The promise of the eventuality of summer is evidenced by the Frangipani starting to flower in South Florida. The Frangipani in this vase is Bridal Bouquet, a columnar, semi evergreen variety I have come to love in my garden. It is not as fragrant as other Frangipani but the evergreen foliage and form of the plant make up for any shortcomings in fragrance. I have been waiting to see what color the larger Frangipani in my garden are and blast it they are white as well. So, I am in the market for some more colorful friends for the white flowers.
The failure in this vase is the Fennel, the chartreuse starbursts looking like Dill or Queen Annes Lace. I have been trying to grow culinary Fennel for years from seed. It gets about half the size of a grocery store Fennel and then bolts. I think the climate here is just wrong for Fennel, but have enjoyed eating the foliage and using it in flower arrangements.
The Burgundy foliage is from my latest Bromeliad bargain. Not a clue what it is. Bargain Bromeliad $5, named specimen, $40. I can live without knowing the name and to me, part of the fun of gardening is seeing what happens next. The other foliage is my everpresent Boston Fern or more likely its evil lookalike tuberous Asian Ferns.
Here is the Bromeliad, burgundy with chartreuse spots, a perfect foil for the yellow green Fennel flowers. If anybody knows its name, please let me know.
The smoke grey glass vase was from a bargain store near my house bought years ago when I was overrun by a beautiful but much too enthusiastic Red Alstroemeria. The red and gold flecked flowers looked wonderful in the vase, I had a smoke grey glass vase full of Alstroemeria all summer for years.
The Shrub Queen 
Is Frangipani the same as Plumaria?
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yes, that is the South Pacific version of the name, the plant is Plumeria pudica
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I had to look it up. I tried growing them, but too difficult to do here.
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I have seen some beautiful Plumeria in Houston – think you have to be really dedicated or something, not an automatic plant. I killed all the ones I had as houseplants in Atlanta.
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I am in the far north corner of Houston and our temperatures are just a little cooler. Plants bloom earlier and tropicals do better in central Houston which is about 40 miles south of me. But, camellias grow better up here. There are no easy rules for gardening here. It takes a lot of trial and error…and depends on how the wind blows!
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I think you have just summarized gardening in general. No rules.
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Frangipani, how exotic! I do have one which was a cutting of a lovely dark pink one from a friend’ s garden in Martinique. It is 5 years old and grows taller and taller each year, but no flowers, perhaps we don’ t have enough sun here. I love that white one although I have noticed it is not so fragrant, but it makes a beautiful shrub and how lovely it looks in your pretty vase. The whole thing is very elegant, I love it.
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Thank you, Liz. I would occasionally see gardeners get Frangipani to flower further north – they set the plants in the gardens like summer annuals and then took them back in for the winter.
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Oh, right I will try planting it out in my sunniest spot. Thnks for the hint.
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Actually it is weirder than that. I think these people take them out of the pots and hang them by the roots for the winter. If I run across the instructions I will send them to you.
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http://www.caller.com/columnists/michael-womack/winterize-plumeria-in-south-texas-ep-358365254.html
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Oh I love the Frangipani blooms….and the foliage is equally beautiful. The fennel is a nice addition too. Even here in a cooler climate fennel is hard to grow but mine did bounce back this year so I will get foliage and flowers.
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Thank you, where the heck does Fennel grow??
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The poor plain fern feels to ignored.
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Well, George, here is some design BS. You must have some neutral green so the eye can rest and take in the highly colored foliage. (I never got on board with the eye resting business)
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Gorgeous colour combination.
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Thank you
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Gosh, that is SO white against the contrasting dark foliage. Most elegant, as Chloris says
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Thank you, I love the burgundy foliage plants.
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A lovely tropical looking vase. I really enjoy your Monday flowers because they are so different to anything I could possibly grow here. We CAN grow Fennel here in NW England. I grow Bronze Fennel (which is purple really) and keep it well away from any Dill I grow because the two intermingle and self seed then you end up with neither.
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Thank you, I am from much further north where our gardens were more like yours, so am enjoying all this wacky tropical plant material. I live on the northern edge of truly tropical – Roses and Hydrangeas and Lilacs are out of the question here.
How interesting about the Fennel, we had Copper fennel in Atlanta, I am not sure about the culinary fennel. I have Fennel and Dill flowering in pots on my front porch right now!
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Watch out then… they’ll be crossing before you can blink!
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The foliage might be really good to eat?
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I have red Alstroemeria, too. It likes to sneak off into nearby beds.
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Sneaky, but pretty
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A bromeliad for $5?! You never find any here at a bargain price like that. Your vase is gorgeous. Frangipangi sounds so exotic, although I’ve never seen nor smelled it in person.
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It is weird, about the 5$ bromeliads, they are fairly easy to find but never in a nursery, garage sales, etc. Thank you – I have a question for you, do you grow Mexican Honeysuckle?
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I bet the Frangipani smells delicious – does it actually smell like frangipane or almond paste? Very pretty too.
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Delicious, yes, to me, it smells more like a lighter Jasmine or Gardenia. Sweet and tropical but not so overwhelming.
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