Blooms for GBBD!!

You guessed it...time for another Garden Bloggers Bloom Day!  Thank you, Carol, of May Dreams Gardens, for this fabulously popular monthly meme.  So...the big question...what's blooming in my garden this month?

My Hibiscus is performing quite well,

even in the extreme drought we've experienced. 

Specific types include Hibiscus rosa sinensis

(I call it Hawaiian Punch - it fits, doesn't it?),

Jane Cowel, Sanibel Yellow, and Painted Lady.

The more native species are doing better right now...between the sandy "soil", drought, and HOT temperatures, blooms are really being tested right now!!!  Blooms include Passion Vine Lady Margaret (host to the Fritillary butterfly larvae), the native Black and Blue Salvia (another butterfly stop), pretty Rain Lilies, Crossandra Orange Marmalade, Night Blooming Cereus Cactus bloom (I presume...it's a little white, fuzzy puff. I've never seen it before),  Native Firebush / Shrimp Plant / Dwarf Powder Puff (all are attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds).

Wild flowers are some of the best bloomers

in my yard right now. 

My favorites are the top left, Match Head,

a common yard "weed" that I actually leave for the Peacock Butterflies. 

My yard looks a bit silly with these patches unmowed! 

Another new find is the Salt Marsh Morning Glory

(top right photo and left middle row)

growing wild along my pond. 

It's a pretty, cheerful bloom with thin arrow-like leaves. 

Finally, the native American Beauty Berry

is blooming in order to form

it's striking purple berries (bottom row, 3rd photo).

 

Caladiums seem to enjoy the hot nasty Florida afternoons. 

They are very low maintenance in my garden,

resting underneath a mature stand of Saw Palmetto palms.

More blooms that seem oblivious to the intense drought conditions and severe heat index.  This group includes one of my ultimate favorite blooms - the Crinum Queen Emma bouquet (top left photo). Not only is the bloom cluster a show stopper in both size and color, but also offers an incredibly intoxicating fragrance that is pure heaven to me!  Other blooms include Leucodendrum (stick like succulent), Angelonia, Ruellia (also known as Purple Showers), native Plumbago (host to the Cassius Blue Butterfly), Mexican Heather, Walking Iris and Tropical Milkweed (host to the Monarch Butterfly larvae).

This collage shows numerous other wild flowers

found in my yard and around my pond. 

All are butterfly magnets!

I can't leave out the fantastic wildlife that visit and reside in my yard, providing constant peace and pleasure!  The birds are regular fixtures, as is the turtle sunning himself on the log laying in our pond.  When we excavated the other debris, we purposely left this log for the numerous turtles that use it daily.  I was fortunate to find the Swallowtail on a log in the firepit, soaking up the warmth of the sun while it expanded and dried it's newly unfolded wings.  I left it on a Penta where it might take its first sip of nectar.  I have to add that the Lubber did not last long once I showed the chickens his location on one of my crinum lilies (a favorite on the Lubber's menu).  Finally, the little green-eyed fly on the wild flower was a find only after I loaded the wild flower photo onto my computer...I zoomed in on the bloom and noticed the tiny fly with near-neon green eyes!  Cool!!!!

I'm hoping for more blooms as Florida enters its rainy season, although I 've thoroughly enjoyed the multitude of wild flowers taking center stage during this dry period.  Remember to stop by May Dreams Gardens to see other gardens in bloom and to say "Hi" to Carol. 

Happy GBBD!!! 

Tropical Hibiscus

Nothing says "tropical" quite as well as the beautiful Hibiscus bloom! 

Hibiscus Sanibel Single Yellow

These sizzling and cheerful colors are brilliant in the garden!

Part of the Mallow family, this genus is particularly large with hundreds of species native to warm-temperate, tropical and subtropical regions around the world.  Even in areas where Hibiscus cannot live outdoors, this pretty shrub can be grown easily in a container and enjoyed indoors or on a seasonal patio. 

Presidential Hibiscus

Lived in a pretty container on my screened porch

for 3 years before I transplanted it to the garden.

The amazing array of colors range from pure white to yellow, orange, red, purple and pink and every combination in between. 

Hibiscus rosa sinensis

This beauty was given to me by a good friend. 

I like to call it Hawaiian Punch.

There are double blooms and single blooms, ranging in size from 4 cm wide to larger than hand size.  There's also a variety named "Dinner Plate" for it's extra large bloom size.  Blooms of all varieties will drop in hot weather, though.  This is common.  Most Hibiscus produce the best blooms in full sun and cooler spring and fall temperatures in zones 9-10.

Hibiscus El Capitolio

This showy double bloom proved to be very cold hardy and robust.

Hibiscus Jane Cowel

This pretty peachy bloom reminds me of a peony!

The woody shrubs or small trees grow anywhere from 2 feet in special hybrids to 15 feet.  They can be trimmed back to form a hedge or left to grow in their natural form (hedge pruning will limit blooming as the flowers come from tips that will be cut off during trimming).  The showy leaves are a shiny, medium to deep green color that vary in size and texture, depending on the specific cultivar. 

Hibiscus Painted Lady

This lovely pink variety was a gift from another wonderful friend!

Hibiscus, in my experience, are generally quite hardy.  There are a handful of pests that can chew or suck the life out of them, though.  Watch out for caterpillars, grasshoppers, aphids, mealy bugs, spider mites and white flies.

Aphids

An attack like this one can happen before you know it.

I spray with a strong water stream.

Fun fact: Hibiscus comes from the Greek word ἱβίσκος (hibískos).  There is also a new version of fancy Hibiscus called HibisKISS, grown for it's large, colorful blooms that are grown on their own root stock vs. grafted.

Hibiscus Pure Yellow

I love this variety so much I have two of them in my yard!

For more information or to get involved in an organization specifically focused on the gorgeous Hibiscus, check out the American Hibiscus Society, the International Hibiscus Society, or a local branch in your area. 

Can you pick a favorite?