Can you guess why I chose this plant? Yes, it is blue, my favorite color! Also, it has such unusual flower shape as well. Plus, this tropical shrub attracts hummingbird and butterflies. I planted it in a partial shade location.
Three Aechmea blanchetiana 'Orangeade' are shooting flower scapes for the first time! They are also all setting the pups. Hope they won’t set too many pups for me to handle.
This year Ground orchids did not bloom as prolific as last year, or maybe they are taking time.
Rose bushes are not flowering under the South Florida sun, but the zinnias planted in front of them are not minding the blazing sun at all!
More Zinnias are planted in this flowerbed. I have redone this bed a couple of months ago when trying to find a location for my Belinda’s Dream Rose.
The same bed from another direction…
Can you see the Belinda’s Dream next to the Purple Fountain grass? It has healthy leaves, but no flowers either. This bed gets truly full sun in my garden, from sunrise to sundown. Maybe too much even for the rose?
In front of the Belinda’s Dream, I planted a fern like Chartreuse colored plant. The nursery owner said it is called “Pallaia”, but I could not find any image with this name matching the plant. Maybe I got the wrong name.
This is the closeup look of this plant. I love it can take the full sun, and the chartreuse color. The texture of the leaves is also very airly. It was said that it will keep this short, and I think it will be a perfect companion plant to the rose bush. Anybody recognizes this plant? (Update: Rick Brown identified this plant as Artillery Fern, or Pilea microphylla. Thank you, Rick! )
Another plant I recently purchased, but with no name tag. I thought I saw this one from somewhere, but just could not remember the name.
My first Siam Tulip (curcumas) flower this year! As a relative new gardener, it is still fairly new thing to see the plants that died to the ground last year emerges in the Spring, and opens the beautiful flowers once again!
Medinilla cumingii is opening more and more flowers. Most of them are not fully opened yet.
I put it in a big container in a partial shade area in the front garden. It has grown a lot since I got it last year. Here is how it looks with other containers in my front door entry way. All those colors are coming together quite nicely. It is fun to play with containers combination.
This is the first blog post I wrote using Windows Live Writer. Although I think I still need to get used to it, but I started loving it.
Your plant in question looks like Fine Leaf Artillery Fern. http://floridafriendlyplants.com/plant_database_results.asp?KeyWrds=artillery&btnsearch=
ReplyDeleteLove you blog and images!
Your gardens are looking grand! My plants are mostly healthy although like your roses, the flowers are few due to the heat and no rain. Your orange bloom looks like one we call hummingbird bush...?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rick...that looks like Artillery Fern. I am letting it take over like a weed in my moist, shady beds. Love it! Love that Blue Lips as well. You have so many interesting plants. And that 'Orangeade' vignette is right up my alley. Could that nameless plant be some type of Salvia? Love your Curcuma! You probably have noticed those are summer favorites of mine, and I took a very similar photo recently.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how you keep everything looking so fresh and gorgeous. Love that orangeade.
ReplyDeleteYour little blue flower really is quite unique and it's a pretty blue color, too. Your garden beds are looking great...so lush and full. My Belinda's dream is taking a little break during the summer heat, but she'll be back in late summer. Yours looks very healthy even though it's not blooming.
ReplyDeleteThe Blue Lips is very unique and a lovely clear color of blue. The nameless plant looks like one of the salvias to me, but I may be wrong.
ReplyDeleteJusticia spicigera actually..
DeleteYou have so many beautiful and unique plants, Ami. I love looking at them. Those Orangeades are quite amazing.
ReplyDeleteI am so inspired when I see your South Florida photos. As a current northern gardener, I enjoy the variety and differences between Zone 7 plantings and your's. I don't know the name of your mystery plant, but it's a great color.
ReplyDeleteRick: Thanks for the ID! Now I know where that "Pallaia" name came from, it must be a typo of "Pilea". thanks again!
ReplyDeleteDarla: We got a little more rain over the past weekend. Those 40%, 50% rain prediction seems keep skipping my area :(
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning, I also thought it is close to hummingbird bush, but compare to the images, the leaves don't match. Maybe it will be a little easier to identify when it grows a little bigger. Thanks!
FG: Looks like Artillery Fern can grow quite well in different light condition. For you, it is in shady area, and for me I am glad that it grows find in full sun area.
ReplyDeleteI have not see that Blue Lips anywhere else. Flamingo Gardens often has some unusual plants for the Members, only I wish their membership fee is not that expensive. I will post more pictures about that nameless plant when it grows bigger. Maybe it will be easier to identify then. thanks!
Wendy: Thanks! Of course I did not show those less perfect areas in my garden :)
ReplyDeleteSusan: Glad to know that it is not just my BD not blooming in this heat. I saw the pictures from NanaK's post, her BD looked so beautiful with all the flowers. I do hope it can bloom as promised later on.
ReplyDeleteJayne: Yes, blue is my all time favorite flower color ! You are the second one who thought that nameless plant could be one of Salvias. I am still not sure, will see when it grows bigger. thanks!
ReplyDeleteSherry: Thanks! I grow those Orangeades from three pups, and now they are growing bigger and setting pups themselves. A little concerned that they will become too much for me to handle considering all those spikes on the edge of leaves :)
ReplyDeletenittygrittydirtman: You have lots of choices for your area. When you move to Florida, you will discover a whole new way to garden. I am sure that I will have to learn from scratch if I ever move to north :)
ReplyDeleteHi Ami, my ground orchids are not doing well either, may be it was the long winter weather and the lack of rain. There are never too many brum pups.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool, pretty flowers garden. I love the iron fence and concrete pavers as borders.
ReplyDeleteUntil then...from the Caribbean setting trends once in a while...
Blue Lips is so pretty and unusual. I've never seen it before. The orangeade broms are just stunning. Knowing you grew them from pups is amazing.
ReplyDeleteI think your Belinda's Dream looks healthy and probably will bloom more in cooler weather. Mine doesn't bloom as much in the middle of summer as at other times. I do have to keep her watered constantly as she seems to need more than some of my other roses.
Your garden is looking great. I hope you get some much needed rain soon.
So you're in the perfume store. It's time to start smelling some fragrances by spraying some sampler bottles of each perfume onto those funny bits of white cardboard. They're called 'swatches' - rather like colour swatches, but for smelling. Parfum femme pas cher
ReplyDelete