Brazilian Plume – Justicia carnea
The truth is, I guess I have a Nom de Plume, not relative to how recently I learned to spell the word. I am, after all, from Tucker, Georgia, USA, and for the most part we do not speak French. Or Italian, for that matter. I foolishly took Italian in college, not realizing that my Southern accent would render it, for me, near impossible to trill R’s. Think Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind.. With an Italian accent, if you are not laughing now, you should be. Maybe not, Vivien Leigh was indeed English and I don’t really sound like that, at all. Fortunately, my mother did, kind of. Italians just laughed at me and said “we do not understand your southern dialetto” or something like that. Eventually I successfully ordered a glass of white wine.
Brazilian Plume
My Nom de Plume is The Shrub Queen, but today I am writing about a different plume, one in my garden, The Brazilian Plume, nope, not the wax, not the butt, the plant. I had seen these on the internet and was in search of one. Living in South Florida and the time was winter (All the disposable income in North America is Here) I found one at a garden show a bit north of here and grabbed it.
As these things sometimes go, I left it in the yard, for a while, sporadically watering it..hmm, hmm, hmm, then noticed it had a really, really terrible case of scale and whitefly (i.e. nearly dead) Well, that just wouldn’t do, so I cut it back, treated it, and miraculously cured it. After spending a month in the Garden ICU, the Plume is ready to go in the garden. These supposedly grow to be 7 feet tall and wide. I think that is a little more than 2 meters for metric users. I just need to decide where to put it.
Here are the other things blooming in the garden:
We have a bit of fragrance going now and while I am enjoying the Florida Gardenia, it is about 10 feet tall and is never so covered in flowers the smell knocks you over – I am glad the romantic sounding Arabian Jasmine is a fair distance away, it’s like that guy you know who uses so much aftershave he can’t tell it is too much anymore.
The Blue Plumbago is the Hydrangea of the tropics and so much easier to grow. That Hibiscus is an old fashioned variety planted by my neighbor’s grandmother on the edge of the property. If I knew what it was I would search for another.
The Shrub Queen 
Lovely exotic plants. All pampered house plants here. How wonderful to be able to grow them outside. I love the Justicia carnea, I’ m putting my hands over my ears as you talk about Brazilian Plumes because I don’ t want to clutter up my head with nicknames. Some of the proper names might fall out.
Do you really talk like Scarlett O’ hara? Wow.
And is your real name a secret?
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Well, Chloris, I am thinking your real name might be more queenlike? I don’t sound like Scarlett, although I am from Atlanta. I spent some time in London years ago and the natives were quite puzzled by my accent.
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See! You know my real name. But as you won’t tell me yours, I shall call you Scarlett. Because in my mind that is how you talk. I have no idea how people in Atlanta talk.
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No, It’s Amelia or Amy to friends.
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That’ s a pretty name. I hope I qualify to call you Amy.
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Thank you, you’re qualified. LIZ! I think Atlanta accent vs. Scarlett, in English terms, might be Colonial vs. Cockney. Although I feel as if Colonial is too strong a term
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who is Chloris, anyway?
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She was a Goddess of Flowers and Nymph of the Islands of the Blessed. She was married to Zephyros, The West Wind.
I hope you are not laughing, Shrub Queen.
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Wow, surprised, I love mythology and really Rainflowers, Zephyrathes. Leachman is the only other Chloris I have run across and the spelling is different.
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Well Amy, it is my Nom de Plume, but I don’ t think the Pianist ever calls himself Zephyros. I don’ t think he realises that he is supposed to be the God of the West Wind.
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Love it, the God of the West Wind, probably helps on the piano.
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Love the blooms in your garden right now! So many of these used to grow well in coastal Sydney. Hibiscus is really easy to grow from 8″ cuttings; May – July is the best time, but I think they should still work well for you…I had to laugh at the preceding conversation 🙂
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Glad you are laughing. I need to go to Sydney someday – it sounds intriguing. The Hibiscus, while really popular here, needs more acidic, volcanic (i guess) soil, They suffer in the high Ph sand and need special Hibiscus (yes) fertilizer. That is why I like that red one – I think it has been in my front yard for 40 or 50 years, no irrigation, no special fertilizer. No idea what it is, either. Guess I should try cuttings, like right now??
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Absolutely! Although the humidity in florida should probably help it take root really easily. It sure is a beauty 🙂
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Your flowers look great. I have seen the Brazilian Plume here, but I doubt they can make it through a hard freeze. I discovered that Hibiscus are easy to root, which gave me more than I wanted. I have to haul them inside in the winter. I root them in a self-watering pot that keeps the cuttings really moist.
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Aha! thanks, I just potted up a Bismarck Palm seed – I will try the Hibiscus next.
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Good luck.
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Thanks, the stems on the Hibiscus were woody and not green – do you think that will still work?
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I have actually stuck branches that I have trimmed into wet soil. I would cut a bunch and see what happens. I believe all mine were woody.
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