Gardening with chickens (and other poultry)

[blipit007]

Your flowers are absolutely drop dead eye candy!!!

Why thank you! They are pretty high maintenance but I love them!

 

[rbaker0345]

Tell me those are hardy hibiscus?

 

[blipit007]

Tell me those are hardy hibiscus?

Nope. All in pots. Its crazy. I lug them in and out spring and fall...

 

[rbaker0345]

I have the same obsession with brugs and passiflora. In and out every season. I finally wised up and got a few varieties of Pass that would be root hardy here in zone 8.

Then I was driving down the street this fall and I saw someone throwing out this perfectly beautiful yellow hibiscus tree. I put it in my car and it has been going in and out of the garage this winter. I'm such a sucker. I have a similarly burdensome pair of boston ferns that someone was throwing out. I stuck them in the greenhouse and said "sink or swim" apparently, boston ferns will survive in zone 8b in a really drafty greenhouse. Other things I bring in and out each year: plectranthus canina, frangiapanni, desert rose, yerba buena, african basil, the list goes on, I'm a slave to my trops.

 

[blipit007]

I have the same obsession with brugs and passiflora. In and out every season. I finally wised up and got a few varieties of Pass that would be root hardy here in zone 8.

Then I was driving down the street this fall and I saw someone throwing out this perfectly beautiful yellow hibiscus tree. I put it in my car and it has been going in and out of the garage this winter. I'm such a sucker. I have a similarly burdensome pair of boston ferns that someone was throwing out. I stuck them in the greenhouse and said "sink or swim" apparently, boston ferns will survive in zone 8b in a really drafty greenhouse. Other things I bring in and out each year: plectranthus canina, frangiapanni, desert rose, yerba buena, african basil, the list goes on, I'm a slave to my trops.

Sounds like a beautiful list! I have an obsession for Hibiscus. I started collecting 3 years ago. Then quickly started hybridizing my own from those. It quickly got out of hand and before you knew it, I had 60 exotics from growers and through trades. And 50 of my own that I hybridized. My husband built the greenhouse for me last September. Although we don't heat it, so I really only get about a month and a half of extra outside growing on either end of the season... Any little bit helps thought here in CT!

I also have a big thing for Suculants!

 

[rbaker0345]

I love succulents. Do you have any Cissus quadrangularis?

 

[blipit007]

I love succulents. Do you have any Cissus quadrangularis?

not sure what i have. Id have to look that one up to identify it...

 

[Kikiriki]

Read this!! Want a safe and lovely plant for near chickens? I have been checking all my existing plants for toxicity and in my research I discovered the Hawiian Ti Plant (pronounced "tea") is very safe: it has varied colors, from glossy green to bright pink and deep burgandy.

It is a tropical, but makes an excellent potted house plant that could be rotated out to the chicken run in warm weather. The ones in my yard have survived light frost, and temps down below freezing for a few nights. The frost will make them lose leaves, but the cold did not: pretty hardy! Our very cold winter a few years ago did cause a die back, but they came right back from the roots. They like well drained soil, and not too much water once they are established. They survived both drought and flood in my yard.

They thrive in indirect or partial direct light, and mine have done wonderfully under the cover of a dense tree. They will sunburn in direct light and the leaves look the same as following a frost. The pink is like a hot pink or flourescent and looks really nice in a area where flowers will not grow. They are super easy to cultivate: from roots or cuttings, and can be air-layered.

The green leaves are used to wrap food for cooking, but are tough for eating. The red leave varieties are not toxic, they are just not the traditional leaves used. Any leaves can be used to decorate your table as placemats. The roots are used for a dish or for a starchy flour.

I was so surprised and thrilled to discover that this was a plant I would not have to give up! The chickens do mess with it, and makes a very pretty addition anyplace you would put it!

 

[wildflowerrun]

blipit, those hibiscus flowers are SO BEAUTIFUL! I'm now trying to figure how on earth I could have hibiscus for the honeybees.

But my gosh!!! Yours made me happy just looking at them.

 

[rbaker0345]

Oh, I bet hibiscus honey tastes gooood!