Summer began on Thursday here, complete with thunderstorms and wet blanket of humidity slapping me in the face when traveling from air conditioned space to the great, sweaty outdoors. Summer flowers are a consolation for the weather.
The G’s are Gardenias and Gallardias, the Tropical Gardenias are stalwarts in my garden. They thrive under dreadful conditions and supply flowers off and on all summer long. The plant is probably ten feet tall and I struggle to reach the flowers, having jettisoned more than one across the vegetable garden by letting go of a long branch too quickly. Oddly enough, the buds last a really long time in the vase, but the flowers don’t. I love the graceful lines of the buds, when hanging over (and around) the side of a contrasting vase, the summer garden is looking fine indoors.
The first G is Florida (or Tropical) Gardenias (Tabernaemontana divaricata), semi deciduous, in my experience and not particularly hardy to frost. The other G is Gallardia (Gallardia pulchella), a native wildflower I have been trying to establish in the Pollinator Garden. The third plant in the vase is a Penta lanceolata, a plant known to serve as a nectar plant for butterflies. I have noticed the butterflies sipping on the flowers, hoping for offspring.
Speaking of pollinators, they are back for summer – these are caterpillars of Gulf fritillary butterflies chowing down on my ‘Lady Margaret’ Passionflower vine. Lady Margaret has been perverse in her unwillingness to flower in my garden, so I don’t mind if the Gulf fritallaries eat her up.
Here are the Gulf Frittilaries from last year. I hope to get better pictures this year,
The Shrub Queen 
I feel for you with the hot, muggy weather returning, ugh!
Your arrangement is bright and cheerful in spite of the heat.
It is exciting that your yard is a nursery for butterflies. Hope you hatch many!
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Thanks, frequent retreat to the air conditioning is the plan for a while. And butterfly chasing.
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The Gallardias are Gorgeous (and the Gardenia is OK too)! Here’s hoping for lots of butterflies after all that munching!
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I am also hoping for lots of butterflies.
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The Gaillardias have made their first tentative appearances here too, although we’ve not had anything remotely like summer weather here yet. (I’m not complaining!) They look lovely with the red Pentas. Your tropical gardenias sound like a real prize despite the challenge of cutting the blooms. (I have experience with catapulting flowers too.) I’ve never seen that genus here and I’m guessing that it wouldn’t appreciate our drier air.
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A friend told me this was our longest and best spring in 40 years, so I will take his word. I don’t know about this Gardenia in your garden. It lives in the driest part of my garden.
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I wouldn’t mind a bit of sweaty outdoors here right now. I love your Gs. I love gardenia but even as a pot plant I struggle to keep it going. Pentas is so pretty too. And what glorious butterflies.
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I wish I could siphon off some heat for you. I have had very little luck with Gardenia jasminoides. The fragrance is better from those.
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The Gallardia looks quite large. I bought a passion flower plant for the caterpillars and they did not like it. I guess I’ll have to find something else this year.
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The Gallardia is pretty big and I have a small forest of them. I may be overrun. It took the butterflies two years to find that one. It is about four feet tall. And holey.
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I would like to be overrun by them.
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Oh..you may see photographic proof😀
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Although I hate humidity I am ready for some warmth. Although flowers say it’s spring, the temperatures speak of winter. In the evening we are still lighting fires! Which I my way of saying I love your summery vase.
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It is oddly pleasant early in the morning and then the humidity kicks in. So it’s great from 6-9 AM! I am sure it will warm up soon enough. I associate German Iris with early spring.
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Lovely! That is summer in a bowl!
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I had never heard of the tropical gardenia. It sort of looks like a big gladiola floret.
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No it doesn’t. Look at some Glads
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I know what gladiolus look like. I just never saw a tropical gardenia before.
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