Cool Yule Colors

The traditional Christmas red hasn't shown up in my early December garden.  Looking out upon the garden I find the cooler colors of the spectrum.  There are two flowering bushes that are filled with shades of blue and purple.

Blue Butterfly Bush, Clerodendrum ugandense, has a cluster of two-toned blue blooms on every branch tip. These flowers look like small butterflies but I've never noticed that they attract any real butterflies.  

While freeze sensitive, this bush readily sprouts up from the roots in spring.  I've only had flowers on mine in the fall, but they keep blooming until really cold winter weather arrives.

Another fall to winter bloomer is the Purple Salvia, Salvia purpurea.  This sprawling bush has gracefully arching stems that bend under the weight of large spikes of purple flowers.  The hummingbirds love this one.

I have sited the Purple Sage just outside the back porch so that the hummingbirds are easy to watch.  Sometimes I even hear the buzzing of their wings.

The mild temperatures and sunny days experienced here in central Florida have made the garden a delightful place to be.

Sunshine and Roses

This is the first part of the garden to see the sun when it rises in the morning.  Located on the east side, it is a sunny patch for about seven hours each day.

Roses are the anchor plants providing greenery and blooms all year long.  The ferny foliage of yarrow and the constantly blooming sweet allyssum  along with sedum 'Florida Gold' have worked well as ground cover all through the winter.

Spring brings a more exuberant flush of blooms to the roses but there are flowers in all the seasons.  Lots of re-seeding native salvias provide background and attract buterflies, bees and hummingbirds once Spring arrives.

Sweet fragrances fill the air and make me smile while I enjoy my morning cup of coffee.  Nothing like watching the sunrise over this beautiful view.

There are many reseeding and spreading companion plantings flourishing now that it is springtime.  I'm loving the yarrow.  Sure hope it blooms for me.  It has really multiplied since the warm weather returned.  The guara is looking especially good this year too, though it's hard to capture in a photo. 

Well, I guess it's time to put the camera away, take my coffee with me and finish up the morning watering chores.  Only, it's not a chore.  It's something I love to do.

 

Yikes! Spikes!

In the fall, the long lasting, spiky blooms of Red Firespike, Odontonema strictum, and Forsythia Sage, Salvia madrensis, tower above the rest of the shade garden.  Their graceful spires beckon all the flying, flitting and buzzing creatures to come sample their nectar. 

Planting the yellow and red blossoms together was purely happenstance.  Next spring more of this combination will be used around the garden.  Both of these plants root easily from cuttings and both are root-hardy in winter. 

The bright yellow blooms of Forsythia Sage show up really well in the shady corner.  But the square-shaped stems are not quite sturdy enough to keep those spikes aloft without being staked.  This plant will root readily where the stems touch the ground and it sends out suckers from the roots.  A small cutting can turn into quite a large clump by the next season after planting.   

When brushed against, the foliage releases a very unpleasant odor.  The scent is reminiscent of fish emulsion fertilizer.  Because of it's height, this is a back of the border plant so it isn't often that anyone other than the gardener would notice the less than delightful fragrance.

The original Red Firespike is planted with Stromanthe sanguinea 'Tricolor'.  This grouping was purposefully planted.  Since the Stromanthe multiplies nicely and makes it through winter with just minor leaf damage, there are plans for moving divisions of it around the garden in the future.  

These red blooms began showing up in August and now, in November new ones are still blossoming.  The yellow blooms made a late showing beginning late October and should persist for six weeks or so. 

These fall flowers add a lot of color to the shady areas of the garden.  Even though freezing temperatures will kill them to the ground, both of these beauties rebound quickly once warm weather returns.  They both have large green leaves that make a good backdrop for spring and summer blooms.  When fall arrives it is their turn to shine and put up the spikes. 

October Favorites

It's the 25th of the month and time to join Simply Susan in showing garden favorites. 

Three swamp sunflower plants were planted in front of the bamboo hedge last fall.  After their bloom was finished they died back and were forgotten until Spring.  Suddenly there were lots of swamp sunflowers.  Too many for the space.  They were growing up through the bamboo and were taking over the whole bed.  They had to be moved.  Now they are growing in the boggy area of the garden along with pinecone gingers and umbrella sedge.  There is plenty of room for them to proliferate and bloom their cheery yellow flowers.

Bees and wasps have been quite numerous around the garden this month.  They each have their place in the life of the garden and so accomodation is made for them up to a point.  They are fascinating creatures to observe nectaring on the flowers, but their nests are kept away from the house and play area for the grandkids.  This little guy is enjoying the White Out rose, which has been a favorite of mine most all year. 

One of my new favorite blossoms is this purple salvia.  The bloom is very large compared to other salvias in the garden and the purple color attracts the hummingbird. 

White and purple Philippine Violets re-seed so abundantly that some people find them a nuisance.  I, however, love their flowers which bloom only in fall and find them worth the trouble of keeping in check.  Actually, this year, I didn't have too many seedlings come up and so am quite happy to have these blooming away in the October garden. 

The purple variety grow shorter and bushier than the white ones.  The two planted together complement one another quite beautifully.  

This month there are still plenty of favorites in the garden, but there is a definite change.  Many of the summer's best bloomers have faded and plants which were waiting in the wings have come into the spotlight.  Something I have noticed in creating this post is that My Garden Path is lacking in fall foliage plants.  Mmmm....

What are your favorites......this month?

Hummingbird Approved Blooms

Sighting a hummingbird is cause for great excitement here at My Garden Path.  Fall and Winter seem to be the seasons for these speedy jewels to visit this garden.  Actually, there seems to be only one speedy jewel this year.



Senecio confusus, Mexican Flame Vine

Perhaps it is that this female Ruby-Throated hummingbird only sees enough of her favorite flowers blooming along the Path during the Fall season. 



Justicia brandegeana 'Fruit Cocktail'

December 21, 1990, is the first time I spotted a hummingbird here.  It was feeding on the bright red Tropical Hibiscus blooms which were just outside the guest bedroom window.  What a God-sent moment that was.  


Justicia brandegeana

I was helping my Mom into the bed for the first of many times.  She had rather suddenly been released from the re-hab center following a major stroke.  My Dad was in another hospital across town recovering from surgery.  There were three children living at home.  I needed to see that hummingbird.

Salvia elegans, Pineapple Sage

That little bird visited the Hibiscus bush every afternoon as I helped Mom get into bed for a nap.  Just like clockwork that iridescent jewel would appear. 

Salvia coccinea 'Coral Nymph'

Now, in an effort to encourage the return of hummingbirds each year,  a smorgasbord of hummingbird attracting blooms has been planted. 



Salvia purpurea

The bright reds and oranges of the firespike and flame vine may be the initial attraction for the hummingbird, but once in the garden other blooms seem to be just as enticing.  Purples, pinks and even whites are nectared from time and again.



Barleria cristata,Philippine Violet & Pentas lanceolata

Everytime I see the tiny hummingbird flitting among the flowers, I am reminded of God's care.

Odontonema strictum, Red Firespike


"Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?" Matthew 6:26

My Favorite April Blooms

It's hard to pick favorites.  Every day as I find a new bloom it becomes my favorite.  I know my two roses have been shown many times before, but really can you ever see too many pictures of such beautiful flowers?  Belinda's Dream and Knockout Radrazz have been blooming since February.  This month they have been more beautiful than ever.  The Florida Gold sedum is blooming tiny yellow flowers which were a complete surprise to me.  The blanket flowers were a little late in showing off but late April brought an abundance of blooms.  Bleeding Heart clerodendrum is a new addition to the back fence in the shady corner and it is doing a great job of brightening that dark spot.  The pentas which have been a mainstay for color at My Garden Path were knocked to the ground this winter and are only just now putting out leaves about 6" above ground.  Tall red pentas were purchased and planted earlier this month to give the butterflies a reason to return.  Those pentas are such workhorses.  They just pump out blooms constantly.  When the purple, pink and white ones finally grow back to their former glory butterflies should abound once again.  I love to grow several different salvias and this Victoria Blue is a favorite of mine which just started putting out its long purple plumes earlier this month. 

I hope all my gardening friends are enjoying many, many blooms in their April gardens.