Category Archives: snowbird gardening in south florida

In A Vase on Monday – Semi Topiary

20181118_102923-1

It is Thanksgiving week in the US and I decided to try arranging a little topiary for the table in fall colors. I think of topiaries as clipped formally shaped affairs, this one is not. It is a casual, all native plants arrangement, more tree form than topiary.

20181118_102923-1

Three plants are used in this arrangement: the flowers and berries are from Firebush (Hamelia patens var patens) The off white flowers are from the Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa), and the stuffings (Like a Turkey!) for the vase are from Sabal Palms (Palmetto sabal) Here is a closer look:

20181118_103546_Burst01

I don’t really know what the bits from the Sabal Palm are called, the white curly stuff on top comes from the edges of the palm fronds and the brown peat moss like material (birds use it for nests) I used to fill the vase comes from the boots (where the fronds leave the trunk of the tree and cross over)

Here is the palm:

20181118_104239The pumpkin is probably an ornamental gourd that I bought at Aldi during the Halloween season. It is holding up much better than the orange pumpkins and may last until Thanksgiving. I am not too sure about using the semi topiary on the table, there were some really odd white spiders running away from me as I was taking pictures.

And Halloween is over!

Happy Thanksgiving.

In A Vase on Monday – Two Challenges

20181111_095353-1 Last week, in honor of the fifth anniversary of the meme ‘In A Vase on Monday’, Cathy, our hostess at Rambling in the Garden on WordPress challenged us to not use a vase on Monday. Hence, the watering can. My second challenge, issued by a gardening friend, to use all native wildflowers in my non vase.

The brass watering can had been around my mother’s house for so long I am not sure if I am the second or third generation to use it. I decided to leave the patina and fill it with delicate wildflowers from my garden and a few fall fruits, all from plants native to Florida – a surprisingly long plant list.

20181111_095353-1-1

As I was arranging this, I was surprised by how pretty these flowers are when closely observed. And how many flowers it took to fill the small watering can.

The purple flowers are Tampa Verbena (Glandularia tampensis); pink tubular flowers are Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea) – it seeds in red, pink, salmon and orange. The deep blue flowers are Blue Porterweed (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis); I have learned to love this plant along with the butterflies, it continues to open flowers after cutting and the stems are such a wonderful accent. The purple grasses are Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris). I am not sure this grass does as well anywhere else but in Florida. Sharp drainage is vital, mine grows in sugar sand with no irrigation.

20181111_095559

I have finally found out what the off white spikes are – Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa), identified by a wildflower expert who said “Juba Bush is named after a Afro-Caribbean step dance, because of the way it waves in the wind” It actually does have a lovely sway in the wind – and I like the story. The ferns are Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata),  porch plants the world over, these originated in the swamps of Florida and popped up in my garden. The white flowers are  Jointweed or Wireweed or Octoberflower (Polygonella robusta), started blooming on October 31!

Fruits are from the Senna ligustrina, the long brown pods. I recently added these to the garden to attract Sulphur Butterflies. They are doing their job, though I haven’t seen any caterpillars. The plants remind me of Soft Caress Mahonia, which l love but can’t grow this far south. The round fruits are from the Gumbo Limbo tree (Bursea simarouba) I love these for their names, the other one being Tourist Tree, for the red peeling bark resembling sunburned skin…

Happy IAVOM Anniversary, to see vases from around the world follow this link.More Vases

In A Vase on Monday – Things That Go Bump in the Night

20181028_132939-1

It’s that time of year, and for some reason many of my neighbors are decorating their front yards with dead pirates a la the movie ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. Weird, a bit startling and my dog is usually spooked by these odd things hanging from trees.

I prefer the odd things that appear in my garden. The growing season is year round here in South Florida, to the point sometimes I think I hear things growing at night. Bump…must be another Avocado, Mango or Grapefruit falling outside. Or the raccoons that are eating well, everything dropped something.

20181028_133609-1

Three out of four ingredients in this vase just appeared in the garden. The blue flowers, Porterweed (Stachytarpheta) I bought. The rest are gratis from the Garden Fairy.  The red flowers, Turks Cap Hibiscus (Malvaviscus penduliflorus); the foliage hanging over the sides, seedlings from Sabal Palms (Palmetto sabal); ferns are native Boston Ferns (Nephrolepis exaltata).20181028_133148-1

Here is a close up of the Turks Cap Hibiscus,one of my favorite gifts from the Garden Fairy. These flower nearly year round and require nothing. Spooky.

20151030_200543-1

Happy Halloween from Florida.

In A Vase on Monday – Gone Native

20181021_104211-1

Rarely, I travel on business. Last week my Garden Design work took me to my hometown, Atlanta, Georgia. We abandoned Atlanta, population 5 million, for a town of 12,000 in South Florida almost seven years ago. The onslaught of the sea of humanity I encountered upon deplaning – was a bit, well, unnerving. Not to mention the detestable traffic I had to navigate to get to my garden in waiting 30 miles north of the airport.

The garden is in lovely tract of wooded land, the forest so beautiful it makes you forget the hustle and bustle of the big metropolitan area. It was wonderful to be back in the woods of my home, the land populated with large White Oak, Tulip Poplar, Hickory and American Beech trees. The woods of South Florida, in my opinion, aren’t woods at all. On the other hand, the getting there was the problem. Getting there is why I am no longer there. It made me realize I have truly gone native. Florida native.

20181021_103655-1

Everything in this vase is, unlike me, native to Florida.

The vase is a pottery pineapple, bought in Maui, Hawaii years ago. The yellow sunflowers are Beach Sunflowers (Helianthus debilis); the red flowers are Gallardia (Gallardia pulchella); purple berries are Beautyberry (Calliocarpa americana); pink flowers, Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea) – sometimes pink or orange; pinky purple grass, Muhly Grass (Mulbergia capillaris); ferns, our native Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata).

20181021_103911

In A Vase on Monday – Plethora of Purple

20180930_151905-1

My quest for anything Autumnal continues and the Beautyberry (Calliocarpa americana) satisfied my Fall in the garden desires this week displaying its wares at their lurid purple peak. Days have been numbered for the branches loaded with purple fruit that were too close to the house. I planted this beside the door from our screened porch as it is reputed to deter mosquitoes. I sometimes put a few crushed leaves in my shoes when working in the garden and it does seem to help.

The guy next to the vase-a mythological figure gifted to my husband by some friends from South America.

This is a rangy shrub that is difficult to prune into cooperation, I think there are still some structural decisions to be made. There were so many berries on the branches the vase was actually heavy from the weight of the fruit.

Adding to my happiness, I found a touch of fall color on the foliage. Just a touch, can’t get too excited. Joining the plethora of purpleness in the vase are: in green with purple backs, Oyster Plants or Moses in a Cradle (Rhoeo or some botanist changed the name) and a sprig of Setcresea or Purple Queen (tired of botanists-think they are both Transcandentias now, but it won’t keep me up nights)

Celebrating our Fall potential by starting seeds for my butterfly garden.

20180928_123154

The mermaid watches over everything and encourages the seeds to sprout and grow. The winter butterfly garden will have (hopefully) Heirloom Lavendar Cactus Zinnias, Phlox drummondi, Sea Star Asters, Lime Basil, Petunia excelsa, Moonvine and Coral Vine. I think I need to find some yellows or lime greens to temper the color mix. Any thoughts?

Happy Fall Gardening.

In A Vase On Monday – Desperately Seeking Seasons

20180923_125831Today is the second official day of Fall.  Looking over my coffee cup this morning, I noted the temperature was already in the 80s (25 C) with 97% humidity. My garden is calling me to get back in the groove and clean things up for South Florida’s winter gardening season. I am desperately seeking the season and was inspired to create a Autumnal vase.

20180923_115106-1

The vase is a silver plate goblet collected by my mother on one of her many ‘junk store’ adventures. It doesn’t hold water, so it requires a recycled yogurt container tucked inside when used as a vase. I don’t think I would use it for beverages.

20180923_125928

My pseudo Fall flowers include: Gallardias (Gallardia pulchella) in red and gold; fruit is Surinam Cherries (Eugenia uniflora); the sprays of berries are from the non native Firebush (Hamelia patens); red “fall” leaf from Raggedy Ann Copperleaf (Acalypha wilkesiana); grey background foliage is Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens) and the cream colored spikes are from Wireweed.

To see some real Fall vases, visit the hostess of the IAVOM, Cathy, at Link to more vases

For those who don’t remember Madonna in the movie Desperately Seeking Susan, here is the video from ‘Get Into the Groove’. Hoping to get back in the gardening groove soon

Madonna – it’s age restricted!

In A Vase on Monday-Trading Vases & Places

20180916_113220-1-1

The flowers in my vase this week are Cattleya Orchids, from a plant gifted to me several years ago by my neighbor. I have been watching this plant for years, moved it around in the garden – nothing. Finally – three buds appeared, weeks ago. I watched, waited and watched some more, not a sign of opening. Just big, juicy buds displaying a tasty reticence.  I occasionally had to chase some leering grasshopper away. Sigh, more waiting.

After a rough couple of weeks,  my husband and I decided we needed a change of scene and took a few days to walk on the beach and rest. We packed up Alan the Greyhound and some coolers and headed to a lovely semi deserted beach miles from home.

20180915_071829

Of course, I checked the Orchids just prior to leaving and one bud was opening! Sigh, again. Hoping I wouldn’t miss the show, off we went. The picture is sunrise on North Hutchison Island, Florida.

20180916_114347-1-1

Deciding to cut the flowers was easy, I have two more buds and these were browning on the edges a bit. I’ll enjoy them in the house as long as they last. The vases (three again) were another story. Seeking a simple container for these complex flowers; I decided they needed a backdrop of a big tropical leaf (Seagrapes – Coccoloba uvifera). For vases, I started with a rose teapot, then went to the black vase, then the glass vases.

No leering grasshoppers in my house, but I did bring in a little bee.

20180916_112101-1

 

 

 

In A Vase on Monday – Whispers of Fall

20180902_114102-1

Sunday in my neck of the woods began stormy and transitioned into a cool, overcast day (high of 80 degrees F) My husband and I sat on our screened porch for the first time in months. Fall is elusive in South Florida and sometimes the flowers speak for the season. Chapman’s Goldenrod is flowering in my garden, an indestructible and polite native wildflower that reminds me of much more Autumnal months spent further north. Our weather is not reliably cooler until mid October, so this first whisper of Fall was a welcome respite from the usual steamy late summer temperatures.

20180902_113834-1

The Chapman’s Goldenrod (Solidago odora ‘Chapmanii’.) is the yellow flower in the middle of the arrangement. Here is a link to More about Chapman’s Goldenrod . 

Clockwise from the Goldenrod, in red spikes, Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea); a sprig of Blueberry Flax Lily (Dianella); The orange tubes are Firebush (Hamelia patens var patens);white buds from a Tropical Gardenia (Tabernaemontana divericata); Daisy mixture is Beach Sunflowers (Helianthus debilis) and Gallardia pulchella. The far left side of the arrangement has a Red Shrimp Plant (Justicia brandegeana); the background plants are Wireweed (in white); and a bit of Dwarf Pineapple foliage (the spear).

For an arrangement in a vintage Dansk candleholder-  there is a lot stuffed in there. Initially, I decided to try a hand tied bouquet (which I do not know how to do) gave up on that,  kept adding flowers, changed vases three times and ended up here.

Listening for more whispers of Fall.

20180902_114235