Category Archives: treasure coast gardening

Six on Saturday – Rainy Season Up!

The rainy season in South Florida officially starts June 1. And it has! One day early. Which is a good thing, because the garden was getting parched. I toured the garden before the rain started to fall and the typically clear blue skies were overcast – one look at radar confirmed it, water would be falling from the sky shortly. Rain Dance successful. My six images today reflect typical garden sights that start the season. To see more tours with six items of interest from the garden the world over, visit Jim at GardenRuminations

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A sure sign of a quenching rain. New growth on Mango trees. This happens when the fruit is nearly ripe. It reminds me of fall color, a rare sight in South Florida.

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Rangpur limes coming along. I fertilized all the fruit trees ahead of the rain. They are very happy.

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Wildflowers are making their presence known. This is a White mouth Day flower (Commelina erecta) I have no idea where it came from, but I enjoy these every summer.

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This is Vitex trifolia, a Chastetree that grows this far South. I planted this for butterflies. They like it. I have mixed feelings, it is difficult to prune into anything attractive. I am considering a round bush concept.

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The great indestructible Shrimp Plant (Justicia brandegeana).

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Another harbinger of the rainy season. These are either called Flaming Torch or Hurricane Bromeliads (Billbergia pyramidalis). I prefer Flaming Torch, if the light hits them just right – that is exactly what they look like.

SOS mission complete! Happy Summer!

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:

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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.

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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 – 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 – 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 – Seeing Red

Suffice it to say there are many in the US seeing red this week. I’m leaning towards seeing a monochromatic color scheme that has a tropical Christmas spirit. Making America Garden Again?

Seizing on the garden update. This is an heirloom Amaryllis (Hippeastrum). I think it is a Red Lion. My father in law grew these every holiday and went through an incredible in the closet/out of the closet ritual to force the flowers. Once the bulbs stopped putting up with his behavior, he planted them outside and gave me a few. This one usually flowers on his birthday, which I consider a wink from the great beyond. This year it was about 10 days late. Maybe things are slow in the great beyond.

The Red Lion roars again. The bell shaped red flowers are Firecracker Plant (Russelia equisetiformis). Palm foliage is from Dwarf Pygmy Date Palm (Phoenix roebellini). I found the vase by the side of the road while walking the dog.

The frothy white accents flowers are Sweet Begonia (Begonia odorata ‘Alba’) These are a fairly indestructible perennial for South Florida gardens. I am not sure how long this one has been around. Ten years at least and it has provided a few generations of offspring along the way.

I am hoping to see more red flowers! That’s all from my South Florida garden this Monday. Follow this link RamblingintheGarden to visit Cathy and see vases from other gardeners around the world.

Six on Saturday – Garden Goodies

I am joining the group at Jim’s blog this Saturday, sharing six items of interest from our gardens. Follow the link to join the garden party GardenRuminations

This week has been wonderful weather wise. Clear blue skies, sunny, low humidity and a rain storm that quenched the thirsty plants in the garden. I have been enjoying homegrown produce, admiring fruit coming along in the trees and spying orchid flowers in the Gumbo Limbo tree.

First up, the orchid. This is a Dendrobium superbum. The fragrance was fantastic when it first opened. It has been flowering for about a week. I tied this into my Gumbo Limbo tree last spring.

Second, another mad bromeliad flower. This is from Aechmea ‘burgundy’. They do not flower often, but it is an interesting bloom.

Another bromeliad, the pineapple. I think it doubled in size with the addition of fertilizer and rain.

More fruit in the garden. The Thai dessert mangoes are coming along.

I have been enjoying heirloom Arugula and cherry tomatoes – in everything possible.

The heirloom Pentas (Penta lanceolata) are doing their best to welcome spring.

That is all from South Florida this Saturday. I am waiting for another set of rain showers to move through and hopefully wash some pollen away.

Happy Spring!!

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.