Right Here Right Now

This song by Jesus Jones is my nomination for the theme of Garden Blogger's Bloom Day.  After all, that's what GBBD celebrates each month...what is growing in your garden, right now. 



So this is what's going on in my garden right now...

The yellows in my garden add a wonderful infusion of light, happiness and cheer.

From the top left to right, the pure yellow Hibiscus, Potinara Hoku Gem 'Freckles' orchid (now turned mostly yellow vs. the early stage of yellow-orange), Yellow Pond Lily, yellow mushrooms (no, I don't grow them on purpose, but they were interesting enough to inspect and photo), Partridge Pea (Florida wildflower), Yellow Walking Iris, Mandavilla, and PrimroseWillow or Ludwigia peruviana (another Florida wildflower).

The red and orange blooms add spice to the garden! Clockwise starting from the top left is the tropical milkweed (butterfly magnet and host to the Monarch butterfly larvae as seen in the photo), Firebush (favorite butterfly and hummingbird attraction), Daylily Baja (LOVE this bloom!), Wave Petunia, Crossondra Orange Marmalade, and Lady Margaret Passion Vine (host plant to the Gulf Fritillary butterfly larvae).

These blues and purples are very cool colors in the hot Florida sun.  Counter clockwise starting from the top left is one of my favorite bromelaids in bloom - Painted Fingernail or Neoregelia spectabilis, a closeup of the tiny Painted Fingernail blooms, breezy Plumbago, Purple Velvet Plant or Gynura aurantiaca, and Purple Showers or Ruellia.

I planted these Caladiums in a ring underneath a large Saw Palmetto stand.  Currently, they are just a ring, but I'm looking forward to future seasons as they multiply and make a sea of color encircling the Palmettos!  As for identifying these colorful leaves, I'm at a bit of a loss.  Perhaps my friend, Susan, at Simply Susan might be able to provide some assistance.  My favorite in this bunch is the one resembling a watermelon on the lower left.  Another of great interest is the small cluster of seemingly dwarf Caladiums hiding under the larger leaf in the lower right photo. 

This bunch of photos is exciting to me as they show new growth.  A couple of these were assumed lost cases but they did not give up!  These photos are proof in the pudding!!  Clockwise starting from the top left is an example of one plant assumed lost to the frosty temps only a few months ago.  This Night Blooming Cereus succulent shows the signs of frost bite and appears all but shriveled up...but the new little growth shows fantastic resilience!! Top center is a shot of a sabal palm housing the Night Blooming Cereus, Dragon Fruit succulent and a large tillandsia (left in photo - I found this on a large pruned branch left for the garbage pickup!).  The next photo shows another Night Blooming Cereus producing a new shoot, followed by fresh growth of the Kent Mango starter tree, tiny leaves atop a Leucodendron succulent, a close-up shot of new Dragon Fruit aerial roots hugging the palm, and (big finish) a long-awaited pup on my cherished Bilbergia Hallelujah bromelaid!!  

This collection screams tropical to me!  Again, clockwise starting at the top left...a basket full of Phalaenopsis orchids in bloom, close up of a fern leaf (these ferns grow wild from the cozy boots on the palm trunks), Hoya bloom, the seeds of the earleaf acacia tree (a non-native invasive, I have removed all but one very large specimen on my property), the beautiful native Saw Palmetto in bloom, close-up of the sweetly fragrant Palmetto blooms, and finally a close-u of my newest Phalaenopsis orchid bloom.

And just for fun, these shots show what's going on around the garden!  We built a dock on the pond while the water levels are very low.  We also crafted our first compost container made from pallets we obtained from our local feed store (we followed the guidance of my friend, Adina, at Manure Depot).  Our chickens, aka The Gurlz (Cameron, Gina and Penny), are now 3-1/2 months old and enjoy scratching about the yard for bugs.  We have not been surprised with our first egg yet, but we eagerly check their roosting boxes every day!  I really like the shot of the orange Pink-Striped Oakworm Moth resting on a fence post.  And, of course, Lola is always hanging about.  In this cameo appearance, she is enjoying a fresh cherry tomato from the veggie garden.

So, that's what's going on Right Here, Right Now at my Garden in Paradise.  Remember to stop by May Dreams Gardens, say "Hi" to Carol, the gracious hostess, and check out what else is blooming for this month's Garden Blogger's Bloom Day.

Happy GBBD!!!