Category Archives: Succulents

Six on Saturday – Floridian Fall

It’s Saturday again and time to join the worldwide garden blogging community to share six items of interest from the garden. Follow this link to Jim’s blog http://gardenruminiations.co.uk to check out what fall fun other gardeners are sharing.

South Florida does not have what I would consider normal signs of fall, just symptoms. The air is cooler in the morning and a few plants produce colorful berries. The most significant sign is it is comfortable to work outside again, but only early or late in the day. It has finally stopped raining constantly ! I have been able to plant some of the perennials I bought and replant those little pots with seeds and cuttings for more plants.

The berries. These are the fruits of the Christmas Palm (Adonidia merrilli) By Christmas they will be completely red and resemble ornaments for the tree.

Another sign of cooler weather. Turk’s cap Hibiscus (Malvaviscus penduliflorus). These just seem to appear in the garden. I enjoy the flowers and cut them to hang over the edge of vases. Floridians call these Nodding Hibiscus. I guess there are hats like this in Turkey?

Atala butterflies are back in garden. These are the caterpillars consuming their only host plant, the Coontie cycad (Zamia integrifolia). I hope to get some butterfly pictures, Atalas have a fluorescent orange body with black wings streaked with turquoise.

Mulching the bromeliad beds with the leaning greyhound standing guard. Straightening the statuary is next on the list. The bromeliads were moved last spring and have been established over the summer.

The box of perennials I planted last week has been refilled with fresh soil and planted with Senecio and Turkeytangle Frogfruit cuttings. Senecio is the succulent. The Frogfruit is to fill in my slowly growing lawn replacement. Seeds for dill, basil and tomatoes were planted. I bought some thyme seed, but did not realize how long it takes to germinate (28 days) and decided to buy a plant.

This is not a regular fall event, a fairly rare sight actually. One misty afternoon this week I walked outside and spied a double rainbow.

Still looking for that pot of gold to buy more plants.

Happy Gardening.

Six on Saturday – September Stars.

I took my Saturday morning stroll around the garden and picked some stars. After a remarkably wet summer, the rain spigot has been cut off. Boom, no more water from the sky. I hand watered a little, but it is not my favorite thing to do in hot weather. So, may I present the survivors who are thriving.

For a world wide SOS garden tour, visit Jim at http://gardenruminations.co.uk

Blue Porterweed (Stachytarpeta jamaicensis). This one is living in a shell walkway and I forgot about watering this area. Amazing.

Rangpur limes are still hanging in there. All two of them.

Providing a super tropical vibe is a seedling of a Chinese Fan Palm (Livingstonia chinensis). This seedling is about 8 feet tall. This is 10 or 15 years old. One thing I have learned about palms since living in Florida, they are slow growing for the most part.

The bromeliads, of course, are thriving, water or not. This is a Painted Fingernail Neoregelia coming into flower.

‘Bossa Nova’ Neoregelia putting out pups in a big pot. The mother plant is fading and will likely pass on over the winter.

Several people asked about the Senecio last week. This is the mother plant, about 30 inches tall. These produce yellow aster-like flowers.

That’s all from South Florida this Saturday. Hoping for a little rain and no cyclones!

Happy Gardening!!

Six on Saturday – Florida Weirdness

Another Saturday, another garden tour. My garden is looking a bit end of summer tattered. The rainy season abated for a week or so and we have been enjoying lower temperatures and humidity while watching the massive Hurricane Lee form in the Atlantic. Current predictions give the storm 180 mph winds. Fortunately, it is well away from me and most people, what next week holds is anyone’s guess. The current spaghetti models have it heading to Canada or New England. Here is a link to the models, I find them fascinating. https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/storminfo/

If you are in search of hurricane free garden environments to explore – visit our host Jim at http://gardenrumininations.co.uk

Invasive Agama lizards haunt my screen porch. I am not sure what they are eating, but they are always on this corner. They are about 8 inches long and either yellow or rainbow colored. I always hope something will eat them.

Lacewing eggs on my front porch. I have been watching these for a while and they don’t seem to be making any progress. Lacewings are a beneficial predator, they eat aphids, so I was hoping to see a few.

Miniature pineapples going to seed. The pineapple is shrinking and the top is getting bigger. It is time to cut the top off to propagate new plants.

The Turkey tangle frogfruit lawn is establishing oh so slowly. The plant is supposed to be 3 inches tall and like groundcover. Patience. This started from a rooted cutting.

These Envy zinnias have been sitting in bud for weeks! I am not sure what to do or why this is happening. Too much heat and not enough food?

A successful experiment. I rooted a few Senecio barbertomicus last spring and decided to see if they would live in the garden. They are known for dying if left outside during the rainy season. Both have survived and are thriving and it has been very rainy.

That’s all from sunny South Florida this Saturday.

Happy Gardening!!

Six on Saturday – Autumnal Color Pops

The Saturday morning greyhound tour featured a refreshing breeze from the ocean. Visions of cooler weather danced in my head. The fall flowers are coming into season. In South Florida a gardener has to seek fall color and use their imagination.

To tour more SOS gardens, visit Jim at gardenruminations.co.uk

Lemon Blanchetiana Bromeliad (Aechmea blanchetiana) flowers are not something one normally associates with fall color. In my garden they are. Standing about four feet tall and flowering for months starting in late summer with toasty orange and rusty colors, it is a bold statement.

I had just been thinking about how marvelous the Desert Rose (Adenium obesum) looks…when I noticed the evil oleander caterpillar lurking in the foliage. This time of year they show up and eat all the foliage. I may throw them off, or not, they make an interesting black polka dotted moth.

Fruit hanging over the fence from my neighbor’s Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens). To me, Arecas are the trash plant of South Florida. Overused and jam packed as screening plants, they often develop fungus problems and die en masse. Not pretty, though I like the fruit.

The old reliable. A sunny South Florida native, the Beach Sunflower (Heliathus debilis). These smile through everything.

I have been enjoying the color mix of the succulent containers. Gardeners around here gift succulent cuttings, I don’t think I bought any of these. To the best of my knowledge, I have Flapjack Kalanchoes, grey Graptosedums, Green Haworthia, Jelly Bean Sedum, and Fish hook Senecio. I let the Purple Queen ramble through for a shot of color.

The intrepid Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea) in pink and red, peering through ‘Java White’ Copperleaf (Acalypha wilkesiana ‘Java White’)

That’s it for this Saturday. I will be seeking cool breezes and fall color a while longer.

In a Vase on Monday – Herbs and Succulents

I was perusing my front porch recently, noting I have managed to collect a large number of succulents, and decided the array of colors and textures would be fun to put together in a Monday vase. I have a gardening friend who loves succulents and we are bad influences on each other when we visit our favorite local nursery; Pinders https://pindersnursery.com/ to shop the amazing selection of succulents.

The succulents are in need of trim, and while I certainly don’t need anymore I will always take more! I just have to figure out where to put them. These cuttings will be spread around the garden..somewhere. I think I will try a few more in the ground, if the so called soil in my garden is anything – it is very well drained and will hopefully support these plants.

Time for close-ups:

The grey rosettes are Graptosedum; that is all I know. Orange flowers are from the Soap Aloe (Aloe saponaria), which seems to flower quarterly on its own schedule. Yellow green foliage is from a Senecio that flowers with yellow daisies followed by dandelion like seedheads.

The herbs in the arrangement are in the back – Blue Lagoon Rosemary, flowers are deep blue and it lends a wonderful flavor to anything it is added to, even Fiona the greyhound appreciates it in her food. The arrangement has a nice herbal scent I will enjoy passing by.

That is all from South Florida this week. Thanks to Cathy at http://www.ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com for hosting. Follow the link to see more vases.

Happy Gardening!!

In a Vase on Monday – Happy Anniversary

Today is the ninth anniversary of the IAVOM meme. I don’t recall when I started creating and posting vases every Monday, but it has been several years and has become a weekly habit and a joy to share the fruits (or flowers) of my labor with fellow gardeners.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of participating in a Zoom meeting with several members of the IAVOM community. I have been exchanging comments with these blog friends for years and finally met them, virtually.

Cathy, at http://www.ramblinginthgarden.wordpress.com is the creator and hostess of IAVOM. Follow the link to see more vases. Thanks to Cathy for arranging and hosting the Zoom meeting.

The Vase – Contents:

The red flowers are Nodding Hibiscus (Malvaviscus pendululiflorus) – a sort of ratty looking shrub I keep in the garden for its winter flowers. The grey ‘flowers’ are cuttings of Echeveria, a succulent given to me by a friend. These cuttings are destined for a winter tabletop container on my screen porch. The vase is the last vestige of a historic floral arrangement.

The upper level – this image looks suitable for a snack of vegetarian dinosaurs and may well have been one. Both plants are native to Florida and have been here for millenia. The ferns are Boston Ferns (Nephrolepis exaltata) and the flowers are Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa)

Happy Monday, Happy Gardening and Happy Anniversary, IAVOM.

Six on Saturday – Spring Surprises

I am joining the SOS crowd again today, reflecting on discoveries in my garden this week. Above is a Graptosedum succulent, gifted to me by a friend. I did not realize they flowered – but there it is.

One of my favorite discoveries, Mystic Blue Salvia. This one was planted March 2021 and has been flowwering ever since.

My first Dahlia sprout. I planted Labyrinth tubers about 10 days ago, did not read the directions about not watering them..then stopped. I figured I had rotted the tubers, but no! Hoping for some cut flowers, these are planted in grow bags.

Sugar Baby watermelon that faked me out. I have these in grow bags and put an old teak ottoman next to the bag to grow the melons off the ground. Not realizing they would go through the slats. Now I have to figure a way to support the fruit as it ripens. Thinking a mesh sling might do the trick.

New crop of radishes almost ready to eat.

New flush of flowers on the Mexican Honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera)

My spring wonders for this week. To see more wonders, visit http://www.thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com

Happy Gardening!!

Six on Saturday – Relish

There are many things to relish about the winter garden in South Florida. Above is actually relish! This is Roselle/Apple/Pecan relish made from Roselles grown in my garden. We ate it on Christmas Eve with the classic American meal – turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and green beans.

I have been enjoying vases and vases of flowers from these two, Globe Amaranth and Green Envy Zinnias. This one has culinary Fennel (not from the garden) I ate that, too.

The bag garden continues to recieve additions. This bag has Sugar Baby Watermelons underplanted with Bush Beans. Theoretically, the beans will fix nitrogen and feed the watermelons. I am going to, hopefully, train the watermelons up the hefty bamboo teepees and tie the fruit on with slings. The fruit weighs eight pounds, so this should be interesting.

Hopefully, these are the first fruit buds on the Cuban Avocado. A friend grew this from seed, it is the rare Avocado that is true to seed, they are usually grafted. It is now five years old and at the proper age to bear fruit. Fingers crossed.

A very typical sight on my front porch. A Anole lizard sunning on a pot of succulents. The succulents are, in bud, a Desert Rose (Adenium obesum) and a Fish hook Senecio.

That’s the rundown this Saturday on what I am relishing in my garden. To see SOS posts from other gardens follow this link http://www.thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com.

Happy Gardening!!

Six on Saturday – One Man’s Trash

Florida is sort of like a great big garage sale. Oftentimes, Bromeliads can be found for sale or on the side of the road. These were found at a garage sale. Little Harv Aechmea Bromeliads, I moved this clump recently and it is held up by some stray coconuts I found by the side of the road. Bromeliads root from the stem and take a while to reestablish.

I am not sure what this is, it is going to be a pot o’ Bromeliads in a dark corner of the garden where grass refuses to grow. Found by the side of the road.

Another cast off treasure, a branch of a Mango tree with native Tillandsia air plants growing on the bark. I am going to make a stumpery container and underplant this with a Fishhook Senecio.

The Fishhook Senecio, I admit to buying this one.

The Papaya tree was cut back this week, grown from seed of a neighbor’s tree. About 15 feet was cut off, supposedly these grow back and produce more reachable fruit. Time will tell.

A view of the cut top of the Papaya trunk. Somewhat like a giant tube.

Happy Spring and Happy Gardening. To see more Six on Saturday posts, visit Jon the Propagator at http://www.thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com.

Six on Saturday – Succulents n’ Stuff

There was some plant shopping this week. I went with a friend to a local nursery. Pinder’s Nursery grows a large selection of succulents. My strawberry pot needed a little rejuvenation, so I bought a few 2 inch containers. The blue grays are Echeverias (I Think); grey is Graptosedum; brownish is a Haworthia. I am not sure what the green one is. Growing out of the side is a Flapjack Kalanchoe.

In the side yard, a Firesticks Pencil Cactus and Soap Aloe (Aloe saponaria) live in an unirrigated bed.

Desert Roses (Adenium obesum) tower above Flapjack Kalanchoes in a planter by the door. These are just leafing out and flowering after a cold snap in January slowed them down.

Tillandsia ionantha producing pups inside another Bromeliad, these are native to Central American and have hot pink and blue flowers. I bought a couple last year and thought they were gone – hopefully I see some flowers and they will create a colony.

Buds on a Billbergia Bromeliad – not sure which one, though I am thinking it is Purple Haze..

My tower of Nasturtiums and Tropical Red Salvia. I am enjoying the Nasturtiums immensely.

That is my Six this Saturday, to join in or see posts from the world over, visit Jon at http://www.thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com

Happy Spring and Happy Gardening..