Plumeria

The plumeria, or frangipani, is a deciduous tree that loses all its leaves in the winter and it resembles nothing but a bunch of branches, as the “trunk” is roughly the same size. And it does take on strange shapes because the branches break off fairly easily if bumped hard enough. So my plumeria is growing mostly sideways now! I guess it’s too close to the grill and so gets in the way. But it does make an interesting shape against my neighbor’s house, which on this side features a shuttered up bedroom window. I like its oddity!

This one started as a stalk which we planted in a large tub and is doing well. My brother bought it for me at a Farichild Tropical Garden Plumeria Festival when we were first working on the backyard. It’s a deep red and gives off a lovely smell. I wish I had bought a lighter shade of flower, however, as this one is so dark that it tends to blend in with the dark leaves. Oh well. It’s part of the family now.

The flowers are used in Hawaiian leis, I’ve heard. I’ll take pictures when it loses all its leaves later in the year. It really looks strange then!

Spindle Palm Really Needs a Name

I forgot to include photos of the two ornaments I’ve bestowed on my spindle palm. They just seem appropriate — as I said, this tree really has a character all its own. This ornament is from a trip I took to Turkey.

And this one is from Santa Fe, NM.

Not Just Flowers

The climate here also seems ripe for growing pineapples. A very drought-resistant fruit, the pineapples I’ve grown seem to take 2-3 years to bear fruit. And we have yet to have a plant bear a second pineapple. So far only one per plant.

Also, the ones we’ve grown —  we cut off the tops, let what’s left of the fruit part dry out, and plant them — never get very large. Certainly not grocery-store size. But they’re just as delicious. Here is one just peeking out. It’s hard to tell the size but it’s only about two inches wide!

It grows relatively quickly once it does emerge. But as it gets top heavy, we have to stake the fruit to keep the stalk from bending. We know from experience, as the first time we just left it alone and it ended up rotting.

Finally it’s ready to harvest. Makes a refreshing snack but only feeds about four people!

The Lily Continues to Bloom

Here are shots from Days 9 and 10. On Day 9, below, you can see that the flowers die but that there are new “buds” in the bloom.

 

Day 10 …

In Day 10 above, you can also that there are yet still more “buds” which will bloom later. The flower that keeps on blooming

Lily Day 7

This flower continues to blossom! It just gets bigger and bigger. And more beautiful. Unfortunately, as the new blossoms unfold from their casings, the older blossoms wither.

Time Lapse

I missed “Day 3” of my flower opening. And then didn’t post anything for a few days. But here is how it all unfolds … Days 2, 4 and 5.

“Garden,” you say?

Okay. So it’s not much of a “garden.” But there is a surprising amount of green space on the periphery, affording privacy (without totally blocking hte view) and beauty. Thank my brother, Dan, for this great design.

Oh. And see that plant in the background along the fence with the big spiky leaves? I think it’s a ground lily. I got this one courtesy of my neighbor, Hans. These are also self-propagating and easy to transplant. They’re also used heavily in municipal landscaping down here as they are very drought resistant.

But that’s besides the point … look what is popping out!

For the Love of Flora

 

I think my love for growing things must be genetic. My brother, Dan, is an avid horticulturalist, the most “learned” of my family. He lives in urban Philadelphia and is into native landscaping. Volunteers at the local botanic garden. Lectures at garden shows and other horticultural associations, whoever will listen. What’s more, he won an award for his backyard which he proudly displays! Very cool.

Me, though, I’m a neophyte. I buy new plants on a whim, plant them wherever I have room, and then cross my fingers to see how they do. Some have fared extremely well and I’ve had them for years and years and they still look beautiful. Others have fizzled out much too soon.  But even that has an upside — I get to go out and buy something new and different to try! 

So I’m learning. What I really love is discovering the many phases of growth some of these South Florida, “SoFlo,” plants and trees go through. During the height of the growing season (really it’s a year-long event down here in Miami), I wake up each morning and venture out to see what’s new with some of my favorite plants. It really is quite amazing and I never cease to delight in the changes they go through. I can’t wait to share those photos.

My dad was probably my biggest influence, however, and where I got the gardening bug. For me, it’s more about discovering the wonder and beauty of all things growing. I’m still struggling to conquer the “why” and “how” and “what” of gardening. I told you, I’m a neophyte.

My dad lived on the West Coast of Florida and loved planting and watching things grow. “Tinkering” or “fiddling” around the yard is really more what he did.  Things really grow like crazy in this climate and it’s awesome to watch. 

So when my dad died in 1996, rather than scattering his ashes in the ocean, I decided to honor his life by planting a tree over his ashes.  A coconut palm. I figured he’d like that.

 It’s grown now to over 40 feet, slightly bowed as coconut palms are wont to do. We get lots of coconuts but they’re much too high for us to gather. I let the local coconut hunters have them. They come by every once in a while in their beat up pickup truck, hauling a giant ladder and a thick, over-sized pillow. The one with the machete climbs the ladder. The one with the pillow waits to collect the fruit. Whack! Plumf. Plop. Whack. Plumf. Plumf. Plop. Can you imagine!

 Maybe I should have titled this “For the Love of George.”