Category Archives: amelia grant

Six on Saturday – Florida Holiday Cheer

Another SOS post this holiday Saturday. South Florida during the holidays is still a bit weird to me, despite having been here for nine years. Flamingoes pulling a sleigh are a common sight.

A friend, a longtime Florida resident, gave me this a few years ago – and had tell me what it is:

A nautical Christmas tree, it stays out year round….

Florida, being Florida has its own native Poinsettia – Poinsettia cyathophora. The Wild Poinsettia are larval host plants for the White Peacock butterfly, a favorite of mine and now I know where they live.

In keeping with the season, I decided to find red and green foliage..here is a Piecrust Croton.

And a Jill Neoregelia Bromeliad.

And Martin Neoregelia Bromeliad.

Wonder if Martin and Jill are getting together for Christmas! Seems they are related. Maybe sharing a pie with the Croton family…no masks required.

Happy Gardening and Happy Holidays from the palm infested sands of South Florida. Here is my greyhound, Fiona – looking out to see what the heck I am doing out in the rain taking pictures.

Thank you to Jon the Propagator for hosting – to see more SOS posts, go to http://www.thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com.

In a Vase on Monday – More Summer

It is still a bit too warm for my taste in my garden (mid 80’s F), though cooler weather is on the way. November 30 is the end of hurricane season, hooray!! More good gardening news, my tomatoes have set fruit and we have eaten beans and radishes from the garden.

The flowers are reflecting summer to me, with the exception of the Muhly Grass, Muhly means fall in South Florida. The Portmerion canister is a wedding gift from long ago, never used to store anything – it occasionally serves as a vase.

A friend issued a challenge to use all native plants in the vase (it may be in a magazine) So, all the flowers are, unlike me, Florida natives. Here is another view.

White daisies are Spanish Needles (Bidens alba), a bit of an overzealous seed producer, I am only too happy to decapitate for vases. The yellow daisies are Beach Sunflowers (Helianthus debilis), cheerful year round but I asked most of them in the front to leave the garden, too much trouble, again a zillion seedlings. Yellow bell shaped flowers are Tecoma stans, a newcomer in my garden also called Esperanza, grace in Spanish. I think I am going to love this one and may add a few more. Pink, red and apricot spikes are all Tropical Red Salvia, colors vary with bees! Off white background flowers are Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa) and the fall defining Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) serve as a backdrop.

I hope everyone is surviving lockdown. The horizon is looking so positive now, we just have to put our heads down and get through this.

Happy Gardening!!

Six on Saturday – Lime in the Coconut

I am joining Jon the Propagator for Six on Saturday, featuring six items of interest from my garden. This Saturday it is my Rangpur Lime tree and Coconut Palms. To see other posts, follow this link – www.thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com

These are Rangpur Limes, from my neighbor last year. They are not ripe yet in the garden. These are actually a member of the mandarin family, a cross between lemons and mandarin orange, therefore a sour orange. We like to make Mojo marinades for chicken and pies with these.

My neighbor gave me a tree a couple of years ago she grew from seed. It takes about 5 years from seed to fruit, so I should have fruit next year, fingers crossed. As I was pruning the tree it occured to me I had never really seen citrus prior to moving to Florida and having one in the garden, so I took some pictures.

The branches, very thorny! Leather gloves are a must when pruning.

The foliage, shiny green and lime scented. I have read these can be used to infuse flavor like kaffir lime leaves, but have not tried it. Also a host for Giant Swallowtail butterfly larva, citrus farmers hate these butterflies.

The trunk, smooth with striated bark.

And what would limes be without the coconut?

Baby coconuts forming, and mature coconuts on tree below. I don’t like walking past this one in a high wind. Most people remove the seeds when they are smaller to prevent being beaned on the head by a wayward coconut.

That is my Six for this Saturday..

Happy Gardening!!

A Week in Flowers – The Final Edition

I am joining Cathy at www.wordsandherbs.wordpress.com for the final edition of our flowery images. I think a glow has replaced the gloom! Follow the link to see more flowery images.

I decided to go all out tropical today.. Pink Bougainvillea to start.

Cattleya Orchids, these grow in my garden and stay outside year round.

My neighbor grows Cattleyas in a tree (Hong Kong Orchid tree, of course)

A closer view:

I have Bridal Bouquet Plumeria

And roses of a different type, Desert Roses.

This has been fun this week, seeing all the different flowers from everyone.

Happy Gardening!!

A Week in Flowers – Butterflies on Friday

It’s Friday and the sixth installment of A Week in Flowers. I love butterflies in the garden and have been planting more (and stranger) plants to attract butterflies. The results have been fun to watch.

A Swallowtail nectaring on a Heirloom Penta.

Zebra Longwing on a Firebush.

White Peacock on Ixora berry..

Sulphur on White Geiger tree.

Gulf Fritillary on the Heirloom Penta..

That’s my Flowery Friday with Butterflies. To see more flowery posts, visit Cathy at wordsandherbs.wordpress.com.

A Week in Flowers – Thursday

This is the fifth edition of A Week in Flowers. Garden bloggers worldwide have been sharing their flowery images with Cathy at wordsandherbs.wordpress.com. We are all making the world a more colorful place this week.

Today is Thanksgiving in the US. Despite 2020, I feel we have much to be thankful for. My garden, for one and blogging friends have been a great respite from current events. Thank you all.

Here is a close up image of the Blanchetiana Bromeliad I posted yesterday. Sometimes called Lobsterclaw..

Tecoma stans, Yellow Bells, in flower.

The Sweet Almond Bush (Aloysia virgata) is flowering sweetly today.

Miss Alice Bougainvillea and the Beautyberries are still hanging on today.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

A Week in Flowers-Wednesday

I am joining Cathy again for the flowery photo week. Thinking about fall colors today.

From the top, Blanchetiana Bromeliad flowers, Gallardia, Firebush and Zinnias. All are in bloom today in my garden.

Happy Flowery Wednesday. For more flowers, visit Cathy at http://www.wordsandherbs.wordpress.com.

A Week in Flowers – Tuesday

I am joining Cathy at Words and Herbs for another flowery post. Today I am featuring tropicals from my garden. The pineapple is the result of a bromeliad flower; a green Guzmania Bromelaid in the next picture; below a red and yellow Heliconia psittacorum; and finally a Tropical Gardenia.

Visit Cathy at http://www.wordsandherbs.com to see more flowery posts.

In a Vase on Monday – Summery Winter Flowers

It finally stopped raining today – it seems like it has been raining for months. Oh, it has! So much for sunny Florida. The vase is reflecting my garden, looking a bit more like summer than winter. The rain has curated a lovely crop of wildflowers, natives and a few things I planted.

I started the vase with my desire to decapitate the Bidens alba that can take over my garden seemingly with a moment’s notice. These sweet, innocent little white daisies belie the beast within that can produce 1200 seeds per plant and choke out even Goldenrod. The Tropical Red Salvia, much better behaved, has turned up in several different colors this fall, due to all the pollinators in my garden.

A closer view:

The Zinnias are Zinderella, and they do not look like the picture on the seed packet. I started the seed in August and put them in the garden the last week of September. Hoping for longer stems and double flowers.

The whole thing:

This is an ephemeral arrangement, the floaty grasses in the background are Muhly Grass (Muhlbergia capillaris); white daisies, the evil Bidens alba; different colored Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea) and Zinderella Zinnias. A few blue flowered Dianella and Porterweed complete the collection. The vase is a recent aquisition, an old friend sent my husband flowers..a bit of summer in November.

Happy Gardening and thanks to Cathy for hosting this meme. See more vases at http://www.ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com.

A Week of Flowers – Monday

I am joining Cathy at Words and Herbs for the second issue of a week in flowers. This is a Lobsterclaw Heliconia (Heliconia rostrata). One of my favorite tropicals, the flowers alway surprise me. They are set off by a Wild Coffee shrub, not advisable to drink it, but a nice Florida native.

See more flowery photos at http://www.wordsandherbs.wordpress.com