Tag Archives: Amelia Grant

In a Vase on Monday – Finally, A Front.

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At long last a cold front arrived in Florida. It’s not very cold 70F/21C, but a welcome relief from much higher temperatures and humidity. I spent Sunday morning on demolition – abundant rainfall in a hot summer in South Florida produces some impressive weeds. I noted some nice autumnal colors in bloom and proceeded to plonk a celebratory vase.

The vase is a mason jar topped with a striped leaf from ‘Martin’ Neoregelia Bromeliad. Here’s a closer view of the rest of the vase.

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The orange flowers are Firebush (Hamelia patens). Yellow bell shaped flowers are from the sometimes called Yellow Bells or Esperanza (Tecoma stans). The smaller yellow flowers are from Thyrallis (Galphimia glauca). Creamy white spikes are Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa) Flowing pink flowers are Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris). These are some of my favorite flowers, all indestructible and evocative of fall in my garden.

That’s all from here! I’m looking forward to more weed demolition this week. Please visit Cathy at RamblingintheGarden to see more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – Alice in Wonderland

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I may be the one in Wonderland. After months of being “questionable for return from freeze damage” the normally all white “Miss Alice” Bougainvillea started producing purple flowers. Interestingly, this is a thornless (they use that term loosely) variety and the other so called thornless color is a purple called Silhouette. This leaves me wondering what happened?

We have had a strange weather year. Record cold followed by record heat and abundant rain. Rumor has is a cold front is headed our way, I hope so as my first batch of tomato and zinnia seedlings succumbed to an unknown black fungus and rabbit foraging.

Off with their heads perfectly describes my seedling situation. Sigh, life in the garden. I was so looking forward to those cherry tomatoes. Of course, a new set of seeds arrives this week!

The details:

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The purple flower with the pink stem is a ‘Candy’ Portea Bromeliad, blooming a bit early. White and purple flowers are from “Miss Alice” Bougainvillea. Creamy spikes flowers are from the native Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa). The foliage is Cabbage Palm (Palmetto sabal) seedling fronds and Boston Ferns (Neprolepia exaltata); both of these just appear in the garden for no apparent reason.

That’s the news from my garden. Follow this link https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com to visit Cathy and see what has been placed or plonked in a vase this Monday.

In a Vase on Monday – Autumnal Perspective

Every October I lament the lack of fall color in South Florida. It occurred to me as I was assembling this vase everything in it is very showy and there actually is quite a bit of fall color in the garden. A change of perspective is required and looking beyond the colors of leaves on deciduous trees.

The majority of the plants in this vase are native to my garden. Some were planted by birds, others by me. The resilience of these plants is amazing. This year we have gone from record breaking cold to drought to unrelenting rain and the fall show is still going on. There is a light, almost honey fragrance from the Juba Bush (creamy colored flowers) so I am enjoying all aspects of this vase.

The plant palette:

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The natives: the aforementioned Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa). Legend has it the name originated from a dance in the Caribbean called the Juba – this plant sways in the wind like a dancer. Orange flowers are from a Firebush (Hamelia patens) provided by birds. Lurid purple berries are Beautyberry (Calliocarpa americana). I make lemon beautyberry cupcakes sometimes, but the birds beat me to the berries this year. Trimmed palm fronds are from Florida’s state tree, the Cabbage Palm (Palmetto Sabal)

The imports: Hot pink flowers are from Coral Vine (Antigonon leptopus) I think I have gotten my money’s worth from this vine in vases this year and may learn the botanical name soon. The blue spikes are Mystic Blue Salvia, happily ensconced in the front garden fueling butterflies.

That’s the news from my garden this Monday. I will stop looking for fall foliage and concentrate on the unique aspects of fall where I am. Please visit Cathy at this link http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com for an international garden tour.

In a Vase on Monday – Fall with a Tropical Twist

We actually experienced some temperatures in the 70s (21C) without rain. So refreshing and a prelude to fall in South Florida. It wasn’t 70 for very long! I decided on an autumnal color palette for this week’s vase and set out into the garden, pruners in hand. I have already made one batch of pumpkin maple cupcakes (Pumpkin is a favorite ingredient in fall cooking in the US) The cupcakes were devoured but they didn’t inspire fall to arrive sooner!

The vase ingredients:

Yellow flowers are from the shrub, Thyrallis (Galphimia glauca) Bell shaped red flowers are a Firecracker plant (Russelia equisetiformis) Red and yellow flowers are “Lady Di” Heliconia (H. psittacorum) Orange tubular flowers are Firebush (Hamelia patens)

The temperatures are back up in the 90s…time for more cupcakes!

Thanks to Cathy of RamblingintheGarden for hosting IAVOM. Follow the link to visit.

In a Vase on Monday – No Fat Lady, Yet.

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I keep thinking the last summer zinnia has been cut and then more materialized. The fat lady did not sing, just yet. I am wondering if this is an American saying meaning, more or less, not quite finished or if it is used elsewhere. I thought it came from Yogi Berra, an American icon and baseball coach, who also said “it ain’t over til it’s over”. Then, I read about a Wagnerian opera where Brunnhilde (apparently a large woman) sings at the end. I suppose opera is a bit more cultural than baseball and the latter is the most likely source.

More things to ponder while weeding.

The vase details:

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Repeat offenders from last week in pink, ZinMaster Zinnias and Coral Vine (Antigonon leptopus). White flowers are “Miss Alice” Bougainvillea, a few Sweet Begonias (B. odorata “Alba”) and Salvia coccinea. The foliage is Turkeytangle Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) it has little white flowers as well. Yellow flowers are Golden Thyrallis (Galphimia glauca) The vase is a cobalt blue bowl.

It’s still raining here and slowly cooling off. Slowly is the operative word. I have tiny papayas in the garden and the tomato seedlings are up. Winter is forecast as cooler and wetter. It’s usually our dry season, so it should be interesting to see how gardening goes.

Thanks to Cathy for conceiving and continuing to host IAVOM. Visit her blog by following this link to see more vases http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com

In a Vase on Monday – September Crazy Quilt

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September brings all types of flowers to my garden. I cut several varieties and slipped (plonked) them into a mason jar. A crazy quilt is the most apt description I could come up with for this array of very different flowers. This jar reflects late summer in my South Florida garden. The selection runs from very tropical bromeliad flowers to the more familiar cottage garden stalwarts, the Salvias.

Bromeliads flower year round in the tropics, but I think summer is the peak; some lasting for months. I have at least five in flower, mostly Aechmeas from Brazil. The odd man out is in the vase, Billbergia pyramidalis, common name Flaming Torch or Hurricane Flower. Last week was the peak of hurricane season (which has been blessedly quiet) So I think either name is appropriate.

The close up:

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The patchwork of colors include: Hurricane Flower (Billbergia pyramidalis) in pink. ‘Mystic Blue’ Salvia, the blue spike. The final pink zinnia of the summer. Yellow spikey flower is a side shoot of a much larger flower from ‘Pinot Noir’ Aechmea Bromeliad. White Sweet Begonias (B. odorata) hang over the edge of the jar. The yellow flower in the center is a side shoot from ‘Little Harv’ Aechmea Bromeliad. A few white Salvia (S. coccinea) are in the back with Asian Sword Ferns and Coral Vine (Antigonon leptopus) in pink.

That’s all from my garden this Monday. Thank you to Cathy for hosting IAVOM. Visit her blog http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com to see more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – Zinnia Finale

This has been a glorious summer for zinnias. Heat, humidity and generous downpours have provided a bouquet of pink zinnias weekly. The plants seem to know (the weather doesn’t) this is the last official weekend of summer and the flowers are getting smaller by the day. I am getting a bit tired of pink and just planted some Green ‘Envy’ and ‘Aurora’ zinnia seeds. We shall see what colors fall brings when the plants get going.

One of many bouquets from the garden this summer. The plants are easily four feet tall with 1/2 inch thick stems.

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This weeks mix. The yellow leaves and spikey flowers are from ‘Java White’ Copperleaf (Acalphya wilkesiana ‘Java White – a large tropical shrub that has returned with a vengeance from our February freeze. Pink viney flowers are from Coral Vine (Antigonon leptopus) currently growing in the very thorny lime tree, causing a pruning dilemma. Zin Master Zinnias in pink. Coral and white Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea) and a few invasive ferns for foliage. The container is from an orchid gift from a neighbor. I think I killed the orchid…oops.

Happy Labor Day to those celebrating and a big thank you to Cathy for hosting IAVOM. Follow this link to see more vases http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com

In a Vase on Monday – End of Summer Grace

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It’s been a while since I have joined IAVOM. I unintentionally took the summer off. While it has been dreadfully hot this summer, the reason I have remained indoors is primarily because I am recovering from brain surgery the first week of July. The grace – I am alive and well and haven’t lost any more marbles! The weather is cooling ever so slightly and I have done a bit of gardening and ordered seeds for fall tomatoes. We had a very rainy summer and plants good and bad went wild, lots to do this fall.

The vase is filled with Parrotflowers (Heliconia psittacorum “Lady Di” in red and “Choconiana” in orange) These produce flowers nearly year round – when it rains. One of my favorite tropical flowers.

The foliage is from Asparagus ferns (Asparagus densiflorus) These are dreadfully invasive in South Florida and very difficult to eradicate. I did not realize the flowers were so attractive and fragrant to boot. The bees were angry when I cut them, but I am hopeful I saved the universe from a few unruly ferns by cutting them for a vase.

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That’s all from my garden this week. I look forward to reconnecting with everyone this fall.

Visit Cathy at http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com to see more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – Tea in the Garden?

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So far, June has been oddly cool. I could cheerfully have tea in the garden. Me being me, I decided to arrange some flowers reflecting the form of the teapot. Design school is a lifelong curse. Where else would these ideas come from?

The teapot is vintage 1950. The year my parents married and one of their wedding gifts. My mother always used it to brew the basis for sweet iced tea, a beverage that is a Southern staple. The tea stained patina on this teapot makes me smile. I remember this teapot as a constant companion to family dinners. I am terrible about not making iced tea, even though I enjoy it.

The closer and more complicated view. While Southern sweet tea is pretty simple water, sugar, tea, and mint and lemon on the side, if you like..there is a lot of stuff in this vase.

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The big, pink flower is a ZinMaster zinnia. White flowers are Sweet Begonias (Begonia odorata ‘Alba’). Blue flowers are Plumbago, likely Plumbago auriculata ‘Blue Imperial’, or just darker than usual. Purple flowers are the wonderfully scented Heliotrope. There are a few Mystic Blue Salvia and Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa) above the zinnia and a trimmed palm frond provides a green backdrop. It has a delicious, sweet fragrance from the Heliotrope, Begonias and Juba Bush

Thank you to Cathy at RamblingintheGarden for hosting this weekly meme and bringing gardeners together to see what is blooming where. Follow the link to see more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – Summer Transplants

Suddenly it’s 90 degrees! 32 Celsius sounds so much cooler. However you take your temperature, it’s hot. The garden is responding in kind and producing hot colors.

I performed a swallowtail butterfly caterpillar rescue while cutting flowers for the vase. The dill has been going to seed and I witnessed a beautiful lady swallowtail butterfly laying eggs on the dill. So did several lizards lurking nearby. The tiny caterpillars had hatched and were just starting to devour the dill when I cut the flowers. The cats were relocated to a parsley far away from the lurking lizards. I’m enjoying the dill flowers and I hope the caterpillars are enjoying the parsley. I did not realize how much parsley I had planted and it all came up! Happy to share with the swallowtails and I hope I see a few more.

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Success! The caterpillars have easily doubled in size from when I moved them. I am wondering how much parsley they can eat.

A closer view of the vase:

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There are two kinds of orange tubular flowers. The lower flowers are Firebush (Hamelia patens). The upper are Mexican Honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera). Long red flowers are Nodding Hibiscus (Malvaviscus arboreum, depending on who you ask) Red spikes are Salvia coccinea. Dill flowers, of course and the creamy spikes are from Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa)

Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly meme. Visit her blog at MoreVases to see more vases!