It is somewhat of a mystery where all the @#! muscadines came from behind my house. The grapes are bitter, have huge seeds and the vines can grow 10 or 15 feet during the summer and once you start pulling it is impossible to find the end of them. I had these at my house in Atlanta and it took a few years to find them all but – I won. This time I am not so sure. So, every summer I have grapes in a vase or two. I love the chartreuse color of the unripe grapes. The vases have not reduced the vines, though it would be wonderful if they did! I need a large grapevine basket or wreath making business.
The Mystic here is the blue spike in the back of the arrangement. I love these. Mystic Spires Salvia. Amazingly long lived for South Florida, one has been flowering since March 2021. I realized I needed one more and then pulled myself back from planting anything in July.
Closer views:
The unripe grapes of the Muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia). This is a native grape to a large portion of the southern and eastern US, there are some varieties that are good to eat or used in making wine. The white bracts are Miss Alice Bougainvillea flowers. Orange and sage green flowers are from Soap Aloe (Aloe saponaria).
The spires of the Mystic Spires Salvia accented with foliage from Varigated Flax Lilies (Dianella tasmanica)
I have been baking with Thai dessert mangoes harvested from my tree this afternoon. I ended up with four ripe mangoes and decided to make vanilla cupcakes with mango filling topped with mango buttercream. Not to worry, these are actually vegan, not terribly unhealthy in the scheme of life and very good.
That is all from South Florida this week. No, I am not considering cake decorating classes.
Thanks to Cathy at http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com for hosting. Follow the link to see more vases…
The Shrub Queen 
Your post made me laugh this morning! And the photos are a bit surreal to me – love the colour combos. Grape vine baskets yes, cake decorating no… 🙂
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This made me and my husband laugh. We think South Florida is surreal as well. I actually tried to make a basket, harder than it looks!
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A fabulous vase….love the blue spikes of Mystic Spires Salvia. Really quite gorgeous. And the addition of the grapes is inspired. Not sure which grape vine finds its way into all my gardens. I’ll have to look it up but I don’t think it is native. Of course the highlight is the mango cupcakes. Wow, I can only imagine the wonderful flavor of summer!
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Thanks, the grapes go as far north as New Jersey. Frozen mangoes are actually good.
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Oh forget the flowers! Those cakes look delicious!😉
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LOL, I ate one a little while ago and agree!
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Your cupcakes look delicious. I believe we have similar grapes growing in our area. I finally figured out how they find a way to climb up trees. It seems raccoons relieve themselves as they climb. I find scat and then grapevines growing under my trees.
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Thanks, raccoon poop is probably the answer. There are a number of mischievious raccoons around here.
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Ooh – Mystic Spires, how can I have managed not to add any here yet!!! It just keeps on giving, doesn’t it? I was really drawn to the bougainvillea bracts – what a great addition. The grapes do look striking in your vase, but I don’t suppose you want them in a vase every week… I too make cakes that taste nice but are not necessarily pretty…what’s the point??! 🤣
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I think you need some mystic spires. I like some grapes every now and then! I agree about the cakes, mine are always rustic and edible.
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I will look out for it – although of course it might not do as well here! 😉
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Always another plant to try!!
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Gee, I have been trying to grow muscadines for a few years. An old specimen on the farm, which I believe is merely some other sort of grape vine, is supposedly some sort of muscadine that lacks a pollinator. Without a pollinator, I will never know. I have tried to grow wild muscadines from seed, and may eventually procure cultivars.
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Get a cultivar. Most of the wild ones are awful. I am not sure they all produce grapes.
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If I could, I would get a wild muscadine that produces good fruit, but that would likely be too much effort. The best I could hope for is a cultivar that was selected from the wild, which I suppose is the same thing. Actually, it is the same as both options. It is both a cultivar, but also from the wild. Those that do not produce fruit may be exclusively male.
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Oh, you went and did it again, presenting food when I’ve yet to have lunch! Now I’m going to need something sweet to accompany my sensible salad 😉 I’m always amazed by how many aloe flowers you seem to have – my plants seem much stingier with their flowers than yours. The same can be said for my ‘Mystic Spires’ Salvia.
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Hi Kris. well, it is the best year ever for the aloe and salvia, lots of rain. Hope you get some dessert.
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Oh I remember some family members loved their muscadines. Others had scuppernongs (which is also a muscadine I think). They do pop up all around. You’ve put them to good use in the beautiful display. Cupcakes look pretty darn tasty too.
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Thanks, Susie. My grandfather grew scuppernongs..
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When I was little every relative’s house we went to had both. For a time we had scuppernongs. Not sure why but my father took out the vines at our house when I was about twelve.
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Think the vines got loose? I always liked California green grapes better! Bad Southerner..
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Same here. We only had those green grapes at Thanksgiving or Christmas when my mother made a delicious fruit salad essentially, but she called it ambrosia.
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Lol.. my mother made ambrosia as well.. oranges and coconut?
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No not the typical one with coconut. It was apples, oranges, bananas, pineapple, of course those green grapes, and a can of eagle brand milk! I make it often (subbing orange juice for the eagle brand) and adding pecans when I can.
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Sounds good though I haven’t had the milk version. I have been toasting pecans with rosemary and maple syrup and using them like that
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I love your Mystic Spires, I must look out for it. And cup cakes with your own mangoes? How wonderful, I wish I could come for tea.
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Thanks, Liz…I would love to share a cupcake with you!
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I love the stacked layers of your arrangement, quite striking!
Maybe one of your IAVOM posts can be a large grapevine wreath loaded with fresh flowers! 😉
Your cupcakes look so yummy. I love mangoes and am sad that their season is nearing its end, but at least there are peaches coming on, so at least there is that.
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Thanks Eliza. A floral wreath is a great idea. Mangoes go to September here. I still have Nam Doc Mai on the tree. There’s a big green when ripe mango called Keitt that’s late, if you run across one try it.
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Oh my goodness, vegan mango cupcakes? I’d be over for tea… but I doubt there are any left?! 😂 A shame your grapes are not tasty. Look pretty in vases though, and your orange and blue combinations are always lovely.
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I think you would like the cake..a new recipe using almond milk. There are some in the freezer! I made pineapple filling to try a different version. Thanks
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These looks so good! Yes, the flowers and the cupcakes, both. I’ve overlooked Mystic Spires to my loss obviously. Love the addition of those rigid, spherical grapes!
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Mango buttercream! My goodness!!
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That is a gorgeous arrangement! And the cupcakes must’ve been wonderful! 😋
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Thank you!
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