Summer Garden Update

I realized that I have not showed  the summer blooming in my garden for quite some time now while busy working on my new playground.

For places up north, August may mark the end of the summer, but here in South Florida, we still have several months more of hot and humid summer weather agead.

Agapanthus africanus, or Lily of the Nile is almost coming to the end of the season.  Bees love buzzing around its beautiful blue flower cluster.

Just like this skipper can not have enough of the blue Porterweed...

My rose corner has been looking sad under the south Florida's summer heat.  Occasionally they also bloom, but the buds are smaller than what they are in cooler weather, and quickly wilted even before fulling opening.    I am very happy to see some of flowers actually open to a good size, and stay there for a couple of days recently.  Thanks for the recent rainy days that brought the heat down a little bit.

Three different colors of Siam Tulip or Summer Tulip (Curcuma alismatifolia) were purchased right after I came back from China.  How delighted I was when I saw they were sold at the big box store since I have been looking for this for a while!  I currently put them in an almost full sun area.  I just read on the Internet that if they are planted in a partial shaded area, the flower could hold up to three months!  Sounds like I should move them soon!

This Datura metel (Devil's trumpet) has been flowering one after another in my newly opened side flower bed.

This Variegated Canna Lily 'Pretoria' has grown taller than me, and the new flower spike keeps shooting from the center of green/cream stripped leaves.

This milkweed still blooms beautifully even its leaves are the constant Monarch caterpillars' favorite food.

More flowers are thriving under Florida Sun... This dwarf Allamanda is almost growing like weed that I have to keep trimming all those branches that go over the boundary.

Vincas (or periwinkle) is another plant that don't mind Florida Heat. 

So are these zinnias... Zinnia is such an easy summer plant. Even it is considered as annual plant, but it self sows easily and the seedlings come back every year.  Except the first one that was given by my younger son this year, all others are coming from last year's volunteers.

Oh, take a look at this!  Looks like we will have some papayas ready to harvest soon!  This tree's leaves all became crispy brown after our January freeze, now it not only bounces back, and also bears the fruit.  How wonderful the nature is!

Summer is a wonderful season for the plants. even this gardener may prefer the cool weather.  I still enjoy what summer has to offer to bring the different colors to my garden.

Am I Ready To Go On My Vacation?

I am leaving for China tuesday morning for a three week vacation with my husband and two boys.  This would be the first time I leave my garden for this long time since I had this garden.

While I am excited to see my parents, sister and other family members again in China, I have also been very busy preparing the garden for my absence.

Although this is the raining season in South Florida, rain has been rather unpredictable these days.  I just can not take that risk to depend my plants' well being  on the natural rainfall, so we have been examining the sprinkle system.  Husband switched and adjusted some spray heads to make sure the water is spraying to the flower bed, not the pool!   My friends also will help me to hand water some plants that sprinkle system can not reach. 

For the plants that are still in the pots, I either planted them in the ground, or repotted them in bigger containers and mulched them so that they don't dry out quickly.  They are also repositioned to a spot that sprinkle system can reach.

Some plants were fed, trimmed...  Flower beds were weeded... 

Am I ready to go on my vacation? hmmm, I think so.... 

Before I leave, let me walk around the garden one more time to see what I can show you ...

Oh, first I must show you this zinnia flowers!  This was brought home by my eight year old son from the school, as the Parents' Day gift.  (Here, the school often combines Mother's day and Father's day together at the end of the school year to have a party that invite parents to join.)  After I planted it in the garden, my son keeps asking me when I can show the flowers on my blog, "Mom, Please tell them, I gave this  to you." , this was his words, very proud of his gift! 

I was kind of waiting for the plants growing a little bigger and having more blooms.  But now I want to show you first, I always can show you again when it is bigger, right? :)  The flowers are yellow/peach color, fit quite well in my Agave/Bulbine flower bed.

I bought this Variegated Canna Lily 'Pretoria' about two months ago.  When I bought it, I thought it would bloom very soon since it was quite big already (2 feet tall).  I had no idea if it is a dwarf type or the standard one since this is my first time to grow canna and did not have any knowledge about the cannas.   Only I found it kept growing taller and taller after I put it in the ground.  I almost thought I did something wrong  to promote growing the leaves only, not the blooming.  It is now almost 5 feet tall, and finally several days ago it had two flower spikes emerging, just on time for me to see before I leave!

Canna americanallis var. variegata
Common names: Praetoria, Bengal Tiger, Austriostriata

Isn't it gorgeous?  I love it!  Worth the long waiting...  Well, even it does not bloom, I will keep it for its variegated green/cream leaves. 

You might still remember how I whined about my milkweed munched by Monarch caterpillars to the bare sticks.  Now the leaves grow back, and bloom again! Yay!

Gardenia is setting the new round of flowers again.  I just can not get enough of this heavenly scent!

Can I show you one more time  my Blue Fox Tail Orchid?  Hope it is here to stay when I return!

Different purslanes in my garden are loving South Florida's heat, even this gardener prefers cool weather :)

Loving the soft pink color of this Vinca (Periwinkle)!

Cats' Wiskers (Orthosiphon stamenis) seems adapting my garden quite well.  After the initial blooms faded since I brought it home early this month, now it is setting the new blooms all over again. 

Cats' Wiskers (Orthosiphon stamenis)

The rosa ixora bushes in the front garden are finally blooming again after experiencing the unusual freeze weather in South Florida this past winter.

This skipper is enjoying the sweet nectar of 'Dipladenia pink'...

Although the Desert rose has passed its peak time, it still has lots of flowers.

This dwarf Allamanda was killed to the ground in the winter freeze, and it took half year to grow back to its original size, and now finally showing the flower buds all over again.  I am sure when I return, this bush will be full of bright yellow trumpet shape flowers!

Ok, I better go to finish my packing now...  (Am I really ready to leave my garden?)

You all have a wonderful summer, or a beautiful winter for my friends in south hemisphere!

Happy gardening!

**  Since I might not be able to post anything in China (blogspot is blocked over there for some reason), I have prepared three posts that will be auto published on scheduled time, so this site won't be completely "cold" during my absence :)  I will be able to read the comments, but not able to reply.  I will reply to you if the comments are some questions that need a answer from me either by visiting your blog, or on my post. I am sure I will have some pictures I take in China to share with you all once I return.  **

Epidendrum Orchid

When I was visting a local nursery a couple of weeks ago,   I was immediately attracted to a plant that bears densely flowered head of red/orange flowers, that rises above the dark green foliage.  The owner told me that is Epidendrum Orchid.  It was fairly priced compared to other orchids I know, and the flower is just so beautiful that I can't leave without.

The plant came in a three-gallon pot, and had about seven flower heads like the one shown above. It easily stands out in any place it was situated.

What I love most about this plant was the shape and color of their flowers. Each has a fringed lip surrounded by five petals. The petals are red/orange, and the lip has shades of yellow and orange.

Epidendrums are native to Central America, and they also go with common names like Crucifix Orchid, Rainbow Orchid, Fire-Star Orchid, or Reed-stem Epidendrum . So far, I found it is very easily taken care of, and the flowers are so long lasting (they are still like new after two weeks). 

It was said that in their native environment they often grow alongside other flowers such as milkweed and Lantana – mimicing the shape and color of those flowers. 

Lantana Camara

MilkWeed (Asclepias curassavica)

Hmmm, can you tell what are common in these three flowers? It was suggested that these three tropical "weeds" comprises a so-called "Floral Mimicry Complex".  If you are interested, you can read more here.

For me, it interestes me because I have all of these three in my garden, and they all bring the brilliant color into my garden, and the potential butterflies!