December in Paradise!

Not being a Florida native, tropical warm winters are somewhat new to me.  For most of my life, winter meant a cold, snowy, icy time for the garden and landscape to rest deep within the warmth of the earth until longer days brought warmer temperatures. This is not the case in my tropical zone 10a piece of paradise!  December 2011 has been unusually mild with daytime temperatures reaching the low 80s and nighttime temps dipping only into the upper 60s.  Although shorter days has triggered some plants in the garden to seek rest, many are in magnificent bloom!

My Corn Plant, or Dracaena fragrans, surprised me with very fragrant blooms.  I've never seen or heard of a corn plant blooming so this was a first for me.  

Long spikes of flower clusters appear from the foliage and bloom at night, providing a strong heavenly aroma!

Another surprise in my garden are the continuing Caladiums.  It seems the white varieties are the hardiest, although some colorful types are still lingering. 

I wonder if they'll stay all year?

The Orange Parrot Heliconia are in full bloom and are spreading.  This is exciting as it's taken a full year for my immature plants to take hold and show signs of steady progress in the landscape.

The Orange Cape Honeysuckle took a hit with the heavy rains this fall, but seems to be regaining strength and is sporting a few blooms.

My Christmas Cactus, or Schlumbergera, displayed fantastic blooms just in time!

The various tropical Hibiscus are a constant in my landscape.

One of them is typically sporting its colors,

although they are all in bloom this month!

This Tropical Punch stops me in my tracks every time!

And although quite different from the typical Hibiscus, the Rosella is a Hibiscus as well!

The blooms are difficult to spot next to the foliage and fruits that display the same color.

Some orchids are blooming such as this Phalaenopsis that I rescued last spring from a curbside garbage pile.  I did not know until now what she would look like.  Beautiful, isn't she?

Potinara Hoku Gem 'Freckles' is still in bloom.  

I've enjoyed various bloom spikes since spring. 

This orchid is amazing!

And, for the first time, my terrestrial orchid Epidendrum radicans is blooming! 

Woo Hoo!

I've recently enjoyed some new additions to my orchid collection, courtesy of my local orchid society.

These Phalaenopsis and Cattleyas were part of two baskets brought home from our holiday party!  

There's something about a white bloom!

Back to the yard, my very immature red navel orange tree is in bloom!  I probably won't enjoy fruit for several years, but it's working hard and providing a wonderful scent!

And the Desert Rose, or Adenium obesum, continues to produce pretty white blooms.  I've typically seen pink Desert Rose blooms, so I cherish the white.

In the butterfly garden, the Pagoda plant, or Clerodendrum paniculatum, continues it's bright red display.

It provides a constant food source for a multitude of butterflies!

The same butterfly flutters over to the nearby Porterweed to sip more nectar.

Although a little fuzzy, click on the photo to enlarge and

notice the butterfly's tongue inside the flower. 

Amazing!

Sweet little Angelonia has filled out and is in brilliant color.

The Mother of Thousands succulent boasts pretty delicate drops.

One of my favorite Bromeliads is sporting a bloom.  The foliage on this brom is usually bright burgandy and green when planted in dappled light.  Mine experiences heavy shade so the foliage is not vibrant.  Once it multiplies, I will propogate and replant in brighter conditions.

Finally, although there are no blooms to boast about, I've added a new hedge of Shefflera arbicola along the far side fencerow.  I originally wanted to add beautiful blooming vines to this area, but since weeding is a constant issue here, I decided a nice hedge would be easier to manage and maintain.

I hope your December is colorful, even if inside instead of out. 

Merry Christmas,

Happy Holidays,

and Happy New Year to all!

Hoyas and Waterlogged!

I have been asked many times about growing Hoyas. 

I've often wanted to blog about them, so here's my chance! 

Hoya is a genus comprised of some 200-300 species of tropical vines or climbing plants.  The species differ in many ways from waxy and shiny to hairy foliage and inflorescence.  The colors vary widely as well, ranging from pure white to electrifying red.  Many are grown as house plants in more temperate regions.  Considering the extensive number of species, I must assume I know relatively little about the Hoya genus.  My primary experience is with the common Hoya carnosa.  I currently own two of this species which live outdoors year round.

However common, I understand why the Hoya carnosa is so popular.  It has beautiful thick green leaves on long, reaching vines that make a lovely specimen in and of itself.  The real prize, though, is the amazing bouquet of blooms, called umbels, produced on the hanging vines.  The plant seems to understand that due to it's climbing habit, most people will display it in a hanging basket where it's long limbs can hang and sway in the breeze or on a trellis where it can climb to its hearts desire.  When the cluster of blooms burst from the hanging or climbing vines, the bouquet grows upside down in an umbrella style to be admired from below.  I love smart plants!

The flower buds are a bit inconspicious at first.  Upon closer inspection, the small nodules are curiously unattractive.  In fact, they look similar to a knotty clump or disease on the vine.  As they mature, the individual buds become more visible and defined.  

Finally, the umbels burst open to form a lovely cluster of star shaped, waxy blooms that produce sweet nectar. Many varieties exude a sweet fragrance as well.  I find the inflorescence fascinatingly beautiful!

Personally, I currently have two Hoya plants, both H. carnosa.  I purchased one plant from an estate sale.  It came in a large black kettle.  Knowing that Hoyas do not like to be disturbed unless absolutely necessary, I did not repot it.  Since the plant had lived quite nicely on a pool deck in direct sun, I decided to put it in an area where it receives direct sun most of the day with dappled light in the hot mid-to-late afternoon.  This goes against common Hoya growing requirements of bright but not direct light.  However, I'm a firm believer in mimicing the original environment, as long as the plant is thriving.  This particular plant blooms quite regularly.

The other plant is smaller, obtained from a cutting, and lives in a clay pot underneath mature slash pines.  It receives dappled light and shade throughout the day.  This plant has not bloomed to date, and has a medium growth habit.  It is currently making its way up one of the tree trunks.  I tried to force it as a ground cover, but it really does insist on climbing.  The lack of blooms could be due to its immature age and/or inefficient light.  For now, since the foliage is beautifully green and healthy, I will leave it alone, hoping for blooms in good time.

Since I live in tropical zone 10a, my outdoor Hoyas require little care.  I make sure they are watered, albeit sparingly, during the dry winter months.  Being tropical plants, they are accustomed to wet/dry seasons.  I also feed them lightly twice a year and provide protection during frosty nights.  Plants grown outside tropical areas have some basic requirements:

• Provide some source of humidity during dry periods.  Mist with a spray bottle or keep in a humid space such as the bathroom or kitchen. 
• Do not disturb the plant once buds appear.
• Do not remove spent flowers.
• Do not repot unless absolutely necessary.
• Provide bright light, permitting some direct sun, avoiding hot afternoon sun.
• If a plant has not bloomed in several years, I might try relocating it to a sunnier location, assuming it is mature enough to produce blooms.  Feed lightly with a salt free fertilizer and avoid filtered water containing salt. 
• Keep Hoyas in temperatures above 55-60 degrees.  Remember, they are native to tropical India.

Good Luck!

 

Changing the subject a bit, I'm a firm believer in the "right place, right plant" method of gardening.  Care in planning and planting the landscape go a long way when it comes to the amount of regular maintenance later on.  However, unforeseen and unusual conditions force unplanned maintenance sometimes.  Many areas of Florida have experienced an extremely wet rainy season, especially lately.  In my garden, the pond is overflowing its banks and the surrounding ground is completely saturated leaving the water with no escape. 

Dry Season, Dry Dock

Pond overflowing it's banks.

Many of my well-planned garden spaces are covered in 3-4 inches of water, leaving my plants to soak in a pool of water.  Most of the higher elevations are slowly drying out (I thought I'd never be thankful for the sand we call soil!) but some areas are death traps for my cherished vegetation.  I had no choice but to dig up a few specimens.

This Bromeliad might as well have been in a bucket of water!

My new Rosella cutting was in dire need of rescue.  This is a poor photo taken at dusk and in the rain during my emergency rescue.  This fence row is usually hot and dry. 

The Cape Honey Suckle is extremely unhappy.  It's lower branches are turning brown.  However, since this area seems to be drying somewhat quickly, I've decided to leave it alone and wait it out, hoping for signs of resilience.

(Update: since this photo about a week ago, the honeysuckle has continued to brown leaving only the green tops. The green tops look healthy, though.)

I'm hoping for the best for my waterlogged garden, and have decided to permanently relocate my new Rosella and Bromeliads, just in case!  I'll plant a water-friendly specimen in the areas surrounding the pond.  Live and learn, I suppose!

Fall in Paradise

Although it's been 3 month's since my last blog post, and my blogging had slowed considerably prior to that post, I'm happy that I have spent my time outside in my lovely garden in paradise.  Since the move to our new property almost a year ago, it's been fun (and sweaty) creating our new paradise and watching it take hold.  The new additions are still small and dwarfed by the mature landscape, but in time it will all blend beautifully!

Some of the new additions have bloomed for the first time.  The two Dwarf Poincianas, Caesalpinia Pulcherrima actually, struggled through the dry season but have tripled their size since the rains came and are now in glorious bloom!

The exotic blooms hypnotize me!  They're still just 2-1/2 to 3' tall and the blooms are heavy on the tips of the thin branches.  The giant Royal Poinciana can reach 30' in hieght with a 50' spread, so my dwarf versions are perfect for my yard that already has its fair share of mature trees and shade.

The bromiliads made a spectacular display this summer.  One is still in bloom.

Various orchids are in brilliant bloom right now!

Potinara Hoku Gem 'Freckles' has turned out to be a real prize.  This guy requires little attention and has been in constant bloom since early summer.  More bloom spikes continue to appear.  I moved the pot to a premium spot at the front entry in order to enjoy the show when it first went into bloom.  'Freckles' seems to thrive in this space, and has earned its position at the front door!

The non-native but naturalized Monk Orchids, Oeceoclades maculata,  have been blooming for a couple of months now.  They have very sweet, small flowers that are best admired up close.  Since many argue that this orchid is invasive, I keep two in pots and dispose of the seed pods.  I do not worry about the couple that grow wild in my yard as some critter seems to favor their flavor, munching the leaves down to the ground. My friend Prem Subrahmanyam authors a fantastic website featuring Florida's native and naturalized orchids, as well as his own photography.  You can read more about the Monk Orchid on Prem's site here.   

This fantastic specimen, Miltassia Charles M. Fitch 'Izumi', was a raffle prize won by my daughter at our local orchid society meeting one evening.  Beautiful, isn't it?  The hybrid was made by crossing Miltonia spectabilis to Brassia verrucosa. The Miltonia imparts the purple colouring, the Brassia imparts the long narrow tepals.  Interesting heritage, but really, I just like the pretty flowers.  And, to boot, this orchid has attractive foliage!  I must admit that I'm not a huge orchid lover when they are not in bloom.  Kind of a fair weather fan, I suppose.  

I've written about this gem before, and it's definitely one of my favorite orchids.  Christiera Sharifa Alsagoff is a vanda hybrid.  Its permanent home is among the palms in my front tropical Bromiliad and Orchid island.  When in bloom, the cheerful purple blossoms stand out amidst the lush green foliage beautifully!  I only wish it would stay in bloom all year round! 

And finally, the orchid I wait for all year is my prized Dendrobium.  Its stalks grow bigger every year, producing huge, beautiful flower spikes.  This year, I have 4 spikes blooming at the same time, boasting 12 blooms each.  I would love to show it off at a show or something, but the plant itself is really not a site for public admiration.  However, I prize this beauty and look forward to it's spectacular display every year! 

The Heliconia FINALLY sprouted new shoots and blooms.

This is one that I brought with me when we moved last year.  Recently, at our local Master Gardener Fall Plant Sale, my daughter spotted some lobster claw Heliconia (rostrata).  Of course, I couldn't pass it up.  I wonder how long it will take to establish and bloom? 

Speaking of the MG Plant Sale, I found some other goodies I couldn't pass up either.  My favorite purchase of the day was a Rosella, or Hibiscus sabdariffa.  The burgandy color and maple leaf shape caught my eye immediately!

Apparently well known for it's numerous medicinal purposes, the shrub grows 7-8' tall, produces large blooms similar to it's cousin, Hibiscus cannabinus, and bright red fruit used to make tea and food coloring.  The leaves are edible, consumed as a spicy spinach, and the stem is used to produce a bast fibre.  In my landscape, this colorful addition is simply an ornamental next to my pond, although I may give the tea a try.

This Buddha Belly Jatropha, or Jatropha Podagrica, peaked my interest, since I'd never seen one before.  Hmmmm....unusual, strange and full of interest...I must have it!  Once I brought it home, I did some research, praying it wouldn't grow to a crazy 50' or something.  No fear.  This little pot bellied wonder should remain on the smaller size, growing to 2-3' tall.  The bulbous stem produces a cluster of bright orange and yellow flowers along with a crown of fun and attractive lobed leaves.  It prefers moderately fertile soil which means it will remain potted in my landscape. 

My final purchase at the MG plant sale was a native Wild Coffee plant, or Psychotria nervosa.  This shrub will tolerate shade or sun, growing to 10' tall with an 8' spread in the shade while full sun keeps it smaller and more compact.   Wild Coffe produces shiny green leaves, fragrant white flowers that attract butterflies and bright red fruits that attract birds.  Perfect!! 

Speaking of fragrant white blooms, I found this lovely vine growing along the fence. Most of what I find along the fence row is not permitted to stay (ie poison ivy).  However, this White Twine Vine produces an intoxicatingly lovely fragrance and sweet little bouquets of white flowers so it's OK to  stay!

Other blooms creating a fall paradise right now include the pretty Jatropha integerrima...

the exotic Hoya...

The waxy Hoya blooms are so interesting they deserve a closer look...

the Clerodendrum paniculatum, or Pagoda plant....

the pretty Desert Rose...

and this dainty succulent display.  I love the bell shaped bloom with green tips and orange base...such fall colors!

Finally, the dock my husband built during the dry season...

has been christened by this seasons rains!! 

Our latest project is not finished yet, but we've started creating the front walkway.  My husband's muscles come in handy!  The path, unfinished at this time, will continue down to the entry drive. 

This photo was taken before we added the stromanthe in between the grassy liriope.

The choice of variegated liriope with the bright colors of stromanthe create light, color and interest to the border.  Now that the cooler weather is upon us, we'll be able to do more work outside without fear of heat stroke!

Finally, some wildlife photos. 

The beauty of having such a variety of plants ("weeds" included)

is the variety of wildlife that we are able to experience!

These "twin" Zebra Longwings seemingly hatched from this single chrysalis!!

The Peacock Butterflies are primarily attracted to wild flowers in the lawn and along the pond bank.

The Fritillaries enjoy the butterfly garden (Pagoda blooms in this photo) and Lantana.

I was fortunate to catch this Swallowtail shortly after emerging from its chrysalis.  It was fun to watch his wings grow before he flew away to nourishing Pentas.  The hungry lizard I saved him from wasn't as happy with me!

Hopefully I won't take as long between blogs,

but on the flip side,

that means I'm out in the garden

where we all like to be! 

Happy Fall Everyone!!!