Category Archives: theshrubqueen

In a Vase on Monday – Tropical Fantasy

I recently acquired some fabric called Tropical Fantasy. It features animals lurking in palm trees and giant teapots. I believe this vase fits quite well into that theme. Many bromeliad flowers are the embodiment of a tropical fantasy. I get a head shaking moment every now and then in the garden and ask myself “is that a flower or what?”

Our rainy season is taking a long holiday from precipitation. Scorched is the new normal as temperatures have been over 90 (32C) for the past few weeks. The good news is the humidity dropped. The bad news is this is making the orchids very unhappy. I can’t get enough water on them and have had to pull some up to get them out of the sun. I can’t recall ever having crispy brown orchids.

The components:

wp-17542474627181799272758335123168

This is the appropriately named “Fantasia” Aechmea Bromeliad. The foliage is a sawtooth edged silvery grey with pink undertones, pretty fantastic.

wp-17542478038874848226265706371925

These flowers are from two different Aechmea blanchetiana bromeliads. Red stemmed flowers are from the raspberry cultivar and the yellow one is from lemon. The foliage is red or yellow tinged in these two varieties. The Blanchetiana comes in a number of colors, one called iced tea due to the foliage color. These are stunning in the sun. Foliage in the vase is prunings from Dracaena reflexa. These used to be called Pleomele, I think. The one in my garden is (or was!) about 15 feet tall. It was growing over the bottom of the roof so I trimmed it back.

That’s all from the slow simmer setting in South Florida. Thanks to Cathy for hosting our weekly vase adventure into other gardens and climates. To see more vases follow this link RamblingintheGarden.

Six on Saturday – Summer Additions

It seems I always find a few things I want to add to the garden – in July. Not a great time for shipping plants to South Florida. I managed to control myself (a little) and bought a few new plants shipped from nearby. July can be a good time to plant things due to copious rainfall.

My garden tour this morning revealed a few other new things in the garden – one has already been eaten! Please join other SOS bloggers and their six items of interest at Jim’s Blog (Garden Ruminations) for more summer fun.

wp-17529315198597705091409172315954

The Yellow Dragonfruit is once again teasing me with a flower. These are pollinated by night flying bats and moths. At this point I am not sure I have any of those in the garden. Usually I get some flowers for a short (hours long) period and they fall off. I thought I would try the paint brush around the inside of the flower and then looked inside.

wp-1752931724442535859892294947396

The flower was loaded with insects doing more than I could ever hope for with a paintbrush. I’ll know in a week or so if there will be fruit.

wp-175293185374352578541709673027

The homegrown pineapple (on the left) was harvested and devoured. These pineapples are usually much smaller than the grocery store varieties (on the right) I am not sure why because they are grown from the tops of grocery store pineapples? The fruit is sweeter and juicier than pineapples from the store. Delicious.

wp-17529321364538227745122649273337

These are new to the garden. I bought the cuttings of Reed Orchid (Epiprenum radicans). These can be grown in the ground here and are used as a groundcover. This one has orange flowers that look like dendrobium clusters, but they come in many colors. I put it in a terracotta pot to keep the rabbits away. It should take and creep over the sides of the pot and fill in the bed.

wp-1752933876801874098418026020153

Meet ‘Absolute Zero’ Crypanthus bromeliad. These are shade lovers and should have pink flowers. The common name is Earth Star. I intend to put these in the ground near the Epiprenums. After receiving the plant I realized the sun needs to go down in the sky a bit before I plant them. A little too much afternoon sun currently.

A locally grown coconut. I bought this to bake a pie, without thinking through the fact that power tools are probably needed to open it and it is the wrong kind for baking coconut. Green coconuts have coconut water and jelly. Brown coconuts have the grateable meat for pies. Sigh. Both involve screwdrivers and hammer prior to use. They can be sprouted and planted in the garden – but I am not sure which kind.

That’s all from South Florida. There is a heat advisory in effect for the next couple of days so all gardening has to be done before 9 am. I am done!

Happy Gardening

In a Vase on Monday – Dead Lob

wp-17500162579881442951368990018354

The Lobsterclaw Heliconia (Heliconia rostrata) are having a banner year. I suspect the addition of food, water and acidic mulch has a lot to do with it. Maintenance! What a concept. I have had a flower or two in previous years; but this year a bevy of flowers burst forth followed by new green shoots with buds. The decision was made to dead head the flowers, a task never undertaken before. Hence Dead Lob. As a joke, my siblings and I called my parents favorite restaurant, Red Lobster, by that name. Red Lobster is sort of an American institution, known for serving massive quantities of frozen seafood for low prices.

Heliconias are a single genus and have some unusual habits. This one produces green leaves (at least two feet long) above the flower buds, then the leaves die off leaving curled brown blobs over the bright flowers. I have trimmed the dead leaves off, leaving the stems and flowers. The green leaves remaining are in the vase. As the stems age they take on a bronze, spotted coloration. I like this and will enjoy watching the senescence.

wp-17500191188297624008876455123885

A close up of the flower. There must be seeds in there somewhere? I wonder if my garden has a pollinator that is capable of working with these flowers. The Orange Bird of Paradise rarely produces seed here because the Sunbird (native to South Africa where the plants originate) is one of the few animals capable of the gymnastics necessary to pollinate the flowers. I must look into what pollinates Heliconias. More garden mysteries to ponder.

To see more vases, follow this link RamblingintheGarden to Cathy’s blog.

In a Vase on Monday – Tea for Two

The two bottles are from a nice tea assortment I was gifted last year by my nephew’s wife, my niece in law? I saved the bottles and here they are with my vintage Blue Willow teapot enjoying the IAVOM spotlight. The flower colors reflect our weather in South Florida. Hot and hotter. Apparently we haven’t made it to Hell’s Front Porch yet. I see this on social media and have to laugh as it is a fairly apt description of late summer.

The bottle views:

The zinnias are supplying better colors this summer. All pinks and oranges. Another garden mystery to ponder. A few sprigs of Arabian Lilac (Vitex trifolia) and Firecracker Plant (Russelia equisetum) complete the bottle.

wp-17494130007894926048652586496424

This bottle has Gallardia (Gallardia pulchella), a few sprigs of Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea) and Arabian Lilac.

Happy Monday to all and thanks to Cathy for hosting IAVOM. Follow this link to visit Cathy’s blog and view more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – Goddess Stone & Heliconias

Today is Memorial Day in the US, marking the official start of summer. It certainly feels like summer and the garden has started serving up tropical flowers in celebration. The humidity kicked into high gear last week and I am betting it won’t go back down until fall, though there is a nice breeze and it fortunately started raining. The garden is much happier now and I am enjoying the air conditioning indoors. Rob the dog is so peacefully asleep at my feet I want to take a nap, too.

Closer views:

wp-17482048186376046067973934193383

The goddess stone. These are coral stones worn down by the ocean over time. They break from offshore reefs then wash up on our beach and are imbued with mystical powers from the sea. The locals call them goddess stones. I have seen them called hag stones, but prefer the former.

wp-17482055135938229399802032619126

The Heliconias. The bigger flower is Lobsterclaw Heliconia (Heliconia rostrata). Smaller flowers are Parrotflowers (Heliconia psittacorum). There is some Asparagus Fern tangled through the vases that came with the flowers and a trimmed palm frond. The vases are bottles that did not quite make it to recycling.

Thanks to Cathy for hosting In a Vase on Monday. I enjoy creating a Vase every week while sorting through whatever is in my garden. To see more sorts of vases follow this link to Cathy’s blog.

Happy Summer!

Six on Saturday – Mango Alert

It’s Saturday morning and time for another tour featuring six items of interest from my garden. To join the fun and experience a worldwide garden tour follow this link to Jim’s blog.

wp-17474928611862570663509007310667

I have collected more than a bowl full of mangoes and received my first ever dog alert to start picking the Glenn mangoes. My fruit loving Greyhound brought me a ripe mango that had fallen to the ground and was partially devoured by who knows what. I have learned not to leave the fruit on the tree if you want to eat any. I pick them when they release from the stem easily and let them ripen on the counter.

wp-17474935227593934435293451596512

The first zinnia of the new crop. They seem to be orange or orange and fuchsia.

wp-17474936275104467969759011737347

The irresistibly cute pineapple.

wp-17474937136648354421752208934076

New pups forming on Macwilliamsii Bromeliads as the cool season coloration fades.

wp-17474938224164023931462962405141

We had a huge storm Monday night and now the Rain Lilies (Zephyranthes rubra) are celebrating.

wp-17474940252381348963511223577792

My very happy Sweet Begonia (Begonia odorata) and unnamed Coleus.

That’s all from South Florida this Saturday. Wishing everyone Happy Gardening. I will be in the kitchen staring down those mangoes.

In a Vase on Monday – Belated Mother’s Day

I usually cut flowers on Sunday for IAVOM. This Sunday was Mother’s Day in the US. This particular Sunday in May always makes me reminisce about gardening with my mother, the Greatest Generation Southern Belle, who everyone called Miss Betty. My interest in gardening was sparked at her knee, planting field pansies (to use in vases for my elementary school teachers!) in the 1960s. Her father was a peach farmer in South Georgia, his mother a devoted gardener as well. The family joke is my brother and I got the farmer gene. Fortunately, the gene has been passed down and there are some more gardeners in the family. I am passing seeds along as they admit their interest and keeping my fingers crossed.

The vase has some unusual components. I am certain Miss Betty would love IAVOM if it had been in existence when she was. The picture is her graduation photo from nursing school in 1948. Here are the details:

The grey ‘flowers’ are Graptosedum. The smaller white flowers, Lotusleaf Begonias (Begonia nelumbifolia). Red bell shaped flowers, Firecracker Plant (Russelia equisetifolium). White flowers, Miss Alice Bougainvillea.Red and yellow and orange flowers, Parrotflowers (Heliconia psittacorum).

Background foliage is Asian Sword Ferns and trimmed Sabal Palm seedlings. The vase is a thrift store find.

Happy Mother’s Day to all, belated and otherwise. Thanks to Cathy for hosting, follow this link to her blog RamblingintheGarden for more vases.

Six on Saturday – Tropical Fruits and Flowers

Last Saturday I didn’t think there was very much going on in the garden, then the temperature heated up a bit and the more tropical plants responded. This week is a different story, ripening fruit on the trees and the sweet scent of Frangipani in the air. To see more SOS posts, visit Jim in his garden and follow the link GardenRuminations

It doesn’t get much more tropical than this. ‘Aztec Gold’ Frangipani (Plumeria rubra) These are sometimes called Key West Yellow or South Florida Gold. They are a very common passalong around here. A friend gave me cuttings some years ago, now I have a 5 foot tree.

Miss Alice Bougainvillea is back in her full glory. I am giving the last two branches a little more time to leaf out.

The summer tomato experiment has begun. On the right, the tomatoes are at the end of the season. On the left, some new cuttings that are just starting to bear fruit. I usually stop growing tomatoes during the summer and start seeds in late summer to grow in winter. This year, I researched and found the most heat tolerant cherry tomatoes, started cuttings on a staggered schedule and just started a few seeds. The types are Sungold, Yellow Pear and Sweet 100 in pots. I am trying the native Everglades tomatoes in the ground. These are currant tomatoes and a bit weird.

The cuttings and seeds. Instructions say to add mulch and cages. Fingers crossed for homegrown tomatoes through the summer. Sometimes the night temperatures are too high for the flowers to be pollinated.

The first Thai Dessert Mangoes (Nam Doc Mai) of the year. Varmints eat the mangoes if they ripen on the tree. These are apricot colored when fully ripe.

Desert Rose (Adenium obesum) perking up with the warming temps.

These are all succulents that hang out under a roof. This is east facing and the roof prevents over watering from rain. The grey plants are Graptosedum. There is some Green Haworthia and a bit of Flapjack Kalanchoe in the strawberry pot.

Happy gardening to all!

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 – 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.