Summer has set in with a moist thump here. The weather forecast is humid all week long with a chance of thunderstorms. The weeds have had a joyful fiesta celebrating June’s prodigious precipitation. The tended flowers are also happy and more prolific than last year. It is nice to see old friends and meet some new ones in the garden.
Tropical Gardenias (Tabernaemontana diviricata) soaking up all the moisture and producing lush flowers and leaves.
My magnificent Mystic Spires Salvia, grown from a cutting last fall.
Best year ever for Soap Aloe (Aloe saponaria). These usually flower one at a time. Firebush is in the background.
Only in Florida, Purple Queen (Setcreasea or whatever they call it now). This is used as groundcover here and is basically indestructible once established.
This is the wildflower I am attempting to replace the lawn with. The Turkey Tangle Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora). I knew it flowered and was looking forward to seeing them. However, this is one of those things always shown magnified several times. I was surprised to see that the flowers are the size of a match. Explaining the common name Matchweed!
The Gallardias (Gallardia pulchella) stubbornly refuse to grow in the beds and infest the shell pathways. My plan to outwit them is – when they go to seed pull them up and throw them back in the bed… This is one of those rare plants all of us seem to grow.
A bonus seven! This is the Corkystem Passionflower vine (Passiflora suberosa) from last week; several people asked about it. The butterfly larval host plant. The caterpillars have been eating this one at the base.
That is my six plus for this Saturday. To see more SOS posts visit Jim at http://gardenruminations.co.uk
The Shrub Queen 
We’re having Florida weather now, all this week and the next, looking at the forecast. Maybe not as hot, but very humid and thundershowers off and on.
Love that Mystic Spires… I’ll have to look it up to see if it grows here, perhaps as an annual.
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Weirdness in weather. It is hotter a lot further north of here, in the 80s here today. Several of the UK and German gardeners have this salvia. It is my favorite and that is this year’s growth so I am very pleased with it. I think you would love it.
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Hi there ! Here, the Purple Queen plant is also almost indestructible, even though the climate is colder in winter. It’s the tradescantia pallida but we call it “Misery” as it grows everywhere.
Impressive tropical gardenia flowers! They are superb…
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Hi Fred, that is interesting. Misery and all. That is right on the botanical name. In college a long time ago they were setcresea. The gardenias have been great this year.
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I like the Soap Aloe, was it ever used as a soap? Such a fascinating array of plants. Thanks Amelia.
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Thanks Rosie. The aloe is one of those South African plants..supposedly used as shampoo then the next thing you read is most people are allergic to it, so I haven’t tried it. If you break a leaf it is very foamy and like aloe vera.
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Always interesting to get your 6 from Florida. Tabernaemontana diviricata is a bit of a mouthful, but what a beauty, is it fragrant? And I would love to grow that fabulous aloe.
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Hi Liz, that botanical name is something. It is lightly fragrant, more so late at night. The aloe is absurdly easy to grow. A friend gave me a cutting years ago and there are at least twenty around now, they usually flower 4 times a year.
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It all looks so lush and green.
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Passiflora suberosa seems to have more substantial foliage than other species. It also seems to be richer green. Passion flower cultivars are popular ornamentals here, but to me, their foliage seems to be rather weedy and easily damaged. If they produce fruit, the fruits gets ignored. I just recently got cuttings of a variety with small purple flowers. I have seen it recently. It seems to be popular. I do not know if I should expect fruit from it though.
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That lawn replacement is interesting… does it really fill out enough to make a lawn? Beautiful Salvia, and lovely to see the Blanket Flower which is familiar to me too! 😉
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It’s a interesting thing indeed.. almost an urban legend that it makes lawn. I have never seen one or this plant so it’s a total experiment. The other things that can be used in lieu of lawn are either not evergreen or vining nightmares..stay tuned!
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