A gardening friend collects plants from the side of the road and transplants them into his garden; referring to these plants as his roadsidia – and has a beautiful garden. The roadsidia element in this arrangement is the vase, found on the curb with the trash while walking the dog. It reminds me of a bottle that would contain a genie..I hope one is in there and he or she will clean my house!
A closer view:
The bigger red flower is a Lobsterclaw Heliconia (Heliconia rostrata) – it doesn’t get much more tropical than this. The varigated leaf is from ‘Java White’ Copperleaf (Acalphya wilkesiana ‘Java White’); smaller red flower is Firecracker Plant (Russelia equisetiformis).
Pale yellow flowers are from the Java White Copperleaf, red spike flowers are Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea); the arching green leaves are foliage from the Lobsterclaw Heliconia; pale green stems are Pencil Cactus (Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Firesticks’)
I spied the first Monarch butterfly in my garden today; visiting the Firebush for a sip of nectar and wanted to share a link to some good news about this butterfly at long last.
Thank you to Cathy at http://www.ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com for hosting IAVOM; follow the link to see more vases.
Happy Gardening!!
The Shrub Queen 
Very stylish – great use of the vertical elements. Don’t you just love finding abandoned treasure? My spouse keeps me away from the free table at the transfer station because inevitably I find something I want to take home with me, needed or not!
Yes, cautious optimism about the monarchs. A few more good years and we might regain the lost numbers. The biggest key is the overwintering sites, reforesting the mountains in Mexico and providing economic incentives to the locals there. Here, we can plant more milkweed. My patch is so huge, bordering invasive! Hope to get some tenants soon. 🙂
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Thank you, funny about your spouse, mine would be looking for old tools to lose in the garage. Hope you see some Monarchs soon.
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I was trying to figure out what a roadsidia was. There must be really great flowers growing along the road in Florida.
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My roadsidia friend is in North Georgia, a lot of good wildflowers there. Ironweed, Joe Pye, etc.
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The red vase was a great find. I love it with the large Lobsterclaw Heliconia leaves and just enough other color and texture for interest. Good job spotting the monarch. Haven’t seen one so far but starting to see a few others.
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Thank you, Susie. The milkweed is unfortunately either gone or not up yet so they are nectaring..I do have some weird native vines that are related to milkweed i need to look at.
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That is a glorious vase and all the better for its origins – and you have done t justice with the contents, giving such an overall elegant effect…lovely!
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Thank you, Cathy. It is a bit odd and needs the right flowers.
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That’s spectacular, Amelia! How tall is the arrangement? It looks huge. I SO wish I could grow Heliconia but I’m sure it needs plentiful moisture.
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Thanks, Kris. Almost three feet tall. I have a hard time keeping enough water on the Heliconia, these are sited below my gutterless roof and heavily composted. I think H. psittacorum are easier to grow.
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Love the Heliconia, I wish I had room in my garden for one. Your tall arrangement is really a nice combination.
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Thanks, Karen. I enjoy the Heliconias, so tropical
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Ooh, that is stunning! I really love the shape of the vase and the tall leaves you have used. The former owner would want the vase back if they saw this arrangement! 😉
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Thank you, Cathy. I am not sure these are vase people!
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That’s a very striking arrangement, shrubqueen. It’s so architectural with the large leaves and heliconia – and your free vase is a great find. I too, wish I could find a genie to clean my house (so I can spend more time in the garden, of course ;))
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Thank you, I think the Heliconia is an architectural flower. If you find that genie send him my way.
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Such a fabulous tropical vase. Made even more elegant by that vase. We had our first monarch visiting too as the milkweed is taller.
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Thanks, Donna. I am glad you are seeing Monarchs and have Milkweed.
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So, you have experience with ‘roadies’ also. (What if Rhody and I retrieved a rhododendron from the side of the road with Carson, the Roadmaster? Rhody’s Roady’s rhody roady?) Anyway, it is a great tradition. Brent referred to my collection of ‘borrowed’ plants as my felony garden.
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Love it, the triple roadie and the felony garden. Florida is one big rolling garage sale, lots of plants by the side of the road and many other things..
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‘Quadruple’ Rhody’s Roady’s rhody roady!
San Jose and other adjacent towns do green waste recycling, so small piles of garden debris can get left out at the curb. It is a great source of all sorts of perennials, such as iris, lily of the Nile, African iris canna and even banana trees.
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Same here, many of my bromeliads are roadys.
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