Especially for Night Owls

Gardening has something for everyone, even night owls! Here's a plant that doesn't bloom until after the sun sets.
I think this is a Epiphyllum oxypetalom - more commonly known as Night Blooming Cereus, Dutchman's Pipe, or Queen of the Night. Most of the pictures of Epiphyllum oxypetalom that I see show a flower with wider petals. I would be happy for anyone to correct my identification of this plant.

My dad has this plant climbing up some of his mesquite trees. They aren't actually climbing as they don't attach themselves to a support; they are just supported by the branches and tied to the tree. It's quite a floppy plant. Anyhoo, Dad gave me a cutting years ago. You can tell from the actual plant that I abuse it terribley. It's rarely watered and grows in heavy, heavy clay. Wikipedia says that it needs rich compost with lots of humus and lots of water in the summer. What do they know?

These blooms are only open at night and for a few hours in the morning (that's when I see them) - then the bloom dies. It usually has blooms that open for 5 or 6 days in a row. Then a few weeks later, we get another evening show.

So, if you are a night owl, this Night Blooming Cereus might be a plant to consider.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - June Edition

Shrimp Plant - I thought I was buying the traditional color and seem to have picked up the maroon ones - I guess it's good for me to get away from oranges and reds a little bit.

Flame of the Woods, Ixora coccinea

Firebush, Hamelia patens

Wild Olive, Cordia boissieri

Variegated Shell Ginger, Alpina vittata

Pato de Chiva (Goat's Hoof),

Penta, Penta lanceolata

Lantana

Frangipani, Plumeria rubra

Bougainvillea

Rosa 'Adam'

Daylily
Marigolds

Milkweed
Mexican Bird of Paradise, Caesalpinia pulcherrina

Visit May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming today in gardens all over the world!

The Mistakes I Have Made

So often, I don't realize my mistakes in the garden until they have become large and difficult. Then I am faced with the delima of how to correct them! Most of my mistakes have to do with a great plant in the wrong place - like this Bougainvillea. I've shared lots of pictures of its gorgeous multi-colored blooms and it is growing well here - in fact, it's growing too well and therein lies our problem. Bougainvillea needs LOTS of space to spread and I knew that when I planted this one; left to her own devices, she would block the entire front porch and the sidewalk leading up to it.

The original plan was to train this bougainvillea up onto the roof - but I just let her just grow wild. That certainly didn't work so Saturday, I began limbing her up on the backside (just to see if I'd like it). I already love the openness when I walk out the front door.
My second BIG mistake is on the other side of the front porch. Same song, second verse. By the end of the summer, this Frangipani, Plumeria obtuse will have covered both the window and the sidewalk. We try to keep it trimmed up so noone gets slapped in the face when they pass by - but when it is blooming, I have the hardest time removing any branches!


I mean, how could you remove these gorgeous flowers - love those buttery yellow throats - and the fragrance is to die for.



I have a friend who spent months removing Pothos Ivy that had crept into her front yard from the next door neighbors. It's hard to remove but it's even harder to dispose of those vines. I've tried letting them lay and dry so I can compost them - only to have them put down roots!

When I planted this, the plan was to NEVER let it climb higher than I could reach . . . . the best laid plans, right? An added problem is that I have seen a rat in this tree - so no matter how tall or short the vine is, I simply don't want to reach in to pull any down . . .

So I've let a small task become a large problem. . .


This Daturea, Angel's Trumpet has two problems. Its leaves are very delicate and I have it planted in a spot that gets lots of wind - thus, all the leaves are ragged. It took many years to establish and really start growing (5 or 6 years). Since the blooms hang down, I think they are prettiest when I am looking up at them.


But now that they are blooming at eye-level, I don't like the color! When I planted this, I was into white flowers. In fact I went to great lengths to get the pales blooming one I could find . . . Now I am loving oranges and reds and anything bold - and frankly find these blooms to be a bit dull.

This little area is also full of 'mistake' plantings - it's been done and redone 3 or 4 times - but the wonderful thing about gardening is that it's not about the end result but the process. Happy Digging!