My Saturday morning garden tour revealed a budding collection of white Begonias. I actually have more. I did not realize I liked them so much. I have also been collecting plants for some Uber tropical containers I am planting outside my low windows, so I can enjoy viewing flowers in air conditioned comfort this summer. Follow this link GardenRuminations to visit Jim, a fellow Begonia enthusiast, and see what other gardeners have found outside this Saturday.
New to the garden, a Dragonwing Begonia, white with a pink blush.
From the roadside ditches of Central America, Lotusleaf Begonia (Begonia nelumbiifolia)
A South Florida stalwart, the Sweet Begonia (Begonia odorata “Alba”). There must be another color somewhere. I have never noticed a scent from these and have had them for years.
A new Ti Plant for the tropical containers. This is Cordyline fruticosa “Hot Pepper”. The containers will have charteuse Coleus, a creeping silver fern, Dragonwing Begonias and Malaysian Orchids.
The Malaysian Orchid (Medinilla myriantha). The rooted cuttings spent a week in the post to travel 70 miles. They are recovering nicely and should be sporting mad pink flowers in weeks. This is one of those wonderful plants that flower abundantly for a while and then drop dead for no apparent reason. They grow in tree tops in the South Pacific and must be spectacular in their native environs.
The giant houseplants…Snake Plants or Mother in Law’s tongues are an invasive weed in South Florida. It is virtually impossible to get rid of them without heavy equipment. These line a path to my tropical garden. I pull them out frequently to keep the path clear.
White Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia nicolai) reaches for the sky. This is about 15 feet tall and frames a view into the garden from the screened porch. These rarely bloom, the flowers are creamy white with blue accents.
That is all from my garden this Saturday. I hope everyone is enjoying spring!
The Shrub Queen 
Those mother-in-law tongues show that one man’s weed is another man’s treasure!
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A weed in my garden.
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Beautiful begonias, and I say that as someone who isn’t normally a fan of them! Rosie beat me to it regarding the mother-in-law’s tongues, I was going to say the same:-)
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Thanks, I am learning about Begonias. MIL tongues trash or treasure? Trash here!
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I can’t wait to see what flowers you’ll be able to get for the Malaysian Orchid. It’s a shame you can’t enjoy the strelitzia blooming more often: why? Is it too hot?
Otherwise, of course, our mother-in-law’s tongues are houseplants that we manage very easily. Luckily! I suppose they bloom at your place. (My mother got flowers in her living room of hers)
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Look up Medinilla magnifica. You’ll love it. The White Bird need to be old to flower, I think. Can you tell me the name of the finger Celosia you had last year?
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It was the Ptilotus exaltus ‘Joey’. Sadly it didn’t survive the winter….
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Thanks
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I love Medinilla, and wish I could grow them here!
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Thanks, you probably can. I got the first one from a friend who kept them as houseplants.
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I love your tropical world, so different from my own (we had 3″ of snow overnight)! I actually killed a MIL plant in my sunspace in Jan. when it got down to at least 40º… I didn’t realize it until it keeled over with mushy roots. Maybe you could try a bag of ice on a few and see if it works? Maybe blast them with liquid nitrogen??? 😀
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Thanks I have tried ice. I’ll post another picture of what I pull up.. imagine carrots sideways for roots and they run.
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You need a Ditch-Witch for sure!
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What a good idea to elevate the plants so you can see them. I also can’t wait to see your orchid. My Dad said our plants are another country’s weeds such as your begonia from a ditch and MLT.
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Hopefully the pot elevation works out. I tried it in the ground once but the windows aren’t that low
I agree with your dad 😁
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My windows are low and I have a big bed right outside my kitchen. I plant it with pollinator friendly flowers and watch the hummers while I eat. Also, a Beauty Berry grew there and I can watch birds eat them.
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💕 it!
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Is ti plant the same that used to be sold as bits of bare cane from souvenir shops at the airport in Honolulu? Not many of them actually grew, but those that did grew too big to stay inside, so went outside. They somehow seem less special when they are easy to grow.
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The Strelitzia is impressive! I really like the foliage of ‘Hot Pepper’ Cordyline, and the plants you plan to put with it will make a lovely combination. Happy Six!
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A shame the white Strelitzia rarely flowers – it has lovely leaves. And fascinating to see Mother-in-law’s Tongue growing so abundantly outdoors!
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Yes Florida weirdness
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