In a Vase on Monday – Hidden Treasures

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One of my favorite things about gardening – the little bursts of joy along the way. Finding that first tomato, or mango, or anything edible that I have planted is a true joy. This week it was the hidden treasures that survived and thrived through record breaking cold to provide flowers for my Monday vase.

I have been hauling dead bodies out of the garden this week. Plants only! although I found some frozen invasive lizards; unfortunately after the dog (who was fascinated) did. The good news, I gather they were not very tasty or emerald green guts offend greyhounds, so I got my tongs and removed the offending lizards. I like our little native Anole lizards, but the invasives are sometimes a foot long, ugh!

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The most interesting survivor this week is the Graptosedum succulent. Flowering! I always thought these were tropical, but they are fine. There seems to be a microclimate where these were growing in a pot, uncovered. Another garden mystery to ponder.

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The tulips of South Florida are back again – pink flowers from Quesnelia testudo bromeliad. These Quesnelias are known for their cold tolerance. This one is common much further north of my garden. The flowers that were open burned to beige, but the new ones look great. The spiky stem in the back is a flower stalk from Dracaena reflexa. I am not sure what this was doing, there are berries on the plant, so it could be forming berries or just burnt from the cold. The ferny stuff is Climbing Asparagus Fern, a weed that pops up from time to time.

That is all from my garden this week. Hopefully, no more cold or lizard finds in the foreseeable future. Visit Cathy’s blog RamblingintheGarden and follow the links to see more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – My Funky Valentine

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After last weeks Freezepacolypse I was certain there would be no flowers for a Vase. Alas, after encountering several disgruntled bees in the garden I found enough material for a Valentine vase. I think this is an unusual combination and it contains some surprises – what is bouncing back so quickly after our freezing weather.

Some closer views:

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A very big surprise to me, in white, Miss Alice Bougainvillea, not missing a beat after the freeze. I surmise this is due to the proximity to the house. I have seen numerous fried Bougs at the curb this week. The succulents in the background are ‘Firesticks’ Pencil Cactus, living up to their name.

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The red flowers, Firecracker plant (Russelia equisetiformis), are the only thing flowering in the garden. The white begonias are tropicals (Begonia odorata ‘Alba’) they spent a few days in the house – otherwise, I am certain the would be toast by now.

As of Sunday, all the orchids and tropicals that spent the week in the bathtub have been repotted in new moss and rehydrated. Orchids are a lot tougher than I would have thought. A few simply couldn’t be moved indoors and were covered with sheets and look fantastic! A wonderful surprise.

Happy Valentine’s Week to all and thank you to Cathy for hosting. To see more vases visit RamblingintheGarden via this link.

Six on Saturday – Florida Freeze Damage

Time for Six on Saturday once again. I’m sharing the aftermath of the historic low temperature (28F/-2C) in my South Florida garden. The temperature is about 10 degrees below our normal low. Above is a photo of what looks like a fall garden – this was completely tropical green a week ago.

I have never seen cold damage like this before. The foliage has been burned white. My experience with cold damage is usually foliage is burnt brown, rust or black – not white. I suppose this is a combination of wind and cold.

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This is an Adonida Palm (Veitchii merrilli) I am probably on the northern edge of hardiness for this tropical palm. I think it will recover, the center growing point is still green and intact as is the trunk. Some of the trunks of the more exposed palms of this type are bronzing.

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This is a Dendrobium orchid growing in the trunk of an avocado tree. Most of my orchids spent the last week in the tub of my second bath, but this one is well rooted into the bark of the tree. I covered it with pillowcases for several days and it seems to be fine. Fingers crossed. The avocado tree is fine.

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The Nam Doc Mai Mango wasn’t so lucky. I remember now (too late) the Thai Dessert Mangoes are the least cold hardy of the bunch – but, oh so delicious. I have a bad feeling about this one, though I can tell it is still alive – so far. I have been meaning to plant a late season mango, so this may be my chance.

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Super Fireball Neoregelia bromeliads burned white. The more exposed the location, the more fried the plants are. The white damage is still growing a week later. I cannot imagine there is anything to do but trim these off.

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Burned foliage on the hopefully indestructible Sea Grape (Coccoloba uvifera) There is going to be a lot of raking to do!

Please share any thoughts about pruning, etc. I haven’t deal with cold damage like this – ever!

Thanks to Jim at GardenRuminations Follow the link to see more garden goings on SOS!

In a Vase on Monday – Winter Deflector

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Generally, people who move to South Florida dislike being cold, at all. I admit to being one of those people. This past week has been a bit of a trial for me. Last night we experienced the coldest (is that a word?) temperature of our tenure in Florida. 28 F/-2C (minus!) I was not amused, especially facing the morning dog walk and decided Rob the Greyhound, being lean and short haired, needed a jacket. He had different ideas, peed on the jacket (it is pink, from a long gone girl greyhound) and shook it off. So much for that. Rob is from West Virginia, where it is much colder, either he didn’t mind the cold or couldn’t cope with a pink jacket?! Another animal item of interest. People always ask me if we have iguanas falling from the trees during cold spells. I am, fortunately, slightly too far north for that. However, the county south of us is collecting bags of frozen iguanas at their fire stations. Ugh.

I moved many of the tender orchids, tomatoes and herbs into the house and covered many more. It seems a frost every sixteen years might be the average – 2010 and 1989 are legendary here. This took a few days as water lines into the house are not necessarily insulated and those need to be taken care of as well as the plants. I have plants in our spare bedroom, bathtub, foyer and garage. I am happy I went to all the trouble of moving them inside as the weather forecast was spot on and the tender plants would not likely have survived.

Today’s vase is intended to project some warm, tropical vibes back into the universe. So far, the only cold damage I have witnessed is, ironically, a Firebush, the foliage burned black. Fingers crossed that is all. But, I doubt it.

A closer view of the vase.

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These are Bromeliads, reportedly cold hardy, Quesnelia testudo. Tulips of South Florida, with teeth. The ferns are invasive, Asian Sword Ferns, but I do love them in a Vase. The vase is a jelly jar wrapped with a leaf from another Bromeliad, ‘Lemon” Aechema blanchetiana. I would be shocked if anything killed these things. Maybe a winter in Chicago.

Cheers to warmer days!

Thanks to Cathy for hosting. Follow this link to her blog RamblingintheGarden to see more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – Orchids Rule this Week

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I have been trying to get my orchids in shape this winter. They are scattered throughout the garden; some reside in trees and others in pots. I installed Cattleyas and Onicidiums in my Mango trees and have been tending the existing plants in the garden. It was a surprise to me that the orchids did not necessarily like residing in the boots of a Cabbage Palm – except on the north side. The plants that were not doing well were rehydrated and relocated. Who knew orchids could be rehydrated? I certainly did not. All have been watered daily and treated to a feeding with sea kelp spray – another odd detail in orchid culture. We will see how this goes.

Above is the prettiest flower in the house. A Phalaenopsis Orchid of unknown origin I picked up at our local farmer’s market. Of course, I am unable to resist a good deal on an orchid, these are frequently available there and my collection is growing. Another surprise to me is that these will rebloom after a while – if you don’t cut the stem off. Below is one I left, untrimmed, in my foyer a little too long. I thought (foolishly) it might enjoy a trip outside. The leaves began to yellow and I quickly brought it back inside. Flowers soon!

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Here is a close up of the flower. The vase is Blenko glass from the 1950s. It was a wedding gift my parents received and passed down to me. Homage to the high heeled shoe! This vase is very difficult to use for flower arrangements, so I am pleased to have this orchid displayed in it.

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That’s all from my garden. Sea kelp included. I hope everyone is safe and warm.

Please join Cathy at RamblingintheGarden to view more vases from other gardeners..

In a Vase on Monday – Serpents??

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As I was cutting these flowers I wondered if anyone would recognize them. I think this is weird. At this point, If I think something from my garden is weird that is saying something.

The title is a hint and here is another:

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If your guess was Snake Plant, that is correct! The botanists have decided this is a Dracaena now, so this is D. trifasciata. These are considered invasive here and I throw them away by the wheelbarrow load. I read they flower when under stress and I suppose the dry weather is getting to them.

I see real serpents in the garden from time to time, usually black racers that eat all kinds of bad things. I estimate there are 100 linear feet of Snake Plant about 10 feet wide between me and my neighbor. I was astonished the first time I walked around the house and witnessed the world of Snake Plants – it stopped me in my tracks. House plants run amok.

A closer view:

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This is a pretty flower and it has a nice fragrance. The foliage is from bromeliads, I think it accents the linearity of the flowers. Burgundy foliage is from Aechmea ‘burgundy’. The chartreuse foliage is from Aechmea blanchetiana ‘Lemonade’.

That’s all from my garden this Monday. Visit Cathy at RamblingintheGarden and follow the links to see more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – Strange Brew

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Behold my all time favorite coffee mug. The handle broke some years ago and I cannot bring myself to throw it away. It lurks around the house holding one thing or another. Today it is a vase holding an unusual array of flowers.

Not quite all of them are flowers. I like to throw in a succulent from time to time and January is a really good time as cutting flowers are few and far between. I planted seeds for zinnias and rudbeckias in November or so and they were consumed by something. Whatever ate the flowers did not eat the herbs. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around that and come up with Plan B..

What’s the strange brew in my coffee mug?

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The pink flower is a Bromeliad, Quesnelia testudo, sometimes referred to as the tulip of South Florida. Grey rosettes are Graptosedum, a succulent. The green foliage and flower is another succulent, Senecio barbertonicus. The Senecio flowers open for a short time and then make fuzzy seedheads. This plant is terribly poisonous, so brewing it would be a very bad idea!

That is all from my garden this Monday. Doing a rain dance here, showers are possible. Our rain totals are down about 10 inches from normal.

Follow this link RamblingintheGarden to visit our host, Cathy and follow links to vases from other gardens.

Happy Monday!

Six on Saturday – Winter Gardening / So Fla Style

Hello all and Happy 2026! I haven’t joined SOS in a while as it seemed there wasn’t very much of interest going on in the garden. Winter gardening in South Florida brings what everyone else knows as summer vegetables and cool season herbs. This is also the time of year for dividing bromeliad pups and moving orchids around. So, I have been doing all of that.

Winter is the dry season, so it has not rained in weeks. I am fortunate to have a lot of bromeliads and they only need to have their cups filled about every 10 days. Amazingly resilient plants. High temperatures are running 78F / 25C, the humidity is low and skies are deep blue with a magnificent range of clouds. The migratory birds are passing through, so it is wonderful spending time outdoors.

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Winter also provides tropical fruit. This is the first hermaphrodite flower on the Nemesis Papaya I planted a couple of months ago. I am hoping for some fruit this year. Papayas produce male, female and hermaphrodite flowers that are self pollinating. Nemesis is a selected variety for that and I think the name reflects its resistance to nematodes. We have bad nematodes in Florida.

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Billbergia bromeliads flower in winter. I think these are Billbergia amoena. Above are the rather impressive buds, I cut one of the flowers, they last a week in a vase and open with tiny cobalt blue flowers are the tips that look like curling ribbon.

Here is some of the wildlife passing through. This is a juvenile Red Shouldered Hawk. Hopefully looking for invasive lizards.

I have been harvesting Rangpur limes. These may not look like limes, but they are ripe. They are a cross between lemons and mandarin oranges. A sour orange, really, and used in cooking and baking. They make a delicious key lime pie.

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More bromeliads in flower. These are ‘Candy’ Porteas. I think they are named after Good and Plenty licorice candy.

I use these as cut flowers, here is a closer view.

I believe I am over six pictures, so I will stop. Visit our host, Jim, at this link GardenRuminations to see more SOS posts.

In a Vase on Monday – Winter Eye Candy

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Bromeliad flowers are some serious eye candy in the garden. Sometimes the flowers are seriously weird. This one is Portea “Candy”. They started flowering in November and should be around for another month or so. I suppose they are named for the licorice candy that looks like pills. They qualify for somewhat weird! Fat pink stems with purple flowers that produce white seedpods, I could not have dreamed that combination up!

The rest of the vase:

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The big purple flower is the “Candy” Portea. Green foliage is from Lady Palm (Rhapis excelsa). I have always thought of these as persnickety house plants. Not so much in this environment they are nearly indestructible if sited properly and watered occasionally. Purple leaves are from Aechmea “Burgundy” Bromeliad and the purple leafy foliage is Purple Queen (Transcandentia pallida). I was amused to learn the French call this misery. Blue flowers are Plumbago (Plumago auriculata)

We are coming out of a cold snap here. I broke out a sweatshirt but have yet to give up sandals for shoes. It was 53 F/ 12 C. Gasp! Tomato plants are still coming along and my Arugula and Spinach are very happy as are the cool season herbs.

Thanks to Cathy for hosting. Follow this link to her blog for more vases. RamblingintheGarden

In a Vase on Monday – Have a Blast in 2026!

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It seems as if 2025 rocketed right on by. Here we are at the end of the year once again. I cut these flowers in anticipation of a fantastic New Year. As usual, there is a little tropical madness and a few fireworks in the components.

I live a bit south of Cape Canaveral in Florida. This is where the space program started in the US in the 1960’s; it is still a center of rockets blasting off in the US. We can see the launches from our backyard. My husband loves it. The truth is there is not much to see – a squiggle of clouds on the horizon 90 miles away, but people (mostly men) love it. The tourist designation for this area is the Space Coast.

Back to the plants. Here is a closer view:

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The red, white and blue flower is from a bromeliad, Billbergia vittata. I am not sure which cultivar or even where it came from at this point. I enjoy this plant for the sheer funkiness of its appearance (picture below) Varigated leaves behind the brom are from Piecrust Croton (Codieum varigatum). Green foliage is from Asparagus Fern. Red bell shaped flowers are from the seasonally appropriate Firecracker Plant (Russelia equisetifolium). White flowers are Sweet Begonia (Begonia odorata ‘Alba’)

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The buds on the Bromeliad vittata. The plant is purple and grey striped and produces red, white and blue flowers! Tropical madness.

As always, thank you to Cathy for hosting IAVOM. Visit Cathy at RamblingintheGarden to see more vases.

Happy New Year to Everyone!!!