Spring Garden Progress

There were lots of rain this past weekend, but I did manage to get a little work done in the garden.

• Divided some bulbine plants, and some Agave desmettiana 'Variegata' pups to pass along to my friend.
• Potted some cuttings of dragon-wing begonia for the same friend.  This begonia should be fairly easy to root from cuttings.  This container of dragon wing begonia is at my front porch.  Really enjoying it every time I pass by.

• Planted some caladium bulbs in one of my containers.  After seeing so many amazing pictures of caladiums (especially at Hoe and Shovel), I decided that I will give it a try for the first time.  I bought a package of 24 mixed caladium bulbs this year.  Since I will be out of the country for a long period of time (3 weeks) this summer, I want to save most of them for the fall garden.  I only planted five in a container this time.  Can not wait for them to pop out of the soil...
• Sowed some seeds of Nasturtium (Jewel, Mixed colors, from Ferry-Morse).  Love the leaf shapes and the flowers.  It would be interesting to see how they will grow.

Here is some spring progress in the garden:

The frangipani cutting is finally shooting out the new leaves.  Still not decided where to put this in my garden...

Angel's Trumpet is growing very fast after I planted the cutting in the ground.  This cutting came from my friend at work, the same friend who brought me the initial bulbine plants and the frangipani cutting.   I have been removing some new growth on the lower part of main trunk to force it to form a small tree instead of a bush like.  We will see how it turns out to be.

Newly purchased bromeliad is about to set the bloom.  Isn't it just gorgeous?!  Love the deep pink color in the center. 

Sedum is now all showing its yellow flowerings.  It really made the garden looking more "Spring".

Sedum Hybrid Florida Friendly Gold

I have been mistaking this Crape Jasmine as "Star Jasmine" until recently FlowerLady at FloweLady's Musings made a post about it to ask for the identification.  Thanks, Flowerlady!

Crape Jasmine

Various Pentas are really in full bloom.  Wondering why I still don't see butterflies visiting them, or maybe I am just not around when they pay the visits??  Envy all those wonderful butterflies shots my fellow gardeners proudly show in their posts!

Pentas

This Purple Verbena is a new addition to my garden.

Purple Verbena

Self seeded mounding buttercup (Turnera ulmifolia) is showing its first flower.  I have been transplanting the seedlings around the garden.

mounding buttercup (Turnera ulmifolia)

Dipladenia pink is really putting on a show, although it never really stopped blooming the whole winter.  This plant is basically care free.  I don't see any pest problem.  Just some water, it gives me non-stopping blooming all year long.  Got to love that!

Dipladenia pink

White Voilas is still hanging on...

Voila

Stock (Matthiola) is about to come to the end.  It is producing lots of seeds to continue the life in another form.  I will try sow these seeds for the fall garden.

Stock (Matthiola)

Now here is something fun for you all.  Can anybody guess what flower it is?

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!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

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!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blooming Friday -- Rain Washed Garden

It was pouring this friday afternoon... 

I happened work at home today.  Between the meetings, I decided to take a break.  The rain just stopped, and I could not help myself to walk into the garden with a camera in my hand.  I was so immersed in the fresh air after the rain, and a rain washed garden..., something about that just touchs the soft spot in my heart.

Allow me to show you some flowers/foliages in my rain-washed garden in this early spring. 

I will also use this as my first (belated) Blooming Friday entry.

Newly purchased yellow and pink double layer Kalanchoe.

These two rose buds are waiting to open.

Bromeliads after the rain are even more beautiful.

The only desert rose blooming today in my garden

Dragon Wing Begonia's is heavily blooming in this season.

Livingstone Daisy "Mezoo Trailing Red" and Jasmine

New resident in my garden: Inca Lily (Alstroemeria)

Two different colors of Ground Orchids (Spathoglottis)

Jatropha tree

Sedum hybrid Florida Friendly Gold

This one is a gift from my friend.  The tag does not say the name, only know it is some type of succulent.  Anybody recoginizes it?

Hope you enjoyed it!  Have a nice weekend you all!

Update: Just found out from one garden center today that the succulent from the last picture is: Portulacaria afra.  It is also called "Elephant Bush", "Elepant Plant", or "Small leaf jade".

Sedum Hybrid Florida Friendly Gold: "Over-used" Plant?

Have you ever wondered that you might have over-used some plant in your garden, but you just can not stop using it anyway?  That is how I felt the usage of "Sedum hybrid Florida Friendly Gold" in my garden.

I came to know this plant first from Riverview Flower Farm's Florida Friendly Plants website.  Here is the description of this plant: "Sedum hybrid 'Florida Friendly Gold' TM is a great new plant from a European strain introduced in 2005 that has proven to be tough as nails in Florida. It takes the South Florida heat and humidity and is not bothered by cold we get in North Florida. Florida Friendly Gold stays 3 inches above the soil and spreads and stays full and lush throughout the year. It grows great in full sun and also performs well in a surprising low amount of filtered sun or partial shade and still holds that great chartreuse-gold color."

When I opened my first new flower bed in my current house, I bought a 9-pack tray of this plant from Home Depot, and have spreaded it around my garden (and my friends' gardens) since then.  Oh, how glad I am I made that purchase!

I used it as a ground cover in front of a flower bed (this is the result of three 3-inch packs planted last September):

For some reason, I have not found the right plants that can perform well in these three layer planter.  The bottom layer holds 'Trailing Lavender Lantana', and the the center of the top layer is the Petunia.  Before I could find other plants to put into this planter, I thought I just "temporarily" use the Sedum to add some color and textures.  Quickly, they spreaded like this.  Not bad looking considering I really did not design for it, huh? 

They also do a good job to fill this swan planter quickly.  The recent freeze seems have turned its color to a little reddish, but I am sure it will recover to its chartreuse-gold color pretty soon.

Here it is again with Flax Lily and Pertunia in a planter. 

They are also in my favorite froggie planter!  This is a picture taken before the January freeze we had in Florida.  Notice how the color and texture of the leaves look differently from the ones in other planters? Seems this plant did react to the weather to self-protect.  Should I care, as long as they still look beautifully, and performe well?!

I am very impressed how tough this plant is, really lives up to its promise: "tough as nails"!  One section of the plant broke and fell into this 5 inch pot when I was moving around my plants in the three layer planter.  I just let it sit there without giving any special attention.   Until one day, I noticed this pot full of Sedum in the corner.  Do you think I could just throw it away? 

No, I tucked this whole pot into one of my front porch containers.  Such bright color added!  I love how this color contrasts with the purple in Persian Shield.

Since the front porch gets shade for the most of the day, and the containers were protected during the freeze, you can again see how the leaves show differently.

To satisfy my curiosity, I took two close-up pictures to show two different kinds of textures of this plant.  The first one is located in full sun area, and got no protection from the freeze.   The color has a little reddish brown added, and the texture is more tight, fleshy succulent looking.  The second one is located in partial shaded area with freeze protection.  The texture is more weeping and skinny, and the color is close to its true color:  chartreuse-gold.

If you have this plant in your garden, do you notice the same thing as I do?

Okay, now here is the question:  Have I over-used this plant?  Why I don't feel ashamed of it?  hmm...