I think I found it!

I believe I have found the name of the mystery plant from my last post! I'm happy cause I will try and locate some seeds! If anyone thinks I'm incorrect on this ID, please let me know! Never mind that it says zone 4, and I live in zone 10...but I have witnessed it living here, so I feel I, too, can grow it!!!








Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Arizona Sun' (Blanket Flower) • Zone 4
Firey orange-red petals tipped in rich yellow are produced continuously all summer.

Great For:

Dry conditions
Accent perennial or cut flower
Height: 8-14" Width: 15-18"

Blooms: Orange, Red, Yellow (Summer, Fall)

This thing is definately for me!!! Gorgeous!!!

Florida Spring Plant Smorgasbord Part 2

Look at this pretty little pink spine on my Ferocactus latispinus! Can I assume it is a spring thing??? LOL. Don't forget, I am on the hunt for spring-like action here in tropical south Florida, which is hard to find!!!

Now, this is definately a sign of spring...my Silver Squill is blooming! It is in one of my succulent tires, along with the top photo of Ferocactus latispinus.

How about this new spring growth on the banana tree across the street! Isn't it a lovely color? Is it a stalk of bananas or a new shoot of leaves?

This beautiful, frilly yellow hibiscus grows in the neighborhood!

Here is the orange blooming small plant that I was gonna ask about. Anyone know what it is??? It seems to like growing in our area, so I want some, seeing as how it is my fav color and all...(orange)...

My cousin has this lovely pot of pink and red geraniums...they are so purdy together, don't you think???

My neighbor, Terri has these new red amaryllis blooms that have popped up!!! Gorgeous!

It has worked out well for me to keep my camera with me at all times...wow...such spring action going on here!!!!! LOL! See ya later...Julie

Florida Spring Plant Smorgasbord!

OK, I have to admit...I am a bit jealous of all of the spring flowers everyone is posting right now...so I decided to carry my camera with me today and take pictures wherever I went. As you might guess, living in a tropical area...not much changes season to season...it is just tropical all the time. I JUST HAD TO find some beautiful blooms to show. I want to be part of the group having fun with their photos of spring flowers!!! I hope you all will love what I found today so far...
First...a hibiscus with red center and yellow petals! Lovely!

Then a really gorgeous white orchid bloom that was found up in an oak tree!!!

A purple Tibouchina bloom on a large bush in my Moms front yard!

Then some reddish pink color hibiscus that we call "Daddy". Long story.

Check out this little teeny hisicsus that hangs upside down, and is only about 1 inch across! It is adorable and so sweety-sweet!

Here are some Amaryllis about to open up!

And some ultra spring-like Aloe blooms!!!

Hope you enjoyed my morning photos...and stay tuned for some really beautiful orange colored blooms on some small plants down the road. I have no idea what they are, so will need help to ID them! Will plan to post them tomorrow! Have a wonderful spring Tuesday!
Julie

A Cactus Monday with Daily Value!

OK...here's the deal...my daughter and I drove approx. 20 miles the other day to the one and only paper arts/scrapbooking store in our county...and it is a lovely store, I'll tell ya...but...I just can't bring myself to buy any pre-made stuff, and I am not into stamping. I feel I must use junk and recycle, and draw, paint, etc. my own stuff...which can be really crappy, I know...in the end...but what can I do if this is the way I am wired?

I came home, and just decided I HAD to cut up a coke can...with the intention of using it (with a rolled edge) for the back of an ATC...but I soon found out it was too soft for this....sadly...Anyhoo...I DID cut out the DAILY VALUE chart and used it in this doodle, while siting down trying to relax after a semi-crazy day...and this is what came out of it. Some people actually get value out of using cactus for medicinal purposes, and I think this tall planty-looking thing on the right side of page looks sort of cactusy...but maybe more like some sort of Euphorbia (which is actually a succulent). Once again I am selling out to the succulents (in general), rather than the cactus...(sorry CM group)...


I drew it on page 2 of the Christmas journal I made. I am ignoring the fact that it is themed for the wrong time of year, and just proceeding ahead with whatever...because who the heck actually gives a flying flip what I do? I know I don't!!! :)

What a day!!!

The day here was spectacular! These kids are all worn out and have finally fallen fast asleep! My DIL and I took them to a pioneer day thingy with all sorts of steam engines doing all sorts of work. Of course, we got ice cream made by one of them! There was a petting zoo, and we had to walk a long trail into a really wonderful natural area to get to the spot where all the action was. Donovan saw a sawmill cut logs and move the sawdust out to a big pile, and boy, was he was enthralled! After we got home to my house, they played in a splash pool and ran around in the yard, played with chalk, etc...and then my son came over and we had BBQ chicken that he grilled for us. Have you ever tried Pierogies? Little mashed potato filled pasta pockets??? They are really fun, and very good. We had some of those with our chicken and brocolli. What a fun day! Lawsy!!!

Beautiful day in the neighborhood!

The temp is around 68-70 today with a light breeze and sunny to boot! Just gorgeous!
Here are some little Jasmine buds...


Opening to flowers! Mine are all along the chain link fence on one side of the yard.

My pretty strawberry pot full of hese Kalenchoe called out to me to take their picture. This is one group in one of the holes of the pot. Just gorgeous! Such sweet colors are on these most perfect succulents on the planet!


On the other side of the yard, a small Periwinkle in bloom...so innocent and cute. Yes...I said cute...I find them to be adorable. I like to hand cut individual stems to make them bushy, yet always keeping blooms.

I will be spending the day with the grands! YEAH! Hope you all have a wonderful Saturday!
Today I am grateful that my grandchildren live here, and not on the other side of the world. I missed 3 years of their lives, and now, they are all mine!!! :)

Can you guess what these are???

Answer below!









Sorry...I really couln't resist taking pictures since my yard looks like a blooming meadow right now! These are all weeds!!! I don't want my husband to mow just so I can keep my weedy meadows! Have I lost my marbles?????

Wild red things!

While walking through my yard this morning, I came upon some passion vine (red)... I believe it may be Passiflora Coccinea, and thought the rows of buds were so pretty growing atop all the jasmine bushes along the fence.

They are starting to bloom the past few weeks! They will bloom continuously from spring through fall here. It was kinda boring while they took a little break.

I had thrown an old 2 year old (or longer) Christmas Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) in my hibiscus bushes, and a few days ago, all of a sudden I noticed red leaves popping out...and sure enough, the leaves had just started to change to red (kinda late)...so I fluffed them up a bit nd got my red leaves poking outward so I would see them as I leave the house each time.

I discovered several Wild or Summer Poinsettia in my backyard growing all wild-like with a few friends today! I love the look of them. There are Euphorbia heterophylla.

Have a wild Thursday!

Surinam cherries and I found a Gloriosa!!!!!

These cherry bushes are making their fruit right now! Their only redeeming quality is their short-lived beauty...they are extremely messy and taste like crap! Aren't they beautiful though...with the hanging red globes and pretty little white flowers?


Update on Gloriosas returning...I found a group of them today! Can't find any more though...but they will return! No flowers yet, but they will grow real long...about 4 ft. long before you see any blooming action. Can't wait!!!

Oh Happy Day!!!

How's this for a dinner idea? Fresh collards from the garden with onions, and a big ol chuck roast in the crock pot!!! I seared it first in the cast iron skillet. Hope it will be REALLY GOOD!!! Update to follow. Then I thought I would show you a few pics after a rain over at the college garden again.

The prickly pear bloom on this spiness wonder is just such a gorgeous color, isn't it???

Anyone know what that green agave-looking plant is with the stripe on each leaf? I love the look of it, and they have a good number of them there.

Last is a huge mound of stapeliad (not blooming yet...but has those dinner plate sized blooms that look like starfish and all hairy... when it does bloom...I will be on the lookout, for sure). This looks like it is a whole field full doesn't it...from this angle. Some of the tips are a red color, which is actually what I was trying to show here, but they have more of a brownish hue in the photo.

Hope your day is a happy one too!!!

My tillandsia garden late on Cactus Monday!

In lieu of a cactus, I am posting a new purchase I just made at an incredible nursery this morning. It is a tillandsia or air plant, which is a type of bromeliad. These are the epitome of easy to care for plants...just a mist of water every month. Mine gets an occasional splash of water when rain gets through my screen in the back room. I had lost 2 of my plants about a year ago, and have just replaced them. I love the look of all of them in this shallow garden.

This is one of my new ones! It looks like the bloom will be my fav color, ORANGE. I have no idea the type tillandsia it is, but I will try and research it out. The plant is a darker green, and very weird, like an octopus, or squid. It is unique, for sure. I am surprised by the price of these things, but my two new plants cost me 10 dollars and change. Does that seem high, or low to you??? You can guss what I thought since I am such a cheapo. :)

Well, have a happy rest of what's left of Cactus Monday!

Altered art book started by grandson, and Emilys art

I picked up my grands today at 1pm and we have played all day, of course! Donovan got to painting his altered art book...just the start of the front cover. It will be a collaborative effort on both our parts, which will be really fun!

He loves to cut and paste! Pay no attention to all that art crap piled on the shelves and table behind...there seems to be no good way to organize it until I can aquire some containers, etc!

Meanwhile Miss Emily is drawing with her pencils...under the close, watchful eye of Grandma Julie.

Check out the exacting details of this drawing!!!

The nappers, and pink Florida skies!

Here is what the sky looked like in the early morning out my east facing screenroom. We are about two miles form the Atlantic Ocean, and I could only imagine how pretty it would have been to see it on the beach. I used to go to a few sunrise services on the beach...in my younger years...I wonder if they still have them. Would be so beautiful anbd awe inspiring!


My daughter took this pic of me sleeping on the couch, with the animals perched on top of me. Who do they think I am, Snow White??? LOL. They never get together for any reason, unless someone is laying down on a couch...then...there they are...miraculously getting along for that big happy occasion! Ha! Crazy animals!!! They are so darn cute though!

Happy Saturday everyone!

Prickly pear calling me awake!

I woke up this morning at 4:30am to the sound of the cat crying to come inside, and to the vision of some toast with butter and some Prickly Pear jelly! My Mom and I both tried Claudes PP jelly he had sent, along with a cup of tea yesterday. First, the color is a gorgeous clear color of red...just beautiful. The taste is mild and sweet...of course I just love a huge blob of it on butter!!! I am so bad! This pic below is my 4:30am peice of toast...with a Diet Coke! What is wrong with this picture??? LOLOL. Anyway...my big problem now is that I am already running out of this lushious jelly. Now what do I do??? :) If you missed the pics of all the goodies Claude sent my way, please scroll back two posts and check it out!!!

After Mom and I ate our toast, jelly and tea, we went outside and decided to try and saute/fry up some prickly pear pad. I took about a 7 inch long pad off my plant out front, washed it, and put a little olive oil in the skillet. I cut the pad shortways to look about the size of green beans. As soon as the heat hit it, it became slimy like okra would, so we threw some corn meal on it, and salt and pepper. We didn't want to mask the flavor too much. It had a tartness to it, and we decided it might be OK if we did a full batter on it with egg wash, and seasoned corn meal and then a real frying to crispy stage. It was a fun experiment. I think it would be good to throw some chopped pads in a stew or soup. They are supposed to be very good for you, so I may just keep this in mind when I make these things!

After all this, we went over to the college where the huge spineless cactus lives, and we got a few leaves off the bottom and brought them home to plant. This is supposed to regulate (lower) blood sugars in diabetics. I believe it would also help with lowering high blood pressure and in weight loss too. My Mom is planning to add fresh pad into her green shakes each morning for health. She already adds fresh aloe from her yard. She is a health nut...unlike her daughter (me...LOL)!!!

Have a wonderful day everybody!