Identity Crisis

I'm certain the purpose of
Carol's monthly Garden Blogger's Bloom Day meme
is to post what is currently blooming in your garden...
that's the obvious, correct?  However, in South Florida,

where the weather is conducive to year-round blooms,

much of my landscape does not change from month to month,

with a few exceptions...

Giant White Bird of Paradise!

This is only the 3rd time these birds have bloomed since I've lived here!!

VERY EXCITING!

Another exception is this colorful heliconia...

Lady Di (I think)

New to my garden right before last winter's frosts

and finally blooming! Beautiful!

Identified as H. Orange Parrot by One.

The Red Porterweed is in bloom

attracting butterflies and dragonflies alike!

This Dreadlock Croton is new to my garden...

I purchased it on the clearance rack for $2

after it was neglected and dried out. 

Crotons are not drought tolerant so it shed it's leaves. 

All it needed was a drink!

And although my crinums bloom throughout the year,

this bunch is so beautiful and huge, it's worth featuring!

It's larger than my hand!

Although most of the blooms are the same throughout my landscape,

this is NOT the case along my neighborhood roadside. 

However, I'm having a CRISIS

as I'm not able to IDENTIFY most of them,

 even after researching the web!! 

For instance...

This red seed pod is amazing!  It caught my eye immediately. 

This is the shrub.

Indentified as Jamaican Caper by Myamuhnative.

I have no idea with this peachy cassia-type bloom is. 

This tree is really spectacular. 

It might be the Carolina Willow, but I'm not sure. 

The leaves are similar as are the bristley blooms.

NOTE...I was able to identify this tree as an EARLEAF ACACIA.
It's a fast grower with a very strong root system.

I DO know what this one is...

The native Spanish Needle

And another native...

Goldenrod

Is this a form of Goldenrod too?

This is a close up of the bloom.

Identified as smooth rattlebox (Crotolaria pallida)

by Floridagirl. She informs us that

it is host to a very unusual and

striking diurnal moth--the Bella Moth.

Another seed pod that caught my eye...

I THINK it's called Momordica Charantia, or Bitter Melon. 

Here are some better pictures I found on the internet.

Courtesy of http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/forums/showthread.php?t=9068  

I also found this vine with the prettiest bunches of white flowers.

These photos were taken at dusk, so they're a little on the dark side.

These are the leaves of the vine. 

However, my Daddy taught me, "Leaves of 3, let it be!"

so I didn't touch it in fear of some type of poison ivy.

Still unidentified although

Myamuhnative and Floridagirl agree

that this may be a form of Hoya,

even though it's not thick and waxy.

Further research is required!

UPDATE...my friend, Floridagirl

identified this variety as a

WHITE TWINEVINE, native to Florida

 wetlands and hammocks.

It is host to butterflies

in the Monarch and Queen family.

Thanks FG!!!

And this lovely pink spike.

All assistance is welcome to alleviate my Identity Crisis!!

And if you'd like to see what is blooming in other gardens around the world,

please stop by May Dreams Gardens and say "HI" to Carol! 

Happy Garden Bloggers Bloom Day!!

Hey Bud!

While walking through my garden, inspecting the plants but seeing too many weeds (weeds grow into trees overnight here in SE Florida, especially after rain), I was encouraged by the energy of my garden! So many of the plants of every variety are making a stand against the cold that they experienced and are fighting back with  new growth. It's so inspiring!!

The colors and youth of this small white bird of paradise sprout is invigorating!

The deciduous brown turkey fig is returning with the spring warmth.

This is the first bloom my aloe has offered since I planted it 3 years ago!!

The frangipani is comin' on strong!  Can't wait for it to bloom!!

Many lost their crotons...not me. They were knocked down but they're pulling themselves up by their bootstraps and making a great comeback!!

This is my Petra Croton. The pretty Mamey are sprouting too!!

My sweet little cactus won't be held down either. He remembers the days he was left for the garbage and I rescued his poor thirsty little soul!!

Not a great photo, but my cherished bananas are only two months away from peaking over the 6' fence to provide me with my precious privacy from the neighbors!  I'm hoping the newly planted impatiense will make a pretty ground cover under the canopy of the bananas all summer! They usually can't stand the summer Florida sun.

Yep...the Queen Emmas are proving why they deserve their title!!!  One struggling mama is actually in fragrant bloom too!!

A cute little Areca Palm baby peeks out to see if the coast is clear.  Come on baby!!!

This little berry looking cluster will explode into a wonderful little powder puff!! This is new to my garden last summer.  I'm in awe of this cool shrub!!

Nope...you can't keep the Pentas down!!

Many of the Ti plants looked as if they would bite the dust.  But these rosey babes are popping up on dried out stalks everywhere in my landscape!!!

Precious, colorful Moss Rose bud...they are so hardy in my garden!

This lavendar Ruellia bud will turn bright purple!

Gorgeous Ixora...if only this little bouquet were larger...it would be worthy of a bride!!

So the first of April is ushering in my tropical Florida garden!!!  I'm rolling out the red carpet!

Happy Spring, and Happy Easter everyone!!

If you're craving more energetic blooms (or buds) be sure to check out Katarina's  Blooming Friday (her last - BOO!!!) and Maia's Macro Saturday.

Crazy 'Bout Crotons!

Want a brilliant splash of color without the effort?  Need to brighten a dull corner or add some interest to an otherwise boring space?  Interested in adding some drama and unusual texture to your landscape?  The brilliant, colorful croton could be your answer!  Croton, or Codiaeum variegatum, comes in a myriad of colors and shapes providing virtually limitless possibilities with relatively little effort.

Originally a solid green-leafed plant, both nature and man's hybridization efforts have created amazingly interesting shapes and a kaleidoscope of colors including red, yellow, orange, purple, and green.  An individual plant may offer many different colors making it appear flamboyant and pyschedelic! 

In addition to the multitude of colors, Crotons also possess numerous intriguing, unique leaf forms including oak, corkscrew, broad and narrow leafs.  There's also an odd, "interrupted" leaf where the leaf seems to be sprouting a smaller leaf on its end.

The Croton is truly a tropical shrub, tolerating mild winters with no freezing temperature, thus confining its ideal zone(s) to 10-11. When a freeze threatens, care and protection must be offered to the Crotons.  Most zone 9 gardeners enjoy Crotons in the landscape, but take the risk of loosing them.  For this reason, many gardeners prefer to keep them in containers that can be easily relocated during a cold snap.  However, these tropical beauties require humidity and moisture...two conditions not typically maintained indoors, so Crotons do not usually make good long term houseplants.

Another great attribute is the Crotons ease of care.  They let you know when they're unhappy by shedding their leaves or if they're thirsty by drooping their leaves.  If the soil isn't dry and the leaves aren't a bit droopy, watering isn't necessary as over watering will encourage root rot and fungi. They also propogate easily with simple cuttings or air layering, and require little fertilization as they tend to be slow growing.

Some interesting Crotons include Dayspring...

Mrs. Collett...

Arrowhead...

Picasso's Paintbrush...

Stoplight...

and Excellent.

There are MANY more varieties.  Be sure to check your local nurseries for more varieties and the Croton Society at http://www.crotons.org/ .   

Inspecting the Damage

After a full week of freezing temperatures, the sun is out, slowly warming the air and the ground.  There's plenty of damage, although I think most everything will bounce back, eventually.  The worst part is that we all have cabin fever, and I won't be able to touch the garden for another week while I wait "patiently" to see what is damaged and what is simply hiding from Jack Frost.  Additionally, I'm a firm believer in not cutting back damage until I KNOW we're out of frost risk...this might be awhile, since it's only January.  Here's a sampling of my garden on this sunny, warmer afternoon...

We'll start with the bad news...ice in the bird bath! The birds were understandably MAD! The kids thought it was great fun!

The bananas were devestated!  Not sure about a couple of the "medium sized" pups, but the little ones look like they'll be fine.

This photo of the new front patio garden isn't promising. The bright, cheery Petra Croton is anything but cheerful, the oyster plants look like a wilted salad, the Heliconia is dried and shriveling, and the vincas are definitely toast!

Only the top of the Presidential Hibiscus is damaged. The little blooms look ready to open and show their pretty red faces!

I have 2 young Bottle Neck Palms that show plenty of frost bits (note the yellow/brown, dry leaves) but will probably be fine

The brown turkey fig is damaged but still shows signs of life...it was covered...it'll be fine!

Now to the better news...some plants seem less than fazed by the week-long freeze...

The Giant Bird of Paradise in the front and the two transplants in the back seem to be fine!

The Muscadine Grapes don't look fazed at all!

The Ponderosa Lemon and Meyer Lemons are still blooming with new growth to boot!

The Queen Emma Crinums looks fine...

The young Mango tree look undisturbed!

The Kalenchoe, Ground Orchids (that had cover), and Gilliardia greet the sunny day with a smile!

The Carolina Jasmine is cold hardy and shows off it's golden blooms.

And one of the Agave plant continues to bloom, no matter what!

Of course, while the temperatures were freezing outside, we huddled inside and made a gingerbread tree.  Sophia and her friend, Daniella, had a fun time!