I’m joining the SOS crew this Saturday following my morning garden tour. April and May are our driest months and it’s windy as well. The garden is crying out for water and it is difficult to apply enough. I let some things go dormant (grass!) and try to keep the fruit trees and flowers flush for my own selfish reasons. This morning I noted the usual summer suspects are starting to show their colors. Visit Jim’s blog Garden Ruminations to find more tours.
The first Frangipani (Plumeria spp) of the season. These are just starting to flower and put out foliage. They reach their full, scented glory with the onset of the rainy season. This is an unnamed variety I bought several years ago, 8-10 feet tall now. Currently one flower, eight leaves and the rest is sticks.
This is a Florida or Tropical Gardenia (Tabernaemontana diviricata). These are, oddly to me, a deciduous Gardenia. They flower all summer. The scent is much more subtle than G. jasminoides, more detectable at night.
‘Little Harv’ Aechmea Bromeliad flowers. Little Harv is not that little, he is at least three feet tall and probably hangs around for a month.
‘Hallelujah’ Billbergia Bromeliad showing summer color. The whites and greens become more pronounced and then an odd red, white and blue flower that resembles curling ribbon appears. I wonder where these things come from sometimes.
A White Geiger (Cordia boissieri) tree I have been working on. I think about 75% of the top was removed. These grow very oddly with crossing branches galore and produce shoots about every four inches. I have a feeling I am not finished with the pruning.
Florida native Sunshine Mimosa (Mimosa strigillosa). This is a drought tolerant groundcover with interesting flowers.
That’s all from South Florida. The rain dance starts soon.
The Shrub Queen 
We had a Frangipani tree in the front of one of our Florida homes and my husband always referred to it as our stick tree when it was bare. 😊
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Yes, they are really pretty or really not pretty. Though the flowers are worthwhile.
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You are looking pretty albeit being so dry. The Plumeria must smell amazing. If you get another one of the ribbon flowers, please post. That’s interesting!
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Thanks, the grass was not in the pictures! It is crispy. I think the ribbon flowers are later in the year, it is one of those things that stops you dead in your tracks, I will post.
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I wish that I could send you some of our rain and cool days.
I love the Mimosa, very vibrant.
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Same here, especially the rain, the pollen has been thick this year. Thank you, the Mimosa is pretty for a short time.
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Those are some tropical goodies. Too tropical for here. I would like a gardenia that blooms all summer.
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A very tropical gardenia and incredibly hardy.
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Is this mimosa a sensitive plant like M. Pudica?
Very beautiful tree this Cordia boissieri, it has a beautiful shape.
Seeing this photo we can see the palm tree in the background and I say to myself that your region must be subject to strong winds, even when there are no hurricane
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It is and kind of scraggly really, but interesting in springtime. I hope I got the Cordia straightened out, it got twisted in a hurricane. It is windy here sometimes, probably 15 mph today. A nearby town is called Ocean Breeze.
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Happy Six on Saturday! So many wonderful plants in your post. ‘Little Harv’ and the Sunshine Mimosa really caught my eye. Fun post!
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Thanks, Little Harv will make you stop for a second look..
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I feel warmer just looking at these tropical treats, thank you!
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Ha, so do I.
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Love that mimosa bloom! It’s a fun plant.
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Its fun to walk through them and watch them fold..it is used as a lawn substitute here.
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It is so interesting to view all these exotic plants, and that little mimosa certainly packs a punch as far as beauty of flower is concerned. Have a good week.
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Even in the dry time of year you have a lot of lush looking greenery. The Mimosa is really pretty! When does the rainy season usually begin?
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Thank you. Even the humidity is low and I have to mist the orchids I am trying to establish. Rainy season starts May 30 theoretically.
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Oh, is it plumeria season? It may be different in the Los Angeles region. I am supposed to be there now, but was diverted on my way. Now, I will only stop there for the night as I return home. I typically prune the larger plumeria for Brent so that I can take some of the scraps back to my friends at home.
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I just pruned a big Bridal Bouquet Plumeria and am letting the cuttings dry out before I pot them.
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I really want a copy of Brent’s plain white plumeria! It does not branch much, so does not provide many cuttings. I leave the few cuttings that I get there so that Brent can use them at work.
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I think the pruner should get a reward.
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I get plenty. Eventually, I intend to grow all of Brent’s original plumeria that he got from a neighbor when he was a kid.
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