Sunday morning found me baking bread to make Pulled Pork sandwiches for a friend who came down with shingles. While the bread was rising, I toured the garden to find the components of a vase. The Bridal Bouquet Frangipani (Plumeria pudica) has just started flowering in earnest and the scent wafting through the air in the early morning stopped me and my clippers.
I clipped a stem of the Bridal Bouquet Frangipani and looked around to see a Pink Desert Rose (Adenium) flowering and cut one of those to add to the vase. What vase? A small red glass one from the GoodWill (thrift or charity shop) seemed in order. Then a bit more red in the form of foliage. A few leaves of Pie Crust Croton (Codiaem varigatum “Pie Crust”) The Pie Crust Croton foliage has the unlikely color combination of red, black, green and a bit of yellow. The shrub will give you a bit of a pause when seen in the garden. The Copper Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare ‘Purpurea’) has come back with the rains and I added a bit of that for deep grey foliage, then found some errant Asparagus Fern to complete my vase. Here is a close up.
I punched the Foccacia dough down and set it into the oven to rise again and finished the arranging the vase. Here is the finished Foccacia:
This is a Parmesan Crusted Low Sodium Foccasia, my specialty. Here is the bad news.
I woke up the other morning feeling I needed to check on the Night Blooming Cereus:
The bud was no longer on the plant. During the night something knocked off the bud! Maybe next year.
The Shrub Queen 
Remember when this happened to the bud on my husband’s cactus? Finally a bloom after hauling it in and out of the house for over 30 years. Another case of disappointment in the flower bed. I hate it when that happens! Ha
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Ha is right in thirty years I will be too old to remember what it was!
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Oh no! I was looking forward to seeing your bloom.
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Well, maybe next year.
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The flowers are lovely, the bread looks delicious. Disappointed for you that the bud was lost.
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Thanks, RIP for the flower.
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Today I can recognise most of the contents of your vase, or their near relations!! It’s quite tame compared to some of your offerings, but still hints at a much warmer climate! My favourite cocaccia to make includes onions and mushrooms – very tasty 🙂 What a shame about the bud….
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A marginally mad arrangement, then? I would love to hear about onion and mushroom foccacia!The bud, oh well.
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3 onions and 100g mushrooms chopped and fried in olive oil or butter until browned then added to the dough (500g flour) after the first rising. Let me know if you want the complete recipe but I am sure you can adapt one you have
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sounds great, thank you and I can figure it out from your comments. I have done this with olives, sun dried tomatoes, etc.
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Oh, no! 😦 No cereus this year. Sigh, ah well.
Pretty arrangement – wish I could smell the frangipani. That croton must be something to see- and what an odd name–’Pie Crust?’ Must be a family joke with the breeder. 😉
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I know, life in the pond with gardening. The Frangipani is delightful and not overwhelming like a Gardenia. I will have to send you a close up of the Croton, the leaves are crimped like a Pie Crust.
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Aw, that makes sense then.
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Weird tropical plants strike again?
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🙂
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Oh, too bad about the Cereus flower. As to the foccacia – yum! The ‘Pie Crust’ croton makes a wonderful addition to your tropical floral confection.
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Thanks, I heard rumors it is an Epiphyllum, maybe when it does bloom I will find out!
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Such exotic blooms..but such a sweet posy. Another IAVOM bread baker!
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I love the shape of those neat little flowers, set off so nicely by the shape of the vase and that pointed leaf. The focaccia looks delish!
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Thank you.
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Oh, what a shame! I do hope it will flower for you next year now. Your vase looks amazing and must smell delicious – the focaccia too! 🙂 It is always fascinating looking up the plants and flowers you include in your vases!
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Thank you, I have been enjoying the scents.
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What smells best the frangipani of the bread I wonder. Poop the buds gone. Hey ho there’s always next year!
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Frangipani! Next year I await the buds.
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