Sunday brought clear, brilliant blue sunny skies to my garden. South Florida is in its finest pre summer weather. Time to batten down for summer and change to warm season plantings. I have been enjoying my pinks (Dianthus spp) and Miniature Pineapples and decided to cut both as it seems May is their predicted demise time. Rumor has it the Dianthus fades away as the Florida heat escalates and experience informs me the pineapples dry up on the plant into odd curly things. Best to cut both. Another plant on its way out is the Genovese Basil, now in full bloom. I have potted up replacements for summer dining. Basil can be grown year round here but needs to be replaced every 4 to 6 months.
The vase is from a flower arrangement I received at some point. I realize I have kept too many of these vases, though my cheap side says “they are all different sizes, you might use them someday” The packrat usually wins, at least for a while.
The flowers and fruit:
The miniature pineapple is from a pup (pineapples are bromeliads) a friend gave me several years ago. I don’t know the variety, though the whole plant is very sharp, including the fruit. The pink flowers are Giant Dianthus (botanical name unknown). Burgundy foliage is Purple Prince Alternanthera, currently growing in between the pavers on my porch.
White flowers are ‘Miss Alice’ Bougainvillea. The white spikes are Genovese Basil, lending a wonderful fragrance to the house and making me wish someone other than me would make a batch of marinara. Not likely! And I need more basil! Oh,well.
As always, thank you to Cathy for hosting. To find more vases, follow this link http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com
Happy Gardening!!
The Shrub Queen 
That mini pineapple is so cute. Dianthus do not like our summer heat either. We have been having unseasonal weather with cool temperatures and the days are starting in the 50’s and going to the 70’s with low humidity. I have been working so hard in the garden, I pulled a muscle in my back and had to take a day off.
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Cool? wow, and you are madly going before the heat sets in, I understand! It has been cool but rainy here.
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Lovely combo, I can just imagine the fresh basil scent, and that mini-pineapple is just the cutest thing!
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Thanks, Eliza. I hadn’t realized how basily the flowers smell.
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Good idea to pick them during their last hurrah. Clear glass vases are so versatile and I suspect you can’t have too many, if they are all different – mine are all angular though, rather than rounded, so if you had a spare one…? The white bougainvillea ties everything else together in yours – how long does it last in a vase?
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I wish I could send a round vase your way. They are all round. The Bougainvillea actually makes a long lasting cut flower, surprising me.
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Such a quirky vase! Love the tiny pineapple and the band of pink holding it all together, it’s as if the other flowers were riding on a wave. 🙂 What kind of frogs do you get?
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Thank you, Annette. There is some pink movement in there! There are many different frogs here. We get the tropical tree frogs that are tiny and up to Bufo Toads, huge and toxic. I am not sure which one sings, though the rain brings them out.
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We do have pretty tree frogs but not in the garden as they don’t seem to be woodland dwellers. Plenty of other very vocal frogs though 😀
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What a lovely vase. I love the pineapple plant as an addition and the combination of pink and burgundy is striking.
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Thank you, Cindy. I find the pineapple irresistible. I have to cut a few.
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Such a cute pineapple! Your vase is lovely. I believe you can never have enough vases, as long as they are all different.
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Thank you. The vases are all different, they are just stacking up!
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Another fabulous arrangement, Amelia. A touch of burgundy elevates pink, giving it a sophistication it doesn’t normally project. I love the addition of the baby pineapple too. I just saw some in a botanic garden and thought I should try growing one in my own garden. Pineapples are sharp but they can’t be worse than Dyckias, can they?
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Thanks, Kris. The pineapple is covered with spines and the foliage is all different lengths with a sharp spine on the tip. Difficult to cut. I think the sharpest brom is A. cruenta.
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I do do love the miniature pineapples…what a wonder in a vase!
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Thank you!
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The pineapple is a great addition to your vase, a fine focal point. Dianthus is one of my favorite flowers so it’s a pleasure to see it. Mine suffers during our hot summers too. Have a good week!
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Thanks, Susie. I am learning Dianthus is a summer flower in Europe. I think. Your Sweet William has been beautiful.
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I love the scent of basil, but I think the smell of dianthus is even better! I often have them in pots in summer, next to our front door… just for the fragrance. Good idea to cut them, and the cute pineapple too, if they are only destined to frazzle. They go so well with the dark Purple Prince foliage too. 😃
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Frazzle is a good word for it!
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Is a pineapple a fruit or vegetable? Because it is a floral structure, I think of it more like a vegetable, comparable to broccoli. Most everyone else considers it to be fruit. I have never seen one desiccate.
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Pineapple is a fruit, a berry fused together. who knew? They dry up on the plant over time.
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I really do not know! I learned them as floral vegetables, like broccoli, although I was never quite clear on the presence or lack of fruiting parts. Botany has a way of taking the appeal out of some types of fruits.
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