Epiphytes for the Rainforest Garden!

You may know my friend, Steve,

at The Rainforest Garden. 

He graciously hosts "Epiphyte Day"

on the first of the month. 

What a great meme! 

I mean, who doesn't love an epiphyte?! 

I for one, am a HUGE fan. 

I was never exposed to these wonders of the trees

until I moved to Florida.  

I was amazed to see them growing

naturally in the trees. 

It's similar to seeing an animal in the wild

for the first time after only viewing it in a zoo.

Actually, I lied. 

I had seen tillandsia before moving to Florida.

I remember seeing them in the checkout lane

of groceries and drug stores...

you know...they glued them to magnets

and stuck them to the sides of the pop coolers. 

I mentally put them in the same category as Sea Monkeys

or some other odd novelty that is fun for awhile

until they eventually die.

http://www.sea-monkey.com/

In southern Florida,

'air plants' are ridiculously common,

although those found in their natural environment (ie trees)

are predominantly, and fiercely, protected.  

Felony charges, huge fines and prison sentences 

are realities for anyone snagging plants or seeds. 

I'm lucky, though. 

I have 'air plants' growing in my yard naturally. 

Of course, you can legally purchase many forms.  

I found a Florida website that sells tillandsia...

Deltona Seashells and Gifts...

LOTS of varieties!  

Can you see this one? 

It's a little hard to see among the pine needles. 

Here's another view...

It's the only plant on the leafless branch

about 30-40 feet high. 

Isn't it amazing how these plants find a spot

so high up on such a small pine branch. 

I wonder, as it grows,

if the pine will be able to support its weight. 

Others are more predominant

lower in the canopy...

actually, in the trunks of sable palms

where comfy pockets offer necessary nutrients. 

This one has resided here a while...it has sprouted pups.

I have yet to see them bloom although I've only lived here 4 months.

This one has a friend...the little grassy garland is a tillandsia as well.

This photo is worth clicking on to enlarge. 

You'll see 3 different tillandsia in very close proximaty. 

The obvious specimen is front and center. 

There's another little bulbous one in the top left corner

and yet another with bluish gray coloring 

in the left portion,

just underneath the 'front and center' tillandsia. 

Here's a close up of the bluish gray colored tillandsia. 

It has some palm debris entwined in it's leaves,

but I leave it for nutrient's sake.

I showed this bulbous youngster in my previous post,

 "Things That Cheer Me Up".  

This tillandsia bloomed last year,

before I purchased the property. 

However, the seed pods, now brown

but originally (probably) bright red,

are now offering seeds...

something I've never witnessed before.

The seeds are similar to a dandelion seed -

the seed is attached to a 'puff' that is air lifted

sending the embryo to its home via the wind. 

HOWEVER...there's another epiphyte,

albeit not a tillandsia, 

in this photo as well...do you see the fern? 

These fantastic plants sprout in the same environment

as the tillandsia. 

Here's a sweet younster just starting to stretch out.

In the same tree but on the opposite side...

OK...so this is NOT a tillandsia either,

but it IS an epiphyte. 

This bromelaid was obviously planted here

since there's no others climbing the tree. 

It looks as though it's had better days. 

But wait...what's that?!?!

Yes, she's getting up in age and

has seen better days,

but will not leave without

providing offspring to carry on her legacy. 

What a great surprise!!!

On ANOTHER side of the same tree,

this little tillandsia is snug as a bug

in it's tree side pocket. 

I have no idea about the exact names

of these various tillandsia,

but I am captured by this type

with its curling tentacles. 

Oh! Oh!  Pick me!!  I know!! I know!!!

This one is an Ionantha,

or a Mexican Ball. 

I purchased this in bloom

a couple of years ago.

It's getting larger, but no blooms yet this year. 

I have a Hispanic friend

who informs me that

the children in her country play

with these like toys.

This clump of Ball Moss,

or tillandsia recurvata,

fell from a pine tree in my yard from high winds.

(See how I'm impressing you

with the names of two tillandsia?!?!) 

This type of tillandsia is EVERYWHERE. 

They cover trees and seemingly suffocate them. 

So, after all that tillandsia

and a smattering of other epiphytes, 

back to my friend, Steve of

The Rainforest Garden. 

If you don't know Steve or his blog,

you've gotta check him out! 

Go on...go...right now!!!

Why are you still here?!?!  Go....!

ps...thanks so much for stopping by!!

Things That Cheer Me Up

Every once in a while, I have a day...
you know the kind. 
I've been having some of those lately. 
My remedy? 
My garden, of course, among other things. 
I took some photos to share...

After a trying time, I know I can walk outside
and find something to cheer me. 
First, the bright colors of blooms are always a good pick-me-up.

Yellow Snap Dragons

Orange Marigolds

Lady Margaret Passion Vine

Aloe Vera Blooms

Aloe Vera Bloom up close

Fire Bush

The Fire Bush will be the perfect compliment

 for a fence row near a visible corner of our property. 

We're nearly finished clearing the space. 

Side Note:  clearing overgrown fence rows is

the perfect job to release frustration and aggression.

A gander by the new vegetable garden really raises spirits too.

My husband constructed the raised bed

and my daughter and I did the rest

during the last weekend of February. 

We planted peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash,

cabbage, cilantro, watermelon, basil, and chives. 

 Just a few weeks later, the veggies look fantastic!

A couple of closeups bring a smile to my face...

A pepper bloom

A bright and cheerful cucumber bloom

This tomato bloom is a pretty little star, isn't it? 

WAIT!!!  What's THAT?!?!?!

This is NOT cheerful...

white mold on my squash.

I'll need to find a remedy for that.

 And check out this Chinese Cabbage leaf...

vibrant colors and full of life!

Next to the vegetable garden

is my Lady Margaret Passion Vine. 

Looks like we have dinner guests...

 That's OK...these "pests"

are one of the reasons I keep passion vines,

a host plant to this caterpillar...

this is phase 1 for the lovely Gulf Fritillary butterfly,

or the Florida Monarch as many call it. 

As I leave the sunny edible garden,

I move into the shaded portion of my property. 

The mature trees provide a lovely canopy

that my previous paradise lacked. 

I spot a fern frond unfurling....

try to say that 5 times as fast as you can!

These singular fern leaves pop out from the sable palm trunks. 

I love them!

           

  Another view of the same tillandsia.

I love this one...

bulbous at the base with long curling leaves

...so graceful!

Here's a first for me...

seed pods from a cardinal tillandsia...

at least I think it's a cardinal. 

These are protected so I let them fly

where the wind would take them...

hopefully more in my yard! 

A resident among the trees,

this Corn Snake is aggressive but not venomous. 

He was tussled out of his tree top home

while my husband cut old dead branches down.

 His colors and patterns are gorgeous! 

But I'll have to watch out for him

when my sweet little pullets start laying eggs

...he'll enjoy them for dinner!

Cameron, the natural leader of the three girls,

might give an intruder a run for their money. 

We don't have a rooster so her leadership qualities are not stifled.

Henny Penny is the sweetest of the three...

very docile and kind...shes curious, too,

as you can see in this photo...

always checking to see what's going on. 

Penny is the largest of the girls,

although Cameron often appears larger

due to her ego-fluffed plumage.

Gina's speed makes it really difficult

to capture a good photo of her. 

She's the smallest of the three...

her colors are coming out and are absolutely lovely!

It's hard not to smile around the girls...

they're so sweet, fun and lively. 

Another girl who loves to play and tops this club

is none other than the lovely LOLA!!!

What a beautiful girl!!

We take some time out to play. 

She's not biting me...

she likes to swing upside down and back and forth. 

She uses her beak for balance sometimes.

See?  The shot is a little blurry because she is moving...

she swings her head back and forth

 in order to gain momentum,

similar to a child on a swing set. 

She squeals with delight during this activity!!

Lola was having such a great time,

I couldn't help but record a video of her...

she gets pretty wild

when my son plays his 'screamo' music right next to her!!!

Just proving that Lola was Screamo

before Screamo was cool!!!!

Maybe if you're having "one of those days",

Lola can cheer you up too!!

Bamboo and Orchids!!

Last week, something really spectacular occurred
in my little corner garden!! 
We added some MAJESTIC, Tropical
BAMBOO
to our piece of Paradise!!

HOW COOL IS THAT?!!??!?!?!

I must admit my fear of bamboo...
I'd always heard of it's aggressive, invasive qualities
so I only admired it from afar. 
However, there are many varieties of clumping bamboo
that are NOT invasive. 
Hallelujah!! 

Clumping bamboo still grows in a 360 degree pattern,

but within inches of each other

and only to a diameter of approximately 10-20 feet. 

Another exciting factoid...it's cold tolerant...even to 10 derees F!

AND...as if that's not exciting enough,

bamboo reaches maturity in about 3-1/2 years. 

It makes a fantastic hedge / privacy screen in no time.   

After a bit of conversation about it,
my husband and I decided to head down the road
to one of our local nurseries, Jupiter Jungle.
This nursery offers wonderful varieties of bamboo,
citrus and rare fruit trees, palms, and orchids. 
It's owned and operated by a great guy named
Russell, aka"the jungle man". 
Russell is such an interesting gentleman
that we ended up spending the next couple of hours
chatting with him and his son, Shane!!
(great name, by the way!)
Russ is the kind of guy that you're really glad
to be friends with...sincere, kind, and genuine. 

So what did we get?

Bambusa textilis gracilis...

a lovely "graceful" bamboo variety. 

This type is tightly clumping and very erect

with gracefully nodding leaves giving an Asian garden ambiance.

We opted to plant it next to the pond,

accented by the water lilies.

Check out a more mature speciman at

 JupiterJungle.com!

We also brought home the lovely

China Gold Bamboo,

or officially, Bambusa eutuldoides var ‘Viridi vittata’. 

Mature bamboo will grow to 2.5-3 inches in diameter. 

Beautiful, isn't it?

Decorative is an understatement with China Gold...

golden canes, or culms as they call them, 

with bright green vertical stripes...a show stopper! 

We placed this one in our newly formed Asian garden.

Here's a shot of the young striped trunks...

Quite a difference from the mature trunks above,

but it won't take long for this beauty to bulk up.

After a couple of days, Russ, aka Jungle Man,

asked that I stop by. 

I knew Russ had something on his mind,

but like I said before, he's the kind of guy

that you just want to hang out with. 

So I was happy to stop by.

This is what was on Russ' mind....

Yup...the Jungle Man gifted me this
AMAZINGLY AWESOME Vulgaris (wamin),
or DWARF BUDHA BELLY BAMBOO!!!!

I probably shouldn't boast Russ' generousity,
but this is the heart of the jungle,
as it beats in the Jungle Man, my friend, Russell!!
Many, many thanks!!!! 

What makes the Budha Belly Bamboo
so extraordinary is its knotty canes
and its manageable height of 15'.
Check out JupiterJungle.com 
for a glimpse of a gorgeous mature Budha!

To make matters even MORE exciting (if it's possible)
bamboo wasn't the only newcomer last week. 
I was gifted a poor soul of an orchid by a coworker. 
The plant was found on a construction job site. 
Although it's definitely seen better days,

it'll be back to good health shortly. 
I gave it a good drink, and the roots plumped right up!!

I think this variety is a Paphiopedilum, or a Lady Slipper. 
There's no way for an amateur like me
to know for certain, though, until it flowers
...which could be a while.
I'm not sure if the burned leaves are the result of
sunburn or our cold winter temps.
I repotted in two seperate pots,
and will keep moist in filtered light.

BREAKING NEWS!!!!
A reader (see comments below...Anonymous - Thank you!) has identified this orchid as an invasive African Orchid commonly named Monk Orchid, or Oeceoclades maculata.  My orchid completely matches the description, down to the obvious seed pods.  Although it is considered invasive, I will keep it, and control it by housing it in a screened area and disposing of the seed pods before they mature.


Looking back,
it's been an especially CRAAAAZY week,
but my new garden additions have provided
so much peace, tranquility, and joy
to me and my ever-evolving
Garden in Paradise!!