It’s Valentine’s week so…another red vase for the month of love. I am realizing another oddity of tropical gardening. It is February and I have several types of red foliage to choose from for this vase. Croton foliage is in the vase, but I have several red Bromeliads and Copperleaf foliage as well. Color rules the tropics.
There is also fruit in this vase, it is winter and the fruit has been forming since fall. Which is kind of normal? Or should I say typical? Here is a close up:
The red vase is a thrift store find. The red flowers are from Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea); red foliage is from Mammey Croton (Codieum variegatum); chartreuse winged fruit is from Sweet Begonia (Begonia odorata ‘Alba’) and the berries are from Firebush (Hamelia patens)
I have been collecting ingredients for a different Valentine’s treat, a tradition in our house.
The recipe is called ‘A Very Good Chocolate Cake’ by Edna Lewis, my favorite Southern cookbook author. I have tweaked it a bit over the years, but usually make for my husband’s birthday and Valentine’s Day. Suffice it to say I will get my cholesterol bloodwork done before February 14th!
Happy Valentine’s Week!
For more vases on Monday – follow link to Cathy’s blog VASES
The Shrub Queen 
I love the red. This week I recognize all your flowers.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, familiarity at last! Do you have Sweet Begonias?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have never had luck with begonias and I don’t remember seeing them, but I haven’t looked. I have a Hardy Begonia that grows in shade and just mostly makes nice leaves.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have not seen this Begonia anywhere but South Florida but it is everywhere and thrives in sand and shade with rare fertilizer. Odd!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Miss Grant it must be nice to have color to work with. We are having cold with snow and rain and the some more rain.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, color is good for this month. Just a bit windy here.
LikeLike
Red is a great eye-catcher, and your arrangement fits the holiday theme to a T.
I want some of that cake, I’m drooling! 😉 It looks delicious!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Eliza, red is a good color for February!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That red vase is absolutely perfect to bring out the reds in your plant material, and the overall effect works really well with your Valentine’s theme. I have made chocolate cake today too, one of the last to go in the freezer ready for our opening on Sunday. My recipe came from my Auntie Jean – I wonder what sort of ingredients are in your cake?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, i will email the recipe if you would like to read it. Very Southern, in the cake bakers chocolate, vegetable oil, sour cream eggs flour and sugar and coffee. Frosting heavy cream, butter, chocolate chips,coffee, sugar and vanilla in cake and frosting. I freeze this cake, too.
LikeLike
Ah, I have seen recipes like that before – I think mine gets the moistness from the syrup (golden syrup – not sure what you would call it)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Golden syrup was a fad about 20 years ago. Lyles maybe? I had to go to a store called Taste of Britain to buy it.
LikeLike
Yes, Tate and Lyle’s is the traditional green and gold tin – but I buy Aldi’s vesion now! So golden syrup is not especially common in the US?
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, the syrup is not common – I will have to look in the international foods at the grocery store, there are many visitors from the UK here – I am not sure what ingredient is replaced, Karo syrup maybe?
LikeLike
I have googled Karo syrup which seems to a very good laxative and an odd thing to be putting in cakes!! Googling further I see that ‘syrup’ can be made from all sorts of things, like corn and sorghum, but our syrup is of course sugar based like molasses is. All really interesting stuff
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL, I had no idea karo syrup was a laxative! I don’t really like the taste kind of icky sweet and used in pecan pies, candies, etc.My grandmother used it for cakes and frosting. I occasionally use maple syrup for cooking, but that is the limit of syrup usage. We use white and brown and sometimes raw sugar for sweeteners.
LikeLike
I use it to make gingerbread and certain biscuits – and it is what I have on Shrove Tuesday pancakes too
LikeLike
I love all that red and a gorgeous cake too.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Liz. I asked the weedkiller guy about Bishopweed and he did not know if anyone had tried it. They will be expanding into the UK at some point and may ask you to try it!
LikeLike
Thank you Amy. I shall be interested if it becomes available here.
LikeLike
Did you see Susie’s comment.. I think she can try the Bishop weed?!
LikeLike
It is amazing that croton can photosynthesize with those leaves. I mean, they need green chlorophyll to do that.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It is amazing, though there is some green in there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That was something that was baffling about the ‘Schwedlerii’ Norway maple, that is so bronzed in spring and early summer that chlorophyll is not visible.
LikeLike
Yum! How is it I always seem to view your posts at lunch time?! My garden is heavy on red at the moment too. The Begonia fruit is interesting – I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The cake is calling! Interesting red in winter, though I think hot colors thrive in our environments.
LikeLike
Perfect. Both the arrangement and the chocolate cake. Thrown some way up north!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you ! Happy Valentine’s Day
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great seasonal combination for Valentine’s. The cake looks delicious. Edna Lewis was chef at Fearrington Restaurant here for a time. Unfortunately I have eaten there only once and it was long after she’d left. I have her cookbook too. (P.S. I have bishopweed to kill also if the company wants another tester!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Susie, I think they do.. will let you know.
LikeLike
A lovely red vase for Valentine’s Day. The salvia is beautiful and makes me long for summer and the scent of fresh herbs!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Cathy – I just found a herb I don’t like – a shocking event, Culantro. warm season Cilantro.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love this. You’ve got a nice blog, and I’m glad to follow you. 🤗
It’s an honor to be here 🙇 . I hope I can make good friends with you💐
LikeLiked by 1 person