Dark Glasses, my theme this week involves two types of dark glass. First, the vases made of smoky grey (like Ray Bans) and dark blue glass. Next, the contents of the vases, bright enough to require sunglasses.
The bigger vase, in Ray Ban grey, is filled with Parrotflowers (Heliconia psittacorum) and Asian Sword Fern, the devil in fern clothing (invasive fern) – the Parrotflowers have rebounded magnificently from Hurricane Irma, causing me to realize cutting them for vases really improves their existence and mine. Probably my favorite cut flower.
The smaller cobalt blue vase is filled with a larger variety of flowers. My husband’s comment ‘it looks like a meadow’ – a sort of tropical meadow, I think.
The foliage is from Pie Crust Croton, a mad tropical plant by all counts. This shrub sports black foliage with orange, green, yellow and red spots, new growth green and the leaf edges crimped like pie crust. Planted in honor of my husband, the pie maker.
The crusts are reminiscent of the Croton, no? Blueberry and Apple pies.
The ferny foliage is from Asparagus Fern, this finely textured foliage tends to just pop up in the garden and I usually cut it for arrangements.
The flowers are mostly natives, the yellow, Beach Sunflower (Helianthus debilis), orangey rust Gallardia, orange tubular, Firebush (Hamelia patens), the red spikes Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea) the bright red flower in the middle is from the Coral Plant – an oddity that is a variety of Jatropha, not native.
Happy Monday and I hope Ophelia misses everyone!
The Shrub Queen 
I love Parrotflowers, too. Glad that they don’t mind being cut as I like seeing them in your arrangements. Beach sunflowers are nice and sunny, yes, sunglasses are needed!
I’ll be glad when hurricane season is over and I don’t even live in a threatened area like you do. Nature all over is walloping us this year. 😦
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I think you love Heliconias like I do. The more the merrier, I will be moving the recalcitrant ones around during the winter. I agree with Kris, Mother Nature is angry – probably for good reason.
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The Parrot flowers are amazing; it is always good when a plant improves by cutting its flowers! You certainly need the sunglasses for this one.
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Yes, the Parrot flowers are disturbingly easy to grow!
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These are lovely, The interesting foliage sets of the blooms quite well. Pies look yummy.
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Thank you
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The sunglasses connection works well on all counts, Amy, and how lovely to be able to be repeatedly generous with your parrot flowers. Croton and maidenhair fern are grown as houseplants in the UK – interesting to see them with their native bedfellows. Thanks for sharing
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I swear, my stomach started growling as soon as I saw that slice of blueberry pie! (It is lunch time here.) I wish I could grow your parrotflowers – and the beach sunflowers for that matter. I had to look up Hurricane Ophelia as I’d only heard snippets of references to it – is Mother Nature angry with the world or what?!
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I think my waist size is related to the pies! The Heliconias are easy to grow if they sit by an irrigation head downhill really. I would be surprised if you couldn’t grow Beach Sunflowers – sand is required and little water, they thrive with no irrigation. I remember it’s not nice to fool Mother Nature, right?
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Aren’t you lucky to have all these (for me) exotic flowers as everyday garden plants! I can see why the parrotflowers would be a favourite.
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Yes, I am from much further north and enjoy the exotic madness.
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I love seeing your exotic tropical flowers. How wonderful that your Parrot flower benefits from being cut. I love it in the black glass with your devil fern. The little arrangement is a delight too. That’s a handy sort of husband making such wonderful pies. Mind you I can’t complain I have a resident chef too.
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Thank you. The garden is getting more tropical, I have a Blue Latan Palm and some new Frangipani. Husbands who cook are a wonderful thing!
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I especially love that smaller vase – a lovely arrangement with pretty foliage too. Ophelia swept across Ireland last week and didn’t quite catch me out when flying home from the UK last Monday, but the airports in northern England were actually closed for several hours!
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Goodness, that whole Ophelia thing was weird. Thanks, glad you made it back home.
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