Category Archives: amelia grant

In a Vase on Monday – Spring Bouquet Florida Style

This year I have been enjoying vases of spring bulbs from all my northern blog friends. It had not occurred to me I could have a ‘faux spring bulb’ vase until I was in the garden rooting around for flowers to cut. This is sort of a hand tied bouquet (rubber band version) As I was twirling it around it dawned on me it could pass for daffodils and Dutchman’s breeches. From a distance…I’m not sure what the orange flowers resemble.

What are they really?

Yellow and white flowers are from small trees. The white flowers are White Geiger (Cordia boissieri). The yellow flowers are Yellow Elder (Tecoma stans) Both trees have loopy growth habits and I have not quite figured out how to prune them. It seems if I cut about half off during the winter they look better in summer. Odd, but true. The pink flowers are Coral Vine (Antigonon leptopus) I have been trying for years to get this thing to grow on a fence, but it insists on climbing a nearby lime tree. A thorny lime tree.

Orange flowers are from a Mexican Flame Vine (Pseudogynoxys chenopodiodes) that creeps over from my neighbor’s yard – Giant Swallowtail butterflies come with it, so I really don’t mind. The chartreuse seedheads are from Lotusleaf Begonias (Begonia nelumbiifolia) and the ferns are the invasive Asparagus fern – currently being controlled by flower arrangements. The blue crackled container was a gift. I am not sure if it is a Vase or a candle holder. It has been used for both.

That’s all from South Florida this Monday. I am hoping for water to fall from the sky again. The predicted rain keeps not quite materializing..

Thanks to Cathy at RamblingintheGarden for hosting. Follow the link to see more vases. Possibly with real spring bulbs.

In a Vase on Monday – Heat Wave

We’re not having a heat wave in Florida..yet. I am sure there will be one soon. I was somewhat amused by the heat wave in the UK, the forecasted temperatures there are a nice winter day in South Florida. We are in a bit of a drought with normal spring windy weather, even the bromeliads are a bit crispy.. I have had to drag the hose around, my least favorite garden task. I let the irrigation go when all the turfgrass was asked to leave the garden. Rain is predicted a week from Sunday! UGH.

A closer view: The hot colors have all been plonked into my mother’s old jam jar. She never made jam, but liked to use the jar for flowers. I do the same thing, no jam, just flowers.

The names of the flowers sound hot. Beach Sunflower (Helianthus debilis); Firebush (Hamelia patens) in orange; Indian Blanket (Gallardia pulchella) is snuggly in red and yellow. The white daisies don’t sound so hot..Spanish Needles (Bidens alba). These produce zillions of sharp seeds – supposedly used for needles by Floridian pioneers. They are maybe 3/4 inch long, so I have never figured out quite how that works.

That’s all from South Florida. I’ll be dragging the hose around… To see more Monday vases visit Cathy at RamblingintheGarden.

In a Vase on Monday – Cheers to Spring

This breezy, blue sky morning I went in search of flowers celebrating spring. For some reason almost all the flowers were white. I wonder if it is for the pollinators as many butterflies have recently appeared and white is a favorite flower color of pollinators – or just pale serendipity. More garden happenings to ponder.

To contrast the whiteness, I selected some colorful foliage, then added a little more, then took some cuttings in hopes of getting a few more coleus and eventually spied some yellow daisies! Ah!

The vase is a oversized wineglass I painted at a fundraiser for a friend’s charity. To match my Portmerion Botanic Garden china. This glass has seen more action as a Vase than a wineglass. The glasses were supposed to be baked somehow before using and I never got around to it. So, it is really a Vase.

The close ups:

The flowers: In yellow, Beach Sunflowers (Helianthus debilis); white daisies, Bidens alba; white spikes, “White Flame” Salvia.

The foliage: In chartreuse, an unknown Coleus (hoping for roots); ferny, Bronze Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare); varigated and pink, Chicken Gizzard plant (Iresine herbstii); burgundy, Purple Prince Alternanthera.

Cheers to Cathy this Monday! Thanks for hosting IAVOM. To view more vases, visit Cathy’s blog by following this link, RamblingintheGarden.

Six on Saturday – Life Cycles

Spring in South Florida brings changes to the garden. It took me a while to figure out what was going on and I am still observing the action.This Saturday morning I noted my fruit trees growing and changing and the ever fascinating (to me) Bromeliads. To see more spring (and maybe fall!) garden pictures, visit Jim at GardenRuminations

O’ Rourke bromeliad flower. These start out very pale pink and are now gaining a deeper color. The flower stalks came up at the end of January. I am not sure how long they last.

Pickering Mangoes starting to color up. These flowered prolifically and set a lot of fruit. I am left wondering what happened to it. There are maybe 10 or 12 left on the tree. Did the evil Agama Lizards eat it?? A garden mystery.

Gallardia pulchella, once considered native but its status was rescinded. For some reason, these only grow in the shell walkway.

The life cycle of the Jill Neoregelia bromeliad. These are stoloniferous. The top picture is the mother plant at the end of the cycle, turning deep red and flowering. This plant will soon die and I will twist its dried up remains off the stolons. The bottom photo is what Jill looks like most of its life.

Blushing Bromeliads (Neoregelia carolinae) doing the same dance. New pups are visible on the right side of the picture replacing the mother plant and spreading. These are considered ground cover bromeliads.

The first ‘Miss Alice’ Bougainvillea flower of the year. Miss Alice was knocked off her trellis by one of the hurricanes last year and remained naked until just now. I was beginning to wonder if she would come back, but here she is! It is hard to keep a Bougainvillea down.

That is all from my garden this beautiful Saturday morning.. Happy Spring!

In a Vase on Monday – Signs of Summer

Tropical Gardenias and Frangipani flowers mark the beginning of the inevitable slide into summer in South Florida. Spring is fading away, though the pollen isn’t and the weather is fantastic. Of course, being a persnickety gardener, we can’t be happy with what we have and could use a little rain.

The fragrance from this combination would be worthy of a candle. The Tropical Gardenia (Tabernaemontana diviricata) has a much lighter scent than G. jasminoides. Combine that with the sweet yellow and pink Frangipani (Plumeria spp) and add a touch of the herbal tang of White Flame Salvia. I am really enjoying walking into my house and expect the scent to magnify this evening.

The fern in the vase is a Climbing Asparagus Fern (Asparagus africanus). These are invasive in Florida and I pull them when I find them and inevitably find another sooner or later. I enjoy using these in vases and recycling them that way. The plants have thorns so they usually find me.

That’s all from South Florida. I’ll be in the garden not watching the news and getting things straightened out for summer. To see more vases, follow this link to visit Cathy RamblingintheGarden.

Six on Saturday – Begonias and Giant Houseplants

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!

In a Vase on Monday – Spring Pinks

I’m thinking my spring pinks are different from most everyone else’s?

After a fairly dry month the rain gods finally smiled on my garden and gave it a good, solid drenching. I think two inches of rain fell in a few hours. Some plants responded with flowers while the bromeliads are pushing out pups. Spring showers are inspirational and I suppose a little fertilizer increased the magic.

A close up of the Shell Ginger (Alpinia zerumbet). These are native to East Asia, I can only imagine the fantastic rainforest they are from. They are edible and have a wonderful gingery fragrance when trimmed. Culinary ginger is better for use in cooking, this is a bit thinner in flavor.

The Shell Ginger is actually a bit late this year, though I do associate it with spring. It sometimes flowers a few times a year. So, it is a bit unpredictable and actually multi-seasonal..sounding like a gardening marketing piece here. The Gingers with solid green foliage are a bit difficult to find but flower on a regular basis. Varigated Ginger is known to flower about once a decade.

This is a miniature ornamental pineapple. I am told they are edible and may be juiced. I think about 50 would be needed to make juicing worthwhile, so I just use mine in vases.They are so cute it is difficult to resist cutting them. A friend gave me a start of this plant some years ago, now there are many in the garden. The only downside – sharp everything.

We are meeting at Cathy’s blog again this Monday to share vases. Follow this link RamblingintheGarden to join in.

In a Vase on Monday – Quesnelia Quest

In my quest for materials for a vase I spied a sure sign of spring in South Florida. The arrival of these pink flowers signals winter is over. Meet Quesnelia testudo, they are a bit like a pink pinecone. I like the name. I have heard them referred to as the tulips of the tropics.

These bromeliads are native to Brazil and thrive in my garden. They only need a few accents to make a dramatic arrangement.

A closer view:

I placed the flowers in an heirloom crystal vase, added water, swirled them around, avoiding the seedy parts and then added the accents. In white, a few sprigs of White Flame Salvia followed by a few more sprigs of Boston Fern. Voila! Quest complete.

To see more vase quests follow this link to Cathy’s blog – RamblingintheGarden

Six on Saturday – Fruits and Broms

Spring is in full force in South Florida. It takes some keen observation to detect it, but it is here. The Live Oaks are spewing pollen and putting out new growth. Palms are as well. Palm pollen is an odd thing, it seems to travel in splatters. My car is not enjoying the spatters landing on the windshield and body. Sigh. Such is life in the garden.

I’m joining the SOS gang to share my garden’s spring bounty. Visit Jim at GardenRuminations to visit more gardens.

This is a fruit and a brom. The beginnings of a pineapple. A member of the bromeliad family. Homegrown pineapple is amazingly good. This was grown from the top of a grocery store pineapple.

Quesnelia testudo, a bromeliad sometimes referred to as the tulip of South Florida. These have very sharp foliage. I like them but don’t want any more. I remember picking them up after someone threw them out. Now I know why. Ouch!

The low bromeliad bed in full color. These change to deeper greens in summer. Taller burgundy plants in back are Aechmea ‘Burgundy’ (very original name!) lighter green with red centers are Neoregelia carolinae, smaller burgundy plants are ‘Superfireball’ Neoregelia – a very original name. One of my favorites, not sharp and grows nearly anywhere.

What’s this? It looks like a green pecan to me. However, this is Brad’s Atomic Grape Tomato. I am still having some difficulty discerning when they are ripe. I think my mind may be playing tricks on me. They seem to taste nutty.

Nam Doc Mai mangoes coming along..

A tropical ending for SOS. This is a Shell Ginger peeking out from under its lush foliage. Alpinia zerumbet.

That is all from my South Florida garden. Happy Spring!!

In a Vase on Monday – Spring Gusto

Spring arrived with a blast of heat on Sunday. 84F/28C. I am not ready for this. The perennials in the garden, however, are quite happy and flowering with gusto in approval.

Pinks, whites and purples rule the garden. The hotter colors seem to be reserving their action for higher temperatures. That doesn’t really explain the fuchsia zinnias, does it? Oh, well. I am enjoying them all and just planted a batch of what I suspect are fuchsia zinnias with orange accents. South Florida rolled into a zinnia!

Most of these plants attract butterflies. The butterflies (mostly Gulf frittilary) are starting to hatch out and buzzing the garden for nectar. I left plenty of flowers as I do not want any disgruntled insects in the garden.

The close up:

The cast: Two types of white Salvia in spikes. The greyish one is ‘White Flame’ Salvia, a long serving perennial. The other is the white version of Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea) it is a reliable, reseeding annual. Pink stars are the Perennial Penta (Penta lanceolata), they are much bigger than the annuals and hang around for a few years. The butterflies love them. Pink zinnias are from seeds I grew last year that reappeared in a pot, not exactly sure what they are. In purple, the big flowers are an annual Petunia and the viney stuff is Purple Heart (Transcandentia pallida). Fern is Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora), something that probably shouldn’t live here, but is perversely happy on the front porch in a pot. I am, too.

Thanks to Cathy at http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com

for hosting In a Vase on Monday. Follow the link to see more vases.