Solitude Time in My September Garden

My schedule has been out of ordinary busy recently both at work and at home.  While I have very little time left to write and read the blog recently, I do make sure I spare a little time to walk through my garden everyday to unwind myself.  Even just spending a short 10 minutes in solitude is so important to me, only me and my garden, nothing else. 

Oh, you are welcome to follow me, quietly...

I am in love with my garden in September with so many colors, both on flowers and the foliage.  Here are some of my favorite spots or plant combinations in the garden...

White Christmas caladium and Persian shield in the container...

Chartreuse colored sweet potato with three different caladiums in another container....

Backyard west flower bed with Aechmea blanchetiana 'Orangeade', ground orchids, variegated devil's backbone, caladiums, Variegated Shell Ginger (Alpinia zerumbet 'Variegata'), vincas.

Bromeliads in this corner have setting pups.  Maybe one more year, I can have this space filled completely.

East side backyard with Agaves (Agave desmettiana 'Variegata', Agave Angustifolia Variegata , Agave lophantha hybrid ) and bulbines.  There are about half dozen pups growing out of Agave desmettiana 'Variegata'.  Burbines are ready to divide again.  I may give away some to my friends.

Flax lily with blue daze (Evolvulus)...

This bed has most butterfly favorites, zinnias, pentas, vinca and blue porterweeds, along with roses, purple fountain grass and diamond frost.

Mexican Bush Sage (Salvia leucantha) started blooming again after I cut it back to one third of the length two months ago.  Love its long blue/purple flower spikes. It makes a nice combination with pink vincas and Siam Tulips.

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The new side bed has been filled in quickly...  My new favorite yellow ground orchid is also planted here.   Those white Cat's Wiskers almost bloom non stop, got to love that!

You can tell Coleus is becoming my new favorites in the garden...  They are adding so much color into the flower bed.

Here is one Coleus hidden in the above picture... 

They are also in this new shady garden.  Hmmm, looks like I am running out of the space of this bed already!

Acalypha wlkesiana (Copperleaf or Beafsteak) is blooming with those red fuzzy flowers.  They are rather insignificant compared to its colorful foliage.

This begonia does have both flowers and foliage that this gardener loves!    The flowers are clustered soft pink, and the leaves has the upside dark purple with a deep red color on the back.

Brazil Red Hots was frozen to the ground in January, and it is slowly recovering...  The color is so showy against other green foliage.

Well, maybe I spent more than 10 minutes.  I do feel recharged, and tomorrow is another day!

Do you like the solitude time in the garden?

Spring, please stay a little longer!

Seems just not long ago, I was longing for the Spring's coming to wake up my garden.  Now it finally came, but why I almost felt it is summer already?  (The highest reported today is 87 F here in South Florida!)

Only when sun went down, we still have some cool breeze in the air to enjoy.   Okay, I guess we still can call it "Spring" :)

Let me show you some of my spring foliage/blooms in my garden.

I planted this African Iris last year after I moved to my house, and now it finally opened its first bloom.

African Iris (Fortnight lily, Dietes iridioides)

Orange Marmalade Crossandra is in full bloom again after experiencing the severe frost bite in the winter.

Orange Marmalade Crossandra and Diamond Frost

I did not expect this "Brazilian Red Hots" could recover after frozen to the ground back in January.  What could be a better way to have something this colorful back to the life to celebrate the spring?

Brazilian Red Hots (Alternanthera dentata)

This Bird's Nest Fern is the new addition to my garden.  After seeing so many beautiful pictures in different bloggers' posts, I just had to have it...  It is still a very young plant now.  Waiting for it growing to a nice impressive garden staple for me...

Bird's Nest Fern

Marigolds are one of my favorite spring/summer annuals.  I bought the yellow one from nursery, and the bi-color one is what I started from the seed (Dwarf Bolero, Ferry-Morse).  The picture on the seed package shows the bi-color double layered, not sure why I got the single layer bloom only.  The color did not disappoint me though.

I love this purple fountain grass,  and the way how all those soft arching purple plums gracefully waiving in the breeze. It is cold-hardy, and heat/drought tolerant, which makes it a perfect ornamental grass for Florida.

Purple Fountain Grass (Pennisetumsetaceum 'Rubrum')

Newly planted Ground Orchids are gradually adapting to its environment, and setting the second round of the blooms.

Ground Orchids (Spathoglottis)

Even the Tillandsias is stretching its flower bud out to feel the spring...

Tillandsias

Snapdragon is considered as winter annuals here in Florida.  This is the second set of blooms, more beautiful than ever.  These all started from two little plants in 3 inch pots.  Wondering if it can hold long enough to give me the third round of flowers before it melts away in Florida's heat?

Snapdragon (Antirrhinum)

Gazanias continue growing bigger and stronger, and it not only adds bright color for my winter garden, but also seems loving the warm weather as well.

Gazanias

Lantana yellow trailing finally started blooming following Lantana lavender trailing and Lantana camara.

Lantana Yellow Trailing

This colorful bush is one of those I inherited from the previous owner.  It lost all the leaves after the freeze, and now they also bounce back nicely.  Anybody knows the name?  I see the same kind of plants planted in some public landscaping as well, just have not found the name yet.

Even the sedum blooms out of my surprise! In the cold weather, this plant has reddish/brown color of leaves and grows low and hugs the soil tightly, trying to hold as much warmth as possible close to the body.  Now they change back to that chartreuse-gold color again, and they are all stretching talller and opening the little yellow flowers for the first time! I am so amzed by how plants change their appearance to different weather.

Sedum hybrid Florida Friendly Gold

Oh, how I am loving this spring!  Spring, please stay a little longer with us before that long hot humid summer comes!

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Update:

FloridaGirl at Peace in the Valley has identified the unknow plant with colorful foliage above is: Acalypha wilkesiana, or copperleaf or Joseph's coat.  Thanks, FloridaGirl!

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