Tag Archives: IAVOM

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 – Orchids Rule this Week

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I have been trying to get my orchids in shape this winter. They are scattered throughout the garden; some reside in trees and others in pots. I installed Cattleyas and Onicidiums in my Mango trees and have been tending the existing plants in the garden. It was a surprise to me that the orchids did not necessarily like residing in the boots of a Cabbage Palm – except on the north side. The plants that were not doing well were rehydrated and relocated. Who knew orchids could be rehydrated? I certainly did not. All have been watered daily and treated to a feeding with sea kelp spray – another odd detail in orchid culture. We will see how this goes.

Above is the prettiest flower in the house. A Phalaenopsis Orchid of unknown origin I picked up at our local farmer’s market. Of course, I am unable to resist a good deal on an orchid, these are frequently available there and my collection is growing. Another surprise to me is that these will rebloom after a while – if you don’t cut the stem off. Below is one I left, untrimmed, in my foyer a little too long. I thought (foolishly) it might enjoy a trip outside. The leaves began to yellow and I quickly brought it back inside. Flowers soon!

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Here is a close up of the flower. The vase is Blenko glass from the 1950s. It was a wedding gift my parents received and passed down to me. Homage to the high heeled shoe! This vase is very difficult to use for flower arrangements, so I am pleased to have this orchid displayed in it.

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That’s all from my garden. Sea kelp included. I hope everyone is safe and warm.

Please join Cathy at RamblingintheGarden to view more vases from other gardeners..

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 – Have a Blast in 2026!

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It seems as if 2025 rocketed right on by. Here we are at the end of the year once again. I cut these flowers in anticipation of a fantastic New Year. As usual, there is a little tropical madness and a few fireworks in the components.

I live a bit south of Cape Canaveral in Florida. This is where the space program started in the US in the 1960’s; it is still a center of rockets blasting off in the US. We can see the launches from our backyard. My husband loves it. The truth is there is not much to see – a squiggle of clouds on the horizon 90 miles away, but people (mostly men) love it. The tourist designation for this area is the Space Coast.

Back to the plants. Here is a closer view:

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The red, white and blue flower is from a bromeliad, Billbergia vittata. I am not sure which cultivar or even where it came from at this point. I enjoy this plant for the sheer funkiness of its appearance (picture below) Varigated leaves behind the brom are from Piecrust Croton (Codieum varigatum). Green foliage is from Asparagus Fern. Red bell shaped flowers are from the seasonally appropriate Firecracker Plant (Russelia equisetifolium). White flowers are Sweet Begonia (Begonia odorata ‘Alba’)

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The buds on the Bromeliad vittata. The plant is purple and grey striped and produces red, white and blue flowers! Tropical madness.

As always, thank you to Cathy for hosting IAVOM. Visit Cathy at RamblingintheGarden to see more vases.

Happy New Year to Everyone!!!

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.