I am joining the SOS crew today sharing my summer survivors. This summer has been brutal, temperatures over 90 degrees F most days and very little rain. Add to that the demise of our irrigation system, I water what I can and am admiring what is surviving the onslaught. The tropical plants are outshining the native plants in the garden this summer.
Chocociana Parrotflower (Heliconia psittacorum). These small Heliconias are hunkered down under a Firebush and are doing quite well. Of course, I do have to squat down to see them.
Lady Di Parrotflower (Heliconia psittacorum) and native Tillandsia growing near the trunks of Miss Alice Bougainvillea.
Spinach tree (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius), a tropical subsistence vegetable I planted for the butterflies is doing remarkably well with no help from me. The flowers provide nectar for butterflies. The leaves may be cooked like spinach – if you know how to prepare it, otherwise it is poisonous. I leave it for the pollinators.
Chandelier Plant (Medenillia cummingii) is flowering again. Third or fourth time this year.
Schlomburgkia Orchid slipped out of its pantyhose noose. I reinstalled it with string. This orchid has put on four new canes this summer, but can’t quite get its roots in the trunk. I hope this works.
Several people have asked what the Beautyberry (Calliocarpa americana) shrub looks like. This is it. It has dropped a lot of leaves in favor of the berries.
That’s my Six for this Saturday. Hanging on with the orchids in the garden, waiting for fall. To see more posts, visit http://www.thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com.
Happy Gardening!!
The Shrub Queen 
The Parrotflowers are so pretty, Ooh I hope the orchid gets hold of the tree soon for you. I think Doc had Beautyberries this week too. They are a fun colour.
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Thanks, the orchid continues to intrigue me. not sure what it will do next.
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It has been a brutal summer. You will know all the tough plants now.
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There are always some surprises. Good and bad. Hope you got some rain! and not a storm.
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It’s true that the look of the callicarpa is really weird because here I have a lot more leaves and a lot less berries. Yours are tight in small groups and it gives it a very aesthetic appearance.
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I agree, weird, if I cut them back the shrub looks better but the berries are less showy. A dilemma.
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Lean times all over. Hope you get some rain soon. We actually had a cloudburst this afternoon. Enough to wet things, so at least the leaves got a drink. At this point, we need a 3-day nor’easter to wet the ground thoroughly. I dug a few potatoes out of the garden and it was pretty much dry 6″ down. Yikes. I don’t know how the plants are holding on.
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It has rained a bit. The ground is dry here and the plants look like they could use some fertilizer but I am afraid it would just burn them. Our fall forecast is for wetter than normal. Here’s hoping for that! It does give me an appreciation for real precipitation, hand watering just is not the same.
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So interesting to see the orchid. I also like the parrot flowers in your now tropical garden,
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Oh my, that beautyberry is sparse. It seems to be too shaded, although it is an understory species. I would be inclined to prune it aggressively while it is dormant through winter, in order to stimulate more vigorous growth; but I am unfamiliar with the species, or its situation.
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Actually it’s in full sun all summer, a lot of foliage has dropped due to lack of rain. They don’t really go quite dormant here..
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Oh goodness. I hope mine are not so complicated. I am very pleased to have procured them from Our Forest Garden, and want to grow them properly.
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Thank you for sharing all your beauties, and I rather like the Calliocarpa americana in its semi leafless state as its form and beautiful stems can be admired. Of course it probably is not a good thing for the plant itself.
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Thank you.
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Love both the leaves and flowers of that spinach tree. Unusual weather patterns all over, eh?
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I think I will propagate some more of that spinach, it is really indestructible. The weather is strange, I have seen forecasts for a wet fall here, which would be great!
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