Thursday, April 29, 2010

Bolivian Sunset

This month's "HOT, LOUD and PROUD" meme,



brought to you by Lola and my good friend, Noel at




features my insanely HOT Bolivian Sunset, ie Gloxinia sylvatica. 



Say What?!?!  Glox what?  OK...it's a gorgeous orange/red hot bloom



with deep green foliage.



Although I grow mine outside in bright, indirect sun, this Bolivian diva can be grown INDOORS for anyone who doesn't enjoy a tropical environment outdoors. 

Southern gardeners growing this red hot specimen outside must keep the soil moist, but not soggy and give it plenty of room as it reaches out in it's ground cover habit. 

Can you believe it's from Bolivia and Peru?  Hmmmm...what gave it away? So Spicy!!!!



The most amazing views are those that show the intricate details of this blazing beauty! (click on the photo to view the peppery, bumpy interior...if you can stand the HEAT!!)



If you're feeling a bit HOT, Spicy, LOUD, Boisterous, and PROUD, head on over to Noel's to taste a bit more of the HEAT!!!


Saturday, April 24, 2010

My Favorites...THIS Month! April 2010

YAY!  I remembered!  Actually I marked my calendar - 


"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!!! 

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Pot Luck

POT LUCK!!  It's a gathering, all right...

(courtesy of www.quddly.com)

but not of food.  Sorry! 

Nope...

(internet image)
Not that kind of pot either.

This pot could work...a bit on the expensive side for what I've got in mind, though.



As you may know, I do not always like the traditional in my garden.  My last post featured some wonderful, whimsical creations made from old, recycled tools and garden supplies. 

This is where I met the POT MAN


The Pot Man got me thinking of the various creative ways I've housed my plants. 

This planter was free...I placed some succulents in the trunks of my White Bird of Paradise
They're thriving here.






Here's another succulent I planted in a ceramic frog I found at a garage sale. He graces my pool deck.
(I apologize for the lighting in these next few photos...pretty poor but you get the Jist)


I recently purchased 5 orchids for $20...4 of them went in this basket I had laying around.


the other one was in a strawberry basket...



It's found a new home in a bamboo shoot
Lola wanted to show you the empty pot before planting the orchid in it.



The orchid meets it's new home...


Much prettier, if I do say so myself!


Poor lighting, but a pretty photo...


Here's a coconut that my husband cut in half sitting next to a little chair and pot that I found a while ago at a garage sale.  These are great planters for my "nursery".  The chair contains a jade plant that was started from the one larger leaf on the right.  I have a soft spot for the string of pearls in the coconut...what a cool plant!! 


Of course, you could always pick plants that require NO POT AT ALL such as this air plant and staghorn fern...



or my latest purchase...this sweet air plant that grows in a ball all by itself



But the title of this post is POT LUCK so I had to gather more examples for a true sampling of fun!  I headed to the internet and found this interesting bunch...



This is the Muggly Family that can be found at The Family Store.


Old boots can be a fun planter, or any piece of clothing, I guess...



Sometimes instructions are included with the project as is the case with these dresser drawers...

(check www.instructables.com for this project)

or this old chair...

(instructions found at ehow.com.)

Here's an interesting idea for old tires...

 (courtesy of www.ourlaughingplace.com)

Of course I couldn't leave out jewelry lovers...this one is the bomb! 


Not very practical, but jewelry seldom is.

So what's YOUR favorite pot?!?