Plants blooming today (Continued)

That Pipe is HUGE & wonderful. I have a miniature variety of pipe that is taking over my rellis but seems to prefer blooming Fall - Spring.

I have a starting of reg pipe but it is still trying to learn to climb!!!!

It is so hot and humid today, but I did get a few shots to add. Most of what is blooming is the dollar weed! LOL!!! But, surprise! Found a few coming up amongst the weeds! LOL!!!
Passionflower
Buddleja 'Blue Chip'
Dusty Miller that I've never allowed to bloom before
Coreopsis 'Rte.66'
Purple Coneflower

:-)

Tim, I just planted Coreopsis "Route 66" and purple coneflowers in the front of my house! So far they're taking the heat really well; they are on the south side of the house but have nearly full sun exposure. I don't think I ever saw a Dusty Miller bloom before - nice!

Melanie

Thanks Melanie,
This bed is also in the front of my house…faces SSW, or maybe a little more WSW…hard to tell…Anyway, it's in full sun all day long. The Rte.66 is in it's 3rd year and doing well. I started with 2 but one didn't make it. Glad this one did! I've had many Dusty's before, and always cut them back when they started blooming, but this time I figured a few more flowers against these weeds would work! :-))

Here's a couple of plants I took pictures of while I was out watering the orchids. First, my Angel's Trumpet is blooming again for the first time since that tropical storm came through. It's a heavy bloomer and it's right on the corner where my neighbors can hopefully appreciate it. I love it because I do absolutely nothing to it and it does wonderfully.

Then, my favorite gesneriad, Chrysothemis pulchella is blooming. This plant comes back every spring and dies back through the winter. I've had it about five years or so. Dad likes it, too. It was growing in a pot but it climbed out and decided it liked our soil so we just leave it be and we've warned my brother not to hit it with the weedwhacker.

Melanie

Hi TLM...yes that is a Podocarpus and I am hoping that the Dutchman's Pipe will slowly take it completely over.

There are three Podocarpus that came with the yard and they don't "match" what I have done. My yard is full of flowers and color and those are boring. LOL One has almost been complete hidden by a large Cramoisi Superieur Rose and one I am hoping to use the Dutchman's Pipe to hide one as well. I just need to find one more large bush/shrub or vine to cover/hide the third.

I have a couple of small Rte. 66 as well growing near the other Coreopsis. The Rte 6 seems to be a popular plant this year as I have seen it at numerous nurseries and plant shows this year.

Melanie - my passion flower out front is almost stripped of leaves. There were cats all over it yesterday. Full of buds so hopefully it will bloom w/out leaves. They have not touched the 1 out back yet. Last year it was just the opposite - stripped the back & never touched the 1 out front.

I did not know Dusty Miller bloomed. And yellow at that.

Dark clouds are starting to move in. As long as it rains & stopps before Ineed to go out this PM.

The cats disappeared from my Corky-Stemmed Passion Vine so I went out and sure enough there were chrysalises to be gathered up and brought inside for safety (and my viewing pleasure). Still found a couple of fat Gulf Frit cats but they should almost be done eating. Everytime a butterfly gets near it I start shooing it away and yelling, "No more eggs!". I can't believe what a crop I've had this year.

The thunderstorms went just north of us today so I may have to get out there and water soon. Don't want to spend money on plants just to have them die from my neglect. But so far everyone is adapting pretty well and looking good. I just need Dad to make me some mulch for the front. He's a woodturner and we use his shavings from the lathe as mulch.

Melanie

Hi all still down here in vacation in Sanibel and I am keeping in touch with my son back home and he said, "Mom you have a billion caterpillars on a plant here, is that okay?" LOL...so I imagine I'll come home to stripped passifloras too. I went to the native plant nursery here on the island and got 13 new babies...one is the corky passion vine, has wee little flowers on it. I also got a nice Texas star hibiscus flower...after seeing David's I'm so excited to find one.
I can't get this website to work on my normal Chrome...all a jumbled up mess. I have to use Firefox browser to get it to work. And the Internet only works sometimes here at the campground, pictures are hard to load. I'll catch up with everyone when I have my computer again. Will be back home in a couple days, looking forward to my shady oak garden, pretty much over the hot sun and beach now.
-Sherri

I found a couple of cats on one of my milkweeds, but that is all I have seen so far this year. I have plenty of butterflies around, so I am sure its just a matter of time until there are cats around.

Here are a couple of pictures of my rose of sharon hibscuses blooming.

Very nice pics, Shauna…I must say that I'm very disappointed by how few butterflies I've seen so far this year. Last year my passis were devoured by the Gulf cats…And I had a bumper crop of new butterflies…But, so far this year…I've seen 2 Gulf Frits…0 Monarchs. Haven't seen a Zebra LongWing in 2-3 years…So very disappointed…

Last year our city sprayed and sprayed for mosquitos, and I'm thinking that may have something to do with the lack of butterflies this year…

I wonder…is anyone else in this area noticing a difference in populations?

I've never seen so many butterflies as what we have here now. Maybe they all moved down here!!!! But none of my hummers have been around this year.

It took a while for the Zebra Longwings to make a comeback here after the frosts we had. I went about two years without seeing them but this year has been just great. In fact, I released one I had raised earlier today. Lots of caterpillars have eaten my corky-stemmed passion vine down to nothing. The Monarchs seem to be coming in waves. Right now I don't have too many flying but I have caterpillars. So in a few weeks I'll have more flying!

Melanie

Im just the opposite of Jean. Ive got hummers everywhere, but very few butterflies. Mostly monarchs.
I had a wee little hummer eating out of the lavender this morning, fun to watch. Then two big ones swooped down and off they went to the sunflowers.

Lots of butterflies! No hummers. I usually see the hummers in winter when my Hong Kong Orchid Tree is in bloom. That is their favorite place to hang
Melanie

I've often wondered about the mosquito spraying if that hurts the bees and butterflies???? Our city turned the spraying over to the county two years ago, budget cuts and they county hardly ever spray, just if they get complaints. Hummers have been abundant in my garden every year, they like the sunrise and sunset times of the day and so they can be easily missed if you're not out in the garden during that time. I don't put out feeders anymore they seem to like my plants just fine.

That's very true about hummers liking sunrise and sunset. I used to see them the most when I would leave for work in the morning. I'd come out the door and zoom! There they would go.

Melanie

We have 1 hummer that visits a feeder on the back deck every afternoon about 5:00. You can nearly set a watch by him.

Just a couple of blooming photos today. First, the coreopsis I bought at the USF Butterfly Festival is blooming. I bought it with lots of buds on it; I prefer it to buying them in bloom because you get more bloom time that way. not sure which species it is, but it's rather tall (like 4-5 feet). There's also some porterweed sneaking into the picture. The second photo is of the Agastache "Astello Indigo" I just bought from Select Seeds a few weeks ago. I figured I'd have to wait a lot longer for it to bloom; it's only been in the ground for like two weeks! I bought Coreopsis "Ruby Frost" at the same time and it has buds on it right now so look forward to pictures of those. The butterflies seem pretty happy with my acquisitions and hopefully the hummingbirds will get on board with the new Agastache.

Melanie

David -plse let Sue know my Life Saver Cactus is blooming!!!! Found it when Tara & I were walking thru the yard this AM.

Jean, that doesn't even look real! How cool is that?

Melanie

It looks just like a "real" lifesaver & feels like a gummi. She has a few other buds forning and a lot of new growth. Definately a keeper (and so much easier than Orchids).

Totally cool. First time Ive ever seen anything like that.

Jean what a nice bloom, I have a thing for the succulents and their blooms. Mellie nice coreopsis blooms, I have some and will have to check and see if they are blooming.
I just got back from our two week trip to Sanibel late yesterday afternoon, only had a brief time to walk around my garden before it started to rain, but boy howdy has everything grown.
I downloaded my photos and will be posting some blooms I caught while on the island.
This cactus was blooming in Captiva, the flowers were so pretty they almost looked fake. Anyone that knows what kind it is I'd appreciate knowing, because I'd sure love to have one.
-Sherri

Sherri, that is gorgeous! I wonder if it could be this one… http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/103189/

It sure looks like that could be the one...I have an apple cactus my Dad gave me, at least that is what he told me it was. But it has never bloomed and not really in full sun like this one was...maybe that is why.

At does appear to bea Peruvian Apple Cactus Sherri (Cereus) and the fruits are delicious! I have a small one that gave me two fruits last year........Welcome Back! What a great vacation you had in an incredible area. You'll have to send some pictures of your special shell finds. Everyone finds something cool on the beaches there!
***************
I must not have hit the send button because I didn't see my message from yesterday under the Lifesaver Cactus picture. Anyway, it is one of my favorite Cactus' too, and I also got my first from Sue 5 years ago. She's stopping by this morning to drop off some purple Cockscomb and a clump of Ginger and I'll tell her then!

David, do you grow pinecone ginger?

I don't GG,

You brought it to my attention though and I researched it. It is very interesting! Thanks for bringing it to our attention!

Hi gardenglory, I have a pinecone ginger that I think? you may be refering to?
Is this it?
I took these pics last year when in bloom. The cones turn a bright red as they mature.
And they spread like crazy!

Gosh, you mean I have a plant (PC Ginger) David doesn't have?!?!?! Did not think that possible. I got it to hopefully fill in the space btwn the studio/shed & back fence.

I started buying gingers for the fragrance, but once I happened on to this pinecone ginger, its pretty well taken over. The pine cones last for a very long time, and as the season goes on, they get redder and redder. Whats really cool about them tho is, you can squeeze them gently and this clear liquid comes out, and then the cone quickly replinishes the liquid. It makes your hands and hair so soft, it is awesome stuff. My yummy smelling ginger flowers last such a short time. Im not getting rid of them tho, thats for sure. Its one of the few things that I can actually grow around here without hardly any care.

Hey Q…It WILL fill in that space in no time! One will be ten in a seasons time! They do grow extremely well here. Though I will also add that they look their best in a shade to part shade area. If they get too much sun, the leaves tend to yellow a bit. At least that has been my experience.

I guarantee that you have lots of plants I don't have Jean...My collection is actually pretty basic compared to many gardens and especially Sue's!

That was more intrigueing info. on the Pinecone Ginger, GG. Who would have known? Hand and hair conditioner!

I'm surprised Suave Shampoo hasn't picked up on that,...."Try our new Suave with Pinecone Ginger extract" Ha!

The area behind the studio is not only shady but tends to stay damp. Also hope to get some of the black bamboo moved back there once it starts spreading out. Just need to leave a path to get to the back gate and compost pile.

Hope everyone is enjoying the rain.

The Pinecone ginger looks very interesting, I don't have that one, but do have the Red Buttons ginger, or spiral ginger (Costus woodsonii). The red cones emerge from the top of the plant, and the yellow flowers that come out of the cone are supposedly edible. It blooms most the year, till we get a frost, but always comes back. It does spread and loves anywhere you plant it, also propagates from cuttings very easily.

Actually the pinecone ginger is also called shampoo ginger. Now Ive got my own self interested. Guess i need to go look it up.

Love the button ginger, Its very red and green in person, with those great colored green leaves.

Ginger always reminds me of the "Ginger Guy" at the USF plant sales. He's a real character but he knows how to sell!

My coneflowers are still blooming non-stop and bringing in the insects. In this picture I captured three butterflies on one plant! I'm so glad I added this pretty native to the garden. They're right in front of the house so everyone can see them when they walk in. I'd had some bad luck trying to start coneflowers from seed before (my mistakes, mostly) so I thought I'd invest in plants and I'm glad I did. I hope I can keep them going all year!

Melanie

How cute is that Red Buttons Ginger, Sunkissed! Nice pictures too...

That is also a cool picture Melanie, especially the one with 3 Butterflies. I swear the central Butterfly with his head just popping up has the face of a fish! Ha!........Really, it looks like a little fish head starting to swim over the flower!

My Ruby Frost and Coloropsis Jive Coreopsis in bloom.