This holiday shrimp is not for dinner or appetizers, it is for the vase and from the garden, not the sea. I love shrimp from the sea, my husband has unfortunately been somewhat shrimphobic when it comes to eating the shellfish. I cope with this by having garlic laden Shrimp Scampi when we dine out, sometimes to his chagrin.
I was looking for holiday reds and greens this week and the Red Shrimp Plants caught my eye. A burst of flowers appeared just in time to fill the cranberry glass vase, a thrift shop find from earlier this year
The red flowers on the menu are the Red Shrimp Plant (Justicia brandegeana); off white spikes, the mystery plant that appeared last year; white flowers are from Sweet Begonia (Begonia odorata), burgundy and green foliage is Solar Sunrise Coleus. A simple but tasty holiday concoction.
The Red Shrimp Plant is a passalong from my neighbor as is the Solar Sunrise Coleus. Below is the Shrimp Plant in the garden, thriving in full shade and sugar sand. It flowers off and on year round, I don’t think I have ever fertilized it or sprayed it for any reason. My kind of plant. Happy go lucky with benign neglect.
We are having a cool spell here in Florida, temperatures were in the mid 40’s this morning. The clear, sunny day was made for gardening – I finished planting seeds in what is becoming my tropical potager, if there is such a thing.
The green beans and tomatoes are already bearing fruit. Work is ongoing in this kitchen garden. I have included flowers for cutting in blocks with the vegetables, most are seedlings about an inch tall. A total experiment as I usually don’t start with seeds. So far, so good.
The Shrub Queen 
Those are very nice colors for the season. My shrimps are still blooming, but the coleus took a hit with the hard freeze the other morning. Isn’t it great to grow vegetables in the winter? My lettuce is in the garage for a few days.
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Thanks, fingers crossed for the vegetables
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As well as enjoying your vase, I liked your food-related description (and comment to Cathy). Luckily my husband does like shrimp, but not scallops. So I always get scallops when we eat out!
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Thank you, scallops are a no go for here as well. I rarely eat them, but want to learn more..
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A tropical potager sounds rather special and fun; what else do you have growing. The whole world seems to be having a cold spell! I remember your unknown flowering plant from last year; I wish weeds in my garden looked like that, its perfect in your vase.
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Thank you, I love that weed, too. See the dig with dorris comment above about what is in the garden . I forgot the red bell peppers..considering black berries.
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Isn’t it wonderful when benign neglect pays dividends!! How intriguing to hear and see a bit about your ‘tropical patager’ today – and what is ‘sugar sand’? Such a lot to learn about growing in othe parts of the world 😉 Oh, and your vase is such a sweet one today 🙂
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Thank you, sugar sand is fine, white sand like the beach with basically no nutritional value – things that naturally grow in in are called scrub!
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Such a pretty arrangement. The shrimp plant is very jolly. I am always intrigued by the glimpses of your garden. A tropical potager sounds fun.
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Thank you, the garden is finally coming together. The hurricane damage is almost cleared out. Unfortunately, I went to a Mango lecture today and need to move some plants for room.
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Very suitable colours for the season. I am intrigued by the tropical potsherds, what’s going in it?
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Mangoes, avocados, citrus, pineapples blueberries for permanent members. I have planted tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, garlic, snow peas, fennel, radishes, lettuce and bok choy and basil . For vases, Cactus Zinnia, Italian Sunflowers and Asters. Most of these plants I have not tried before!
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Wow an incredible selection. Bok choy is a favourite. Hope they all grow for you, let us know
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Fingers crossed
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Yum – shrimp scampi! I haven’t had that in years. I love your shrimp plant, which you complemented beautifully with the coleus and begonias. It isn’t a variety I’ve seen before. I remember Justicia from the garden (if one could call it that) of my childhood home but I haven’t been successful in getting them to grow in my current garden, probably due to the now perennial water problem.
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Thanks, that particular Shrimp Plant is probably not in the trade, a passalong my neighbor grows hers in unirrigated sand in the shade of Silk Oaks and likely never waters it.
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Oh how lovely. Great find at the thrift shop. I love shrimp but harder now to find really good ones.
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Thanks, agree and am not so sure about farm raised shrimp!
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Very pretty and Christmasy! Great find on the vase, perfect for the holiday. The shrimp calyxes match the coleus so well and I love the purity of the begonia blossoms against the green foliage.
Your veggie garden is sweet and harvesting already -nice! How’s the Voodoo coming?
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Thanks, Voodoos have been fed with Holly tone and mulched, settling in nicely all came up and are 4″ tall or so..The foliage is pretty I have never seen any til now.
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It really is a lovely holiday arrangement! The red glass bowl sets off the flowers and coleus foliage so nicely! I wonder why it is called a shrimp plant…. do the flowers resemble shrimps? Perhaps, with a little imagination…! It is interesting to hear your temperature has dropped so low. Do you ever get frost?
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Thank you, the flowers sort of resemble shrimp = it is that imagination thing. The normal lows here are 40s, a frost is rare but ithappens
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Your arrangement is rather yummy..tasty and just the thing to serve up for IAVOM..love your post with references to food. Going out is the time to choose those specials which are not necessarily appreciated by all the family isn’t it? The scented begonia is stunning too.
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Thank you, eating out is all about shrimp!
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