Shrimp Plants

I mentioned earlier about my poor Shrimp Plants and how they’re not doing well. Shrimp Plants are a very cool plant that I first discovered at Jungle Island when it was in Coconut Grove. There, they were huge bushes about five feet tall. Very thick and very full.

At home, I planted four of them along this fence quite a while ago and they’re very puny. I even cut them back to try for new growth and a fuller look but they’re still very puny. Even so, I will persevere because they are so unique.

The long yellow blooms with the white side blooms. Go figure! One day I will  master the art of growing them. In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy my meager version of them.

Allamanda

How many “favorites” can a girl have? I’m hoping the answer is “lots” because the Allamanda is another one of  my favorite SoFlo plants! It has done great for me, delivering a lush, verdant shrub that’s always filled with lots of bright yellow blooms. I have it in two places around my house. I did try it in a third spot but think it either got beat up by the high winds of a tropical storm or the area I planted it is deficient in nutrients. (I’m suspecting the latter because I now have Shrimp plants there and they are not doing well either.)

In any case, Allamandas are bug-free, drought-resistant, low-maintenance, and grow like weeds. All this plus year ’round blooms to boot! Who could ask for more? Aha, but there is more! (If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ll know there’s always more with SoFlo flora, it seems.) In addition to the flowers, you get these weird “nuts.”

Not sure what the are for, but they’re about 3/4″ to an inch in diameter and very thorny. They seem to be dried out and the insides are hollow. Curious, no? If anyone has any idea why the Allamanda produces these, please share!

Here you can see what a great shape the Allamanda has. I’ve pruned it to grow somewhat laterally, instead of straight up. To the left of the Allamanda you’ll see the Plumeria, and to the right is the ground lily.

To Weed or Not a Weed?

I’m calling these “Father-in-Law” plants because they remind me of the Mother-in-Law plants that are common house plants. I know they’re not the same, but they do feature the long dark purple and green leaves resembling spears. And they are almost impossible to get rid of!

These unwelcome visitors are ubiquitous — seming to spring up everywhere other plants wouldn’t think twice about — between cracks, along the base of the house, and anywhere not much else will grow. My husband has always been an advocate of them since they do thrive. I’ve been resistant … just because! I suppose it’s more like, if I didn’t plant them, I don’t want them. But after trying to get something growing at the base of my Spindle Palm with no luck, I just might settle for this plant. Although it would hide the strange air roots which are wondrous to behold. Hmmm. We’ll see.

But even these “weeds” have blossoms to share with us! See the mini white flowers in the centers? Not sure it vindicates this plant’s existance, but still … delightful!

Skeeter

As in “mosquito”. This is our cute little kitten we found in a tree in the front yard. Not knowing its sex, we came up with a generic name. When we found out it was a girl, some in the family wanted to change it to a female name, but Skeeter just seemed right for her. She’s a riot!

She’s strictly an indoor cat, as are our other two, Murphy and Ziggy. Guess the sexes of those? Ha. I guess we have a track record of non-demoninational names. Murphy is a girl — another stray we found on the ramp to Interstate 95! And Ziggy is a boy — a gift to my daughter from an old boyfriend.. As I said, all are indoor cats. Save the birds and lizards, right?

Fortunately we don’t really have many actual skeeters, as in mosquitos, being on a salt water canal. But this Skeeter is a handful all by herself and we love her.

And I promise, I will keep these animal posts down to a bare minimum to be used only when bored.

Flower within a Flower

The common bougainvillea. You see them everywhere down here and in lots of different, brilliant colors. They’re gorgeous! To look at anyway. The numerous thorns will get you every time, no matter how careful you are. And gorgeous to look at outside. When you try to cut off a sprig for indoor use, the blossoms dry out like miniature paper Chinese lanterns. Cute in their own right, but they’ll just litter your table and floor. It was a nice try anyway.

I keep this one growing rather wild. A privacy shrub, if you will. But just when you think you know all about this very common plant, you take a closer look and, voila, what do you see? A flower within a flower. Who woulda thunk.

See the little white center? Here’s a closer look …