It has not rained here in weeks, I am not sure if rain has fallen during the month of March. Of course, our irrigation well had to roll over and die in the middle of all this and I had to hand water the garden for a couple of weeks because all the irrigation contractors were overbooked. Finally, I told one I was an old lady and I could not hand water my half acre garden anymore. They showed up the following day. Now I know what to say. It turned out there were ants in a switch that made the whole thing work. We have water again, but it is very dry in the garden.
I thought there wasn’t very much in bloom until I went on a garden safari. Wandering through the garden, I found a few things – trees, shrubs and vines and few perennials. The native wildflowers are usually blooming by now. The Firebush, usually covered in flowers in March is just starting to flower, I decided to leave that for the butterflies as it is a favorite nectar plant and there are many teenage Zebra Longwings in the garden. The cold in January zapped a lot of the flowers back and then this dry March has continued the trend. Rain is forecast for Thursday, fingers crossed.
A closer view:
The vase is a pottery wine cooler I picked up in the North Georgia mountains a few years ago. It has been used as a vase more than to cool wine. The Mexican Flame Vine (Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides) that my neighbor has allowed to ramble through the big hedges between our gardens is in full bloom and the butterflies are going crazy for it. The smaller orange flowers are from the Mexican Flame Vine. They are quite fragrant and it is no wonder the insects love them. The larger orange flower is Mexican Honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera). White flowers near the base of the arrangement are White Geiger tree (Cordia boisseriei), another Mexican native. White daisy flowers are from Bidens alba, a Florida native. The white Begonias are another gift from Mexico; Lotusleaf Begonia (Begonia nelumbifolia). There is a bit of Red Firecracker Plant around the edges (Russelia equisetiformis) – yet another Mexican native.
Happy Gardening and Cheers to Mexican flowers. The safari has made me thirsty.
Thanks to Cathy at http://www.ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com for hosting In a Vase on Monday. Follow the link to see more vases from around the world.
The Shrub Queen 
Hurray for Mexican plants! I can really count on any plant from Mexico to do well in my garden.
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I was surprised when I looked up the last few plants in there, entirely unintentional and clear drought survivors. Hurray!
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I never played the dumb blond role, as I turned dark after aged 13, but maybe now I am therefore entitled to play the old lady card. I must rush out and do some hand watering, it keeps me fit, and I have been told to exercise more. Your vase is a great one to contrast with the vibrant oranges. Hope it rains for you soonish.
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I am a former brunette! No blonde for me. I doubt I have ever said that to anyone before but the watering was driving me crazy.
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I love the splashes of orange amidst the white and the way you have woven Mexican strands through your vase and your post. But gosh, what a catastrophe that could be, if your well issue continued for longer. I know I look very much younger than I am but I don’t think I have ever been in a situation where I have been tempted to play the elderly woman card,,,but it may well come in time!!
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Thank you, I am still watering and was at my wit’e end and on my third different company after two didn’t call back after a week each of waiting.
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Yours typically feature flowers that I am not familiar with. I know I saw the Mexican flame vine before, but it is still intriguing. When (if) I ever get back to Southern California, I will look for some of these in nurseries there. I sometimes ignore things that I think will not survive here.
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Most of the southeast is flooding and FL is dry… go figure. Hope you get some rain soon.
Love the Mexican theme today… I’ve really come to like orange and hot colors in my garden the past few years. Must be my aging eyes appreciate the brightness more than they used to. 😉
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Yes, go figure. I wonder about our perception. Is it age or (in my case) appreciating what grows here, or elsewhere easily? I did like a softer color palette when younger..
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That is lovely! Mexico clearly has a lot of gorgeous plants I have never heard of. Those orange flowers are really pretty. Hope you get your rain soon!
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Thank you, the Mexican Natives seem to be tolerating the lack of rain well!
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I love the Mexican flame vine and I’m glad that it’s satisfying the butterflies. Your lack of rain is as disconcerting as my own. I hope you do indeed get some rain this week. Sadly, it appears that our rainy season, pitiful as it was this year, is over. Many of the usual early spring flowers here are no-shows or late to arrive as well, which I assume is related to the rain situation – irrigation systems just don’t do the same job, even when they’re working.
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Kris, sorry to hear of your rain situation and I understand, there is no genuine substitute for rain. Praying for all.
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Love the arrangement. I’m especially enamored with the amazing vase. Equally special are the white Geiger tree flowers–their texture and the pristine white make it a standout beauty.
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Thank you, I keep meaning to buy some more of the pottery artist’s work. The White Geiger got blown over by a hurricane a few years ago and looks odd, but it flowers wonderfullly.
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The mix of flowers in your very cool wine cooler is nicely arranged and balance. I like how the white begonia helps tame the fiery orange flowers. I enjoy hand watering about the first day of summer, then I’m done with it. Plants have to get tough here. The times I’ve been in Florida it’s rained a bit every day, so you must really be dry there.
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Our well was off for a couple of weeks in January, so I am over watering and the well. My garden is beach sand and holds water for about 30 seconds. It is really dry here. The wells on higher ground in my neighborhood are dry. Winter is the dry season here. Rainy season starts in May.
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