Flaunting My Favorites This Month!

I'm cheating a bit...

killing two birds with one stone, if you will. 

However, birds are my favorite animal and

Lola would not appreciate this term,

so I'll stick with "cheating".

I am participating in Tootsie's Fertilizer Friday / Flaunt Your Flowers

as well as Susan's My Favorites THIS Month. 

So what's going on in the Garden in Paradise?!

First up is my beloved Dendrobium, my first orchid, given to me as a birthday gift several years ago.  As always, it is showering me with gorgeous blooms in time for my upcoming birthday!  I look forward to these blooms, usually twice a year.  She's sending out 4 spikes, so she's especially happy this year.  I think that's a sign of good luck for me!!

I'm also thrilled that my Lady Margaret Passion Vine not only recovered from the Gulf Fritillary caterpillar plunder, but is blooming again!!

And I have loads of Gulf Fritillary butterflies to boot!

The butterflies love the pretty white blooms of the Spinach Tree,

but I've already posted about this so I won't go on and on.

My new Dutchman's Pipe Vine bloomed

and has new little buds forming!

Additionally, my friend Cindy gave me some Gold Rim Swallowtail caterpillars to munch on my new vine.  I hope I have as good of luck as she did (my Butterflies and Pipes post).

The pretty Balloon Flower has many balloon buds and blooms on it.

I usually have loads of purple Angelonia, but this time I also have pink.  Sweet!

This little tubular bromelaid is especially interesting to me.  I love it's form.

The pretty purple berries of the American Beauty Berry is still a favorite this month.

As are the cheerful pom pons of the Gomphrena. 

Here's another brom in full red color.  Beautiful!

The Duck Potato bloomed again.

I love this bloom...it appears so delicate and crepe-like.

I was also surprised by this new volunteer pink-form Lantana. 

I didn't have this variety, so the birds must've decided I needed some.  How nice!  Thank you!!

I'm really enjoying my new Bird's Nest Fern, too!

Thanks so much for stopping by to see my current favorites! 

Happy Gardening!!! 

My Favorites...THIS Month! April 2010

YAY!  I remembered!  Actually I marked my calendar - 

Simply Susan's 

"My Favorites - This Month"

happens every month on the 25th.  I love this theme since faves DO tend to change with the season!  April has been a joy this year as the hard hit plants from this winter's "Big Chill" are really starting to show promise, and spring is in full gear!  This month, I'd like to take you on a tour of some of my garden spaces as I point out my favorites this month.

This is the front entry garden.  The burgandy Ti Plants are still showing the stress of the Big Chill, but lots of new buds are showing up.  There's also some cannas and cacti hiding behind the Giant White Bird of Paradise.  The Gaillardia (Indain Blanket flower) in the front has bloomed all winter...it's been a bright spot!  The agave is still a mystery.

I need help from Noelle of AZPlantlady...I have no idea what is going on with my agave as posted in my What's Next Madonna? post.

The Echinacea bloom right next to the Gaillardia and a Ti in the front entry space.

This is the North, shady side of the house where the pool and house systems are located.  This garden was started last summer to help camoflage the equipment.

This is the south, sunny side of the house.  Some of my favorites are located along this side.

Queen Emma Crinum Lily, milk and wine blooms. These are my absolute faves!!

One of my favorite groupings includes dwarf canna, pentas, mexican heather (it's hiding to the right of the pentas), purple fountain grass and the El Capitolio hibiscus to the left.

The honeysuckle grows on both sides of the fence, creating a fantastic segue into the backyard space...

Next to the honeysuckle in the southeast corner is the gorgeous bouganvillea and navel orange tree.

Yes, those are baby oranges!  Woo Hoo!!

My newly planted bromelaid and plumeria cutting are at the bottom right of this photo.

I have plumeria / frangipani cuttings all over my yard.  This one hasn't even rooted yet, but it's blooming anyway. Freaky, but I like it!! 

The newly planted poolside garden is filling in well...a little too well for my liking. I'll probably relocate some of these as the garden matures...too much going on in one space.  This space is flanked by the recuperating Queen Emma Crinums.  Lots of cannas in here too!

However, my goal of ridding this narrow patch of grass is almost complete.

The bananas are recuperating quite nicely in the rear of my yard, behind the pool.  Soon, my cherished privacy screen will be in full foliage, recreating my tropical escape!!

This shot was taken in the early morning with the dew still on the leaves. I also planted some impatiens under the banans, thinking the shade will give them life during the hot Florida summer.  You can also see a newly saved-from-the-garbage bird of paradise along the fence row. Someone was throwing this guy away!  I couldn't have that, now could I?  The bird will provide privacy during the winter when the chill takes the bananas to the ground.

Other stuff going on in the backyard...

The aloe buds haven't opened yet, but aren't they pretty?!

This is one of the perils of owning dogs that seek out the rabbits and other misc. rodents that may be hiding under the ugly shed...  my ferns have been trampled.

Here's another newly planted bromelaid.

The Presidential Hibiscus was just lifting it's pretty face when I snapped this photo this morning.

And this spider lily crinum is in full bloom

The passion flower vine is quickly becoming one of my absolute favorites.

And the cannas on all sides of the house are in full bloom!

I hope you enjoyed today's tour.  There's additional, smaller spaces throughout my garden, but they're not photo worthy yet.  Soon, I hope!!

Happy Spring!!! 

PS - Lola apologizes for missing out on this tour, but she was still sleeping, and if you know Lola...let's just say that it's not nice to wake a sleeping baby!!!