Tag Archives: Amelia Grant

In a Vase on Monday – Hong Kong Orchid

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I like a catchy title and the name of the biggest flower here serves its purpose well. The lavendar flowers are from the Hong Kong Orchid tree next door. The tree is actually my neighbors, planted by her grandmother in the 1960s, so it has been around for a while. I filched a few flowers that are encroaching. It’s one of those love/hate types of trees. In March the sight of this tree covered in these Lavendar orchid shaped flowers makes me sigh with gardening pleasure. Later in the year it drops a million pods and then the seedlings come up with summer rains. Then I am sighing from the effort of trying to remove all the little seedlings that seem to have suction cups attached to their roots.

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A little closer view. The Hong Kong Orchids are Bauhinia purpurea. The white flowers are from Sweet Begonia (Begonia odorata ‘Alba’). Blue flowers are Plumbaga auriculata. Burgundy spears are from Aechmea ‘Burgundy’ Bromeliad. Ferny bits are the creepy Asparagus Fern. The vase is from the Ute Indian tribe in the Southwestern Us.

It seems to have started raining again. The forecasters are saying our weather pattern is shifting to La Nina which means cooler weather, more rain and fewer hurricanes. This sounds good to me. I am slowly reclaiming the garden from the freeze of a month ago. One mango tree is dead, one is coming back and a third the jury is still out. I decapitated the papaya tree, so fingers crossed it comes back.

Happy Monday from South Florida. Visit Cathy at RamblingintheGarden to see more vases!

In a Vase on Monday – The Tropical Renaissance

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After a morose month in the garden, I am finally witnessing the rebirth of the tropical vibe. It is such a relief to find bromeliads and tropical begonias flowering and the not really cold hardy palm is so fine I filched a frond. I found some green sprouts on my terrifyingly brown mango tree. Fingers still crossed for the mango.

A closer view:

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Another shot, This is kind of a POW thing.

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The red, yellow and blue flowers are from Billbergia vittata, a bromeliad that is obviously cold hardy. I would like to know the variety, but have no clue! Red and black (yea, weird) foliage is from Pie Crust Croton (Codieum varigatum) White flowers are Sweet Begonia (Begonia odorata ‘Alba’) this is a very common winter bedding plant here. I usually have them year round and take cuttings for new ones as needed. The frond providing background drama is from the native Thatch Palm (Thrinax radiata). These are so slow growing it is laughable. I bought one about ten years ago – it is not 3 feet tall yet.

I am pleased to report it rained! And more is in the forecast. And I have tomatoes. Life is getting better in the garden.

Follow this link RamblingintheGarden to visit Cathy and hear about her garden and find links to vases from other gardeners celebrating early spring…

In a Vase on Monday – Simply Red

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The garden is coming back slowly from its first brush with Jack Frost. A hummingbird was sighted sipping nectar from basil flowers I had not gotten around to trimming. I left the flowers after seeing that and a few butterflies scouting for food. My simple, small vase was put together in the spirit of leaving flowers for the pollinators.

These sensuous, red flowers are from a Turk’s Cap Hibiscus (Malvaviscus penduliflorus). These are also called Sleeping or Nodding Hibiscus. I like those names better. These tend to pop up in the shady areas of the garden and flower prolifically in the winter. They are a sort of raggedy looking shrub, but difficult to get rid of, so I enjoy the flowers and prune them – a lot!

That’s all from South Florida this Monday. It has finally rained, so I am looking forward to more progress in the garden. Thank you to Cathy at RamblingintheGarden for hosting this weekly meme. Follow the link to see more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – Hidden Treasures

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One of my favorite things about gardening – the little bursts of joy along the way. Finding that first tomato, or mango, or anything edible that I have planted is a true joy. This week it was the hidden treasures that survived and thrived through record breaking cold to provide flowers for my Monday vase.

I have been hauling dead bodies out of the garden this week. Plants only! although I found some frozen invasive lizards; unfortunately after the dog (who was fascinated) did. The good news, I gather they were not very tasty or emerald green guts offend greyhounds, so I got my tongs and removed the offending lizards. I like our little native Anole lizards, but the invasives are sometimes a foot long, ugh!

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The most interesting survivor this week is the Graptosedum succulent. Flowering! I always thought these were tropical, but they are fine. There seems to be a microclimate where these were growing in a pot, uncovered. Another garden mystery to ponder.

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The tulips of South Florida are back again – pink flowers from Quesnelia testudo bromeliad. These Quesnelias are known for their cold tolerance. This one is common much further north of my garden. The flowers that were open burned to beige, but the new ones look great. The spiky stem in the back is a flower stalk from Dracaena reflexa. I am not sure what this was doing, there are berries on the plant, so it could be forming berries or just burnt from the cold. The ferny stuff is Climbing Asparagus Fern, a weed that pops up from time to time.

That is all from my garden this week. Hopefully, no more cold or lizard finds in the foreseeable future. Visit Cathy’s blog RamblingintheGarden and follow the links to see more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – My Funky Valentine

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After last weeks Freezepacolypse I was certain there would be no flowers for a Vase. Alas, after encountering several disgruntled bees in the garden I found enough material for a Valentine vase. I think this is an unusual combination and it contains some surprises – what is bouncing back so quickly after our freezing weather.

Some closer views:

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A very big surprise to me, in white, Miss Alice Bougainvillea, not missing a beat after the freeze. I surmise this is due to the proximity to the house. I have seen numerous fried Bougs at the curb this week. The succulents in the background are ‘Firesticks’ Pencil Cactus, living up to their name.

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The red flowers, Firecracker plant (Russelia equisetiformis), are the only thing flowering in the garden. The white begonias are tropicals (Begonia odorata ‘Alba’) they spent a few days in the house – otherwise, I am certain the would be toast by now.

As of Sunday, all the orchids and tropicals that spent the week in the bathtub have been repotted in new moss and rehydrated. Orchids are a lot tougher than I would have thought. A few simply couldn’t be moved indoors and were covered with sheets and look fantastic! A wonderful surprise.

Happy Valentine’s Week to all and thank you to Cathy for hosting. To see more vases visit RamblingintheGarden via this link.

In a Vase on Monday – Winter Deflector

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Generally, people who move to South Florida dislike being cold, at all. I admit to being one of those people. This past week has been a bit of a trial for me. Last night we experienced the coldest (is that a word?) temperature of our tenure in Florida. 28 F/-2C (minus!) I was not amused, especially facing the morning dog walk and decided Rob the Greyhound, being lean and short haired, needed a jacket. He had different ideas, peed on the jacket (it is pink, from a long gone girl greyhound) and shook it off. So much for that. Rob is from West Virginia, where it is much colder, either he didn’t mind the cold or couldn’t cope with a pink jacket?! Another animal item of interest. People always ask me if we have iguanas falling from the trees during cold spells. I am, fortunately, slightly too far north for that. However, the county south of us is collecting bags of frozen iguanas at their fire stations. Ugh.

I moved many of the tender orchids, tomatoes and herbs into the house and covered many more. It seems a frost every sixteen years might be the average – 2010 and 1989 are legendary here. This took a few days as water lines into the house are not necessarily insulated and those need to be taken care of as well as the plants. I have plants in our spare bedroom, bathtub, foyer and garage. I am happy I went to all the trouble of moving them inside as the weather forecast was spot on and the tender plants would not likely have survived.

Today’s vase is intended to project some warm, tropical vibes back into the universe. So far, the only cold damage I have witnessed is, ironically, a Firebush, the foliage burned black. Fingers crossed that is all. But, I doubt it.

A closer view of the vase.

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These are Bromeliads, reportedly cold hardy, Quesnelia testudo. Tulips of South Florida, with teeth. The ferns are invasive, Asian Sword Ferns, but I do love them in a Vase. The vase is a jelly jar wrapped with a leaf from another Bromeliad, ‘Lemon” Aechema blanchetiana. I would be shocked if anything killed these things. Maybe a winter in Chicago.

Cheers to warmer days!

Thanks to Cathy for hosting. Follow this link to her blog RamblingintheGarden to see more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – Serpents??

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As I was cutting these flowers I wondered if anyone would recognize them. I think this is weird. At this point, If I think something from my garden is weird that is saying something.

The title is a hint and here is another:

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If your guess was Snake Plant, that is correct! The botanists have decided this is a Dracaena now, so this is D. trifasciata. These are considered invasive here and I throw them away by the wheelbarrow load. I read they flower when under stress and I suppose the dry weather is getting to them.

I see real serpents in the garden from time to time, usually black racers that eat all kinds of bad things. I estimate there are 100 linear feet of Snake Plant about 10 feet wide between me and my neighbor. I was astonished the first time I walked around the house and witnessed the world of Snake Plants – it stopped me in my tracks. House plants run amok.

A closer view:

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This is a pretty flower and it has a nice fragrance. The foliage is from bromeliads, I think it accents the linearity of the flowers. Burgundy foliage is from Aechmea ‘burgundy’. The chartreuse foliage is from Aechmea blanchetiana ‘Lemonade’.

That’s all from my garden this Monday. Visit Cathy at RamblingintheGarden and follow the links to see more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – Strange Brew

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Behold my all time favorite coffee mug. The handle broke some years ago and I cannot bring myself to throw it away. It lurks around the house holding one thing or another. Today it is a vase holding an unusual array of flowers.

Not quite all of them are flowers. I like to throw in a succulent from time to time and January is a really good time as cutting flowers are few and far between. I planted seeds for zinnias and rudbeckias in November or so and they were consumed by something. Whatever ate the flowers did not eat the herbs. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around that and come up with Plan B..

What’s the strange brew in my coffee mug?

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The pink flower is a Bromeliad, Quesnelia testudo, sometimes referred to as the tulip of South Florida. Grey rosettes are Graptosedum, a succulent. The green foliage and flower is another succulent, Senecio barbertonicus. The Senecio flowers open for a short time and then make fuzzy seedheads. This plant is terribly poisonous, so brewing it would be a very bad idea!

That is all from my garden this Monday. Doing a rain dance here, showers are possible. Our rain totals are down about 10 inches from normal.

Follow this link RamblingintheGarden to visit our host, Cathy and follow links to vases from other gardens.

Happy Monday!

In a Vase on Monday – Gilded Lobsterclaws?!

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And now for something completely different! I had my fill of red and green and looked around to find something a little unusual. I’m not sure I have ever seen gilded Lobsterclaw Heliconia, so I got in touch with my inner Martha Stewart and painted these dried Heliconias gold. The gilded flowers called for a simple backdrop that needed no water. I found a few more palm fronds to trim and voila! (There is truly an endless supply of palm seedlings in my garden as they are difficult to get rid of.) I think the palm fronds will dry naturally so they may get gilded next!

A closer view:

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The gilded flowers are Lobsterclaw Heliconias (Heliconia rostrata). I dried them during the summer – just to see if it was possible. They retained some of their coloration but are mostly brown. A paint brush and a little gold paint gave them their sparkle back. I had planned to hang them sideways from the bottom of a wreath and just never got around to it. Maybe a New Years wreath is in order? The trimmed fronds are from Cabbage Palms (Palmetto Sabal) which are sometimes called Sabal Palms and are native to Florida.

Many thanks to Cathy at RamblingintheGarden who oversees this wonderful garden meme.

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Christmas to all.

In a Vase on Monday – Celebrating Garden Mystery

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The holiday mood usually kicks in for me around December 15. True to form, I reached for the big red vase and went in search of some ‘Christmasy’ flowers. This vase presents a challenge. It is very tall and has a very narrow opening.

The hunt was on for holiday mood flowers with skinny stems. In South Florida! A challenge, to say the least. My garden provided several selections. Not one of them was planted by me. Where did they come from?? An unanswerable question.

I suppose the birds have been planning to provide me with holiday vase clippings! Every December I remember how many birds pass through. The numbers are truly astounding as well as the variety and lengths of the commutes.

A closer view:

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The red berries are Brazilian Pepper (Schinus terebinthifolia) – a dreadful invasive plant in my garden. I am certain these were planted for their lovely berries and frighteningly quick growth habit. There are now untold zillions of these growing wild while we try to get rid of them. I may have saved the planet from 60 with this vase. Sigh. The purple foliage is ‘Purple Prince’ Alternanthera – planted as an annual color some years ago these appear intermittently growing from crevices in paving stones. Red flowers are Shrimp Plants (Justicia brandegeana) – my neighbor gave me one about ten years ago and it keeps going on. The trimmed palm frond, another seedling Cabbage Palm (Palmetto Sabal). Cream colored flower spikes are Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa), a gift from an unknown benefactor I have been diligently trying to propagate (no results). Long grey foliage at the neck of the bottle is a native air plant (Tillandsia spp). This is a relative of Spanish Moss and just appears. No idea why.

The ending of another year is always a good time for reflection. The unanswerable questions are a bit troublesome. I plan to enjoy whatever gifts the universe has to offer.

Thanks to Cathy for hosting. Follow this link RamblingintheGarden to see more vases.