Snow Whites Under the Florida Sun

Starting last week, the temperatures in South Florida has been climbing up to 90s degree. I can feel that hot and extremely humid summer is quickly approaching (or maybe already here?!)...

However, the plants in my garden seem really be enjoying this Florida sun.  I am especially drawn into all those white flowers dotted in the garden.  I love the white flowers for their pureness, simplicity, and the elegance.

This Gardenia is the spring bloomer.  Although it also blooms occasionally throughout the year, spring is its peak time.  I found this variety seems hardly fully opens before it fades away, although this doesn't impact it releases the heavenly scent. Currently the bush has about 8 flowers open, and has more than a couple of dozen buds on the way.  I found myself is making the frequent trips around it so that I can smell its lovely scent as much as I can.

Gardenia Miami Supreme (Gardenia Augusta)

Compare to Gardenia, this Jasmine's scent is not as strong.  Its fragrance is rather subtle, but it can be appreciated more when one actually brings his nose close to the flowers. 

Arabian Jasmine
(Jasminum Sambac 'Maid of Orleans')

This Odorata Begonia is a new addition. I love its white flowers with the yellow stamen in cluster trailing down from the dark green heart-shaped leaves.  The flower even has a little fragrance, another added bonus.

Begonia Odorata Var. Alba

African Iris is still popping up those pretty flowers one after another.  This is its first year of blooming.  I hope  it will bloom even more profusely next year.

African Iris (Fortnight lily, Dietes iridioides)

Diamond frost (Euphorbia) really lives up to its promise.  It only experienced slight leaf damages in this past unusual cold weather of the Florida winter.  It not only bounced back quickly, and also kept the full bloom like this for the majority of the year.   I also had success to use the cuttings to propagate. I would say this is a tough plant with the delicate appearance.  It is a perfect "filler" in the container combination in my opinion.

Diamon Frost (Euphorbia)

This Crape Jasmine is really thriving in the heat.  In one short week, this bush is full covered by the blooms.

Crape Jasmine (Tabernaemontana divaricata)

My first caladium leaf!  This is my first time to plant the caladium bulbs.  Bought one package with 24 mixed caladium bulbs.  I have no idea what types I actually got.  I am glad this first one emerged is a pretty one, White Christmas in Florida Summer.  How cool is that!

Caladium (White Christmas)

This orchid has opened all the buds on one spike.  I also can see another two spikes are on the way.  Yay, that means I can enjoy this beauty for quite a long time!

Phalaenopsis Orchid

All these snow whites are really bringing me some coolness under the Florida sun. 

What white bloomings do you have now in your garden?

Little Sweet Treasure -- Bulbine Frutescens

I first came to know (and see) Bulbine Frutescens was when my friend at work brought me more than a dozen of small clumps of this plant for my new garden last year.  To be honest, I was not impressed at that time since all I saw was green smashed (due to the transportation) narrow fleshy leaves.  No showy flowers, and no pretty foliages...  

Only after a couple of months later, I started to appreciate this plant. 

I planted them in various locations of the garden to fill the blanks of my new flower beds.  The leaves perked up quickly, and then those up to 20" tall flower spikes rise above the foliage one after another.  The flower is orange with yellow stamens.  Since then,  I have been dividing them and spreading them in my garden to make some nice combination with the environment and the plants surround.

(Flower spike starts forming...)

They seem don't care Florida's hot and humid weather at all, and the January Freeze we experienced in Florida did not do any harm to them either! Heat tolerlant, drought tolerlant, cold hardy, and pretty flowers... got to love that! If that's not enough, bulbine also contains the same glycoprotiens that ease burns, rashes and itches like Aloe (I think that is why it is also called as Jelly Burn Plant ).   Bulbine frutescens is native to desert grasslands in South Africa. The sap in the leaves has been used for healing in South Africa since old times.

Obviousely bees love them too!

Among the various locations I tried, they love the full sun and partial sun places the best.  If planted in shady place, they will just keep their green leaves, but won't be able to bloom prolifically.  
 
  I planted several clumps in front yard rock garden...

 

and front door entry way...

and the new flower bed with agaves... 

and between the rose bushes...

 

(love the combination of bulbine and the diamond frost!)

and under the palm tree...

Some might argue that I overused this plant, well, this gardener has the tendency to overuse the plant she loves!

I recommend dividing the clumps when they become crowded, or if you just simply want more of this plant, just like what I did when I needed more for my new flower bed.  I divided one single big clump into eight small ones!  Very quickly, each small clump will form an open rosette of leaves again.  And, they are very easy to divide since they have very shallow roots.

So, if you are looking for a heat/drought tolerant, cold-hardy, low maintainance, AND pretty ground cover, Bulbine Frutescens could be your answer!

By no mistake, Bulbine Frutescens has converted themselves from ugly ducklings to the little sweet treasure plant for me!

Have a relaxing weekend in or out of the garden!

My March Favorites -- 2010

It is always hard for gardeners to pick their favorites... I am no exception!  When I was looking through my photo collection taken this month, I have to say I love each and every one of them!

If I have to choose... 

After a couple of months' rest, this golden shrimp plant (camaron amarillo) started blooming prolifically again.  I love those little white flowers peeking through the yellow bracts.

A big salute to this Jatropha tree for it stood the cold weather for me and producing these cheerful red flowers non-stopping the whole winter!

Oh, this golden yellow double layer Kalanchoe (长寿花) is really my favorite among the favorites!  Its lovely color and bloom reminds me of something that a bride may hold in her wedding, only if it is larger :)  I have purchased this for two weeks, and the blossoms are still looking like new. 

This combination of Diamond Frost and Orange Marmalade Crossandra in a container was toasted in January freeze, and they are recovering quite nicely.

Another one of my favorite among the favorites!  (Am I allowed to say this twice??)  This dipladenia pink (红蝉花/双腺藤/飘香藤) is a reliable non-stopping bloomer in my garden.  I love to see its color changes from deep pink (almost red) on buds to the light pink of fully opened flower.  The foliages are always shiny dark green.

 I took this Petunia pictre in a rainy day.  Aren't they pretty with those dark pink veins and dotted rain drops?

  

I love white bloomings although I don't have too many of them in my garden.  This voila looks so delicate, but they are surprisingly tough and productive.  The plant originally came in a little six inch pot.  After I planted it in the ground, it has spread to one foot acorss, and has been blooming like crazy.  I have been collecting the seeds from it, so that next fall I can have a lot more of these lovely white flowers in my garden. 

This Inca Lily (Alstroemeria) has been blooming its heart out! I should try to take some as cutting flowers to put in a vase so that I can enjoy its beauty even I am not in the garden. Not sure how it will react when Florida's weather heats up though... I may plant it into a shady place after it is done blooming.

Last but certainly not the least, two variety of lettuce that have been filling my tiny veggie garden since the fall.  Don't they look just like flowers?

LECHGA Royal Oakleaf (Heat Resistant)

LECHGA Four Seasons (Beautiful & Delicious)

This post is to join Susan at "Simply Susan" for this month's favorites.  Please visit her at her site for her March favorites.

I will also use this as my entry to the Blooming Friday. For other bloomings all over the world, please check out Katrarina's site at http://rosorochris.blogspot.com/.

Have a nice weekend!

My first garden experience with the cold weather

This is my first post ever. I am supposed to talk about my garden evolvement, but I think I will put that in another posting. I would like to record some lesson learned from the impacts that recent weather had in my garden before I forgot.

The recent unusual florida near-freeze weather caused some damages to my garden although I did bring most of pots either in the garage, or under the patio cover. I also covered some in ground plants that I think can not stand the freeze. However, it turned out I either covered some of them too late, or not enough. Here are some before after pictures of my damaged plants for my own record, so that I know what to do next time if the cold front ever decides to hit south florida again.

Agave (update: Agave desmettiana 'Variegata'): This is one of the housewarming gifts from my good friend Lily who shares the same love of gardening with me. Fortunately, I think the center is still not damaged. Even if I ever lose it, I still have quite a few pups hidden under the mother plant.


One of my Bromeliads (I am still learning the names. Can somebody tell me what is this called? Neo?)

One of my container combination: Diamond Frost, ornamental potato leaves ('Blackie' with dark purple, nearly black foliage; 'Margarita' with chartreuse leaves), and Orange Marmalade Crossandra. I loved the color combination, and hope they can all bounce back once the weather warms up.

Other plants suffered damages are:

Ornamental potato leaves 'Margarita', which is totally fried regardless the various locations they are.

Allamanda Neriifolia. This has been blooming the showy yellow flowers for me for months. I do think it will come back in the spring.Papaya trees. They are located on the south side of my house, outside the fence along the lake. There are absolutely no protection for them.

Braizilian Red Hots. I found this one is extremely frost sensitive. I have them under a tree, and even covered them after I saw the first sign of damage. You still can see the once beautiful foliage all turn brown.

Okay, enough of sad pictures, let's look at the bright side. Here are some of plants in my garden still show off their beautiful flower or foliages.
Dipladenia pink

Golden shrimp plant
Hibiscus
Lily of the Nile (Agapanthus africanus)
Gardenia is about to bloom
Newly purchased dragon wing begonia, just planted in the container before the freeze, and was brought into the garage during those cold days.

Bulbine Orange

Sedum Hybrid Florida Friendly Gold
Jasmine

That is all for the first post. Wow, I so envy all your garden bloggers out there whom I have been following for quite a while now. You all made the blogs so pretty and easy to follow, and the reader would think it is as easy to write as reading one. Only when I started writing, I KNOW now how much efforts you guys have put into it!

Thanks so much for taking so much time to share. I surely learned a lot from all of you!