Category Archives: amelia grant

In a Vase on Monday – No Guts, No Glory

This Monday’s arrangement is done in primary colors as a nod to the presidential primary elections taking place in the US. All politics aside, I felt compelled to give a shout out to Nikki Haley for taking on the orange beast and standing firm in her resolve to continue her quest. No guts, no glory.

My garden is a strict no politics zone and the colors have nothing to do with anything except hopefully not clashing with one another. Although, I am questioning my own taste in the placement of hot pink flowering ice plants near almost orange flowering Ixora shrubs (they are called Maui Red, in my own defense) then there is the issue of some nearby Purple Queen groundcover plants. I suppose it is Florida, after all, so some questionable tropical color mixtures can be overlooked.

The palette:

The flower shapes reflect the spiky nature of politics. In white, Sweet Almond (Aloysia virgata) adds the sweet scent of success; in red, Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea); in blue, Mystic Spires Salvia; white daisies are Bidens alba. The green foliage spikes are a juvenile palm frond from a Cabbage Palm.

Yellow and white round out the primary color palette. In white, Sedum adolphii ‘Firestorm’, yellow daisies, Beach Sunflower (Helianthus debilis); yellow and red daisies, Gallardia pulchella; yellow bells, Tecoma stans. The cobalt blue vase was a long ago gift from my brother’s family.

This primary season should prove to be interesting, maybe not quite as interesting as the final color scheme in my garden – only time will tell. Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly meme, to see more vases from gardens around the work, click this link.

In a Vase on Monday – Wintry Whites

Sometimes I like a little reminder of winter, something that doesn’t involve actually being cold. With temperatures hovering around 80F/26C and the air conditioning running it is not very wintry in my garden. I decided to concentrate on frosty white flowers in a vase for this Monday.

It has been very pleasant outside this week, so I have been clearing things out and moving things around. I planted a couple of packages of seed ahead of a predicted day long deluge (Sunday) hoping to get some different cutting flowers going (Bupleurum and White Finch Orlaya). I decided to plant these in a bed instead of pots as I have this magnificent vegetable bed I prepared a couple of years ago lying fallow since it became infested with nematodes almost immediately after completion. The reseeding salvia is very happy there so I’m hoping for more flowers. Upon returning to the house I read the packages – both said they need to be chilled for two weeks prior to planting. Oops. I hope the deluge helps.

The vase is a thrift store find. Flowers in frosty tones:

White Flame Salvia is cascading over the edges. The purple stemmed fuzzy flowers are Red Velvet Aerva.

White daisies are Bidens alba. Varigated foliage is ‘Bossa Nova’ Neoregelia Bromeliad. The airy grasses are dried seedheads from Muhly Grass (Muhlbergia capillaris).

That’s all from not so wintry South Florida this Monday. Visit our hostess, Cathy, at her blog to see vases from other gardeners around the world.

Six on Saturday – Late Winter Colors

On my weekly garden tour this morning I realized my thinking that cold weather caused color changes in the garden might not be what actually happens. The weather has warmed considerably and now I am seeing the Blushing Bromeliads really looking embarrassed. The garden continues to educate me.

I am joining the group of SOS’ers sharing their garden tours with six items of interest. To join the crowd or visit the other gardens, follow this link to Jim’s blog.

Blushing Bromeliad (Neoregelia carolinae) in full blush, backed up with Quesnelia testudo bromeliads in pink.

Another blusher, Neoregelia ‘MacWilliamsii’, quickly becoming another garden favorite. These are not sharp and like a little or a lot of sun. They are completely green in summer.

I love finding Gallardia flowers in February.

I am hoping this is a future avocado. This is a Cuban Avocado, an unusual variety I had not seen prior to moving to South Florida. A rare one that is true to seed. A friend grew this from seed and brought a small tree to me about seven years ago. The avocados are the size of footballs. Fingers crossed.

The Cuban Avocado tree, about 15 feet tall.

The Sweet Almond (Aloysia virgata) has started flowering again – adding fragrance to the garden.

That completes my weekly tour. Happy Gardening wherever you are.

In a Vase on Monday – Valentine’s Putto

Putto sounds a bit like an Italian curse for a Valentine’s vase. I decided I needed a putto for a proper holiday vase, found one after searching around the house and read up on them. Here is the scoop, naked winged male babies in art are Cupid if they have arrows, cherubs if they have religious connotations and they are all putto in the singular and putti is plural.

So, I have figured out that the putto is presiding over the Valentine’s vase. He looks a bit contemplative. The vase is another old florist’s vase (I think they are multiplying) I wrapped this one with a Blanchetiana bromeliad leaf for another touch of color.

The rest of the players:

Surrounding the putto are the foliage and flowers of Genovese Basil, my favorite. I have this year round and eat a few leaves almost every day. It needed to be cut back, so the timing was ideal and the scent is wonderful. Red and yellow flowers are ‘Lady Di’ Heliconias (Heliconia pssitacorum); red bell shaped flowers are Firecracker Plants (Russelia equisetiformis).

The back of the vase has, in white, Sweet Begonia (Begonia odorata); Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) in green; the burgundy foliage is Aechmea ‘Burgundy’ Bromeliad, and the gray green leaf is a cut down palm frond from a seedling Sabal Palm.

Everyone around here celebrated a few days of dry, warm weather and I spent some time tidying and planting a few things in the garden. Ahh.

That is all from South Florida. To see more vases from gardeners around the world, visit Cathy’s blog http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com

In a Vase on Monday – Southwestern

I decided on a Southwest theme for my vase this week. I live surrounded by bits of the desert aesthetic. The architectural style of our house might be called Pseudo Southwestern Florida as it has some elements of all three. My husband and I fell in love with the sort of funky Adobe style of the house. I have succulents and some desert palms in the garden, but it is difficult to get past the humidity and make a true desert garden, though I do love the look.

The vase is an heirloom from my mother made by the Ute tribe in Arizona. Succulents and salvia would likely grow in a desert garden. The fern is an unlikely survivor of desert conditions. I’m thinking of it as a nice bronze accent.

The palette:

The fern is a Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosara). This is probably my favorite fern with bronze new foliage and is realistically not likely to survive in my garden. I have it on my front porch in a pot surrounded by small bromeliads. The fern should be growing much further north and is probably wondering what happened and how it ended up in such an odd place. My salvias are making a repeat appearance this week, White Flame and Mystic Spires. I am finding these love to be cut and it makes them flower more.

The succulents:

Hanging over the edge of the vase is a Sedum – S. adolphii, I think, though it seems there is a new botanical name for Sedum. The grey rosette was a gift from a friend who calls it Graptosedum. Having attempted to figure out what it is, I am not sure at all! This will grow just about anywhere a bit gets dropped and is kind of crunchy, they fall off here and there in the garden so I am constantly finding them. Here are two I lost track of while arranging a vase not too long ago.

I think this means Graptosedum (or whatever it is) will grow on rock dust in my foyer. More surprises from the garden.

That is all from my garden this Monday. To see more vases drop by Cathy’s blog and say hello.

In a Vase on Monday – Flames, Pie and Lady Di

The sun finally reappeared over the weekend. I spent Saturday and Sunday morning in the garden, drinking in solar energy and clearing out wanton vegetation and debris. There has been a lot of wind and rain this winter that has left behind soggy branches, leaves and overgrown weedy degenerates. I managed to find some jewels amongst the wanton and weedy in the garden and put together a vase.

The Flame is ‘White Flame’ Salvia, the Pie is Pie Crust Croton and Lady Di is the cultivar of the Heliconia in the vase. The vase is an olive oil jar inherited from my mother. She was a drizzler.

More on the plants:

Red and yellow flowers are “Lady Di” Heliconias (Heliconia psittacorum); white spikes are “White Flame” Salvia; variegated leaves (note the rolled edges) are Pie Crust Croton (Codieum variegatum); Asparagus fern adds the greenery. I have been using a lot of Pie Crust Croton lately as it is overgrown and needs pruning!

At the base of the arrangement is a pair of aptly named Coral Plants (Jatropha multifida). A weird and interesting novelty plant that grows in a narrow place in my front garden.

Here’s hoping everyone sees sunshine this week! To see what other gardeners are up to and view more vases visit Cathy’s blog.

Six on Saturday – Winter Interest & Green Bees

Well, it is time for another garden tour. We are having the rainiest El Nino winter I have ever experienced in Florida. I was in the garden for an hour or so this morning and now it is pouring down rain yet again. We are molding slowly. To join the worldwide tour visit Jim at gardenruminations.co.uk and follow the links posted in the comments section to other gardens.

The green bee! This is a green orchid bee, they arrived in Florida about 20 years ago from Central America. I don’t think these are especially bad in terms of non native insects and enjoy seeing them around the garden. This one is enjoying a sip of Mystic Spires Salvia nectar. This was a lucky shot. These bees are difficult to photograph.

This is a nice surprise. I think it is Senecio vitalis. I did not think this succulent would grow out in the garden due to too much moisture from rain. They have been in a pot on a covered porch for a few years and have gotten too big. I rooted a few cuttings over the summer and planted them in the garden a few months ago. They are thriving and getting a lot of moisture, I suppose the sugar sand is so well drained they like it. Time will tell.

A white oxalis in flower. A friend’s grandmother filched this from a garden in Ireland in the 1950s. It must grow everywhere.

Lotusleaf Begonias (Begonia nelumbiifolia) are enjoying the abundant moisture. I am not sure what is eating the leaves. I have never seen a slug here but we do have snails.

Ti Plant (Cordyline fruticosa) It has taken a few years for this plant to develop the hot pink coloration. It was solid green for a long time. I thought I had a cheesy cultivar. Maybe not. Patience rewards the gardener.

Foliage detail on a Pie Crust Croton (Codieum variegatum) leaf. One of my favorites and a real splash of color in the garden.

That’s all from my garden this Saturday. Wishing everyone Happy Gardening or Happy Seed Catalog Reading. It is a good afternoon for that here.

In a Vase on Monday – Bromo-Seltzer

If there was ever a cure for winter garden blahs, it’s finding a few bromeliads in bloom. Bromo-Seltzer was actually widely considered a hangover cure and was sold in the US until the mid 70s, when it was determined to be poisonous (sort of). I have this feeling my father took it and then moved over to Alka-Seltzer.

It has been grey, overcast and rainy for most of the past week. We have had to wear pants (gasp!), long sleeves and the occasional sweatshirt. The true native Floridians have broken out down jackets (it’s 65F). I finally got out in the garden to do some pruning this morning and stumbled over these beauties. The rain has given many plants a growth spurt and they are growing when they usually don’t, requiring more pruning.

The cast of the cure:

Some call these the tulips of South Florida. They usually bloom a bit later, similar to early tulips. These seem more like fruity drumstick candy for Barbie to me. They are Quesnelia testudo bromeliads, the foliage has such sharp tips I would be hesitant to plant any more.

Purple flowers are Portea ‘Candy’ bromeliads; the foliage behind them is Aechmea blanchetiana, showing winter coloration (foliage is usually chartreuse). Green foliage is from Asparagus Fern (Asparagus aethiopicus). This is considered invasive here and I find them once in a blue moon. The vase was a gift from my brother. It is heavy enough to hold these weighty flowers.

Hoping for blue skies and fair weather.

Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly meme. Visit her at http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com for links to vases from other gardeners around the world.

Six on Saturday – December in South Florida

I have lived in South Florida for almost 12 years. The things I find growing in the garden this time of year still seem odd to me. I planted dahlias in October and gave the other perennials the Chelsea chop in November and now most of it is thriving. Then, I find myself wondering what to do with the orchids in the trees and cycad seeds. A blog friend calls my garden another planet. Sometimes I think she is right.

To visit other gardens around the world and see six items of interest, follow the link to Jim’s blog http://gardenruminations.co.uk

Dahlias in December!? Here they are. I bought 9 tubers at an end of the season sale, stored them in the refrigerator and then planted them. Some varmint dug up several and ate at least one. This one appeared after a few weeks and more are poking through. When I will have flowers is anyone’s guess.

White Flame Salvia after the Chelsea chop. These survived the summer heat by making much smaller leaves and flowers. They are now full and lush again.

Red Velvet plant or Purple Aerva. Native to Africa, this seems to like winter better than summer.

This Schomburgkia orchid has finally rooted into the trunk of the Gumbo Limbo tree. It’s time to take the bindings off.

This is a Cattleya orchid, it has purple flowers and is hanging on by a thread (jute twine) in the boots of a Dwarf Pygmy Date Palm (Phoenix roebellini) – I need to tie this in more securely in hopes of the roots anchoring to the palm.

Fruit of a Coontie cycad (Zamia integrefolia). This is the female cone, I must have some male plants as there are several of these cycads in the garden. They are pollinated by beetles. I would like to have a colony of Coonties as they host a rare butterfly.

That is all from my garden this sunny Saturday morning.

Happy Holidays!!

In a Vase on Monday – Old School

My old school, The University of Georgia, is currently topping the US college football rankings and has been for the past 19 weeks. I decided it was time to do a vase in the team colors, red and black. My husband describes the level of dedication to the sport at UGA as “Football as Religion” It is quite an experience to be in a stadium filled with 92,000 barking fans decked out in school colors. Despite being married to me for over 30 years, my husband has not yet learned to bark properly.

The reason for all the barking? Bulldogs are the team mascot, there is always a white bulldog on the sidelines (he has his own air conditioned dog house) The current one is named ‘Boom’ and they are named in order. Boom is UGA XI, when I was in school UGA IV was in charge. Follow the link for more bulldog mascot info https://georgiadogs.com/sports/2017/6/16/uga Note the vase disguises the year on the diploma.

There are probably few gardens in temperate areas that have plants with red and black foliage, but I do! The foliage is from the Piecrust Croton (Codieum varigatum), other leaves have yellows, greens and pink splashes, it is quite a colorful plant. The white flowers are ‘Miss Alice’ Bougainvillea; larger red flowers are Nodding Hibiscus (Malvaviscus arboreus); bell shaped red flowers are Firecracker Plant (Russelia equisetafolium).

Another view. The black vase was a thrift store find and is one of my favorites for its versatility and contrast to the flowers it holds…and it is perfect for this “Go Dawgs” vase.

That is all from South Florida this Monday. I guess everyone now knows what I have been doing on Saturday afternoons (if we can conquer the where it is streaming on TV challenge) Visit Cathy at http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com to see more vases.