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3 4 Pots

| Flower Roberts

I have three plants that I do not intentionally let out of their pots.

All three have a reputation for going rogue if let loose.

I LOVE all three or I would never chance a release of a new “Kudzu” into my gardens.

I have not had the least bit of trouble with this first one,

Bleeding Heart vine/ Clerodendrum speciosum, thomsonia. 

I have taken cuttings and produced new plants, but it has never escaped on its own.

The second one is also a vine.

Love-in-a- Puff/ Cardiospermum halicacabum  produces puffy pods which contain round black seeds with a white heart on each.

After three years of having this plant, I have only found two escapees near to where the mama plant was the previous summer.

The last one however, Jewels of Opar/Talinum paniculatum has escaped many times.

I always dig up the seedlings and transplant them into pots.

This plant has a long root that may prove impossible to remove.

The beauty of its blooms and pods is what I find irresistible.

The “limon” leaves are edible, but I have yet to eat one.

(My husband has still not forgiven me for bringing some Crownvetch on the property nearly thirty years ago. We are still finding it.)

So these three are for pots, but worth the risk.

ROGUE FLOWER

 

My Five Ears

| Flower Roberts

I have five different Elephant Ears.

I lost my favorite this winter, but found a replacement at the Tropical Nursery in North Myrtle Beach. https://floweralley.org/2018/07/02/an-oasis-at-the-beach/

I got my first big green one decades ago ‘Caladium Esculentum.’ (name on tag?)

I love how these hold water and tip over when they get full.

Then I added some black ears. These get bigger with more water.

Next came my favorite Colocasia, ‘Mojito.’

Then the Coffee Cups.

I loved these until the caterpillars rained down poop into the cups. https://floweralley.org/2017/08/19/coffee-cups-caterpillar-crapper/

Now I have a new one, ‘Frydek’/ Alocasia micholitzana.

This one looks nothing like the label, so I do not trust this name. The leaf shape is the same, but the coloration is different.  This may be due to a difference in the amount of sunlight.

Five different ears with similar shape and different coloration.

I hope you appreciate my cutting my ears off for you.

FLOW van Gogh

 

The Third ‘Top Three’

| Flower Roberts

So far I have shared two of my ‘Top Three’ plants.

Here is number three, blooming while all others are wilting.

It is named Eucomis/ Pineapple lily.

I used to dig them up and haul them in for the winter.

I left this bunch out this year.

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They look the happiest they have ever been.

I will still dig up a few to keep “in stock” just in case there is a really, cold wet winter.

The blooms are tiny flowers in rows along a central column.

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Florets open from the bottom first. Each array of blooms if topped by a tuft of leaflets.

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The effect as a whole makes the blooms resemble tall, skinny pineapples.

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Easy care, late bloomer.

No wonder it is one of my ‘Top Three’.

I do have a smaller type of Eucomis  in pots, named  ‘Aloha’, which is not blooming yet.

FLOWER

 

Heron Yoga

| Flower Roberts

We took at trip upriver last evening.

There is always a lot of wildlife to photograph.

One of the most unusual sights was this heron sunning.

I have never seen a heron in this position.

It was definitely airing out its wings.

It seemed to be meditating.

We watched it for quite a while.

It did do some feather preening, but mostly just stood in this position.

Wonder what its mantra is?

Fish. Fish. Fish.

FLOATER

 

The Last Lilies

| Flower Roberts

Most of the Asiatics have long finished their show.

The daylilies are slowing down.

Crimson Shadows daylily

The Stargazers are turning brown.

But it is not over yet!

The blackberry lilies are going strong.

I started out with a spotted orange type.

Then added a spotted magenta

and a yellow non-spotted candy lily.

These are all Belamcandas.

Other names are blackberry lilies, or leopard flowers.

The name leopard refers to the spots on the petals.

The name blackberry refers to the seed pods which open to expose clusters of black seeds that resemble blackberries.

One of the fascinating things about these is they cross pollinate to produce hybrids.

My two favorites this years are this water-marked form

and this red-orange mix.

I love surprises!  I never know what will show up until the flowers open.

I appreciate any flower that keeps going in this heat.

While the FLOWER wilts, the blackberry lilies bloom.

FLOW

Here She Is

| Flower Roberts

How can I withhold food from a nursing mother?

She was so hungry she came back to snack on the bank at 5:30 in the evening.

This mama is ravenous.  Maybe she has twins?

I could see her milk bag as she climbed the bank.

At least she stopped and posed for me before running into the woods.

I guess I’ll just clean house and read the rest of the summer.

FLOWERLESS

 

Hang On!

| Flower Roberts

I try not to share sadness. There is too much in this world all ready.

This is a sad date for my family.

A past tragedy has cluttered my thoughts all day.

Then I saw this.

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If you are sad.  Hang on!

If you are sick.  Hang on!

Reaching out with faith.

Held up by a splinter and a tiny tendril.

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My vines are teaching me life lessons again.

Bless them.

FLOWER

 

Lovin’ some Lucifer

| Flower Roberts

This crazy bloomer is another “top three” for me.

Montbretia is a perennial bulb.  The genus is Crocosmia. 

There are also yellow and orange forms, but Lucifer is the superstar.

It is deer resistant and rodent resistant.

It likes full to partial sun.  No special water or fertilizer treatment is required.

Support is needed as the hundreds of blooms develop on each stem.

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The structure of the whole plant forms a lovely three to four foot fan.

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Each stem has alternate arms which hold an array.

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It’s easy to miss the beauty of each bright red flower, because of the number of blooms.

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Even the buds are works of art.

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Easy care plant, deer resistant and beautiful.

Win:Win:WIN!

FLOWER