Orange Outgrowth

The color orange comes in many different hues.  The color I think of as true orange is the color seen on  the Orange Plume, Justicia spicigera.

This large shrub is the current favorite of the hummingbirds.  I'm hoping to be able to capture a photo of the little birds sipping from the tubular flowers but so far they have been too fast for my shutter.

The Amaryllis that have been purchased in the past few years from after Christmas stock at my local big box store are blooming like mad.  None of them resemble the picture on the box.  In fact, they are all different colors.

A single pinky orange and  this double bloomed light orange striped one were both supposed to be single rose pink blooms.  No problem for me that they aren't what was on the box.  I think they are both quite pretty.

Another orange with pinkish tints is seen in the blackberry lilies which are blooming away this spring.  I love this carefree plant that adds height to the garden and blooms throughout the year.

Last year I thought maybe I had purchased the wrong plant as blooms didn't appear until very late in the summer.  This year the Coral Honeysuckle is leaving no doubt that I did indeed purchase the right plant!  The hummingbirds love this one too.

There are quite a number of other orange colored flowers yet to bloom in the garden.  Some will be hitting their peak mid summer as some of the spring blooming flowers fade.  

Blooms!

Blooms greet me everywhere as I walk through the garden these days.  Even though conditions are quite dry, the temperature has remained cool enough to encourage flowering. 

Easter Lily, Lilium longiflorum

The Easter Lily didn't open its buds until after the holiday, but these sweetly scented white flowers are welcome whenever they decide to blossom.  This specimen was received as a potted plant last year and was planted in the ground after it finished blooming.  The leaves totally disappeared and the plant was forgotten until a few green sprouts showed above the mulch in early spring.

Yarrow, Achillea

White flowered yarrow was planted in the fall.  Its ferny foliage stayed green all winter long and then this spring it began to multiply all over the rose bed.  This is the first bloom which appeared right on schedule this May. 

Brazilian Plume, Justicia carnea

Brazilian Plume is a fantastic shade flower.  For some reason, this winter wasn't as hard on it as last.  These small shrubs are still much smaller than in past years but they are back and blooming. 


Flowering Maple, Abutilon

I picked up two of these flowering maples from the clearance rack at one of the big box stores.  No information tags came with them.  They grow more compactly than the one I already have planted by the rain barrel.  The flowers are a different color too.  These bushes are about 2-1/2 feet tall and as wide, full of buds and blooms.  They sailed through winter. 


Cuphea llavea

These little cupheas are another clearance rack find.  They bloom constantly.  If they behave like my 'candy corn' cuphea, they will die back in winter but return in spring.  But, they may turn out to be an annual.  If so, they were worth the discounted price.



Stoke's Aster, Stokesia laevis

 The native Stoke's aster is quite happy in a partly sunny area to the side of the rose garden.  These have only been planted since early spring so I don't really know what to expect from them.  I had another plant that was sited in a sunnier area and it bloomed well until last month when it suddenly died. 

Coral honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens

The little coral honeysuckle purchased from the county jail plant sale for $1 has finally bloomed!  I planted this one last fall when it was only a foot tall and it has covered an obelisk that is five feet tall.  No blooms appeared until this week.  I've been worried all spring that it was not really coral honeysuckle.  But, it is!  Yay!

Blanket Flower, Gaillardia pulchella

Native blanketflower is still flowering.  Some of these are reseeded from last year's plants and some are a hybrid I purchased earlier this year.

Rain Lily, Zephyranthes grandiflora

We did get two inches of rain this past weekend.  I guess that was enough to trigger the rain lilies that live at the edge of the non-boggy bog garden.  While that rain event was quite welcome, the garden and I can't wait until the regular summer rains begin.

Just Back From Jail.....Plant Sale

The Hillsborough County Jail has a horticulture program that holds a plant sale about once a quarter.  This is a place to get some real bargains.  Any plant in a 1 gallon pot costs $1, a 3 gallon pot costs $3, and I think the biggest pot they have is a 5 gallon or $5 pot.  I love this sale. 

I have no idea of the name for this plant.  Anyone know?  It was a $1 plant that has lovely red stems and red leaves on the new growth.  I haven't seen any flowers yet. 

This is a spinach tree, Cnidoscolus aconitifolius, which will have butterfly attracting blooms.  Another $1 purchase. 

This Coral Honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens,  is a native and something I've been wanting for the back fence.  Another $1 spent. 

Yet another $1 went for this baby Cardboard Palm, Zamia furfuracea. This was grown from seed. I know these are slow growing so the grandchildren may have to finish tending this one.

The all green Jewels of Opar, Talinum paniculatum, cost me another $1 and is waiting for me to plant it along with some variegated ones I purchased for more than $1 at Home Depot.

All together $5 spent and I am a happy gardener with new plants! If you are in the Hillsborough County area watch the paper for the sale notice and get there right when they open at 8:00 AM. This sale is like Macy's on Black Friday. The officers line the customers up behind a starting line and then at 8:00 AM sharp they let us go into the plant area. People grab and start a plant pile. The smart ones have a partner or two and work as a team. It's all fun and there were no arguments that I witnessed. We were all gardeners after all and gardeners are pretty nice folks. 

Some of the inmates in the program and Master Gardeners from the Extension Office were on hand to answer questions.  Someone did tell me the name of that first plant I showed you but well....I forgot what they told me.   The program is a great way for some of the inmates to learn a skill they can use when they are released.  They can always use empty pots, any soil or fertilizer donations or anything garden related.  Helping a great program and getting a great bargain made a great Friday morning for me.