Tag Archives: South Florida plants

In a Vase on Monday – Last Gasp Tropical Mix

The zinnias had their last gasp this week. There were so many buds I could not bring myself to pull them out until I picked the last flowers. I cut the flowers for this vase and pulled all but One plant. The One still out there is a doozy. Hot pink and orange mix. The zinnia plants were huge and required a lopper to get through the main stems, they were woody and an inch in diameter. I have never seen anything like it. Many other plants are at the end of their season and have been included in this mixed vase.

The lone remaining zinnia:

Time for the close ups:

Blue flowers are from the old fashioned favorite, Blue Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata); white flowers with yellow centers are ‘Bridal Bouquet’ Frangipani (Plumeria pudica); white flowers in foreground are Tropical Gardenias (Tabernaemontana divaricata) and yes, the scent wafting from this recycled florist vase is wonderful.

The fruity side, miniature pineapple is ‘Lava’ variety – I think, not particularly edible, but can be juiced. I usually dry them, spray paint them gold and use them in holiday arrangements. Multi colored zinnias are the last of the Zin Master plants – I’m letting the One still flowering go to seed. White daisies are Bidens alba, a very prolific native wildflower.

I’m looking forward to Autumn here. It’s marginally cooler and I just planted the first seeds of the gardening season. This always makes me happy. Cooler weather and new plants!

To see more vases visit Cathy’s blog by following this link RamblingintheGarden

In a Vase on Monday – Light My Fire

I must have been inspired by Cathy’s “Hunk of Burning Love” vase a couple of weeks ago when the title popped into my brain. I admit to loving The Doors and their iconic song “Light My Fire” from (gasp) 1967. This song has been haunting my consciousness for decades. I guess it’s the organ solo. My garden seems to be reflecting the mood, producing fiery flowers as summer winds down.

Some close ups, sans Jim Morrison.

I have been enjoying cutting Heliconias (Heliconia psittacorum) this summer in all their flaming glory; two varieties here – ‘Lady Di’ in red and yellow and ‘Choconiana’ in orange. The big leaf in the background is a Split Leaf Philodendron (Philodendron selloum).

Orange tubular flowers are, appropriately, Firebush (Hamelia patens var patens); red flowers with blue tips are Aechmea miniata bromeliads. The blue vase was a gift I have enjoyed tremendously over the years.

That’s all this Monday morning from scorching South Florida. Follow this link RamblingintheGarden to visit Cathy and peruse vases via comment links.

In a Vase on Monday – Summer Brew

I put this vase together on Father’s Day, so it was very appropriate to use one of my parents wedding gifts as a vase this week. My parents married in 1950, I think these teapots must have been popular at the time. I remember this teapot sitting on the kitchen counter very frequently as my mother used it to brew tea for iced tea year round. A pink plastic pitcher of iced tea was a constant presence in my childhood. If you grew up in the Deep South, iced tea is the beverage of choice for lunch and dinner (or if you are really Southern, lunch is called dinner and dinner is supper)

The flowers in this vase wouldn’t make a tasty brew. I am fairly certain the Tropical Gardenias are toxic, but it might smell pretty good.

A closer view:

I have accepted a few (guffaw) wild grape vines as a fact of life in my garden. These are muscadines (Vitis rotundifolia) I think it would take a small thermonuclear device to get rid of all of them and then I would have to start over. Not happening. So I cut a few here and there, add some to a vase, make a wreath and feed wildlife. The Gardenias are Tropical or Florida Gardenias (Tabernaemontana diviricata); our massive rain event this week produced a wonderful flush of flowers.

Pink flowers in the vase are the bitter end of the winter annual Giant Dianthus. I am puzzling over what to do with it. Put it in a shady place and hope for a miracle or consign it to the compost heap? It is a dilemma. Light blue flowers are Blue Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata); deep blue spikes are Mystic Blue Salvia, the spikes are oddly shorter due to dry weather earlier in the summer. A few sprigs of chartreuse coleus and fuzzy grey Licorice Plant (Helichrysum) add color.

Thanks to Cathy at RamblingintheGarden for hosting this weekly event. Follow the link and find more vase enthusiasts from around the world.

Happy Gardening!!

Six on Saturday – Summer Solstice Shortly

Summer flowers are budding and blooming in the garden this Saturday. I know this seems picky but the days seem too long now; but I know the Summer Solstice is just around the corner and they will soon be shorter. In December I am certain to be complaining that the days are too short. Follow the link to Jim’s blog gardenruminations to see more SOS garden tours.

Aechmea rubens Bromeliad buds. Once this blooms, the flowers last for months and then dry into red straw. They are big and sharp.

Buds on Billbergia pyramidalis, the flowers are pyramid shaped once they open and many people call this Hurricane Lilies (?) as they flower during hurricane season, which starts today.

Pineland Lantana (Lantana depressa) flowering for the first time. It seems very strange to me that I cannot grow New Gold Lantana, so I decided to try this native Lantana and it seems to be thriving. Go figure.

Miss Alice Bougainvillea has finally recovered from whatever was ailing her and is dressed for summer.

Another garden first, a Day lily photo bombed by a White Flame Salvia. This is a Purple Stella Daylily (Hemerocallis) it is reported to bloom all summer long.

The Mophead Hydrangea of the tropics, Blue Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata) is in full bloom in my garden. I enjoy these so much and never water, fertilize or even think about them. A summer favorite.

That is all from my garden this Saturday. I am hoping for rain, but currently enjoying a nice, cooling breeze off the ocean.

Happy Gardening!!

Six on Saturday – Learning Curves

My Saturday morning garden tour found a few more learning curves to navigate. Living this far south in the US is much different from a gardening (and other) standpoints. As a gardener I find it interesting and frustrating at the same time. It amazes me what will and won’t grow here. More water or less? Always a dilemma. I found some successes this morning. To see more garden tours and visit other SOS gardens follow this link to Jim’s blog.

The Schlomburkgia orchid in the Gumbo Limbo tree is flowering. This one makes a stiff 6 foot long stem that is actually kind of hard to see as the flowers end up straight overhead. Here is the base.

Growing orchids in trees is one of the amazing things about South Florida gardening. Once established they are relatively carefree. Water in the dry winter and enjoy flowers in summer.

Dancing Lady Oncidium orchids are taking well in the Sabal Palm boots. I hope these are the beginning of a spray of orchids. Hope springs eternal.

I was advised by the nursery I bought these Chicken Gizzard (Iresine herbstii) to plant them in full sun. This one is in partial shade as I did not believe them.

The other Chicken Gizzard plant, placed per directions and starting to fry. Full sun in South Florida is a whole different thing.

My neighbor decided to build a Coral rock wall on my property for some reason. He had to move it over, not to worry, this guy could bench press a Volkswagen. Now I have a little planter I am working on filling up.

Last, but not least, the Nam Doc Mai mangoes are starting to blush, I am so ready to eat one! Frozen mangoes from Aldi are just not the same.

That’s all from my garden this Saturday morning. I am looking forward to seeing what everybody has going on in theirs.

Happy Gardening!!

Six on Saturday – A Bird in Hand

Saturday morning has rolled around again. My garden tour this week features a new experience for me. Spring is in full swing here, the birds are singing, the plants are producing loads of pollen and I am thinking a bird in the bush is better than one in the hand. To view more Saturday garden tours, visit Jim’s blog, Garden Ruminations follow the link and peruse the comments section to complete a world garden tour.

Beaming with good, proactive gardening tendencies, I set out to prune my rambunctious Firebush. After a few whacks, a bird came flying out, fussing as she flew away. I stopped chopping to see what that was all about and found a nest with eggs. It was later revealed to be a cardinal as she returned to warm her eggs. This bird has since put a leaf over the nest so I can’t peek in anymore. The shrub remains semi-pruned and my hopes for a clean tree formed Firebush have been temporarily dashed.

The interior of the Firebush revealed one more secret. Tillandsia bromeliads growing inside the branches.

My recently installed orchids have fully opened. The other orchids are putting out new growth, I am hoping for sprays of yellow onicidiums this spring.

Tiny Rangpur limes have formed. These will not be ripe until December.

The Nam Doc Mai mangoes are growing and the tree produced another round of flowers. Now I am hoping for mangoes all summer.

The Shell Ginger (Alpinia zerumbet) has nearly reached the roof. Officially over six feet tall.

That is all from my garden this week. My loppers are looking for a new place to land! No worries, plenty of vegetation to chop here while Mrs. Cardinal completes her duties.

Happy Gardening!!

In a Vase on Monday – No Guts, No Glory

This Monday’s arrangement is done in primary colors as a nod to the presidential primary elections taking place in the US. All politics aside, I felt compelled to give a shout out to Nikki Haley for taking on the orange beast and standing firm in her resolve to continue her quest. No guts, no glory.

My garden is a strict no politics zone and the colors have nothing to do with anything except hopefully not clashing with one another. Although, I am questioning my own taste in the placement of hot pink flowering ice plants near almost orange flowering Ixora shrubs (they are called Maui Red, in my own defense) then there is the issue of some nearby Purple Queen groundcover plants. I suppose it is Florida, after all, so some questionable tropical color mixtures can be overlooked.

The palette:

The flower shapes reflect the spiky nature of politics. In white, Sweet Almond (Aloysia virgata) adds the sweet scent of success; in red, Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea); in blue, Mystic Spires Salvia; white daisies are Bidens alba. The green foliage spikes are a juvenile palm frond from a Cabbage Palm.

Yellow and white round out the primary color palette. In white, Sedum adolphii ‘Firestorm’, yellow daisies, Beach Sunflower (Helianthus debilis); yellow and red daisies, Gallardia pulchella; yellow bells, Tecoma stans. The cobalt blue vase was a long ago gift from my brother’s family.

This primary season should prove to be interesting, maybe not quite as interesting as the final color scheme in my garden – only time will tell. Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly meme, to see more vases from gardens around the work, click this link.

Six on Saturday – Spring Promise

My Saturday morning garden stroll revealed that spring comes early in South Florida. The scents and sights are promising tropical fruits and flowers later this year. To participate in the blog phenomena Six on Saturday and tour gardens around the world, visit Jim’s blog and follow the links in the comments.

A new arrival in the mail greeted me yesterday – a nice rooted cutting of ‘Gardenmeister’ Fuchsia. This will have to be a sort of a reverse house plant. Outside in winter and indoors for summer. Summer heat and humidity will kill this outside. Should be an interesting experiment.

Buds on the Graptosedum.

Buds on the Shell Ginger (Alpinia zerumbet). I am hoping for flowers next week. This is the only ginger I have any luck with. It is over five feet tall.

The back garden smells wonderful. The scent is from the Rangpur lime tree flowering more prolifically than it ever has.

Thai dessert mangos (Nam Doc Mai) setting lots of fruit.

That’s all from South Florida. I hope everyone is seeing signs of spring.

In a Vase on Monday – Flames, Pie and Lady Di

The sun finally reappeared over the weekend. I spent Saturday and Sunday morning in the garden, drinking in solar energy and clearing out wanton vegetation and debris. There has been a lot of wind and rain this winter that has left behind soggy branches, leaves and overgrown weedy degenerates. I managed to find some jewels amongst the wanton and weedy in the garden and put together a vase.

The Flame is ‘White Flame’ Salvia, the Pie is Pie Crust Croton and Lady Di is the cultivar of the Heliconia in the vase. The vase is an olive oil jar inherited from my mother. She was a drizzler.

More on the plants:

Red and yellow flowers are “Lady Di” Heliconias (Heliconia psittacorum); white spikes are “White Flame” Salvia; variegated leaves (note the rolled edges) are Pie Crust Croton (Codieum variegatum); Asparagus fern adds the greenery. I have been using a lot of Pie Crust Croton lately as it is overgrown and needs pruning!

At the base of the arrangement is a pair of aptly named Coral Plants (Jatropha multifida). A weird and interesting novelty plant that grows in a narrow place in my front garden.

Here’s hoping everyone sees sunshine this week! To see what other gardeners are up to and view more vases visit Cathy’s blog.

Six on Saturday – Sun!

It’s a great Saturday morning in South Florida. The drearies have been conquered for the moment and the sun is shining. The flowers perked up and I am finding new blooms in the garden to share this Saturday. Visit Jim’s blog to join Six on Saturday tours of gardens around the world.

Here’s a mad flower from Bromeliadland. This is a Quesnelia testudo. I am not sure of the common name. These do well in my garden and are reliable winter color.

Another mad bromeliad in flower. This is a native Tillandsia, a relative of Spanish Moss, the flowers are brown. This is called Ball Moss (Tillandsia recurvata). It is growing on the trunk of a Bougainvillea.

I finally snagged a Rangpur lime before the vampire rats sucked the juice out. I need a few more for pie.

The mango trees are setting buds. This does not bode well, I think. They usually flower in March and we get fruit in June.

Heliconia psittacorum “Lady Di” expressed her appreciation for all the rain.

Google identified this as Golden Stonecrop (Sedum adolphi Firestorm). This has been in a pot for a few years and has not flowered before.

A question ?? Does anyone know if this is a Dahlia? I planted some tubers of a Dwarf Dahlia in October in this spot and this is coming up. I have found that Dahlias have a mind of their own when deciding to grow.

Thanks for the input and thanks to Jim for hosting.

That’s all from my garden this Saturday. Happy Gardening!!