Tag Archives: Plants

Six on Saturday – Florida Freeze Damage

Time for Six on Saturday once again. I’m sharing the aftermath of the historic low temperature (28F/-2C) in my South Florida garden. The temperature is about 10 degrees below our normal low. Above is a photo of what looks like a fall garden – this was completely tropical green a week ago.

I have never seen cold damage like this before. The foliage has been burned white. My experience with cold damage is usually foliage is burnt brown, rust or black – not white. I suppose this is a combination of wind and cold.

wp-17704751868704290318967893123103

This is an Adonida Palm (Veitchii merrilli) I am probably on the northern edge of hardiness for this tropical palm. I think it will recover, the center growing point is still green and intact as is the trunk. Some of the trunks of the more exposed palms of this type are bronzing.

wp-17704754444297041350731385639724

This is a Dendrobium orchid growing in the trunk of an avocado tree. Most of my orchids spent the last week in the tub of my second bath, but this one is well rooted into the bark of the tree. I covered it with pillowcases for several days and it seems to be fine. Fingers crossed. The avocado tree is fine.

wp-1770475620635209882422656856039

The Nam Doc Mai Mango wasn’t so lucky. I remember now (too late) the Thai Dessert Mangoes are the least cold hardy of the bunch – but, oh so delicious. I have a bad feeling about this one, though I can tell it is still alive – so far. I have been meaning to plant a late season mango, so this may be my chance.

wp-17704764141538367177210518942313

Super Fireball Neoregelia bromeliads burned white. The more exposed the location, the more fried the plants are. The white damage is still growing a week later. I cannot imagine there is anything to do but trim these off.

wp-17704766143282300255869291054244

Burned foliage on the hopefully indestructible Sea Grape (Coccoloba uvifera) There is going to be a lot of raking to do!

Please share any thoughts about pruning, etc. I haven’t deal with cold damage like this – ever!

Thanks to Jim at GardenRuminations Follow the link to see more garden goings on SOS!

In a Vase on Monday – Winter Deflector

wp-17699821903356432532521641487504

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.

wp-17699859537481862947767240697328

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

wp-17693731450731613060396587675616

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!

wp-17693742541171448107439113965331

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.

wp-17693745350195429871068702712028

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..

Six on Saturday – Winter Gardening / So Fla Style

Hello all and Happy 2026! I haven’t joined SOS in a while as it seemed there wasn’t very much of interest going on in the garden. Winter gardening in South Florida brings what everyone else knows as summer vegetables and cool season herbs. This is also the time of year for dividing bromeliad pups and moving orchids around. So, I have been doing all of that.

Winter is the dry season, so it has not rained in weeks. I am fortunate to have a lot of bromeliads and they only need to have their cups filled about every 10 days. Amazingly resilient plants. High temperatures are running 78F / 25C, the humidity is low and skies are deep blue with a magnificent range of clouds. The migratory birds are passing through, so it is wonderful spending time outdoors.

wp-17680550958638281716031183294717

Winter also provides tropical fruit. This is the first hermaphrodite flower on the Nemesis Papaya I planted a couple of months ago. I am hoping for some fruit this year. Papayas produce male, female and hermaphrodite flowers that are self pollinating. Nemesis is a selected variety for that and I think the name reflects its resistance to nematodes. We have bad nematodes in Florida.

wp-1768055378229349937420669005842

Billbergia bromeliads flower in winter. I think these are Billbergia amoena. Above are the rather impressive buds, I cut one of the flowers, they last a week in a vase and open with tiny cobalt blue flowers are the tips that look like curling ribbon.

Here is some of the wildlife passing through. This is a juvenile Red Shouldered Hawk. Hopefully looking for invasive lizards.

I have been harvesting Rangpur limes. These may not look like limes, but they are ripe. They are a cross between lemons and mandarin oranges. A sour orange, really, and used in cooking and baking. They make a delicious key lime pie.

wp-17680563012813324462043534886763

More bromeliads in flower. These are ‘Candy’ Porteas. I think they are named after Good and Plenty licorice candy.

I use these as cut flowers, here is a closer view.

I believe I am over six pictures, so I will stop. Visit our host, Jim, at this link GardenRuminations to see more SOS posts.

In a Vase on Monday – Celebrating Garden Mystery

wp-17657475845451625946170417636948

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:

wp-17657481503322437926745075707183

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.

In a Vase on Monday – Sirius Survivors

wp-17536401381537041945189114663262

We are deeply entrenched in the dog days of summer in my garden. Some Saharan dust meandered in and shut down our cooling clouds and showers. Every time I look at the weather it says “feels like 108 F” Surprisingly, it is much warmer further north. I feel fortunate to live close enough to the Atlantic Ocean to catch a breeze. The breezes make it less hot, not cooler!

The dog star, Sirius, rises during the hottest part of the summer. Modern definitions of the dog days of summer have them occurring from July 11-August 3. The scope must be greatly expanded for South Florida! In ancient times the dog days lasted longer. I agree with the ancient philosophers. It is hot in my garden well past the first of September.

The flowers in this vase are Sirius or even serious survivors. Thriving in sun and heat and going with or without hand watering by the fickle gardener they still shine.

The fittest:

wp-17536435069965831624130163653886

Some tried and true summer favorites, Gardenias and Zinnias. Gardenias are the Tropical variety that is deciduous here, Tabernaemontana diviricata. Zinnias are grown from seed I saved last year hoping for pink and orange flowers.

The tropical part:

wp-17536437549887614784228876706670

Orange flowers are Parrotflowers (Heliconia psittacorum Choconiana) Red flowers are Red Shrimp Plant (Justicia brandegeana). Dark ferny foliage is Copper Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) Maybe that is not so tropical.

I inherited the vase from my mother and have enjoyed using it for years.

Visit Cathy at the link RamblingintheGarden to visit more gardens via vase.

For those wondering about Gopher Tortoises mentioned in last week’s vase post, here is one ambling up the walk to my front porch. Once he or she arrives near the potted herbs any basil hanging over the edge of the pot will be trimmed to turtle height. This turtle also enjoys charteuse Coleus and melons. A bit of an odd salad!

Six on Saturday – The Last Mango

wp-17517298955632381365051353700327

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.

wp-17517303133705245759681757529901

Now for some pretty garden images:

wp-17517304148766365959833773595542

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.

wp-17517308468974126009297813183793

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.

wp-17517344283508642472794646558439

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.

wp-17517347416372287417699683235350

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.

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.

wp-17505193278398184289448876338065

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.

wp-17505196152294498808183142960747

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.

wp-17505204813564481269808753966156

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

wp-17505206171091581087069411224585

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.

Six on Saturday – Life Cycles

Spring in South Florida brings changes to the garden. It took me a while to figure out what was going on and I am still observing the action.This Saturday morning I noted my fruit trees growing and changing and the ever fascinating (to me) Bromeliads. To see more spring (and maybe fall!) garden pictures, visit Jim at GardenRuminations

O’ Rourke bromeliad flower. These start out very pale pink and are now gaining a deeper color. The flower stalks came up at the end of January. I am not sure how long they last.

Pickering Mangoes starting to color up. These flowered prolifically and set a lot of fruit. I am left wondering what happened to it. There are maybe 10 or 12 left on the tree. Did the evil Agama Lizards eat it?? A garden mystery.

Gallardia pulchella, once considered native but its status was rescinded. For some reason, these only grow in the shell walkway.

The life cycle of the Jill Neoregelia bromeliad. These are stoloniferous. The top picture is the mother plant at the end of the cycle, turning deep red and flowering. This plant will soon die and I will twist its dried up remains off the stolons. The bottom photo is what Jill looks like most of its life.

Blushing Bromeliads (Neoregelia carolinae) doing the same dance. New pups are visible on the right side of the picture replacing the mother plant and spreading. These are considered ground cover bromeliads.

The first ‘Miss Alice’ Bougainvillea flower of the year. Miss Alice was knocked off her trellis by one of the hurricanes last year and remained naked until just now. I was beginning to wonder if she would come back, but here she is! It is hard to keep a Bougainvillea down.

That is all from my garden this beautiful Saturday morning.. Happy Spring!

Six on Saturday – Billbergias and Begonias

We have had a dreadful weather week. Cold, rainy, overcast and dreary. Long time local garden dwellers say this is the longest cold spell in 45 years. So not South Florida. The sun came back out today and I am happy to see it. I am not certain it was cold enough to damage anything, but am feeling nervous about the fruit on the mango trees. The temperature was hovering around 40F and anything lower than that they don’t like.

I am joining Jim and the gang posting at GardenRuminations to share what is going on in the garden. I sought tropical flowers to counter the January gloom and was pleased to find some. Follow the link to see what else is going on in the gardening world.

Bromeliad madness. This is a Billbergia vittata. I am not sure if it is a named cultivar or exactly what it is. These plant are just so The Far Side. I have a few that are even more unusual. This is about two feet tall. It took a while to get into the right amount of sun for flowering. Now I have a mass of these shooting up flower stalks in January.

A closer view of the flower.

Another Billbergia. Again, I am not sure what variety. It was sold as ‘Rainbow’ – but I doubt that is right. I think the flowers will open a bit more. Time will tell.

Sweet Begonias (Begonia odorata ‘alba’) enjoying the sunshine.

‘Big Pink’ Begonia getting a little bronze with the cool weather. The pink looks more like its parent B.semperflorens (Wax Begonia) to me than ‘Big White’ Begonia does.

‘Big White’ Begonia, richer green leaves and a lower to the ground habit. Still looks great after all the rain and cold. Wondering about summer heat and these Begonias.

That’s all from warming up South Florida. I’m looking for more Billbergias flowers soon to add to the tropical madness. Thanks to Jim for hosting.