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!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

We picked the perfect weekend to spend in New Orleans - it was our first time back since Katrina and things in the French Quarter look better than ever. This trip, all the balcony gardens struck me as extra-beautiful - so I want to share them with you. How welcoming is this street!

I'm not sure where there is room for people to sit out on this balcony - but if there is, the Queen Palms or Cocus Plumosa, Syagrus romanzoffiana, and banana trees will certainly shield you from prying eyes.

The baskets of ferns were full and healthy - Nothing says "southern" to me like a hanging fern does. Ferns do so well here you'll see them growing out of lots of nooks and crannies in the walls. Check out the photo below. . .

. . . do you see it? In the recessed area in the very middle, ferns are growing!

and while we're on ferns, I believe this is a tree fern. Anyone out there want to share some info on it? I'm at a loss - except that it is pretty darn striking! I apologize to the foot-weary lady in the shot. My group was heading out and I couldn't wait.

Back to the balcony gardens . . . Although the ground floor appears to be boarded up and empty, the balcony is teeming with life and beauty!

Just in case you needed a closer look - now that's a riot of color!

And along Bourbon Street, beads are used at garlands on this balcony. The days were overcast so no need to open up the umbrellas - and all the better for me to enjoy their gardens.

Check out how full these baskets are! I especially like the spikey plants in the back of this one. Each basket on this balcony was a little bit different

I wondered if these flowers would have been more open if the sun was out . . .

I usually like a large sweep of the same plant(s) - but my favorite balcony gardens had more random plantings. This just makes me want to grab a book, a beer, and a chair.

I couldn't resist sharing this pittosporum - Yep, you read that right - this is a pittosporum (and the sign at the base of this "shrub" verified our identification) It's a shrub on steroids!

Agapanthus were in full bloom all over the city! These happen to be at Audobon Park

Palms are used all over New Orleans. These Windmill Palms, Trachycarpus fortunei, are in Cafe Beignet, an outdoor jazz joint on Bourbon Street.

Mediterranean Fan Palms, Chamerops humilis, dot Jackson Square. Each and every clump is as beautiful as these! Some of the most stunning specimens I've ever seen.

And along Cafe Du Monde are planted a line of Chinese Fan Palms, Livingstonia chinesis.

I got home with more pictures of plants than of people. Go figure! Laissez les bon temps rouler! Let the good times roll!

Shade Garden Updates

Although the bright morning sun has washed out the detail of the these white 'Candidum' Caladiums, in person they are stunning. As a bonus, they were planted last spring and have graced us with a second year of beauty. I think this little vignette has all the layers needed for interest. The trees overhead aren't visible in this shot but their canopy offers a nice "frame" for the scene. The shrubs, Firebush, Hamelia patens, are a serene backdrop for the statuary and annual plantings in the tiny circular bed. Around the time the caladiums melt in our summer heat, the Firebush grab the attention with their red and orange blooms. They love, love, love our heat!


I am excited to see that all the Yaupon Hollies, Ilex vomitoria, have bloomed heavily this spring. Planted in 2005, they are yet to produce one single red berry! Yaupon Hollies are dioecious, which means some bloom with male flowers and some bloom with female flowers. In other words, you need a male and a female in order to get berries. However, these were labeled 'Pride of Houston', which are supposed to be self-pollinating. One nurseryman, Al, suggested that I plant more Yaupons (I already have 5) - of any variety. So just upwind of these, there is now a border of 7 or 9 Dwarf Yaupons.

In the meantime, I am checking the plants for berries- and have found a few very tiny green ones where the flowers were. I'm holding my breath, but I have hope for red berries at Christmas time!

This is my "Lasagna Garden Bed" one year later. Even though it is the middle of the "Shade Garden", there is ample afternoon sun to grow a healthy crop of Cosmos. The bed is bordered with Dusty Miller, Senecio cenerario, which was planted last August. A couple of the plants didnt' survive the winter and their replacements haven't filled back in yet. Plus, I trimmed them all back by about 1/2 in April. Don't you love their silver color? Such a nice contrast to everything else. The everything else (whether you can see it or not) includes Cat's Whiskers, Orthosiphon aristatussome, some fat-fronded Ferns, and Coleus. All the hummingbirds are hanging out on this side of the house this year. I haven't come up with a plan for this area yet - so these free and nearly free items are serving me well.

Same song, second verse

Royal Poinciana, Flamboyant Tree, Flame of the Forest, Peacock Flower - exotic names for a most exotic looking tree! I know that I just posted pictures of this very tree BUT I am mesmerized - plus I've been waiting SEVEN LONG YEARS for her to bloom so humor me.

What a wonderful welcome home!

Nitrogen fixing plants

I have always heard the phrase "nitrogen fixing plant" and could tell you that legumes are indeed "nitrogen fixing plants" - but I 've never given a second thought about how a plant actually sets nitrogen. Hubbie is growing soybeans (a legume) this spring and pulled this plant up to check it for nitrogen producing nodules. Check it out, close up - This little guy has three nodules inside the black circle.

I must admit I didn't think about it again until I read Zanthan Gardens' post on saving bluebonnet seeds. She tells us when we're ready to clear out a patch of spent legumes, do not pull the plants out by the roots; cut them at ground level. This keeps those nodules in the soil where they'll help enrich the soil. Nasturtiums are also legumes - Sure wish I'd read Zanthan Gardens post earlier - this morning I pulled out all the dying and drying nasturtium plants. Live and learn.

The Royal Poinciana Blooms!

In February 2002, we planted this Royal Poinciana, Delonix regia, tree in our Shade Garden. Each spring, when these tropical beauties are sporting vibrant orange-red flowers, ours has let me down - until this year! I think it's already pretty beautiful - but there are LOTS more buds to open. Royal Poinciana, native to Madagascar, is deciduous. It's one of the last trees to leaf-out. A freeze and Christmas Eve snow in 2004 nipped it back some. But this is a fast growing tree - you can expect it to put on about 5 feet a year. Mature height is 30-40 feet. Many trees I notice are wider than they are tall.

The blooms are so high up, it's hard to get a good picture of the flowers - but you can see all the dark round buds on these clusters.

I never realized how large each individual flower is - about 3 inches in length. This tree is grown from seed - and the seed pods are quite impressive too - it's a hard dark seed pod that I would guess measures at least nine inches. If you look close you can see some pods on this picture. Our Royal Poinciana is putting on such a beautiful show that I've forgiven her for making us wait seven long years for our first flower.