Sunday morning found me installing a crushed shell walkway in my Wildflower/ Salsa Garden. Shoveling shell and wheelbarrowing it around was taking its toll, so I sat in the shade of an old Rosewood tree in our backyard to drink some water and cool off. Finding a seat on the garden furniture strewn about waiting for the garden to be finished, I nearly turned myself and the chair over on the not quite even ground. When finally situated I ended up face to face with the flowers of the Rosewood tree, lovely, delicate and creamy white.
These are that kind of Rosewood (Dahlbergia sissoo) used to make fine furniture. They also make fine street and shade trees in many tropical places. Just not Florida. In Florida they are considered invasive because they do too well and take over. The Rosewood came with the house, part of it has been removed once or twice and the other part is not on my property so I am stuck with it for the time being. I had never noticed the delicate flowers before and decided to try to find some similar flowers to incorporate into a vase.
The orange flowers are from a Ground Orchid my neighbor gave me. This is some variety of Epidendrum, a member of the not sure which group of plants. This little orchid has amazed me, for some reason an Armadillo has a death wish for it and has dug it up countless times, I keep replanting it and it is bravely sending up flowers. As I was installing irrigation and using pins to hold the tubing down, it occurred to me I should pin the Orchid down. Next on my list!
The vase is a thrift store find and the last bit of foliage is from Asparagus Ferns.
The bird visitors this week were some slightly blurry Ibises. They seem to be eating grubs from the lawns. I frequently see Ibis walking along the tops of hedges eating insects.
Happy Monday!
The Shrub Queen 
Wonderful flowers and fowl photos.
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Thank you, Flower
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I have never seen ground orchids in that color. I’m glad you could save them from the armadillos. Are you close to the water or is it normal to have those kinds of birds in the yard?
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Well, this may be too much information – Ground Orchids can be Bletilla, Spathiglottis or Epidendrum. Bletillas are probably what you see purples and whites. Spathiglottis is rainbow of colors and more like Zone 9, the Epidendrum are Purple or Orange, maybe a pink and also Zone 9. I am about 1/4 mile from the Indian River and see Ibis daily.
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You are correct. I have only seen purples. I am less than 2 blocks from a large lake and the lake birds never stop by, just fly over.
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Look up Stuart, Florida I am not quite there but you can see how much water is around. I have swirls of crushed shell through my garden that (unintentionally) fools the Herons.
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I was wondering if the shell attracted them.
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Yes, the shell attracts the Herons, I have only seen white Herons though I see Blue ones frequently in the River.
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Just looked it up. Yes, that is a lot of water and in more places than around here.
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Yes, two rivers and about 3 miles from the Atlantic. The birds are amazing, especially December through February. We have Eagles year round and Sand Hill Cranes.
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I’ll bet lots of bird watcher are there too. We have an Eagle nest or two on the lake.
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Yes and if you are not one there is usually a conversion
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I can’t even imagine wheeling crushed shell around and shoveling it into place – just moving 3 cubic yards of mulch almost did me in (and I imagine it’s warmer there in Florida!). Still, it provide the gift of seeing those rosewood tree flowers in a different light so that’s one benefit of the exercise. I’ve never seen Epidendrums growing in the ground so I’m impressed by that, while also being grateful that we don’t have armadillos in coastal SoCal. Your delicate tropical arrangement is lovely.
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Kris, thank you, I believe i have gained some upper body strength, but part of my design goals – as little mulch as possible I hate moving it around. I wonder if you could grow these orchids, mine have literally been hanging out of the ground the entire winter. Very little water and partial shade
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Orchids, armadillos and ibis! How beautifully exotic . This orchid is spectacular, such a lovely colour. A stunning arrangement.
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Thanks, Liz, the garden gets madder by the day.
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Love the visiting birds! And you have armadillos in your garden? I imagine they must be the equivalent to voles or moles here. The orchid flowers are so pretty so I hope you manage to protect them!
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The armadillos dig bigger holes in the ground than I have encountered from other varmits and are nocturnal, they drive my dogs crazy and later me!
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Yes, you have conjured up a real tropical picture with your local flora and fauna 🙂 That orange orchid is stunning and how intriguing to read that despite their use for creating fine furniture rosewood trees are considerd invasive
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The ground orchid is such a fantastic color. Having a rosewood tree seems very exotic. I once carved a spoon handle from rosewood–wonder where that is?
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The tree only seems exotic – it reminds me a bit of a Silver Maple sort of rangy. One of those things you find in your garden and hate to get rid of but hate to have as well. That variety of Ground Orchid also comes in purple of a simila saturated color strength.
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What a beautiful, vivid orchid. I almost imagine little faces on them. 😉
I am trying to imagine what it would be like to have an ibis dancing on my hedge or an armadillo digging in my garden. All I’m getting is squirrels and groundhogs. ;-D
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The Ibis are really active this year for some reason, maybe it is just dry. Heliconia half bloomed!
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Send another photo if you have a chance. 🙂
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Ok, it is unfolding
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A real picture of your place! The birds, the rosewood tree – amazing to think it’s a almost a weed in Florida!) and the ground orchids. How splendid to have this kind of different environment to appreciate on IAVOM! Aren’t we lucky?! The vase is exuberant. But I’m really glad I don’t have to cope with armadilloes!
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Rosewoods are indeed weedy, they sound so romantic though, and the foliage is attractive. Be glad you don’t have any armadillos, I finally put some cardboard under mulch around the plants they continuously dig up and that seems to help. So far.
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I suppose I think rosewood romantic because we used to have a circular rosewood table – but perhaps that is actually another wood, when you look at the Latin name?
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That is the wood, it is a Dahlbergia sissoo.
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Wonderful flowers and fowl photos. Thanks to share!
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