Sunday Review

The garden has been resting, but activity begins with a bit of rain and warm temperatures. Look what's blooming:

Bougainvillea, a Florida favorite, is blooming in abundance. I've always had purple, but rooted a cutting of the bright red/fuchsia for this property.  The light, bright color will add interest in the dappled light around the pond.

The Hawaiian Ti plants are in bloom.  Their leaves are usually the show so the small blooms are an added bonus.

Spathiphyllum has over 40 varieties. The one I purchased at last fall's high school plant sale has recently sent out some new "rat tails", although they haven't bloomed yet.

Another new addition, the sweet almond, seems to enjoy the comfortable 75-80 degree afternoons.  It produces the most amazing almond fragrance!

Several Bromeliads are in currently in bloom.

Vriesa erythrodactylon has been in fiery bloom for months.  

I didn't know it produced small yellow blooms as well.

My Billbergeia bromeliad has finally bloomed after 2-1/2 years!

I recently planted a  Weeping Bottlebrush tree next to my pond ( Callistemon viminalis)

Although mine is still young and a bit unimpressive, 

it will grow to a lovely medium size with 

weeping branches and puffy red blooms that resemble a bottle brush.  

You can see a mature tree in bloom by clicking here.

Another new addition to the landscape is an unexpected coconut tree!

This is the first one in my yard!

Many orchids are in glorious bloom, like this peachy Cattleya.

And these candy stripe Phalaenopsis.

This Phal grows in the palm trees and blooms 3-4 times a year. 

And another Cattleya in bright purple...

This 'surprise' orchid showed up this year.  

It's a Zeuxine strateumatica, or lawn orchid, introduced from Asia.

And the reed orchids, Encyclia radicans!

The Dutchman's Pipe vine is blooming again!  I love the little beard.

This is one of the weirdest blooms...that's why I like it!!

This is such a beautiful time in South Florida, 

and this is truly my Garden in Paradise!  

For my friends still snowed in, spring is not far..

I hope these photos warm you a bit!

Orchid Cache!

Recently I was the oh-so-blessed finder

of an amazing orchid cache. 

Five orchids of various types

had been neglected and discarded to the curb

for the bi-weekly refuse team to collect and destroy. 

Fortunately for me and the orchids,

I happened by and came to the rescue.

These poor, pathetic plants need so much help! 

Their potting medium is all but gone

and the roots cling desperately

to the sides of the clay pots they’re housed in

extracting any moisture they can. 

They are scraggly and gangly,

reaching for a better place to live. 

However, I’m amazed at the resiliency

of these so-called “delicate” and “fussy” plants. 

In spite of the obvious neglect,

each of these orchids appear remarkably healthy! 

I didn’t say they are pretty in their current state,

but they are certainly in good condition. 

Of course they live in South Florida

and not in an icy tundra, but still! 

So many people believe orchids are difficult to grow. 

This is just another example of the

“Right Plant, Right Place” rule.

Taking a closer look, I have obtained some Cattleya species.

I checked with my local orchid society

on repotting advise. 

I will need to soak the roots to soften them

and slowly try to lift them off the clay pot. 

If I’m not successful,

I can break the pots and leave small pieces

of clay attached to the root.

I also acquired a Dendrobium...

Check out these roots!

And this tangled mess of Vanda:

Here's a new one growing out the top with it's own set of roots...

I must admit that I am excited

to untangle this beauty and

divide it into numerous plants! 

Who doesn’t love a Vanda?!?!

This Cattleya is in bloom. 

Wow! 

Can you believe someone discarded

a blooming orchid? 

I will wait for the blooms to fade

before repotting this one. 

Of course I’m wondering about the specific identity

of each orchid variety.

I’ll have to wait for those not in bloom

 to show themselves,

but I should be able to find the name

of the one in bloom, shouldn’t I?

After all, you can find anything via Google, right?

Not so.

After perusing endless photos of orchids,

I still have not found the identity of mine.

Certainly it is a Cattleya.

Or is it?

Perhaps it’s a Potinara

which is a hybrid of Cattleya

involving four different genus…

Brassavola x Cattleya x Laelia x Sophronitis to be exact.

I know about this because

I have a Potinara Hoku Gem named ‘Freckles’.

Since Potinara could be a possibility,

I researched some more only to find that

Potinaras really aren’t Potinaras anymore. 

It’s so confusing! 

Apparently the “Orchid Naming Committee” got together

and reclassified a bunch of the parent species

that created the Potinara,

thus changing the name of the Potinara. 

Just when I start to get a small grip on this orchid thing,

something or someone decides to stir the pot…

like the “Orchid Naming Committee.” 

You can read about it by clicking here.  

In short, my Potinara Hoku Gem ‘Freckles’ is now

a Brassocattleya Hoku Gem.

Seriously, I can’t keep up.

Back from my tangent,

I simply want to find the identity

of my pretty, peachy orchid.

If anyone has an idea, please let me know!

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!