Category Archives: gardening

Six on Saturday – New Colors and Textures

It’s time once again for the Saturday garden tour. Six current events from the garden. It is a stormy day in South Florida. There is a lightning storm about 10 miles away that is about to descend on us – seems odd for January, but that is Florida weather for you.

I think Fiona had the right idea about how to deal with the weather. On the other hand – the foolish human went out and snapped a few pictures of new colors and textures in the garden she is enjoying. The underside of the sofa can wait until the storm gets here.

Flapjack Kalanchoes are peeking out of a strawberry pot.

Pot of mixed succulents is coloring up for winter.

I love grey foliage. This is Bath’s Pink Dianthus (Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Bath’s Pink’. Such a wonderful texture.

Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora) finally showing some new fall toned foliage.

These are Blushing Bromeliads (Neoregelia carolinae). The centers turn red in winter.

That’s my six for this Saturday. For a world of Six on Saturday visit Jim at http://gardenruminations.co.uk and follow the links to other gardens.

Happy Gardening!!

In a Vase on Monday – Cheers to 2024

I decided some fireworks from the garden and a quote were necessary to celebrate this first Monday of 2024. Having read dozens of quotes, I chose the one that made me laugh. I like Irish blessings and this is my favorite. My temple bells from last week have reappeared to assist ringing in the New Year.

“As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point the wrong way”

I feel like I ran over a few splinters last year, so hopefully this will ease any future damage.

The oversized wine glass assisting the toast was a gift from a dear friend – the back side says ‘Girlfriends are Forever’.

The floral fireworks:

The orange flower front and center is a ‘Choconiana’ Heliconia (Heliconia psittacorum); ephemeral pink grasses at back are Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capallaris); purple fuzzies are from Red Velvet Aerva (Aerva sanguinolenta); yellow daisies are Beach Sunflowers (Helianthus debilis); white daisies are Bidens alba.

Orange tubular flowers are Firebush (Hamelia patens); red flowers are ‘Maui Red’ Ixora. There are a few ‘White Flame’ and ‘Mystic Spires’ Salvia lurking in the glass.

Thanks to Cathy for hosting IAVOM for all these years. Follow the link to visit Cathy’s blog and view more vases. http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com

It’s surprising how many flowers can be stuffed into a wine glass.

Cheers to 2024!!

Six on Saturday – Ups and Downs

It’s time, once again, for SOS – sharing six items of interest from my South Florida garden with gardeners from around the world. Follow the link to visit Jim and see his garden and many others –http://gardenruminations.co.uk

The garden and the weather has had its ups and downs this week. It has been cold (for South Florida – temperatures in the 40s F, 4 C) so the locals are freezing, but the garden is enjoying it for the most part.

Winter is citrus season and I finally have some fruit on my Rangpur lime tree. My neighbor grew the tree from a seed and gave it to me about 7 years ago. It has 5 ! limes. I was thrilled to cut the first one, beautiful and fully ripe.

And then, I turned it over.

Something, or someone had beaten me to it and sucked all the juice out. Vampire rats? Arghh.

Not to worry, there are a few left. Rangpur limes are not actually limes, but sour oranges, probably a cross between lemons and mandarin oranges. They make great pies and are the basis for mojo marinades in Cuban cuisine. Here’s one still ripening. Fingers crossed.

I started tomatoes from seeds in October. As soon as I planted the seedlings the weather was cold and damp. These plants have had everything tomatoes get, I think. I finally have my first fruit. I think it is a Lost Marbles cherry tomato.

Long Island Mammoth dill is the recommended variety for Florida as it goes to seed more slowly than others. I have had it for a few years and concur. These plants have been enjoying the weather and I have enjoyed the dill.

I did my first late fall Chelsea chop this year and the perennials have bounced back beautifully. This Mystic Spires Salvia is just starting to flower again.

That is all from my garden this year!

Happy New Year to all and thank you to Jim for hosting Six on Saturday this year.

In a Vase on Monday – Christmas Bells

A little vase from my garden to celebrate Christmas. Here’s to bells ringing in a peaceful holiday season and much gardening success!

The bells are a strong holiday memory for me. As a child, the bells were always at my eye level hung from a wreath of cedar branches and Burfordii holly berries created by my mother. I was fascinated by them as Indian temple bells were not a common sight in the Deep South in the 1960s. My father brought the bells back from India, where he was stationed during World War II.

A closer view:

The red flowers are from the China Hat shrub (Holmskioldia sanguinea) – another native of India; white flowers are White Flame Salvia; a few stems of Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) complete the vase.

Thanks to Cathy for hosting this Christmas day. Follow the link to visit her blog and see more vases ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com

Merry Christmas to all!!

Six on Saturday – Gifts from the Garden

I am joining SOS this Christmas weekend with a grateful heart. I take so much pleasure in interacting with my fellow garden bloggers weekly and thank Jim for his stewardship of SOS. To see more SOS posts, visit Jim at http://gardenruminations.co.uk.

Winter in a South Florida garden always brings enjoyable gifts. Some expected, some not so much. But all make me appreciate what is possible and how much I have learned. A little touch of Christmas color is appreciated in the tropical setting.

Meet Neoreglia McWilliamsii, a member of a group sometimes called Blushing Bromeliads. These show color in winter and are green in summer. This one colored up just in time.

Bromeliad Alcanterea odorata finally showing its grey stripes. This one produces grass pups rather than offsets. A friend sent me several pups a few years ago. They are somewhat difficult to grow and start out plain grey green and finally develop variation and then a nearly powdery grey coloration. Grown primarily for a foliage accent they last about 5 years, get about 3 feet wide, have a spectacular flower and die.

Another pup success, the ‘Purple Haze’ Billbergia, from the rock n’ roll series. There is one called ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ I must get. These flower in winter, but are not old enough.

Bay leaf, finally recovering from near defoliation by me in pursuit of soups and pasta sauces. I love fresh bay leaves a little too much.

Another favorite herb, always in a pot on the front porch. In my opinion, Giant of Italy parsley has the best flavor and I eat it nearly daily with fresh vegetables in vinaigrette.

A surprise and wonderful gift – two more dahlias are coming up. I planted the tubers in October and now have seen 3 out of 9 emerge. I am not sure what inspired the emergence, cooler weather and rain, the solstice?? I suspect removing the spotty leaves would be a good idea.

That is all of my surprises for this week.

Happy Holidays to all!

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 – Palm Fruit Pie

I was joking about the pie and then it occurred to me that there probably is such a thing as palm fruit pie. It would involve dates and I have mixed feelings about dates – although, apple and date pie sounds promising.

Further explanation seems necessary. The red fruit in this vase is from the Adonidia Palm. The foliage is from a Pie Crust Croton. While these palm fruits are edible, to the best of my knowledge, the only creature that would enjoy a pie from this fruit is below:

Meet the Iguana, an invasive reptile that lurks in gardens throughout South Florida. Some think they are cute, I am not so sure. I am sure that they eat palm fruit, I have seen them enjoying it while basking in the palm tree. This is not the one that appears in my garden, he or she is chartreuse green with purple markings.

Back to the vase contents:

The yellow flowers are Esperanza, Yellow Elder or Yellow Bells, botanically Tecoma stans. These are subject to a native plant dilemma. They were once considered native to Florida and now are not as it seems a sea captain brought them to Key West a few hundred years ago from the Caribbean. These are amazingly hardy in my garden and reportedly invasive, although I see no evidence of that.

The rest of the plant palette: red fruit, Adonidia Palm (Veitchia merrillii); tubular red flowers, Firecracker Plant (Russelia equisetifolium); varigated foliage, Piecrust Croton (Codiaeum variegatum); a few sprigs of native Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) grace the back. The vase is an old florist container.

That’s all from my garden this Monday. Thanks to Cathy at http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com for hosting. Follow the link to see more vases. I’ll be thinking about pie!

In a Vase on Monday – November Candy

November in South Florida brings some sweet and unusual treats to the garden. When living further north I doubt I could have dreamed of finding something like this in flower this time of year. Actually, I am not sure I could have dreamed up the flower at all!

The purple flowers in the vase are ‘Candy’ Portea Bromeliads. I’m thinking they resemble Good & Plenty licorice candies, just not quite the right color. This is a good one to cut as for unknown reasons it flowers on the backside of the plant and can barely be seen. A pair of loppers accessorized with a suit of armor is a good ensemble for cutting these as the foliage is very sharp. The older I get, the less appreciation for thorns I have.

After some puzzling and tromping through the slightly storm ravaged garden (we had 50 mph wind gusts and I had not realized the volume of branches down, a task for another day) Here are the components of the vase:

Fan shaped foliage in the back is a trimmed frond of Cabbage Palm (Palmetto sabal); pink flowers are courtesy of the storm, Rain Lilies (Zephyranthes spp.); purple flowers are ‘Candy’ Portea Bromeliads; foliage is from Asparagus Fern (Asparagus sprengeri).

Dark purple foliage is Purple Queen (Setcreasea pallida) – I have a feeling some botanists changed this name, but am getting over it. The grey roses are Graptosedum succulents.

That’s all from my garden this week. I will be planting tomatoes and herbs I started from seed this week and starting seed for a few new varieties of cut flowers. And picking up branches.

Thanks to Cathy for hosting. Please follow the link to visit her blog and see more vases: http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com

Six on Saturday – Indian Summer

I am joining the SOS crowd celebrating Indian Summer in South Florida. I did not realize it was possible to have Indian Summer in my garden, yet here we are. It is dry (not raining), humid and a high of 86 F (30 C) is predicted today. This weather brings on a mix of summer and fall colors. To visit gardeners around the world with less humidity – follow this link to Jim’s blog http://gardenruminations.co.uk

I finally saw and captured an image of the rare Atala butterfly that has been hosting on my Coontie cycads. This butterfly is listed as endangered due to loss of habitat. It is native to the Caribbean, the Bahamas and South Florida. I am at the northern end of its range.

I was excited to see some actual fall color. This is Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia). I think this vine grows everywhere and some people actually buy it!

Fall berries do happen in my garden. These are on the native Firebush (Hamelia – now I am not sure of the last name!, the botanists have been at it again) These eventually turn into a juicy black fruit that the birds covet.

Fruit on the White Geiger tree (Cordia boissieri) I like these and use them in flower arrangements sometimes.

A native Portulaca pilosa, common name Kiss Me Quick. No idea why. I like these, but they are stubborn and will only grow where they want to grow.

Another November flowering plant, the Esperanza (Tecoma stans). These were once considered native and now they have been vilified as invasive?! It seems someone discovered a sea captain brought these from the Caribbean to Key West a few hundred years ago. I like them and have had no seeds germinating from the plant.

That’s all for this Saturday. I’m hoping for some precipitation and cooler days.

Happy Gardening!!

In a Vase on Monday – Muhly & Juba Dance

I love a little Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) in the fall. The mix of Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa) and Muhly swaying in the ocean breeze gives me gardening goosebumps. Our very rainy September gave all the wildflowers a boost and the garden is enjoying a late season extravaganza with very happy pollinators cruising the flowers. As these things go we are having a very dry October and now I am hoping for rain!

The Muhly and Juba:

Muhly Grass is in pink in the background joined by off white Juba Bush. The word Juba is a dance move in the Caribbean that involves swaying hips. The Juba Bush is a native wildflower that appears and plants itself where happy. I have found it impossible to propagate, and am happy to find it when it decides to make an appearance. It is perennial and can grow 3 or 4 feet tall. I suppose birds are responsible for the Juba. Another gardening mystery to ponder. The Muhly has a similar modus operandi and I have some odd drifts in the garden.

Other flowers in the photo:

The deep blue flowers with coarse stems are Porterweed (Stachytarpheta jamaicaensis); the pale blue spikes with lavendar foliage are Vitex trifolia, some call this California Lilac. It is remarkably hardy. Darker purple foliage is Purple Queen (Transcandentia pallida) another great indestructible.

The lower level:

The lower levels in this vase are the wallflowers, the kind that don’t dance. Front and center is the last Purple Prince Zinnia of the season; viney pink flowers are from the Coral Love Vine (Antigonon leptopus); white spikes are Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea). The vase is a family heirloom made by the Ute Indian tribe.

I am hoping to dance a lot of weeds out of the garden this week. The rains provided nourishment for a tangle of Muscandines and Inch Plants. I am not sure we have ever had as much rain in late summer and was surprised by the volume of unwelcome growth in the garden. I have determined Muscandines are offensive!

Thanks to Cathy for hosting, visit her at ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com to visit other gardens via vase.

Happy Gardening!!