Category Archives: orchids

Six on Saturday – The Advent of Humidity

It’s Saturday morning yet again. My morning tour found the more tropical members of my garden mob basking in humidity and unlike me, embracing it. The weather app on my phone had the audacity to state it was going to be six degrees colder today and 90 F. This is not colder.

Mother’s Day is tomorrow in the US. In South Florida, this is the bitter end of snowbird season and generally the advent of humidity. Coincidental? I think not. Join the international Six on Saturday garden tour at Jim’s blog, Garden Ruminations by following the link.

Dendrobium orchids installed in my Cuban avocado tree are putting out new growth after suffering with spider mites when the humidity was lower.

Flowers on the succulent shrub, Devil’s Backbone (Euphorbia tithymaloides). A native of Florida and indestructible in the right place, this one lives in partial shade and unirrigated sugar sand. It was a surprise to me that people keep these as houseplants.

Angel’s Trumpet (Brugsmania). I planted this about six months ago, not certain it would grow in my garden, but here it is! The plant has tripled in size and I am hoping for flowers. I did see the mealy bugs and they were dispatched to the great beyond after I took the picture.

Blue Daze Evolvulus. I have been wondering forever what inspires these to bloom. Possibly trimming, fertilizer and the onset of humidity? This is a sulky evergreen groundcover here.

I decided to tree form this massive coleus as it had overrun its under plantings. Has anyone else tried this?

Maybe the trunk needs to be a bit longer? I am thinking of letting the trunk gain some size and then pinching the new growth on top to make it fuller. And I have a lot of cuttings. I could start a tree form coleus farm.

That is all from my garden this Saturday. Thunderstorms are forecast and I am hoping for some rain. We are still not in the rainy season even though there is plenty of moisture in the air!

Happy Gardening!!

Six on Saturday – Learning Curves

My Saturday morning garden tour found a few more learning curves to navigate. Living this far south in the US is much different from a gardening (and other) standpoints. As a gardener I find it interesting and frustrating at the same time. It amazes me what will and won’t grow here. More water or less? Always a dilemma. I found some successes this morning. To see more garden tours and visit other SOS gardens follow this link to Jim’s blog.

The Schlomburkgia orchid in the Gumbo Limbo tree is flowering. This one makes a stiff 6 foot long stem that is actually kind of hard to see as the flowers end up straight overhead. Here is the base.

Growing orchids in trees is one of the amazing things about South Florida gardening. Once established they are relatively carefree. Water in the dry winter and enjoy flowers in summer.

Dancing Lady Oncidium orchids are taking well in the Sabal Palm boots. I hope these are the beginning of a spray of orchids. Hope springs eternal.

I was advised by the nursery I bought these Chicken Gizzard (Iresine herbstii) to plant them in full sun. This one is in partial shade as I did not believe them.

The other Chicken Gizzard plant, placed per directions and starting to fry. Full sun in South Florida is a whole different thing.

My neighbor decided to build a Coral rock wall on my property for some reason. He had to move it over, not to worry, this guy could bench press a Volkswagen. Now I have a little planter I am working on filling up.

Last, but not least, the Nam Doc Mai mangoes are starting to blush, I am so ready to eat one! Frozen mangoes from Aldi are just not the same.

That’s all from my garden this Saturday morning. I am looking forward to seeing what everybody has going on in theirs.

Happy Gardening!!

Six on Saturday – A Bird in Hand

Saturday morning has rolled around again. My garden tour this week features a new experience for me. Spring is in full swing here, the birds are singing, the plants are producing loads of pollen and I am thinking a bird in the bush is better than one in the hand. To view more Saturday garden tours, visit Jim’s blog, Garden Ruminations follow the link and peruse the comments section to complete a world garden tour.

Beaming with good, proactive gardening tendencies, I set out to prune my rambunctious Firebush. After a few whacks, a bird came flying out, fussing as she flew away. I stopped chopping to see what that was all about and found a nest with eggs. It was later revealed to be a cardinal as she returned to warm her eggs. This bird has since put a leaf over the nest so I can’t peek in anymore. The shrub remains semi-pruned and my hopes for a clean tree formed Firebush have been temporarily dashed.

The interior of the Firebush revealed one more secret. Tillandsia bromeliads growing inside the branches.

My recently installed orchids have fully opened. The other orchids are putting out new growth, I am hoping for sprays of yellow onicidiums this spring.

Tiny Rangpur limes have formed. These will not be ripe until December.

The Nam Doc Mai mangoes are growing and the tree produced another round of flowers. Now I am hoping for mangoes all summer.

The Shell Ginger (Alpinia zerumbet) has nearly reached the roof. Officially over six feet tall.

That is all from my garden this week. My loppers are looking for a new place to land! No worries, plenty of vegetation to chop here while Mrs. Cardinal completes her duties.

Happy Gardening!!

Six on Saturday – Orchid Palooza

Rather than touring my garden this Saturday morning, I have been installing and watering orchids in trees. A friend, who is a longtime orchid enthusiast brought me a selection of plants when we met for Thai food and plant shopping earlier this week. To join the SOS gang or see what’s going on in gardens around the world, follow the link to Jim’s Blog.

The selection:

This bucket contains Dancing Lady orchids. These are an Oncidium orchid, native to Southeast Asia, a tropical and a water lover. They can produce sprays of flowers 10 feet long. These are yellow.

This bucket contains Dendrobiums and a no name orchid that looks dead and then flowers! The no name has buds.

My tree of choice to install the orchids. This is a Sabal Palm (Palmetto sabal) that has never had the bases of its old fronds cleared off. I like the look of these palms and haven’t had them cleaned. This is called a booted Palm. The boots provide planting pockets and many people install orchids or bromeliads in them. The Asian Sword Ferns have grown up the tree by themselves – I decided to clear some off before installing the orchids.

The Dancing Ladies installed. I placed coconut coir, soaked in water, in the boots, then wedged the orchids in and secured them with jute twine. After reading how big these grow I decided to install the other orchids in different trees.

The no name ‘dead’ orchid was placed in the Gumbo Limbo tree alongside a Schlomburgkia orchid that has been in the tree for a few years. Below is the Schlomburgkia sending up buds. Maybe I should call the no name orchid ‘Zombie’

The Schlomburgkia, buds on the right side. These are native to the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico and live in Mangrove swamps along the Gulf of Mexico. The flower sprays are easily six feet long with multiple pink and red orchids.

Finally, the Dendrobiums ended up in the Catalina Avocado tree and they seemed very happy.

I have no idea how long it takes for the orchids to establish and flower, but it will be interesting to watch.

Thanks to Jim for hosting Six on Saturday and Happy Spring Gardening to all!!

In a Vase on Monday – Tropical Layers

South Florida experienced yet another crazy weather day on Sunday. Rain, thunder, tornado watches and warnings. Madness. I sat with Fiona the greyhound to gauge her reaction to all the weather warnings. She slept through it. A good sign and nothing happened except more water and leaves and debris down and probably more weeds will emerge shortly.

After all this weather, I decided to cut the orchid in the Gumbo Limbo tree so I could see it before it was smashed to bits. The stems on this orchid are about four feet long, as it is installed in the crotch of the tree it is a bit difficult to see anyway. Probably 10 feet above the ground. I dashed out into the rain and clipped the orchid. So satisfying.

This is a Schomburgkia orchid. Native to the mangrove groves on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico on the Yucatan peninsula. How it found its way here is a mystery to me. Based on its coloring, orchid, red and yellow, I decided to put it in my big red vase. My husband refers to this as the ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ vase. Hopefully, you remember the 1960s TV show about Jeannie or the Genie?

I thought some layers of tropical foliage and a bit of red would accent the vase and the orchids nicely. The red flowers are Firecracker plant (Russelia equisetiformis); the big leaf in back is a Split Leaf Philodendron (Philodendron selloum); the left green leaf is from a Lady Palm (Rhaphis excelsa); grey striped foliage is Inch Plant (Transcandentia zebrina)

Fiona on a sunnier day. Looking for sky raisins (my husband’s words again). She eats bees sometimes.

That is all from my garden this week. Hoping for sun and blue skies. To see more vases follow the link to Cathy’s blog http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com

Happy Gardening!

Six on Saturday – Stormy Benefits

SOS time again! Six items of interest to share with fellow gardeners from all over. To see other SOS posts, follow this link http://gardenruminations.co.uk

Warm and cold weather fronts crashing together from the Atlantic Ocean and elsewhere caused some mad weather in my South Florida garden this week. Neighbors were saying a mini hurricane hit our area, evidenced by 85 mph wind gusts and flying lawn furniture. The rain brought about some welcome changes to the garden.

Schomburgkia Orchids burst into flower and managed to stay attached to the Gumbo Limbo tree.

Blue Daze Evolvulus finally in full flower. These have been in the garden for years and rarely look like this. I have been wondering what to do with them and I am thinking lots of water is the answer.

Native Purslane popping up in the flower border. A weed I like, I am told it is edible – but haven’t tried it.

‘Bossa Nova’ Neoregelia enjoys the sunshine following the storms. I recently discovered these are supposed to grow in full sun. I moved them and we will see. I am not sure why it just seems odd to grow bromeliads in full sun. To me, anyway.

Another bromeliad basking in the sunshine. ‘Fireball’ Neoregeli; usually grown as groundcover for their foliage colors – varying from green to red depending on light conditions. These are in a container with Brown Eyed Girl Sunflowers.

‘White Flame’ Salvia with a Red Cypress Vine growing up the side. I suppose I should separate these two. Black and Bloom Salvia in the background. The butterflies are starting to enjoy all of these flowers.

That is it for this week. Next week’s weather is looking good for gardening. I am hoping the dragonflies show up soon to eat the mosquitoes that came along with the rain.

Happy Gardening!!

Six on Saturday – Tropical Fun

I am joining the SOS gang once again at Jim’s blog – http://gardenruminations.co.uk Follow the link to see more garden fun. This Saturday I am looking at the more tropical side of my South Florida garden.

Nothing says tropical like a big, tasty mango. These are Glenn Mangoes ripening on the tree. I am looking forward to a June day when I can eat one.

Spring brings bromeliad pups and these unusual rick rack shaped pups are growing up from a Macwilliamsii Neoregelia. These bromeliads are mottled green in summer and develop red coloration in winter, the red at the base of the pups is fading.

Shooting out some pups, Fireball Neoregelia are a famously tough groundcover bromeliad. Deep burgundy red in full sun and green in shade, these are underplanting a Brown Eyed Girl sunflower in a container.

Hippeastrum can stay outside year round in my garden. These are Red Lion inherited from my Father in Law years ago.

I installed some Cattleya Orchids in the Pygmy Date Palms (Phoenix roebellini) in my front garden this week. The orchids are wedged into the pruned part of the crown and secured with jute twine. The orchids are already putting out roots and should flower late summer, these are purple Cattleyas.

Schomburgkia orchids were mounted in the Gumbo Limbo (Bursera simaruba) tree last year. They have multiplied and are sending up buds (the brown stem looking like a bamboo shoot). These orchids are native to mangrove forests on the Gulf coast of Mexico; how they ended up here is anyone’s guess.

That’s all from my garden this week. I am breaking rules next week. Bromeliads are supposed to be divided and moved by March 31. Guess what I am still doing? I am enjoying the Lost Marbles tomatoes so much I am considering planting another batch – pushing the tomato envelope here. The last tomatoes should be planted in March. Oh, the dilemmas…

Happy Gardening!!

Six on Saturday – Schomburgkia?

I am joining the SOS crowd again this week with photos of the orchid in my Gumbo Limbo tree – tentatively identified as a Schomburgkia. Of course, the botanical powers that be decided to change the name to Laelia. I am not sure what it is. About five feet of purple bamboo-like stem with flowers at the end. Here goes:

It has been windy here for the past few days, so it made for difficult picture taking. Hoping to get better photos when the wind dies down tomorrow. This is a sun loving orchid from Central America, known for hosting ants and the old dried out stems become hollow and can be used as horns! Who knew? I can attest to ants living in the roots, but haven’t had it long enough to get a horn.

When the weather starts to warm the more tropical flowers start to appear:

Miss Alice Bougainvillea. Bougs supposedly flower when day and nighttime hours are even as they are native to equatorial regions. I am not so sure about that and keep watching.

Lady Di Heliconia (Heliconia psittacorum). These are an oddly short lived perennial in my garden. They are beautiful for a couple of years, spread, then get shorter and shorter. This one is about half the size of the original plants.

Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea) sometimes appears in white. This is a volunteer amongst the Mystic Spires Blue Salvia. These are known for their variable colors (red, orange, pink and white), this one has remained white in one area of my garden. It is separated by a fair distance from the colored Salvias, that may be why.

Last, but not least. It is difficult to get much more tropical than this. Miniature Ornamental Pineapple, fully grown. These can be juiced. I think they are too cute to squash and generally leave them on the plant until they dry. I keep meaning to spray some gold for Christmas decorations…

To see more Six on Saturday posts visit http://www.thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com.

Until next time, Happy Gardening!!

Six on Saturday – Bees and Bags

Welcome to SOS, December 11, 2021 edition. It is warm and sunny in South Florida and the birds, bees and flowers are enjoying the blue skies. So is the gardener. Though it could be a little cooler (83 F today), are we ever happy with the weather? I am joining Jon at http://www.thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com with the SOS crowd linking to his blog. Follow the link for more garden fun.

I had to share my Malaysian Orchid in full bloom today. This is an amazing sight and the bees are enjoying the flowers. I finally got a picture of the elusive green orchid bee.

This is a very active, flitting bee. I stood and waited to take the picture. These bees are native to Central and South American and are thought to have been introduced to Florida in 2003 via a nest in a wood pallet from Mexico. There are a fair number in my garden.

The bag garden is producing cut flowers and vegetables for me this week. We have been eating green beans, radishes and tomatoes – it is time to plant a second crop of radishes and beans. I am rooting tomato suckers for a later crop of tomatoes. Here is a sunflower and below, the Cactus Zinnias.

The Papaya decapitated last spring is flowering again. The flowers so far are female, they are usually self pollinating hermaphrodite flowers – so, it will be interesting to see if it is self limiting the fruit production due to the pruning.

The hard cane dendrobium orchid I installed in a Gumbo LImbo tree has started budding. I am wondering how long this will take to flower???

That’s all from my garden this week.

Happy Gardening.

A Week in Flowers – Day Three – Orchids

Welcome to the third installment of A Week in Flowers. Cathy at http://www.wordsandherbs.wordpress.com invited us to share a post a day for a week of flowers in our gardens. Today I am featuring orchids from my South Florida garden – they stay outside year round here. Follow the link to find more flowers from around the world.

Fragrant white Cattleya Orchids live in a pot outside my low slung living room window. These bloom every September and I enjoy watching them and usually cut some for a vase to enjoy the flowers and fragrance up close.

Orange landscape orchids (along with Gallardia) are a fairly common sight around here. These are Epidendrums; sometimes called Ground Orchids. I had some in the garden, but they squirrels dug them up so many times they withered and passed on.

The Orchid tree, not really an Orchid, but a very pretty flower. This is Bauhinia purpurea, I think.

This Orchid tree has purple Cattleya orchids that grow on the trunk. This is my neighbor’s tree, so I see it daily when flowering. One of my favorite summer plantings.

That is all for Day Three. Happy Flower Watching!