posted 1170 days ago
Orchids77, no scent for this variety.
Bon, Robin and Debbie thanks for your response.
Sharad
-- Bagwan-- “If someone feels that they had never made a mistake in their life, then it means they have never tried a new thing in their life”.-Albert Einstein
jroot
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4812 posts in 1768 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 1170 days ago
Sharad, I was wondering if these beautiful plants can be potted, and moved indoors or outdoors according to weather? I don’t believe they would survive our cold climate outdoors.
I recently saw these on Ebay in many differing colours . This is how they described them.
Adenium is very easy to take care of. The Desert Rose is an easy to grow succulent from East Africa. Adenium obesum produces a bizarre and attractive fat swollen trunk that makes this plant perfect for a bonsai specimen. It produces beautiful 2-inch bell shaped dark red flowers all year long. This is a spectacular plant that can be grown indoors or out.
Desert Rose will grow into a small shrub 6-10 feet tall when planted in the landscape. Plant in full sun to light shade in a fast draining soil. Desert Rose is drought tolerant, but looks best with regular water during the growing season. It needs little water during winter months.
Desert Rose will not tolerate frost. Use as house or patio plant where minimum temperature fall below 35 F. This plant can be grown in a container indefinitely. Needs lots of light and fresh air. Keep in a bright location in winter. In summer move outdoors to a sunny or partly shaded location.
Watering: Needs little water during winter, especially when kept cool. Increase water during growing and blooming periods. If kept outside in the hot Texas sun, it can take water 2 to 3 times a week. It will lose leaves if over-watered.
Soils: Good drainage is essential in any soil mix, yet the soil mix also must have moisture retention properties, along with adequate nutrients. We use a growing medium of 1/2 potting soil and 1/2 Perlite or other material that provides for good drainage. Gravel works, but makes the pot heavier that with Perlite.
Repotting: Root prune and repot ever year or two, after the winter rest period, using a good draining soil mix such as described above. Peat can also be added to the mixture. Plant can tolerate being root-bound (tight in the pot.)
Sharad, thanks for sharing your beautiful photo. You have peaked my interest. The fact that they can be grown indoors in the winter is appealing to me.
Do you find that they are susceptible to aphids, spider mites, or other bugs?
How often do they bloom?
Edited: Here is what another grower has to say about this beautiful plant:
Adenium obesum ‘Lemon’, known as the Desert Rose, is actually a succulent member of the Oleander family. It originates in East Africa, from regions where it rains frequently in the summer, but is very dry in winter.
The plant will grow 2-3 metres high in the wild but is more commonly seen as a container plant or bonsai specimen.
Adenium obesum is potentially semi-evergreen: if kept warm and well watered, plants will grow and often flower through the winter. Under such conditions they undergo only a brief leaf-drop and dormancy, usually a few weeks in spring or early summer. They can also endure a drought or cold-induced dormancy of several months, which is the normal condition in nature.
The plants develop a large swollen trunk with age. This is used in nature to store water to get them through dry times.
The flowers on this variety are a pale yellow. Flowers appear for two to four months; but some plants are nearly ever-blooming.
Seed-grown plants are typically vigorous and can be flowering in as little as 8 to 12 months.
-- jroot ....... Southern Ontario .......... grow zone 5A ...................."Gardening is an exercise in optimism." ....... . . Author Unknown
sharad
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1544 posts in 1355 days
hardiness zone 11
posted 1169 days ago
Jroot thanks for the good information on Adenium plant. This plant is not susceptible to the bugs you have mentioned. In spite of my neglect I have never found any attack of bugs on this plant and it looks to be very hardy. From the information I have gathered it cannot sustain temperatures below 10 C. It can thus be maintained indoors during winter if proper temp and sufficient light is maintained. This plant has been commercially exploited in S.Asian countries by developing a anumber of varieties. Except during winter this plant blooms very consistently. I am now keeping a better watch on this plant to know more about it.
Your edited information shows that it is a member of oleander family while my knowledge is that it is a member of Apocynaceae family.
Sharad
-- Bagwan-- “If someone feels that they had never made a mistake in their life, then it means they have never tried a new thing in their life”.-Albert Einstein
rramos50361
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67 posts in 1248 days
hardiness zone 6b
posted 1169 days ago
Oleander is in the Apocynaceae family. Oleander and Adenium are just different genera.
-- Robert-Monica
sharad
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1544 posts in 1355 days
hardiness zone 11
posted 1169 days ago
That means oleander is a species and not family.
Sharad
-- Bagwan-- “If someone feels that they had never made a mistake in their life, then it means they have never tried a new thing in their life”.-Albert Einstein
jroot
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4812 posts in 1768 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 1169 days ago
I am bidding on some seeds on Ebay right now. ... closely resembling yours, Sharad. Good to hear it is not bothered by bugs.
-- jroot ....... Southern Ontario .......... grow zone 5A ...................."Gardening is an exercise in optimism." ....... . . Author Unknown
soobee
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204 posts in 1345 days
hardiness zone 3
posted 1169 days ago
very lovely and well taken care of. The middle ‘bits’ remind me of saffron.
-- bee with what is...:) soob
PaBull
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47 posts in 1821 days
hardiness zone 9
posted 1169 days ago
Careful with mealy bugs, they will get in your desert rose and very hard to get rid of.
The nicer colors are grafted.
I can send you Adeniums in flower in 6” pot, $10 plus shipping. Lemenow.
-- http://www.twinoaksgrowers.com (zone 9-10)
daltxguy
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778 posts in 1236 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 1169 days ago
That’s a very interesting and nice plant, Sharad. Thanks for posting. Even our house gets below 10C sometimes overnight in the winter, since we heat with wood, so I doubt we could keep one but it’s nice to look at yours!
-- Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves. - Thoreau
jroot
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4812 posts in 1768 days
hardiness zone 5a
posted 1168 days ago
Thanks for the offer, PaBull. To ask you for one would mean crossing the border, .... and related problems. I can get seeds for a couple of dollars, so it is less of a hassle. Thanks again, however, for your kind offer. Perhaps someone in US will take you up on your offer.
-- jroot ....... Southern Ontario .......... grow zone 5A ...................."Gardening is an exercise in optimism." ....... . . Author Unknown
Greenthumb
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2054 posts in 1958 days
posted 1167 days ago
you sure grow some nice flowers Sharad!!!!
-- but for one rose, love endures