Flourishing Efflorescence for GBBD and FF

Happy Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and Fertilizer Friday / Flaunt Your Flowers!!  This is my first time participating in Fertiziler Friday, so I'm excited to join the group! 

I'm happy to report many Flourishing Efflorescence this month.  It's been really hot and humid, even more so than usual in sunny South Florida.  However, many of my landscape residents apparently love it!  You be the judge...

The Dwarf Powderpuff is a favorite for all things that buzz,

especially this busy bumble bee!

This is a roadside special I picked up but am unsure what it is. The foliage is iris-like, but the bloom doesn't look like an iris to me.

Any takers?

This is another bloom from the same plant.  It likes very wet soil so I keep it in a pot.

The Tillandsia (airplants) are really loving the rainforest environment!

This is my son's air plant. Last year, it only sent out one bloom stalk...this year two!

The purple Angelonia sing their angelic praises!

Pretty, native Cassia.

Another bright, cheerful native, the American Beauty Berry. 

The purple peaking out of the lush green foliage is very striking!

This peachy dwarf Canna decorates my front entry garden.

This little peachy bromelaid planted in a white bird of paradise stump also adourns the front entry garden.  It kindof blends with the mulch in this photo!

All of the Lantana enjoy the heat and wet conditions, just like this L. Bandana Orange Sunrise,

Lantana Trailing Purple,

Lantana Gold Mound,

and Lantana Trailing Pure White. 

The butterflies can't get enough of these little bouquets!

On the flip side, the Firecracker plant has produced its blooms very sparingly this season.  I don't mind...I really like the delicate foliage.

The grassy Liriope is happy and sharing some pretty lavendar spikes.

The rainforest conditions are heavenly for this moss covered tree trunk that is also hosting an air plant.

Moisture begets mushrooms!

Here's the culprit that keeps chewing my daylilies down to the ground.

I wonder if this Monarch butterfly is laying eggs on the milkweed?!

Had to share this pretty bromelaid covered in fallen purple bougainvillea blooms.

The atmosphere is the perfect companion for the heliconia - first bud!

I can't wait for it to open!

I'm so happy to report the new Chenille plants given to me by my friend Adina, aka the Manure Maven, are over their transplant shock, rooting well and sending out little baby chenille blooms!!

And this awesome little Portulaca variety volunteered itself this year.  My neighbors tell me it's a weed but I won't pull it...it's really a lovely ground cover!

There's more blooms and color in my garden, but you won't have time to check them all out if you plan on heading over to Carol's May Dreams Gardens and TootsieTime's Fertilizer Friday / Flaunt Your Flowers to see what else is blooming !

My Favorites THIS Month!

I'm not happy.  I can't hide it. I'm supposed to be showing all my June favorites, along with everyone else at Simply Susan's monthly meme, but I can't because some of them just didn't show up.  Actually NONE of my daylilies have bloomed. I was excited that I'd be able to share my Butterscotch daylily, as it was budding last week. When I checked it last night, it simply wasn't there. Vanished...without a trace.  Maybe the rabbit is the culprit?! I don't know.  This is what it looked like LAST YEAR. 

I expected to showcase the cool blue Lily of the Nile, but no.  IF it were in bloom, I'd show it here.

Enough pouting.  Let me show you my favorites that ARE in bloom!

The dwarf Powder Puff gets the 1st place award.  I love the soft little tufts!

And my new curbside prize bromelaid is sending up a trophy. 

She's thanking me for saving her from the dump. 

The new butterfly milkweed

The petite little Purple Queen is dainty and beautiful in a grouping.

And the yellow Bulbine displayed pretty yellow stalks for the first time.

My favorite crinums opened up this week too!

Blazing hot yellow Allamanda

And the multi-colored crotons are finally looking strong after a

slow recuperation from the winter cold.

A few additional faves that deserve the spotlight...

Thanks for joining me for my June favorites.  Until next time...!

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.