Hardy Mallow Hibiscus, and a neat art wreath

Well, hello again! It has been a busy week...school started today for the grand kids, and daughter-in-law at her brand spankin new office job which she is loving! Yeah! Back to the sort of normal yearly grind around here.

When hubby and I drove to Lakeland last weekend, we came upon these giant, sort of Hibiscus-looking flowers...only thing was they had a different kind of look to them, they are huge (the size of my hand) and they have a different purple leaf.....so they are a big mystery to me...but I will tell you with all sincerity, that I WANT SOME OF THESE!!! I love the dark leaves...and these appeared so healthy, I was inspired that, I too, could make these flowers grow in my own yard!

Mystery solved: These are called Hardy Mallow Hibiscus, as best I can tell, and are only hardy in zones 3-9. That is why I do not see these super giants down here in zone 10! Sadly, they will not be for me...:(



When touring my grandsons new school, we found this wreath on the art room door!!! I just instantly loved it, and thought quite a few of you might as well. His new school is open, airy and very homelike. I really love it. His school (my old alma mater) is being torn down and a new one built to replace it, so for 2 years they will be in this other location. The whole building is under air, so not much walking outside except for P.E. and band room. NICE, specially in this horrid heat!

Salad for breakfast and what the heck is this plant???

I went over to water the vegie garden, (as small as it is, currently), and could not resist cutting some lettuce leaves for breakfast!!! LOL. Sometimes I feel crazy like this!!! Anyway...here they are straight out of the garden, all washed and ready.

Here is my breakfast salad, minus dressing. I cut up leaves, added some hot cheese, one of my smaller heirloom tomatoes, and some cut up and sauteed and flash fried eggplant, which I also cut out this morning. Later I added ranch dressing and it was so good. I think my body is thanking me for giving it such a nutritious breakfast!!! :)

My neighbor has these red plants in her garden and gave me a few to plant because she had cleared them all out and they keep growing back!!! She gave me 5 and I have searched the internet to see what they are. I tell ya...I am filling my front area with these babies...I need this...drought tolerant and the stems and leaves are a lovely shade of dark RED with these cute little puff balls!!! Oh...and do you think these are the seeds??? I am so happy! I want to go back and ask her for a few cuttings as well and try rooting them in water...if it works...I am in for a beautiful front area!!!!!
Thanks in advance if anyone knows what it is!!!
xoxo. Have a happy Thursday!
Julie

Surprise in the garden!

In one of the areas where there are Gloriosa Lilies growing, this magnificent creature climbed it's way out through a mass of ferns and gloriosas...growing taller and taller, with beautiful slender tendrelling leaves everywhere! It looks like a firework explosion to me! Gorgeous! But...what is it??? The leaves are thinner and more abundant than the Gloriosa, and the Gloriosa stem is green...this has an almost black stem! Anyone have any ideas????? Whatever it is, I LOVE IT!!!!!

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

What is it?

Clues:
It has small white flowers when it blooms.
It likes water, and grows overnight when it has some!!!
I'm beginning to seriously doubt it is a succulent.
The leaves are thick and waxy feeling, but not overly.
I stuck 3 leaves in the soil and they are producing side growth after 2 weeks!
Check out those scalloped leaf edges!

I LOVE this plant. It is a serious love. When I wake up in the morning it has had obvious growth overnight and it amazes me every morning! WOW! I cannot wait to take more cuttings and get a massive plant out of it, and when it blooms it is a showstopper! So delicate and sweet. I'm just waiting!

Good Wednesday night everyone. Work was rough and continuous all day again...no lunch on M-T- or W until 3:30 every day. Too much going on....but it won't last forever. When I got home, my hubby and daughter and I went over to a Jewish Deli for dinner...it was great, and I even had a bowl of matzo ball soup! Here is a pic of directly east out my back screenroom, where you can see the solid afternoon rains today...if you go this direction for 2 miles you would be swimming in the Atlantic Ocean! Never mind the telescope out in the rain...it has never worked...I found it, so it just sits out there all the time until I pitch it, but I kinda like looking at it...I think it reminds me of my Dad, who is no longer with us, but he was a dreamer and astronomer!!!

Thanks to Lovely Plantings , I found out the best watering schedule for my big beautiful Bronze Tea Cup hybrid aeonium!!! Doesn't it look splendid! It has a bit of rain on it from todays showers coming into the screenroom, but it needed more water, and now it is so happy and perky! It's leaves at times would get very droopy, and it seems to need more water than all my other succulents. These guys are from the Canary Islands, where it must either rain more, or maybe they are closer to sea level to where the roots stay wetter. I don't really know...just making dumb guesses! Hee hee. Anyway, I appreciated the advise she gave me, and so does Miss Bronzy!!! She is such a showoff, isn't she??? I try not to love things just for their out and out beauty, but in her case, how can I help it!!! LOL

Update on these darn (and believe me, I want to say a DIFFERENT word...LOL...Kitten Ears:
These things can come and go faster than cakes in my house!!! They look like shi-, and then start fresh again, and round and round they go...almost to being such a freakin pain I nearly want to throw them in a trash pile...but yet I can't. They are cute when they want to be. My Kitten Ears after about 1 year:

OK...here is something major! I have been waiting for these things to get big enough to take a photo of for longer than a year. I believe I have finally gotten a close enough and sharp enough pic to possibly have someone be able to I.D. them for me! I believe they are either a Haworthia or a Gasteria. If anyone knows...please feel free to let me know. It has been a mystery all this time...I do not find anything like this in either category of my succulent books. Thanks in advance!!!

And that's all folks, for today! Talk to you again soon!
Julie

Huernia schneideriana!!!

OK...Here she is! It is a very small flower, has a sort-of starfish shape, but not really! Very unassuming, and a little disappointing to me, really. But good things come in small packages, right??? LOL. I GUESS I can appreciate her beauty!!! I will try to chipper up now, and put on my happy face! Have a lovely Sunday everybody!