Spring Fever

My garden is definitely having a Spring Fever! Almost everyday I discover something new blooming.  Come to discover them with me...

This Gazania flower is almost too pretty to be real!  I started some seeds last fall, and only two seedlings eventually made it.  This week I discovered the first bloom, and it is not like those common yellow/orange tone flowers often seen sold in the garden center.  Isn't it a beauty?  Since the seed package I tried is a mix, now I am wondering what kind of flowers the other plant will have.  We shall see.

This is a real surprise to me!  I bought two yellow African Iris (Dietes bicolor ) when I just started my brand new garden almost two years ago.  They look like ornamental grass with their waving green sword-like leaves, and have multiplied nicely over the the time, but never bloomed. See what I found hidden in all green today?

Dietes bicolor 

Oh, my first Nun's orchid blooming!  I ordered this from Internet last November, and did not expect I can see a flower this soon.  It is still young, and only developed one flower spike.  I hope next year, it can bloom as prolific as what has been shown in other blogs.  Am I being greedy?!

Phaius tankervilliae
Common name: Nun's Orchid

I love the foliage of Variegated Devil's Backbone (Euphorbia tithymaloides 'Variegatus') since it adds nice texture and variation into the flower bed.  I did not know it even can bloom.  The flower is small and red, not very significant, but surely is showy and unique!

Euphorbia tithymaloides 'Variegatus'
Variegated Devil's Backbone

Remember how I whined about I missed my first bloom of Neomarica Caerulea 'Regina' (Giant Apostle's Iris) due to the busy schedule?  It quickly opened another sets of flowers to reward me! The flowers only last for one day, but surely worth the waiting!

Neomarica Caerulea 'Regina'
Giant Apostle's Iris

I bought this Proven Winners Senorita rosalita Cleome Hybrid  last summer after I encountered the mass of blooming of the classic Cleome in China.  This one is much smaller than the classic one.  I have to say even it is "Proven Winnders", I don't think it is really made for South Florida.  It has been attacked by a stem borer twice.  Each time, the  stem tip wilted and appeared dead.  Cutting them back to almost the base of the plant seems have saved it both time.  This attack has not occurred during the winter, and finally gave it a chance to bloom again! Hooray! 

Senorita rosalita Cleome Hybrid  

Yay, my ornamental pineapple bloomed too!  Just love this intense red on both leaves and fruit.  The leaves only turn to this bright red when the plant in blooming.

This Inca Lily (Alstroemeria) was one of those plants that I bought when I didn't  know much South Florida friendly plants (not I know it all now) at all.  After finishing its flower period last spring, it quickly melted away in the Florida heat.  Fortunately I did not throw away, and kept the pot in a shady place, and gave some occasional irrigation.  Once the weather cools down, it develops the new leaves, and now finally rewarded me with its flowers!

AlstroemeriaInca Lily

My Double Delight Rose still occasionally opens some flowers to reserve its spot in the garden. Yes, you are here to stay!

So much Spring Fever in my garden, contagious enough to spread to this gardener too!  I can feel so many ideas dancing in my mind to wait for me to execute!

Is your garden having a Spring Fever?

My Favorites -- April 2010

It is that time again!  On the 25th of every month, Susan at "Simply Susan" asks us to join her to show our favorites of the month. 

April is a month that made even more difficult to choose the favorites.  So I decided that it is okay to have many favorites :)

From top left clockwise:  Carolina Breeze Hibiscus, Sedum Gold, Double Impatiens,
Yellow Lantana Trailing, Vinca, Milkweed.
 Middle: Gazanias

Purple, Blue and White are my favorite colors in the garden.  Here are some of blooms in this category.

From top left corner clockwise: African Iris, Society Garlic, Purple Verbena,
Mona Lavender, Crape Jasmine, Blue Verbena

Begonia is my new favorite.  Since I bought the dragon wing begonia in January, I have been in love with this flower.  So I got more...  Only I don't have the names for the two shown in the first row of the following picture.  They have similar flower structure as dragon wing begonia (in cluster), but the leaves are different.  Anybody recognizes them?  The second row is dragon wing begonia and wax begonia.

Begonias (Enlarge to see the detail)

I don't have many orchids in my garden.  This month I have four of them in blooming.  My very first Cattleya bloom (Jewel Box)  opened at the end of last month and lasted until the first week of this month.  The two Phalaenopsis Orchids shown are the ones reblooming for me for the first time since I got them about two years ago.  As an inexperienced gardener, I thought orchids are house plants, only found out the indoor environment is too dry for them.  Only until last year, I realized that they do best outdoor in the shade. I guess these two  Phalaenopsis Orchids are the rewards to me :)  The new epidendrum orchid is still holding its brilliant orange flower heads. 

Jewel Box Cattleya, Phalaenopsis Orchids and Epidendrum Orchids
(click to enlarge)

This month my rose corner experienced the first flush of blooms since I established them early this year.  I know I have showed all these roses several times, but I am afraid with the fast approaching summer of south Florida, this month could be the one they look their best for many months following.  So, I have to show them again to remember them in their glory peak.

From top left clockwise: First Prize, Paradise, Double Delight, Queen Elizabeth,
'Burgundy Surprise', Perfume Delight and Peace (Click to enlarge to see detail)

Hope you enjoyed my favorites of this month.  What are your favorites this month?

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!

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

Weekend Project

With a full time job, the weekends usually are the only time I can tackle some garden projects (although sometimes I also use weekday nights if I am too eager to wait).

This weekend I did quite a few moving and planting...

Four newly purchased dormant rose bushes were finally put into the ground. All of them already have new leaves emerging.

This is the corner of the flower bed that contains six rose bushes now, including two "New Day", two "Peace", one "Double Delight", and one pink tea rose (lost the name tag). I will call it the rose corner :) 

Two new gazanias were planted in front of the west flower bed of the backyard.

With this winter's unusual cold weather in south florida, I feel my garden is in half sleeping state except for some blooming annuals. So, this friday afterwork, I directly drove to the garden center to buy a few more plants to add more color into my garden. This gazania's brilliant color really cheers me up!

This is another plant I bought this friday, a double layerd pink Kalanchoe. I love its long lasting rose like blossom!

It is planted in a partial shaded area of the west back yard flower bed, next to the ground orchids.

There are four clumps of Agapanthus Africanus planted in the front garden by the previous owner. When we moved in last summer, two of them were still blooming. The other two that did not bloom are located more deep and behind ixora bushes. They hardly get any sun during the day and I think that is the reason they did not bloom. From this picture, you can see the ones in the back is much smaller than the ones in the front, which get the morning sun.

I decided to move the two smaller ones to the back yard west flower bed, where they would receive morning sun, and a few hour of afternoon sun in the summer. I hope I am making the right decision.

Anybody knows how much florida sun this Agapanthus Africanus needs for it to thrive?  And how much is too much?

Here is their new location.

Oh, one other thing I did was I planted one Angel's Trumpet cutting that I got from my friend.

I found Angel's Trumpet is very easy to propagate via cuttings.  When I first got the cuttings from my friend, all the leaves wilted by staying in the car trunk for the whole day.  After a few days in the water, the old leaves fell off, and the new sprouts emerged.  Now you can see a few sets of new leaves are already growing. Small roots were also developed. 

I can not wait to see those gorgeous trumpet shaped white flower dangling down from it! I have been drooling over this one when looking at the pictures on the internet...  When it blooms, it should look like this:

I also did some other work in my south east corner flower bad in backyard. I will do another post about it once it finishes.

I always feel a sense of achievement after a busy weekend in the garden.  Do you feel the same thing? 
Hope you all had a very good weekend!