Tag Archives: South Florida Gardening

In a Vase on Monday – Harvest Cobbler

There are still some unresolved seasonal dilemmas I have to cope with living in South Florida. It’s Thanksgiving in the US this week and I need a harvest themed arrangement with berries and fall color. No funky tropicals, just some fall color. The hunt was on!

After rooting around in the garden I realized a little compromise was required. Fall color is not found in deciduous trees here, but other plants – and berries we have. The basket was located and snipping began.

A closer view:

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The fall color compromise is displayed in its full glory. The rusty red Aechmea rubens flower. Yellow flowers are Beach Sunflowers (Helianthus debilis). Purple berries are from the Beautyberry (Calliocarpa americana).

Another view:

Berries are from the Gumbo Limbo (Bursea simaruba) you can’t get much more tropical than that. The (I use the term loosely) fall leaves are from a Raggedy Ann Copperleaf (Acalphya wilkesiana)

White filler flowers are Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa) my fall favorite.

I think my Thanksgiving arrangement has been cobbled together without tropical vibes. I can go forth and thaw my turkey and make cranberry relish in peace now. Happy Thanksgiving to my American counterparts.

In the United States, Thanksgiving is about expressing gratitude and thanking those who have helped us. Some of you know I have been arguing with Inflammatory Breast Cancer for the past four years and it is truly difficult for me to express my gratitude for having my blog community as an escape from the grind of the process. I detest the warrior/battle ethos. And pink for the most part.

Here is a link for more info. There are groups in the UK, Canada and Australia https://theibcnetwork.org/

So, Thank You.

And thanks to Cathy for hosting this sanity saving meme! (my sanity) Follow the link to her blog to see other vases. RamblingintheGarden

In a Vase on Monday – Turks Caps and Wildflowers

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It’s that time of year – the holidays are approaching and the red flowers and berries are making their annual appearances. This vase is a good reflection of what is going on in the garden – the odd dichotomy of South Florida landscapes. Some plants go to seed in the fall and others celebrate the cooler season with flowers and growth. I realize there are cool season plants in other climates, but these are a little different..a bit more oomph.

South Florida is home to some fantastic native and acquired plants. I let everything come up and edit- a lot. It’s truly amazing what just appears. I am very opposed to lawn chemicals and plant for pollinators. I believe if you think that way birds and butterflies follow and proliferate, a good thing. My older brother, a lifelong gardener, was somewhat mystified by my enchantment with the caterpillars eating my plants. I have countless butterflies to enjoy and I suppose he is still worrying about how to get rid of the caterpillars.

Closer views:

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The hanging red flowers are Turks Cap Hibiscus (Malvaviscus something). The older I get, the less interest I have in botanical name drama. Off white flowers are Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa). Both of these plants just appeared in my garden to my delight. I do nothing and they carry on.

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The berries are from a Christmas Palm (Adonidia merrillii), grown from seed by my friend Eddie. My husband refers to this tree as the Eddie Palm. This was planted by me. The ferns in the back are Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) They are native here and just appeared. What they have to do with Boston is a mystery to me.

Follow this link to visit Cathy’s blog and view vases from gardens around the world. RamblingintheGarden

In a Vase on Monday – Seasonal Reflections

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This vase is a reflection of the changing seasons in the garden. It features some of my favorite flowers. It’s surprising how long some of them hang around the garden.

The lower part of the arrangement displays bromeliad flowers that dried on the plant. The blooms started in July. I like the muted colors of the dried Broms. I cut some when they were fresh this summer and am still enjoying the flowers months later. They were originally bright reds and oranges. Here are the red flowers from a July IAVOM post.

These bright red flowers (Aechmea miniata) fade to the rusty apricot above. The rusty feathered flowers (Aechmea Rubens) deepen in color through the summer.

Some closer views:

The brown flower with rounded elements is from Aechmea miniata Bromeliad. The orange flower is Chocochiana Heliconia (Heliconia psittacorum). Feathered flowers are from Aechmea Rubens.

The rest of the arrangement is “Lady Di” Heliconia (Heliconia psittacorum) in red and yellow. The ferns are my favorite invasive fern, the Asian Sword. The vase came with a flower arrangement that was not from my garden.

That’s all from my garden this week.

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

In a Vase on Monday – WTFlower

It’s Monday again.I’m joining Cathy and the intrepid producers of floral artistry with a mad concoction from my South Florida garden. Happy Monday!

The Bromeliads in my garden are welcoming their season to shine. It’s possible to have Bromeliad flowers year round, but the winter months are when they are happiest. November through March is the time to move the plants around, cut and propagate pups, and cut flowers if you are lucky.

This is no surprise to me as I doubt I encountered a Bromeliad growing up in the Deep South – most people gawk when seeing flowers like these and say “What in the world is that?” I found these plants so intriguing (and bulletproof to boot) I have them everywhere.

Some closer views. I am wondering if anyone else uses a Pixel phone? The latest upgrade has been giving me fits.

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The pale yellow flowers are “Little Harv” Aechmea Bromeliad.

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Blue and pink flowers are “Candy” Portea Bromeliads. White flowers are Dragonwing Begonias.

Foliage is from pineapple plants and a White Bird of Paradise.

Thank you to Cathy for hosting. Follow the link to RamblingintheGarden to see more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – Happy Halloweek

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The last week of October crept up in the garden and produced a bounty of orange zinnias. It’s hard to find a spookier send off to summer in the garden than Halloween themed flowers. It always surprises me the weird colors I can find in tropical foliage.

Orange flowers and black foliage with orange spots? Check. Welcome to late fall in South Florida. I added the Star Wars figures for a Halloween touch and I always like the idea of “May the Force be with You.”

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What’s in the vase? Orange Zinnias are Benary’s Giant. Black leaves are from Piecrust Croton (Codieum varigatum). All the leaves on the Croton are not black, they range from green to yellow, red, orange and apricot. It’s a mad shrub. There are a few cuttings of Blanchetiana Bromeliad flowers, the yellow Lobsterclaws. The grass and flowers are from Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris)

Happy Halloween from my garden. To see more vases from this weekly garden meme visit Cathy at RamblingintheGarden.

In a Vase on Monday – Last Serving of Summer

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The seasonal change seems to be eluding my garden this week. A high temperature of 87 F / 30 C is decidedly not autumnal – and it stopped raining. We had so much rain earlier in October I completely forgot to water the orchids. Only one (I’m lying) was wilted. I nearly charbroiled some that were new to their terracotta Uh, pizza ovens. Those were quickly moved back into the shade, drenched and fingers crossed everyone recovers.

The good news is the humidity is down, so I have done quite a bit of pruning and weed pulling and there are plenty of flowers to cut.

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The Lady Di (in red) and Choconiana (in orange) Heliconias (H. psittacorum) are in full bloom. The tiny Lobster Claws are from Aechmea blanchetiana flowers. White spikes are from the Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa). Trimmed palm fronds provide the greenery.

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The flower hanging over the side is from Aechmea rubens bromeliad. I think this flowered in June. They have the consistency of straw flowers and keep their color forever on the plant. Once cut, they turn brown fairly quickly. The crystal pitcher was a wedding gift. I think it has only been used as a vase.

That is all from my garden this Monday. Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly meme. To view more vases visit Cathy at RamblingintheGarden

In a Vase on Monday – Summer’s Finale

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It seemed every morning last week my phone informed me to expect afternoon monsoons?! And it was right. The copious rainfall produced a fine crop of summer flowers, most likely the last of the season. This is a handful of summer in my garden.

When I lived further north I was never happy to see the summer end. Now I relish the first fall cold front. It arrived over the weekend bringing lower humidity and temperatures. My husband gleefully exclaimed “it’s 68 degrees.” The garden season is beginning in South Florida.

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This vase is a casual mason jar Plonk. I was surprised to find Tropical Gardenias (Tabernaemontana diviricata) in October – but here they are with Benary’s Giant Zinnias. Beach Sunflowers (Helianthus debilis) in yellow also enjoyed the rain.

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The purple Beautyberries (Calliocarpa americana) are still hanging on. A native Passion Vine (Passiflora suberosa) was hanging on as well and was added to the vase. Blue flowers are Porter weed (Stachytarpeta) These are supposed to be evil invasives and I am just not getting why. This Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea) are flowering in corals. I cut a few white Bidens alba and Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa) and celebrated the end of summer.

I hope everyone is enjoying fall. To check out other fall vases, visit Cathy at RamblingintheGarden.

In a Vase on Monday – Tempest in a Teapot

It seems like there is a lot going on in my Blue Willow teapot this Monday.The Parrotflowers are flying, the Juba Bush is swaying and the Zinnias are celebrating their escape from the leaf cutting bees. A lone palm frond holds it all together.

The height of hurricane season has passed, yay! It’s not time to celebrate quite yet as we still have the wind down until the end of November. October is usually more active in the Gulf of Mexico (yep, not changing the name on my blog) I usually start my sigh of relief in mid October and start cleaning the screen porch and setting up the outdoor furniture for winter. We had permanent accordion shutters put on our windows last week so we can be storm ready in a short period of time. That will probably prevent storms for a while!

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The cream colored flowers are from the Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa). This is a lightly fragrant native wildflower that has a mind of its own and shows up uninvited. I have no idea how to propagate it, but somehow ended up with a spectacular plant beside my porch. It’s named after a Caribbean dance – the Juba as the plant sways gracefully in the wind. The Parrotflower (Heliconia psittacorum) flower when it rains and I have difficulty resisting cutting them, so here they are. The trimmed palm frond is from a Sabal Palm (Palmetto Sabal)

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The stalwart Giant Benary Zinnias. We have leaf cutting bees here and they seem to love the zinnias, the bees are even eating the flowers. This is new to me, the flower eating. I’m going to keep watching to see what happens.

That is all from my garden this Monday. Visit Cathy at RamblinintheGarden to join in the fun or view more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – Wave Good Bye, Imelda

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Tropical Storm Imelda formed off the east coast of Florida on Sunday, about 175 miles away from my garden. We may get a brush of tropical storm winds on Monday, so we will see how that goes. My vase this Monday is wishing Imelda a speedy exit from my vicinity.

The flowers were cut from near the house as we have been having downpours from the outer bands of the storm off and on. It made me realize how much Rob the Greyhound dislikes rain…Nope, not going out in that. Well, I went out in it and cut flowers!

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The Benary Giant Zinnias are fading away as something eats the foliage..oddly, these are the longest stems of the year. White flowers are from Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa) a native wildflower. I think this emphasizes a windy look with the blue wave. Yellow foliage is from Java White Copperleaf. The blue wave is a piece of art glass from Maui, Hawaii.

Happy Monday from my garden. Catch up with Cathy at RamblingintheGarden to see more vases.

Six on Saturday – Future Fruit

Saturday morning finds me in the garden taking pictures to share with the SOS gang that meets at Jim’s Blog Garden Ruminations on a weekly basis. Follow the link to tour other gardens.

I have been planting fruit trees this week. It is hard not to want to grow tropical fruit if you live in South Florida. My collection continues to grow.

Citrus fruit, especially oranges, has taken a beating from the Asian citrus psyllid. This insect carries the citrus greening disease. This disease basically makes the fruit inedible and then causes the tree to die, affecting the phloem.

I attended a lecture that included a new variety of mandarin orange, Sugar Belle and a protective device to keep the insects off the tree until it was six feet tall. This variety of citrus is resistant to the psyllid. Here is the tree just planted. I have not installed the cover yet.

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I was directed to plant the tree directly in the sand, then water and fertilize the heck out of it. It took a while to get the tree hydrated, but it looks pretty good now so I am going to install the cover.

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This is a Nemesis Papaya, the name sounds a bit scary. I think it is resistant to nematodes and that is the reason for the name. Papayas bear fruit quickly and the trees don’t last but a few years. I have had several and the fruit is worth it. It already has buds and it takes about four months to get fruit. I am hoping it will self pollinate. This is a hermaphrodite variety, most Papayas are male or female and it can be a trial to get the right two from seed.

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Papaya buds. Fingers crossed.

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A very nice surprise. The yellow dragonfruit actually set fruit! I have had this for years and many flowers but this is the first fruit. Fingers crossed again.

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The Rangpur lime was plagued by lizards trying to suck the juice out of the fruit during our hot and very dry month of August. I had about 50 limes and am down to 10. Still hoping for pies in December.

This is a Red Jaboticaba, a nice little shrub from Brazil. These produce a grape like fruit on the trunk. I am not sure how long I have had this, but am still waiting for the fruit! These also are available in tree form and are quite a sight. Clusters of grapes attached to the trunk in swirling patterns. Brazilians make wine from this fruit.

That’s all from my garden this morning. Be advised I am shopping for late season mango trees..Kent or Keitt, any opinions?