Category Archives: Tropical gardening

In a Vase on Monday – The Ephemeral Plonk

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The rainy season in South Florida is living up to its name. Yes, it’s rainy and the Rain Lilies are loving it. I have never had so many in bloom. I decided to cut some to enjoy in the house, knowing they don’t last very long in a Vase. I cut a few other things, all oozers of sap, then held everything upside down and made it back inside before the rain started. I managed not to get slimed by the drippy stems, shoved the entire handful into the nearest vase, separated the colors and voila!

A flower arrangement that is really temporary.

The vase roster:

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The pink flowers are Rain Lilies (Zephyranthes rubra); berries on red stems are Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia). I had to stop for a minute to think about the difference between Poison Ivy and Virginia Creeper – 3 leaves versus 5. Phew.

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There was one white Tropical Gardenia (Tabernaemontana diviricata) within reach with the Arabian Lilac (Vitex trifolia) nearby. I trimmed a few branches of the Lilac, it has purple flowers. The sawtooth foliage is from the Virginia Creeper.

Happy Monday from the Land of Humidity!

Tune in to Cathy’s blog RamblingintheGarden by following this link to see more vases.

Six on Saturday – The Last Mango

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There it is. The final perfectly tree ripened Thai dessert mango of the summer. I am not sure who or what ate it, but it wasn’t me. I will count my blessings. We had a wonderful crop of three varieties of mangoes from May to July and I have learned to make a new dessert, Mango Coconut Cream pie. I will confess I have been shopping for a Keitt mango to extend the season through September…the pie.

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Now for some pretty garden images:

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This is a Vriesea bromeliad. The botanical name has been changed to Goudaea ospinae, it used to be V. ospinae cv. gruberi. Maybe it is not a Vriesea anymore. These are planted primarily for foliage, the color really lights up the shade garden. It is reported to have a yellow flower, but I have never seen one.

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This is a Buttercup Bush (Turnera ulmifolia) – I think. These grow wild here and it popped up to replace an Angel Trumpet that didn’t grow here at all.

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This is a Golden Dewdrop (Durant erecta). This rarely flowers in my garden and the butterflies are really enjoying it. I am wondering what inspired the flowers. The Dewdrop is a bit of a mystery to me. It is supposed to be a large shrub to a small tree sized plant. I would guess it has been in the garden for 8 or 10 years and might be two feet tall. More puzzles to ponder.

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A Royal Ponciana (Delonix regia); also called Flamboyant tree. My neighbor has one and a seedling popped up in the garden, so I potted it, coddled it and waited for the rainy season to plant it. In a few years it will be covered in flowers like this. Flamboyant is a good name! Hopefully.

That is all from South Florida. The rainy season continues….

To see more SOS posts, follow the link to visit Jim’s blog Garden Ruminationshttp://garden ruminations.co.uk.

In a Vase on Monday – Rubens Rebound

I am definitely getting in touch with my inner tropical garden lover this Monday. My rainforest garden is putting out funkier flowers by the day. Of course, the bromeliads are uncooperative about growing where I want them and need rearranging. A winter time chore in full armor is in my future.

The flowers are Aechmea Rubens. I have never heard a common name for this plant. Apparently a botanical garden in Canada picked it up in Brazil and didn’t quite document it, so no one knows exactly where it came from. I am not sure where the one in my garden came from??! The rebound came when I couldn’t remember the name and put the picture in Google Lens and was referred to my own blog!

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A closer view. The flowers are very much like straw flowers. I have had them last until Thanksgiving in the garden. I am not sure about vase life, but I expect it will be a while. The background foliage is a Sabal Palm frond trimmed to fit. The vase and flowers are easily three feet tall. The plant in the garden is at least that tall.

Happy Monday from the tropics.

Thanks to Cathy for hosting. To visit other gardens via vase follow this link to RamblingintheGarden

Six on Saturday – Summer Fun

My garden tour this Saturday was quick. The humidity descended this morning after sunrise, the kind that fogs your glasses upon exiting the air conditioning. A few quick snaps with the phone followed a twirl around the block with Rob the Greyhound and I’m posting six items of garden interest once again.

To see more Six on Saturday posts or to join in, visit Jim at Garden Ruminations.

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The pink flamingo was our college mascot, so I have to have one in the garden. This one lives in a mass of Soap Aloe.

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Continuing the pink theme with the flower of Silver Urn Bromeliad (Aechmea fasciata)

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My lawn replacement project from last year is finally looking lawnish. This is Turkeytangle Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) This plant is an evergreen wildflower that provides food and habitat for several butterflies. The butterflies do love it – but, they are shy about photography.

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More butterfly habitat. These are Maui Red Ixora. The vines rambling through the shrubs are Corkystem Passionflower (Passiflora suberosa). The flowers of the Ixora provide nectar for the butterflies while the Passionflower vines provide food for the caterpillars. Given that the vines have been completely denuded I think we are having a good butterfly year. The vines host Zebra Longwing and Gulf Fritillary butterflies. The Gulf Fritillary butterflies are known for their aggressive mating behavior (foursomes!) It’s a wonderful aerial acrobatics show in the garden every sunny day.

Another pollinator plant is doing well. Green berries are formed on the Beautyberry (Calliocarpa americana) The butterflies love the flowers and later these berries will turn a deep purple color and birds.

‘Lady Di’ Heliconia (Heliconia psittacorum) in place in the garden. These skirt another lady ‘Miss Alice’ Bougainvillea.

That is all from my garden. I will be pursuing cooler pursuits this Saturday.

In a Vase on Monday – Here comes the Frangipani

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The scent of Frangipani at night is a blessing in the tropics. It compensates for the humidity. June brings Bridal Bouquet Frangipani flowers and fragrance into the garden. This is not the typical Frangipani. The growth habit is columnar rather than a rounded tree form and the foliage can be semi evergreen. The foliage is also an unusual shape, called violin.

I use these as upright hedges to screen my neighbors wood fence. Some winters I see more fences than others as semi evergreen is a very good description. Come summer you can’t get much more tropical than this.

A closer view:

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The white flowers are the Bridal Bouquet Frangipani (Plumeria pudica). Yellow and Red flowers are “Lady Di” Heliconias (Heliconia psittacorum). Orange flowers are from the Firebush (Hamelia patens). There is a little charteuse Coleus in the back of the vase. The vase is a large crystal wedding gift from Tiffany’s.

That’s all from my South Florida garden. I’ll be savoring the scents of summer and ignoring the weeds.

Visit Cathy’s blog to see more vases this Monday.

Six on Saturday – Solstice Joy

Truth be told, I think the days are a little too long. I am happy the sun is heading back down in the sky. Living as far south as we do there can be a dramatic shift in light, especially on the due north side of the house. Full sun in summer followed by full shade in winter. A plant selection dilemma. I’m still finding a lot of joy in the garden . Here are my six tidbits of joy from this morning.

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Buds are shooting up on the Soap Aloe (Aloe saponaria). I love these buds, so architectural. They are taking over the garden and have thorny foliage, so I leave them be for the most part.

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The Bridal Bouquet Frangipani (Plumeria pudica) is ready for June brides. I may cut a bouquet for myself as I think this one is a bit too tall.

I am not sure a bridal bouquet from this plant would be a great idea. The drip toxic sap after cutting. But it would smell great.

The Firebush (Hamelia patens) is underplanted with lush Alligator Lilies (Hymenocallis latifolia). The Firebush is a major pollinator nectar source, so I have masses of butterflies. This is the best Alligator Lily foliage I have had – these are shy about flowering and seem to enjoy being crowded. Fingers crossed for fragrant, white lilies that open at dusk later this summer.

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A true summer joy and a symbol of endurance. A nice array of hot colors from zinnias

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More garden joy. This is as late in the year as I have ever had tomatoes. Many South Florida gardeners grow tomatoes October through May. I planted a second crop and will plant another crop in August. Hoping for year round cherry tomatoes. These are yellow pear, sweet 100, and Brad’s Atomic. Brad’s is off the list for the next crop, just a bit weird tasting and not very prolific.

I’m still harvesting Nam Doc Mai mangoes and have pounds of mango in the freezer. Also doing rain dances. Things are looking more promising for next week.

Thanks to Jim at Garden Ruminations for hosting. Follow the link for more garden tours.

In a Vase on Monday – Dead Lob

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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.

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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.

Six on Saturday – Summer Visitors

Summer is in full force in my garden, bringing out some of the usual suspects and a few surprises. I’m joining Jim and the SOS gang to share six items of interest from my garden this week. To see more SOS posts, follow this link GardenRuminations.

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I have been wondering for years why I can’t grow anything but spotty White Salvia here. Rob the Greyhound spotted a gathering of Marsh Rabbits working their way through the Blue Daze Evolvulus. What is strange is how not marshy my garden is?

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The first ripe Thai Dessert Mango (Nam Doc Mai). We had Mango Salsa with Herb Crusted Steelhead Trout and rice for dinner. Delish. These mangoes are tricky to pick – if they aren’t showing the apricot blush they never get ripe on the counter. I’m thinking about trying a Mango Cream pie with graham cracker crust.

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The Jamaican Caper (Quadrella jamaicensis) is flowering. This is a small tree native to South Florida. It looks like a Japanese Cleyera to me. It does produce capers, but they are not edible.

My husband and I met a very friendly kitty in the garden. I have no idea where she came from. I hope she enjoys dining on invasive lizards.

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Our local farmer’s market has the most fantastic deal on Phalaenopsis orchids – 3 for $20. I have been enjoying the flowers in the house and transplanting them into palm tree boots after the flowers fade. Fingers crossed this works.

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This might be a Fantasia Aechmea Bromeliad. I am not quite sure what it is – but Fantasia seems like an apt name!

That’s all from my garden this morning. I hope everyone is enjoying summer gardening. Thanks to Jim for hosting.

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.

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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 – Tropicow

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I decided a little fun was in order this Monday and selected my cow vase to contain my beguiling tropical flowers. I dodged soaking rain showers while selecting flowers then stopped to dig up and move a Heliconia in the rain. Upon returning to the house drenched and bearing cut flowers; the dog looked at me like I had lost my mind. The Heliconia doesn’t seem to have noticed its new location. Rain is predicted all week, so it is a good time to move tropical plants.

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A closer cow view. The cow is wreathed in white Tropical Gardenias (Tabernaemontana divicata) accented with a pink Zinnia and a pink seedpod from Aechmea “Burgundy” Bromeliad.

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Bringing up the rear of the arrangement is the lovely fragrant “Aztec Gold” Frangipani. The lavendar spikes are from Arabian Lilac (Vitex trifolia). This doesn’t have a fragrance, though it sounds like it should. I like the purple backed leaves.

Happy Sultry Summer from South Florida!

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