Now back to today. Here is hibiscus Bunga Raya.
Jim
What's In Your Garden, Part 4
I posted a picture of the Rondeletia flower earlier. Here is the entire shrub.
Jim
Here is a nice view of the fire spike shrub. This is what my garden group alternated with the thryallis (13 Dec post) along the west side of the house. I can't wait untill all of that red and yellow grow up together.
Jim
One more for tonight. This is Cuphea cyaena 'Caribbean Sunset', showing off its candy corn like flowers.
Jim
Great flowers, hawkarica!
Gorgeous plants Jim!
What's that plant behind Rembrandt's Paintbrush? I like the shape of the foliage.
Joanne
Hi Joanne. That plant is a type of philodendron called Xanadu. It stays small ( 2 feet) and is used extensively in landscaping here. See http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/59808/.
Jim
It's time to call it a day so I'll close with a rose. This is an old tea rose called Duchesse de Brabant.
Jim
I thought I would post a couple more today before I go off to choir practice. This is my front door eye catcher. It's a Bromeliad Portea Petropolitana.
Jim
This plant is called a cardboard palm but it is really a cycad. The leaves feel like cardboard. It's native to Florida.
Jim
This picture is of berries on my nandina, also called heavenly bamboo. It is a custom in some countries to plant this bamboo by the front door for good luck. I figure the backyard could use some luck as well but then I'm a gardener.
Jim
Just a note; I got a call yesterday from the Tampa Tribune about my MG of the year award. This morning they sent a photographer to take pictures of me and the garden. I'm not sure when the article will be published but will send a link when I see it.
Jim
Taking pictures of your garden must have been a special delight for the lucky photographer!!
Oh and the Cycad is simply AWESOME!!
How cool is that, Jim?
I've always liked the look of cycads. I've only ever seen them at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.
Jim, I'm in with Ursula and Jan. Love the Cycads too. Atlanta Botanical Garden has lots in their dry house.
My garden is starting to look pathetic. I did take a photo of our Maypop nandina this week. Just a coincidence. Have you ever heard the thirty, thirty, thirty rule with this plant? It suggests that you leave thirty percent at the top, thirty in the middle and cut out thirty. I acquired a property with very old, top pruned nandinas. This suggestion made such a difference.
Laurel
This message was edited Dec 16, 2008 8:25 PM
It's a whole different world down there. Congrats on the article, Jim!!!
Sposta snow here tonight, 2-4". As long as the power is on.....people are just starting to get their power back here from Thursday. I have the day off tomorrow.
Laurel, please explain the nandina pruning rule again. I don't quite understand.
It's 80 degrees today and I had to turn on the AC in the car.
Kathy, I think we are only about 1500 miles apart which makes the climate difference even more striking. The biggest climatic change in the shortest distance that I have experienced (apart from going straight up a mountain) is the trip between Tumbes in northern Peru and Guayaquil, Ecuador. In the span of an hour, you can drive from cool, bone dry desert into hot, humid jungle and never leave the coast or change elevation. The cool Humboldt current from the antarctic turns offshore there and the warm equatorial current takes over. It's a remarkable journey.
Jim
Wow! I always thought Puerto Rico had an amazing diversity, too. Rainforest, desert, beach, and mountains all on the same island.
Well, you can stand in Port Stanley/Falkland Islands in one spot and experience 5 weather patterns marching past you during the course of one hour - everything from bright sunshine with temps in the fifties F to black clouds rolling in and wind to snow showers and sleet and back to wonderful warm and calm sunshine and a stiff breeze picking up.......
I just took a short walk around the garden. The morning fog has lifted and the temp is around 70 degrees. Here is an update on the bananas.
Jim
The tomatoes are coming along nicely.
Jim
This fellow may be first on my plate.
Jim
This is star jasmine. Too bad I can't send a bit of the fragrance. It grows as a hedge across the back of the pool cage.
Jim
A couple of white ibis enjoy their morning bath.
Jim
This is a hybrid kordesi rose called Dortmund.
Jim
And a closer look.
Jim
This is the Knockout shrub rose, pink variety.
Jim
And finally, a china rose called Louis Phillippe. That name doesn't conjure up a lot of oriental images for me but what are you gonna do?
Jim
Beautiful pics. I can taste a tomato right now and smell the jasmine. Yum!
Louis Phillippe made me think Versailles or the French Revolution. Off with their heads!!
Now be nice to my rose Jan. I tell you it's Chinese. :>)
Jim
Jim just told me to get my rump over here and start posting. :-)
I just added a bunch of shots to http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/932992/
and started my own thread which should have been in this forum: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/933875/
Winter is just wonderful in Florida. I hope that we don't get a cold night this year as we usually do around Jan/Feb. I hate the disruption.
Thanks Fred. Your pindo needs a little magnesium and it will be fine. I don't know much about screw pines because we don't grow them here. They are too expensive to take the chance on the weather. Besides, when I see one, I start drooling on myself and behaving badly. :>)
Jim
Great garden shots yesterday Jim! Bananas and tomatoes from your own garden - cool!
Joanne
Fred - those threads with your pictures in them are great. I have seeds for the Stictocardia beraviensis vine; I must start them and see how they do for me - the blooms are lovely.
Joanne
Oops, sorry. My bad. :)
Love the vines and ferns, Fred. It has been sooo gloomy and gray lately, but thankfully, no snow here - unlike other places not too far north of here.
We have just a few more tomatoes saved from the summer garden. My goal was to be able to have tomatoes until the New Year. It's close.
Jim, the nandina advice was in the paper here years ago. It was advised that you thin them rather than top prune. Leave thirty percent of the plant unpruned, prune thirty percent midway, and take out thirty percent of the older growth down to the ground. Makes for a lacy shrub with berries at all levels. Great bananas!
I'm going to check out Fred's thread.
Laurel
Well, don't know if this counts as an 'outside" garden plant....buy mine lives outside all year unless there is threat of a hard frost or freeze. I bring it up to the screened porch at Christmas...
I've had this one for about two years..another cutting from a friend.
mj
Beautiful MJ and blooming right on time.
Jim
Beautiful color!!
I think the cooler weather we've had down here this year has brought out the colors of the TG and Xmas Cactus's. My TG one is a dark pink and it was really vivid this year too.