More tropical madness from my garden. I know the peak of hurricane season is upon us when I see the Flaming Torch Bromeliads in bloom. September 10 is peak day. The Five Day Tropical Outlook looks good for now, so life is good. The parfait glass is a perfect container for the heavy flowers. I inherited this glass from my mother-in-law, who collected Colony pattern Fostoria glass. This is a juice or parfait glass, my husband’s fond memory of these glasses is they were filled with butterscotch pudding.
A closer view:
There is a good reason to call this Flaming Torch. It is also called Hurricane Bromeliad, due to its flowering time. These are not quite open and elongate a bit as they open. The latin name is Billbergia pyramidalis.
The support staff of the Torch…I decided to accent the purple tones in the flower with ‘Purple Prince’ Alternanthera foliage and a sprig of Beautyberry (Calliocarpa americana). The white flowers are Bridal Bouquet Frangipani (Plumeria pudica), added for fragrance.
I mentioned hearing the return of the Sand Hill Cranes for winter (I use that term loosely) a couple of vases ago. Here is a photo of the birds, they were walking through a neighboring yard. They are probably three feet tall.
Thanks to Cathy for hosting IAVOM. To see more vases, visit http://www.ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com
Happy Gardening!!
The Shrub Queen 
We have cranes here too Queen. Lovely flowers.
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Thanks, Flower. Do the cranes stay all winter?
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Do not think so.
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I would love to see a crane in my yard. The bigger birds that hang out at the lake, never stop by. I had eagles in my trees before.
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Are the eagles there year round? We see bald eagles in winter here and migrating hawks. I never knew hawks migrated but they hunt in packs along the river in winter.
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That’s a good question. I think they are here all year. I’ll have to research it.
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Beautiful! I like the glass, as well. Butterscotch pudding sounds pretty good, too. 😉
Those cranes must be an amazing sight!
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Thanks, Eliza. The cranes are amazing. Bird season is just starting here.
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How can there be a ‘peak hurricane’ day – is it really as regular as that? The ‘parfait glass’ is perfect as a vase and the combination of blooms and foliage is far better, in my book, than butterscotch pudding ever could be!! 🤣
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No, it is not that regular. The last couple of weeks of August and first weeks of September have the most hurricanes. That is the middle date and it is downhill from there. Not many butterscotch pudding fans here…
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Makes me think of Angel Delight from the 60s (70s?) although I don’t think it was anything I ever consumed myself…
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A great shot of the cranes! A flaming torch parfait beats butterscotch pudding any day in my book. I hope you avoid being in the eye of any hurricanes this season, Amelia.
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Thanks, Kris..
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My six beautyberry are doing well, but will have no berries this year. They are growing more now that it is late summer than they had since last winter. Well, I am pleased that they are here anyway. It is a new one for me.
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Is the Official State Flower of Florida just the common orange blossom from common sweet orange, or is it the orange blossom from the more fragrant sour or bitter oranges? I suspect that, since it is not specified, that it is from popular sweet orange.
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I would be surprised if it was that finely detailed.
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It should be, since the oranges are so different. For some states, the identities of the Official State Flowers are quite vague. For example, the Official State Flower of New Mexico is simply ‘Yucca’, but no one seems to know which of the many native species. In California, we all know that the Official State Tree is the coastal redwood, but some sources insist that it is the giant redwood.
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Looked it up. Citrus sinensis.
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Yes! (Oh, I should have done that.) It is the sweet orange, rather than the sour or bitter orange. That is likely because the sweet orange is of agricultural significance there.
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The one here is putting out new shoots..
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From the base? When mine get established, I would like to coppice them annually, since they bloom on new stems. If they generate basal growth after fruiting, it could be better to prune out the canes that already bloomed and fruited, but leave those that have not. Then, those canes that last through winter can (might) bloom and fruit prior to the new canes of the following year. Well, I am not acquainted with the species yet.
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Yes the base..the fruit is still getting bigger and is beautiful. A few birds have been eating it. These all flower May or so and stop growing new vegetation..
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I suppose that I must get familiar with how it grows before I determine how to prune it. If those who are familiar with it tend to coppice it, there must be good reason for it.
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I ♥♥♥ the colors and textures in this vase! So bright and gorgeous!
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Butterscotch pudding does sound good, but I think I prefer the red bromeliads actually! It is interesting hearing what marks the seasons in your part of the world. Here, the housemartins have flown south and the days are getting shorter. Hope the hurricanes don’t get near enough to do harm this autumn and just bring you some nice rain instead.
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Thanks, Cathy. I am seeing more birds but the major influx is a couple of months out. Still looking for that nice rain!
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