My repurposed pasta jar makes its second appearance filled with the tropical side of August in the garden. This month has been steamily perfect for growing tropical plants; more than 6 inches of rain has fallen thus far and it is currently pouring down. The greyhounds are a little grumpy. The lightning show offshore at night has been keeping everyone awake.
A closer view, the colors were a happy gardening accident. I do not consider myself a pink person, but there it is. Foliage in the background is two ferns that freely go wild in Florida. Asparagus Fern (Asparagus aethiopicus) and Asian Sword Fern (I think) – both are considered invasive – it would take a bulldozer to rid my garden of these. I have pulled out cubic yards of them. The purple and silver leafy foliage is Wandering Jew (Transcandentia zebrina) – if there is a more politically correct common name, I am not aware of it, though I do wonder about all the wandering and why Jews? The yellow and pink spikey flower in the back is from one of my garage sale Bromeliads. I have no idea what it is; the foliage is very thorny and is grey with a pink cast. The purple flowers are Ground Orchids (Spathoglottis ‘Cabernet’) dreadful name but a lovely little perennial that flowers off and on year round. The last pink flower is Shell Ginger (Alpinia zerumbet). In white with yellow centers Bridal Bouquet Frangipani. The Frangipani keeps flowering and I keep cutting them, I love the fragrance and added some Tropical Gardenias (Tabernaemontana diviricata) to the jar for some additional punch. Recently I ran across a Ylang Ylang tree (a major part of Chanel No. 5 perfume’s allure) Finding they will grow in my garden I am plotting the perfect location. Not a particularly lovely tree, but the fragrance from the flowers is heavenly.
Both Jars of August for comparison:
Last week
This week – Tropical version.
Thinking I should do a jar of weeds next week. Some are attractive and a major component of the garden in August.
The Shrub Queen 
What a contrast between the vases (pasta jars!)! I love your complementary choice of blooms today, especially the bromeliad and spathoglottis with the foliage of the tradescantia. 6″ of rain in how long a period, Amelia?
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Thank you, it is amazing the variety that grows here. We have had 6″ of rain since the first of August one day 2.7 inches!
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I love your ‘spa’ arrangements– They leave me fantasizing about a vacation in Bali, complete with fanciful towels on my bed looking like swans. 🙂 The striped bromeliad bloom spike is so striking, and I can only imagine how delicious the Frangipani and Gardenia are – beautiful!
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Thank you, Eliza. If steamy is your spa dream come down and weed in my garden!
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Hehe… the ‘spa fantasy’ means no work and lots of pampering. 😀 January might work for me, however. 😉
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You are the Florida gardening thing.
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My favorite Monday morning email is your fascinating arrangements.
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Thanks, Mr. Davis.
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All those bromeliads! I rarely ever got a flower or any to cut.
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If your climate is comparable to Orlando, look up Grower Jim, he sells cold hardy Broms. There are many that are just for foliage.
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Such beauties, I am sure it must smell lovely too. Thanks for sharing these tropical delights.
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Noelle, thank you..the fragrance is wonderful.
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I love your tropical arrangement. Pink isn’t my color either but somehow it’s crept into my garden as well. The shell ginger, Plumeria and tropical gardenias make this arrangement for me. I’ve wondered about other common names for Tradescantia zebrina myself – the only one I found was “inchplant.” All common names have their histories and their quirks. In the US we call Soleirolia “baby tears,” while the English call it “mind your own business” – odd in both cases.
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Thank you, Kris we have a native Portulaca here callled Kiss Me Quick?
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Some of those names are as exotic and pretty as the flowers! I didn’t realize you had so much rain in summer. Certainly good for those plants though. Oh yes, and do share some weeds with us. I find it fascinating how some plants are considered invasive/weeds in one place when they are planted in gardens in other parts of the world!
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I love the names, too. Summer is the rainy season here, it dries up in the winter. Biden’s is a terrible weed in my garden and many people love it – soon to be featured in a vase.
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The jar of tropicals is refreshing and beautiful. Would love a bit of your rain, we’re so parched here.
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Thank you, I would love to forward a bit of precipitation your way – my screen porch is molding.
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Oh dear!
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Tropical version is just perfect !
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Thank you, Dan
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Oh, the beautyberry again! When I get into the garden again, I must try that stuff. It won’t happen this winter, but perhaps next.
By the way, are muscadines native there? There is something here that we know as such, but I really do not know what it is. It naturalized from the vineyards.
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Yes, get some Beautyberry! and Muscadines are native here, but you want the named cultivars if you want something edible. Mine taste awful.
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Seriously?!?! Oh my! I was intending to get seed because I wanted those that are native to the Southeast. Than you for letting me know. I could get seed too, just to see what they are like, but I get only one or two vines (probably two), I should limit to something that will be useful.
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http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/HS/HS10000.pdf hope that link works, I have the native male referred to in here, I think. I like Scuppernongs out of all the varieties.
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Thank you. This also might explain why the one vine we had at the farm produced no fruit. I was told that it was a muscadine that was grown for understock in the vineyard that was up on the ridge a very long time ago. It is still there because I could not bear to get rid of it.
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I understand, I think Thomas Jefferson used these grapes as rootstock. The grapes are really awful.
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Awful? Wow, this is more information than I need. I intend to make jelly with them because I have heard of them as a traditional American fruit.
I remember that Okies used to can grapes here, and would can any sort of grapes they could find. (There were many abandoned orchards and vineyards back then.) Wine grapes were no good, and eating grapes were weirdly bland. I could not understand why anyone bothered with them, but I sort of think that Okies thought that such grapes could be canned like muscadines.
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