November is usually a glorious weather month in South Florida. The past few days have been cold and rainy, which is odd. Temperatures have been in the 60s (F)/15(C). We are cold, my greyhounds are covered in a film of sand and so are the floors. The dogs have enjoyed racing in the cool weather. The garden soaked up the rain and provided some bounty for the gardener.
New to the garden this year and the first time I have seen the flower – Medinilla cummingii. Chandelier tree is its common name and a very apt description of the plant. It has numerous buds and I am waiting for the full flowering. Should be spectacular. These are similar to orchids, ocurring naturally growing in trees somewhere in the South Pacific. It must be a fabulous forest. This one is shares a pot with Dwarf Chenille Plant on my front porch.
A closer view of the flower.
I started seeds earlier this year (September) and have my first bud on the Cactus Zinnias.
Tomato seeds were started at the same time in early September. I planted Yellow Pear and Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes, these look like neither, but I hope to eat some next week.
I espaliered the red flowering Nodding Hibiscus shrub to my neighbor’s fence – very pleased with how it is turning out.
A favorite winter flower – Portea ‘Candy’ Bromeliad. These flowers last a long time and then produce an interesting seedhead. Such mad cool flowers.
There, my Six for this Saturday. To see other SOS posts, visit http://www.thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com.
Happy Gardening!!
The Shrub Queen 
Your post has warmed me up, with all your wonderful exotics. Thank you.
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Thanks, Gill.
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I had to laugh when you wrote 60s was cold! (It’s been in the 20s every night here this week.) Such a different world of gardening you have in contrast to mine, Amy. I’m celebrating it!
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I am celebrating as well, Eliza…on the screen porch with a glass of Chardonnay! Finally cool enough to leave windows open. It was 58 degrees this morning, misty and there was a north wind off the Atlantic! Still not the 20s. And I am still wearing shorts and tank tops.
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2 pretty exotic flowers this week that you presented to us with the Portea ‘Candy’ Bromeliad and the Chandelier tree. I also do like this palm tree trunk with the red hibiscus flowers in the background. 15 °C is not cold, it’s mild for us. Here it’s starting to get cold now with 7 to 9°C in the afternoon
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Thanks, Fred. True Floridians break out flannel shirts when it hits 22C. I am still wearing shorts.
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Lovely to see a tropical garden. Envious of the tomatoes already. We just planted our toms yesterday.
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Thank you, hope you get tomatoes soon, storebought is just not the same.
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I really like the Portea ‘Candy’ Bromeliad.
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Thanks, I do too.
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Christmas palm fruit looks silly. The king palms in the Los Angeles take a several years to mature enough to bloom, and when they do so for the first time, we refer to it as ‘graduation’. The floral tassels look like the tassels we wore when we graduated at school.
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Silly fruit!? I guess that is why so many people cut it off. I have Phoenix roebellini that get the tassel fruit.
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Cut it off? Silly can be pretty. I would cut off queen palm fruit because it is messy, but not very pretty. However, the red and white fruit of Christmas palm, at least in pictures, is pretty, and does not seem to be abundant enough to be very messy.
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I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a medinila. I’ll have to look for it. My zinnias are looking a lot better in the cooler weather. And we are freezing here in the 50’s and 60’s. It has hit the 40’s at night and the heat is on.
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Look for a Medinilla magnifica..I think they are becoming more common they have been around here for a while as a winter hanging basket sort of thing. I am glad I have company for being cold.
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Thanks, I’ll check it out.
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