Plants blooming today

Theres a place in Palatka that claims to be the largest grower of caladiums in the US. I think it's Happiness Farms and once a year they have a caladium festival ther in Palatka.

Bonnie

Boy, I had some catching up to do! Lots of lovely blooms! I've been loving the rain lately. Definitely needed it. It sure makes the kids restless though. In between showers I caught a few blooms. Dune sunflower and rain lily, snail vine and water mimosa. That water mimosa has taken over my little pond. Anyone nearby like some? I didn't even plant it, just put it in the water.

Erin

Let me correct myself: www.happinessfarms.com is in Lake Placid, Fl. On 704 County Rd. 621 East. Toll free (866)892-0396. Advertisement found in Florida Gardening mag.

Check out their site. Loads of beautiful caladiums.

Bonnie

Thats a really cool site Bonnie and I'm glad you shared it. I saved it to my favorites page.
*******************
I really liked the tranformation pic's from the past Shauna and am looking forward to this years...
*******************
Your daughter did really good GG. That is a cool Standard trained Lantana!
*******************
You have some interesting plants Erin. Love that Water Mimosa and Snail Vine.
*******************
Your pictures are getting so good Sherri. I used to have that Royal Queen somewhere along the line and don't even remember when I lost it. Did I? Maybe it will resurface in my jungle unexpectedly someday. Ha! Things do have a way of doing that from time to time...

I'm loving all of your pictures and inputs!

David

The picture is of a Chaste Tree bloom.

Bonnie,
The link I sent shows all the different varieties, including those developed at UF that can handle our hot weather. The interesting part is if you look at the history of caladiums page, you see the name of one of the people from Happiness Farms (the link YOU sent) as one of the people developing new colors and varieties! Caladiums are one of the plants that come from a very small inner circle here in Florida....and what a GREAT contribution they make!

MM will have to go back and read your link.

Erin, wish you were closer, would I love to have some of that snail and mimosa vines for ponds. Beautiful.

Thanks for the chaste tree pic. David. Can you believe folks are still sending me plants that couldn't make it to RU so have one coming soon. They are beautiful. Hope they can live in full sun. Have just the spot for it.

Going to dgts. in Madison for mothers day and just so happens Forest Capitol Museum in Perry is hosting master gardners sale on Sat. which I know she will take me to. I know I know I don't need more plants but if she insists I'll have to go. LOL

Hope all you moms out there enjoy your coming weekend. Bonnie

Thanks Bonnie for the info. Always good to know where the garden shows are....that is something you're still getting plants, some nice folks on here. Looking forward to our visit tomorrow.

Mary, I do love the addition of Caladiums in the garden, they are always a nice surprise when they pop up in the spring time. I'm going back and read that link further.

GG, I didn't know there were lantana trees, how neat.

Erin I just bought one of those sunflower plants and put it in a sunny no irrigation spot, after seeing how nice David's are. Hope it works out, it has already spread twice the size. How is your veggie tower doing?

David thanks for the compliment on the photos, that is my new DSLR camera the boys and hubs gave me at Christmas. I'm figuring it out slowly, but really do love the difference from my point and shoot. I still use my nifty point and shoot, like at Bonnie's round up because it is so small and easy to carry around. That Chaste tree looks pretty against the blue sky, I have one of those too. ☺

-Sherri


photo just for coastalzonepush

Another place to spend some $$$ on plants....................
http://www.fnps.org/conference

Fri & Sat, 17-18 May 7:30 – 4:30 UNF Campus the FL Native Plant Society is having a plant sale.

David, I didn't know that chaste tree would grow here. I can always drop off some of the snail vine and water mimosa next time I go by the shop. You are so close it's not out of the way at all. That huge cactus in my neighborhood that I gave you a piece of last time is fixing to bloom some huge orange flowers. I'll have to stop at some point and take a picture to share.

Bonnie, I didn't even think about water plants to bring to the RU. Next time. If I'm ever out your way again I'll bring some with me.

Sherri, I just harvested a bunch of tomatoes off my Towers and an eggplant yesterday! They are growing gangbusters. I just got a Family Garden-aka Trio with part of our tax return. Now, to get seedlings to fill them! I am trying to formulate a plan on what to grow. It's all trial and error for me right now though. I haven't gardened much, even traditionally. So, I'm learning as I go!

Qwilter, I wanted to be a vendor for that show, but it was too expensive! That combined with the distance from home I opted not to proceed. If you go take some pictures. I'd like to see how many folks attend. The lady that was next to me at the Master Gardener show is going to be there. The paw paw lady.

Erin

I met the Paw Paw lady at the St Augustine plant sale a couple weeks ago. Were you at the St A show????

I've been told there is always a great turn out & to get there early. I'll definitely let you know how it is.

I wasn't at that show. My first was the local MG show. I did another small event in Deltona after that. The events are the best place to get new customers in my limited experience.

I also have some kind of an orchid blooming. Something that I got on a visit to a gardener in a neighboring town. I had it ID'd here on DG and added it to my tradelist just for recordkeeping.

Erin

Well then,... Thank you Mary for the Caladium site info! (I do goof on occasion)
********************
Something tells me we will eventually be sharing cuttings or trading growing plants someday to Bonnie. I'll be visiting you, or you will be visiting me sooner or later I'm sure.

I lost my Mom 2 years ago. I know we all have to go through it sooner or later, but Mothers Day isn't the same once we do. It takes on a different attitude understandably...an even more respectful one I think...
********************
It's clear you are learning the powers of your new camera Sherri. You are already up and flying!
********************
Chaste Tree's are very hardy here from my experiences Erin. They drop all their leaves like many bushes in Winter, go right through the freezes and come right back. It was one of the most popular herbs in Europe in Medieval times and the Monks of the day used it as peppercorns. The flowers produce these. Hence its other name, "Monk's Pepper"!........ I have used the mild peppercorns and they indeed taste like mild pepper... It's worth researching more..., and they Love full Sun Bonnie.

Nice produce!

If you see my truck in the side driveway I'm here, and the next time you stop by, turn the engine off and plan for at least a 15 minute visit! Ha!
**********************

Happy Gardening all..........and lets appreciate this last splap of cool air!

David

Erin - what a unique Orchid bloom. Looking at the thumbprint I thought, oh a Phal.....................but the enlarged pic is lovely.

It's supposedly something rare Qwilter. I don't know, but it wasn't doing very well until I brought it in the house. It had more leaves, but three of them dried up right before it bloomed. Here is the DG entry.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/189133/

Erin

David...we all go through events, like Mother's Day....or Father's Day....etc....we certainly can relate, and send thoughts your way this year.... :) One of my gardening friends once told me that every time a petal falls from a beautiful flower, we think of it as the end...but the petals melt into the ground, become soil, and feed the beauty of the newer younger replacements...and that's how we should think of our loved ones.....They may have, at one time, been the beautiful petals, but now that they're gone, they are the food for the newer younger generations.... SInce then, I've ordered plants that have the names of my family members, who have gone on before me....for my memory garden. I have Jim's Song, Piano Man, and Bohemia after Dark daylilies for my father....who was all of those.....and Michael's Folly, for my brother.....Patty's Pink, for my wonderful sister-in-law....etc.... When I walk around the yard in the wee hours of the morning with my cup of coffee, I say good morning to them all, as they show their cheery faces to me.

Those were well written and beautiful thoughts shared Mary.

Thank you,

David

Mary - what a wonderful saying. My Mom had a miniature rose when she lived in PA. Silly rose would bloom when there was snow on the ground. When she moved in with us in MD, I dug up that rose & moved it also. Mom passed away 3 years ago and when we moved to FL last year, I brought that rose along. It bloomed like crazy last year & was much bigger than it ever was up north. Every time it blooms I think of my Mom.
And today I unpacked Dad's old, solid steel vise, and placed it on my workbench. It was the 1 tool of his I kept.

I agree David. Qwilter, that's neat about the rose. My grandmother names plants after people. If you give her one, she gives it your name. She always says so and so still loves her if it's doing well. Got to love her!

Erin

Mary that is really beautiful and a wonderful tradition you have started to honor your loved ones. I may do that for my husband's mother and father, he would just love that. She loved yellow, maybe a beautiful container of yellow flowers.

David you are so creative, maybe you could design one of your little gardens or a larger one to celebrate your mother's life, with her favorite colors and things she loved...wouldn't that be special. :)

Erin, those are some pretty tomatoes.
The Chaste tree grows really good in Central FL, there is a huge one on the Seminole Cross trail at the 417 trail head, no irrigation and in full bright sun. It is spectacular when in bloom. In fact I need to take a bike ride over there and see if it is blooming now and get a picture of it. It is the reason I bought one many years ago.

56 degrees this morning...how wonderful is that? Woke up with all three cats on top of me trying to keep warm. Enjoy this beautiful day everyone.
-Sherri

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. I really hope this is true. Because...most of the time, words elude me. However, I have many pictures to share. M~

Oops...
Milkweed...salvia...caladium n bromeliad...rhipsalis 'clavada' and hibiscus

Thanks Sherri! Tasty too!

LL those are pretty. Is that a type of cacti in bloom?

I have several of these that popped up by themselves. So pretty and native to boot! I also have a bloom on my Anna apple, but couldn't get a good shot of it. Maybe tomorrow.

Erin

Wow spectacular blooming rhipsalis, mine hasn't bloomed yet.

I've never seen a rhipsalis bloom! Spectacular!

Love the color of that salvia Melanie. Just beautiful.
Bonnie

Thanks everyone The salvia was marked..Wendy's wish. This is the first time I have seen rhipsalis bloom. I have several. That one was the best bloomer. Bonnie, I think I gave you a piece of that one. Its my favorite. They spent the winter outside this year. Not sure if thats why they bloomed this year? They also get a little ball of a fruit. Explains the name "mistletoe cactus" I will post more pictures.

Excited to have my first blooms on my Brug that my Pop gave me, I had to move this whole plant from where it was back in Feb. and broke some of the main roots that were growing deep under the brick pavers of the fire pit, I was so afraid I did it in, but it bounced back and now blooming. ☺

also...Lady Margaret passiflora popping out, Aloes blooming too, and portulaca baskets.

okay order of pics different but you can figure it out. ☺

This message was edited May 9, 2013 8:23 AM

First two Pictures are of Rhipsalis fruit. Third a blooming frog booty (so cute) and this guy is just too comfortable on my front porch. One of at least four that I have seen slithering about.

Arghhhhh!!! My pictures are sideways again. Gotta figure this one out...takes away from the pic.

I'm jealous of your green frog! Ive been trying to get my hands on some!

I know where there is a bunch of green frogs!!!!! Will help you catch them.

Melanie don't seem to have that cactus but it sure is different. I've come to the conclusion if you live to be 100 there will always be plants you don't know about yet. Tomorrow we are going to my dgts. in Madison for Mothers Day and she is taking me to Taylor Cty. plant show and sale on Sat. at Forest Capitol State Park. Woohoo.

Sherri was over one day and told me about Cuban lizards that eat our anoles. Anybody got a pic of one? We are being invaded.

ALL YOU MOMS HAVE A HAPPY MOTHERS DAY.

Bonnie

Ditto on the green tree frog. I havent had one since the cuban tree frongs invaded. Same with the green lizzards

Last year I had no green frogs. I started erradicating those rotten CTFs. And sure enough I now have around five give or take. The past two nights they have been mating..I think. They sound like a small dog barking. I look out for them as much as I can. I have a rat snake that helps with the cubans. But it seems like you get rid of them and before you know it there are ten new ones that moved in. I dont like killing anything. But those are bad news...they eat everything that will fit into their mouth. The cuban anole seems even more prolific than the tree freaks. I have tons of those. My cat dines on them often, AND there are still tons of them. Yuk! I have seen them eat the green babies...grrrrr...it makes me mad!

Hiss at them!

Cuban Tree Frogs have ruined the enviroment of my yard. I try desperately to eliminate them on a daily basis (they usually win!) I no longer have green frogs or green lizards. I buy tadpoles, but they CTF's breed faster than bunnies! I'm going to Bonnies with a jar, and finding as many as I can, to try and populate my yard again. I have a blue fish I need to drop off at her place anway, so it will benefit us both.
:)

Here ya go Bonnie, the brown ones are the Cuban brown anoles, the larger ones are males (they have an orange Dewlap), and females tend to be smaller.

The native green anole isn't as commonly seen. Vines and trees are great to have because they can easily camouflage them and they like to be up high or maybe they've been driven to higher places for protection.
The brown anoles tend like the ground and lower branches and bark of trees.
The green will change to a brown or gray color when stressed or cold and so some call them chameleons, but they are not chameleons.

Actually the greatest predator for the green anole is snakes and birds, the brown cuban anoles are more aggressive and larger and will eat the smaller green anoles especially new hatch-lings, which is probably more of a territory competition than anything else.

I believe I read that the brown isn't considered enough of a threat to be economically important, like the frogs are, and due to the abundance of them it would be highly unlikely eradication could ever be achieved .

I have seen hundreds of lady bugs this year. The bright red, "real" ones, not those yellowish ones. Sure hope they are getting their bellies full!!
I'm seeing fewer & fewer of the baby grasshoppers so hopefully the geckos/lizards have found them tasty.

That was really informative and the lizard pictures are great Sherri. These Anoles seem to have hybridized a lot around here over the years...I'm sure you've seen the red headed ones too?

I've noticed the abundance of Ladybugs too GG. We are fortunate to live in Florida.

That is very informative, sunkissed. Couldn't resist adding these shots that I took a year ago this month. DH called me a voyeur! LOL!!! Found it kind of interesting. I don't think they even noticed I was there!

Well I'm hoping this is one of those situations where the green anole is feeling stressed and turning brown, or we have some cross breeding going on. ☺