I'm a bit late starting the summer forum...sorry bout that.
Gardening is sure getting tough with this heat. We've not had near the amount of rain we normally get at my house. Hope everyone had a nice Independence day, they're still shooting off fireworks around here.
This is a flower on the Pagoda Clerodendrum that I gave several away at the round up.
Beautiful Sherri.
Finally took a few shots today of a few blooms.
staghorn, dwarf chennile, cherry alamanda, tapeworm shrub, caladium
siam tulip, suculents, esperanza, dutchmens pipe, nomes in front of cypress stump covered with creeping fig
heart vine, cherry alamanda, Rangoon creeper, duranda, crape myrtle
crepe myrtle tree, sweet flag floating planter, donkey ears, lobelia, Australian tree fern.
If I named any wrong credit it to lack of memory and just put your own name to them. With all the rain we have been getting everything is growing like mad. Don't like all the lightening and thunder that goes with it but hey this is Fl. Lightening capitol of the US.
Happy gardening all.
Bonnie D.
Wow Bonnie great plant pics. I didn't know you had an Australian Tree fern. You are just full of blooms. I especially like the Ragoon creeper.
I looked up on the map and you're not but five minutes from my friend out there. I'll need to plan a day to come out real soon and visit both of you.
We haven't had rain here in about five or six days, hopefully we get some today, my rain barrel still is half full though. It is so hot out, all I did was replant two orchids and a succulent plant the other day and was drenched in sweat. Skeeters are abundant now too, but my organic bug dope keeps them off.
Some more shots around my garden...Miss Muffet, and Pink Symphony caladiums, Purple majesty salvia, Watermelon crape, Red Dynamite crape, and Marabelle.
I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July!
Beautiful pictures Sherri and Bonnie! Bonnie, that cherry allamanda looks like a plant someone has in my neighborhood that I have been eye-balling. It looks like a huge bush with dark purplish-red blooms that really catches your eye. The first time I spotted that plant was at Adventure Island and I wanted it then. Too bad at Adventure Island, they have them positioned in such a way, you can’t get close enough to take a clipping. LOL
Today is the first day we have gotten rain in almost a week. Luckily my rain barrels are still somewhat full. We got a new puppy a few weeks ago that has been hell on my flower beds. Every time he is outside, he is running through one of them. Currently, he is too small to do much damage, but I am trying to stop that behavior now. I don’t want that to become a habit for him to hop through my beds.
1. Newest addition - Diesel
2. Purple passion flower which has had some Gulf Fritillary caterpillars in it
3. Hibiscus Schizopetalus
4. Lavender Cat Whiskers
5. Tutti Frutti butterfly bush - with a butterfly
Shauna
Awww, congrats on the new puppy.
I was really concerned about my garden when we got Marabelle two years ago, come August. She was already ten months old since she was a rescue dog. So what I did was walk her around the garden the first three weeks on a leash, when she tried to go into the areas I didn't want her to, I told her "no" and pulled her back. After the three weeks I walked with her every time in the garden and just told used the command "no" if she went into the areas I didn't want her to. Good luck with your new fur baby.
Flowers are beautiful Shauna. We had rain all around us yesterday, I could hear the thunder and smell it, but still didn't hit us. I had to turn on my irrigation last night because everything was wilting so badly.
This is my first time with a puppy that young. Normally, I am the type of person who adopts from a shelter, instead of purchasing from a store. I walked into the shop one day, saw him and just melted. He was so cute and lovable…I knew he was coming home with me. We are slowly working with Diesel on his behavior and keeping him out of the flower beds. We use that word No enough on him, that I think he thinks his name is No. LOL
Luckily, the other 2 dogs are relatively good about staying out, so I hope he is learning from them. I am also hoping that once he is "fixed", it calms him down a bit.
I love the name!
Marabelle aka: Bear, is two and half and she is much calmer now than when we first got her...thank goodness, she is 90 pounds and so tall. I'm sure Diesel will fit right in soon enough. I have more trouble with the squirrels getting into plants than the dog. ☺
Is Marabelle a doodle? This is my garden buddy, he is almost 10 and he is finally calming down. LOL He has always run straight through the flower beds at about 90 mph but has never stepped on a plant - not one! Everyone notices that. Not something we taught him but I think he sensed I would be a very unhappy if he damaged anything.
Everyone's flowers look great. I have been measuring my voo doo lily for a few days. I could not believe it grew about 3" every night. My husb. thought I was nuts so he measured it too.
Now there are 2 in the pot and don't know if I should separate them and put them into the ground. Need to learn more info on them. Looks like they are going to bloom again this summer. Already bloomed once. They are fascinating.
Sherri, that lions tail or head you gave me is growing like crazy too. I had to stake it to keep it from flopping over. I think all the rain we are having is really helping the plants. It has rained so much I don't have to top off the ponds or pool even tho I'm sure the heat is causing evaporation.
The thumbergia has more blooms on it today than it did the day I took the pics. My passion vine is growing and stretching out but not many blooms. I'm surprised no cats dutchmen's pipe vine this year.
Shauna, good luck with the pup. We have finally given up on dogs. Too old to keep up with their damage both repairing and costly. Charlie will have to be content with his 2 cats. 1 is friendly but the kitten you can't get near. Hope it tames down. I'm not a cat person but do pet the older once in a while as she is really friendly and won't let you avoid her.
Sky is clouding up so rain must be on the way again. Hope so to keep our canal filled up so if necessary I can always irrigate. Plus makes the pasture grass grow and cows need it.
Sherri let me know ahead when you are coming this way as I'm sometimes at Audrey's or running errands for her.
Happy gardening all.
some really nice plants yall have posted.
Jan
ardesia, Yes, Marabelle is a Golden Doodle, she gives me that exact same look as yours is giving you in that photo. What is your garden buddy's name, such a beautiful pup? Maybe it is just a doodle thing to not damage the plants...LOL.
Bonnie I had to cut my lion's tail back but is has already come back pretty good. Glad you are getting lots of rain, yesterday we did get a lot but been about a week. I was glad because my rain barrel was almost empty. I'm glad Charlie still has his cats. He reminds me of my Dad with his cat. ☺ I'll give you an email and let you know when I can visit.
Hi Jan, nice to see you pop in, hope you've been doing well. Missed seeing you around. Pop in more often.
Finally getting flowers on my hibiscus, pink Justicia and Bear smelling the flowers.
This message was edited Jul 18, 2015 2:19 PM
My boy is Boolie, after the Dan Ackroid character in Driving Miss Daisy. He kept calling his mother a doodle. Mine is a Golden Doodle too, he will be 10 in September but still acts like a puppy although a slower puppy these days.
Enjoying all the beautiful blooms.
Looking forward to seeing you Sherri.
Glad you all have such well behaved dogs. They are fun.
My small aloes. One of these aloes I have had for over 20 years and it only just bloomed now.
I put in a new variegated hibiscus that I got at a plant sale here in April. Three plants which have had one flower so far collectively.
Aloe pix below.
Boolie, how cute,that's right he did call her a doodle. I'm glad I have a young buck of a son that loves to run, he takes Bear out late at night when he runs and gets a lot of her energy out.
Martha, I was just looking at your collection over in the cacti forum. Nice collection. I'm keeping my eye on the glued planters at Lowe's because the aloes in them are cute, and one does look a lot like your Christmas Aloe.
A bloom on my Indian ginger, my pop gave me these many years ago. And my yellow shrimp plant. And since we're talking succulents, I found this lifesaver cactus at my little local nursery, I had one many years ago, lost to a freeze.
Oh my, what a beautiful ginger.
Finally got a bloom on my lotus! I see 2 more buds so I'm a happy camper. The Florida rains have been making everything green, but also causing the weeds to pop up everywhere I don't want them! Oh well, I'll take the free water any time I can get it! :)
Nice Stapelia. We have them in a bed at Mead Botanical Garden in Winter Park Florida. Several of the great big bloomed ones and a clump of small ones that have had teensy solid burgundy flowers. But the small ones bloomed several weeks ago and are done now. The big ones keep on going. We have about 8 plants of blooming size of those.
Martha
Hi MerryMary, good to see you again, I sure hope you post photos of the lotus flowers, how exciting. The rains have been going around us here for the most part, guess they are pooped out by the time they get here. ☺
Martha, I am SO going to go the Mead gardens next week, maybe treat myself on my birthday next Wed., I'll try and get the husband to go but he hates the heat...so might go by myself.
Beautiful blooms Sherri.
I've always been going to go to Mead but haven't made it yet. In case I forget HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
Right now we are keeping all the drs. busy and I'll be glad when it's over. What a pain.
That's why I have to wait till next week, mom has two this week and I had one. I have an annual next week but nothing on my Bday, thanks for the early wishes. ♥
Hi all, not much gardening going on here, been busy with lots of other things and traveling.
Got a bloom on my Obedient plant from MollyC at the round up and on the Gloriosa Lily. Also have buds on the one surviving hibiscus that I got from Shauna last year at Bonnie's round up. As soon as it opens I'll post it, and maybe Shauna can tell me what kind it is.
-Sherri
Sherri,
I m happy to hear they are performing for you. My gloriosas have been blooming for a while and the obedients have just started.
Good to have some color during these dog days.
Molly
It has rained so much here and I mean heavy rains, everything so soggy. I had to move my succulents all under covering for now or they'll start to rot. I need a greenhouse...LOL. not just for cold weather but for all the rain too.
Red firespikes blooming now too.
My red firespike usually blooms all the time.
My voodoo lily plant has gone crazy. It just keeps getting taller and taller and sending out more shoots on the side. I'll have to get a pic of it for you all.
I am WAY behind at garden work. After next weeks drs. apmts. hope to get back outside and get some cleaning up accomplished. I am taking my pole saw into an old man in Clermont that has been repairing small engines for years today. Also have a mantis tiller needing repair. Letting these small engines sit and not used for a long time really messes them up. I'm also switching to non-ethanol gas for them mixed with the oil. Everybody says it really helps. Got to have running tools.
Happy gardening all
We're in the same boat Bonnie! I've never been this far behind on everything! I bought a littel electric chain saw yesterday, just to trim small branches, etc. My husband gets so annoyed when I buy small things like that, because he knows they won't do a lot, but it's all I need withough cranking up the big things!
The storms knocked down my 2 banana trees that had large hands of bananas. I saw a recipe to halve them and grill them in their own skins, which makes sort of a bowl of their own caramel with the banana in it. I'm probably going to have to try it ASAP or lose them. Then you just add a blob of vanilla icecream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Who knows?
I hear ya all, between the heat and the rains hard to get gardening done.
Bonnie I cut my firespike way back in the early spring, they were getting to tall and leggy, taken them this long to get flowers again.
MerryMary, those little electric chain saws are wonderful, my friend bought one and she can do a lot of trimming with it. I bought myself an electric hedge trimmer, up to now I've been killing my arms using shears. Sure is a lot easier now.
You're recipe sounds sort of like a grilled banana foster, without the rum. We lost a huge dead oak branch from the storms, just glad I wasn't under the tree when it fell, but I'm glad it finally did come down, was making me worry, but way too high for us to get to.
I am getting some seedlings for Musa velutina or the pink banana tomorrow. One of the Mead volunteers planted a tray of the seeds from one of our 8-10 plants. They germinated! now we have about 20 seedlings. I am gonna get me some.
Martha
Oh how cool! I had one single plant about 7 years ago. It was only about 5 feet high, but did bloom! It was beautiful! Then it froze...bleh. Some of the ornamental ones are gorgeus! Good luck with yours!
I never knew there was such a thing as pink banana, so Googled it. Very pretty, blooms and bananas.
The bananas are small and have huge seeds compared to the yellow ones you get at the market. The flesh is edible {yes I ate some} but very seedy.
Martha
If I get them again, it will only be for the looks. I have the manzana bananas (taste like apple-banana) But even with those, I eat only a few, in smoothies, during the whole year. I like the tropical look of the trees.
Wow I'm behind the times. Got to google that banana. Charlie has a smoothie every morning for breakfast and bananas are his base. I use yogurt for my base for a smoothie.
Thanks Martha for bringing to our attention.
Bonnie D.
The bananas are self opening. they split open when ripe to expose the flesh. the peel curls back and looks like a star. then the flesh is eaten by something or other or the seeds stay in the ground and sprout.
Martha
They are also super hardy. I first saw them growing in a perennial bed in Charlotte, NC. Unlike most bananas, which get huge, this one tops out around 6', that is a positive for those with smaller gardens.
These photos were taken at different times in different light, it is the same plant.
I'm amazed they grow in SC and even NC, I'm sure they still freeze down each year though? Sure wish I had room for some. Thanks for sharing the pictures, ardesia.
