Today is Halloween in the US. There is a full moon and I am staying home today…I bought this pumpkin to celebrate and challenged myself to find five additional orange things in my garden.
The Soap Aloe (Aloe saponaria) is flowering. A friend gave me one of these several years ago, now I have several and give them to friends. A native of South Africa, they can be used for shampoo – but are well known for causing allergic reactions, so I enjoy them in the garden and cut them for flower arrangements.
Dwarf Ixora (Ixora chinensis or taiwanensis) these flower nearly continuously through the summer and off and on during the winter. They are called Maui Red, but I think they are orange.
Blanchetiana Bromeliad flowers are getting bigger and bigger…sometimes called Lobster Claw, these are big Aechmeas – some are six feet tall.
Gallardias (Gallardia pulchella) just keep going. I foolishly tried to start some from seed in August, not realizing them come up in droves naturally in October…
My favorite shrub, the Firebush (Hamelia patens var patens)
I am joining The Propagator for Six on Saturday – to see more posts, visit http://www.thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com.
Orange you glad for gardens!?
Happy Gardening!!
The Shrub Queen 
That was a good idea to do orange for today. Now you got me thinking and I need to check out my flowers.
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And I want a pumpkin martini🍁
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All I can say is that it was a fun drink.
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😆😆😆Very glad! I love orange in the garden, any time of year!
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Congratulations on finding six orange flowers in the garden. It’s a colour I tend to overlook for some reason, although I do have California poppies. I like the spiky flowers on your Blanchetiana bromeliad.
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Thanks, Jane. If you asked me I would say I am not really a fan of orange..then I look around..oh,well.
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Happy Halloween! Definitely a quiet holiday this year. I miss seeing the little kids in costume. Darned pandemic. 😦
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Thanks, Eliza..same here..quiet and no kids.. next year🎃
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I thought about it and I don’t have a single plant with orange…mine tend to be in the pink to red family.
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I would have said I don’t really like orange a few years ago. I think the hot colors look good in Florida.
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Those are some nice oranges! I’m finally finishing reading the SoS group, trying to stave off election anxiety… Thanks for helping me!
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Thank you…still trying to stave off election anxiety…
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I missed the challenge. oops. I lack orange anyway.
Soap aloe is rad! It blooms in different seasons in different regions. I think ours bloomed a bit earlier in October, but I was not there to see it, and I do not remember when it bloomed in previous years.
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It blooms quarterly here..
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That would make more sense, although I doubt ours does so.
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