Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day-September, 2014

Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day! As you can see, it was a rainy morning, here in the garden, but that's OK; it made for some nice little highlights in my morning pictures. This is the first GBBD I've done since two huge hurricanes threatened to barrel down on top of us back in the beginning of August. We were on the mainland at the time, so we were dependent upon the kindness of friends/neighbors/housesitters to get all of my plants moved out of harm's way while also minimizing their ability to become airborne. Luckily, we didn't get hit with much here-a brief period of intense wind and rain, but no real damage. When we got back home, all of my plants were still in their emergency locations, so not in their normal sun/water/shade locations, and it took me about another week to get them back where they belonged. Luckily, they all seem to have weathered the storm nicely and are looking lovely today.

  

My trusty, unidentified pink/lavender orchid is blooming on the back porch.

A few months ago, I found some loofah seeds at a local plant exchange and decided it would be fun to grow my own bath scrubbies. I've been looking at these flowers trying to figure out which were males and which were females and not really sure how I was going to tell...until I looked at this one today. It's a female! 

See how it looks like it's got a stem resembling a mini zucchini? That's how you know it's a female. The males just have regular skinny little stems. Now, I just need a male flower to open up so that pollination can happen.

Another unidentified pink orchid.

There's always a red ginger blooming somewhere in the yard! Supporting cast include red ti in front and variegated hau in the background.

There's NOT always night-blooming jasmine blooming, and even when there is, the flowers themselves get very little love. They're usually closed up by the time I get around to taking pictures, but they're actually quite sweet, even without their perfume.

This little guy is ALWAYS in bloom, and it has as many names as it does flowers. Cuphea hyssopifolia is like the Mad Libs of heathers: false heather, Mexican heather, Hawaiian heather,   (place where you live) heather

I am forever pulling these weeds out of my garden, but they have such teeny tiny little flowers that I figured I would just let them be today. 

HI CRAPE MYRTLE!

Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to be all up in your grill. Hi, crape myrtle!

This poor lavender (I believe it's Lavendula pinnata) is the straggliest thing ever, but it keeps trying, and the leaves have an interesting earthy-lemony sort of scent. 

The good news: I have some Puakenikeni flowers blooming today.

The bad news: My Oriental fruit fly population (Bactrocera dorsalis)... 

...

...also seems to be blooming.

That's what's going on in my yard today. What's blooming in your garden? Please visit our GBBD host, Carol, at May Dreams Gardens to share your blooms and/or admire others. Happy Gardening!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day-September, 2013

Well, helloooooo! Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day to everyone out there! At first glance, I didn't think I had much going on worth documenting today; I think the plants all feel like I do--they just want to come inside and lie on the cool tile floor. But, since they aren't allowed to, I figured I wouldn't either. I got myself out into the yard, and, wouldn't you know it, I found some real little gems.

If you visit me regularly, you know that this mystery orchid has been keeping me in blooms for months now. I wish I knew what it was so I could tell you; but, if you really want one, you could print out a picture and take it to your local Long's Drugs and ask them if they could special order you one from Hawaii. I'm sure it would be no problem.

Technically, this is my neighbor's red ginger, but it's in that weird little property-line space between our houses, so I'm claiming it for today. Normally, you just see one spike, like that little one poking up in the background, but for some reason, this one has decided to go nuts and unfurl the biggest cluster I've ever seen. 

My crape myrtle surprised me this year with quite a lot of blooms compared with previous years. Of course, the height of their show was in August, during all of the non-GBBD days, but that's OK. I know they were there, even if I don't have proof!  

My coleus (red leaves) managed to sneak a little purple stalk into the middle of the Blue Daze (Evolvus glomeratus) blooms next to it.

I pruned my bleeding heart (Clerodendrum thomsonae) at the beginning of August, and it's rewarding me with lots of blooms right now.

My Pink Quill (Tillandsia cyanea) hasn't bloomed for quite some time. I was beginning to wonder if I needed to repot it, but it appears that I don't! 

The same Pink Quill, just from the other side--I have this planted under an awning, so the other side gets the sun as it's passing by; this side is in the shade.

Another flower that I haven't seen in a while! The notes I have for this orchid say, "Bllra. Peggy Ruth Carpenter 'Jem'" I don't know what all that means, but there you go.

When we first moved to Hawaii, this Jewel of Thailand (Curcuma cordata) is one of the plants that I earmarked as a "someday" plant as I flipped through my Tropical Ornamentals book. (Actually, now that I'm looking at the book, Curcuma zedoaria is the one I earmarked, but...close enough!). I finally found one a few years ago, and, as highly-coveted as it was, it almost manages to sneak past me every year. Every time I've just about forgotten about it or assumed that it must be dead, it starts sending up little green shoots (around the beginning of June--who starts growing in June??). Then, about the time I've decided it's never going to bloom, this little gem appears as if out of nowhere. 

Well, this tiny volunteer passion flower is a viney intrusive mess, but it does have some nice little flowers and provided quite the photo op, really. Not only can you see the little green bulge that might turn into a tiny passion fruit, but if you look closely enough (click to enlarge), you can also see the teeny tiny red ants that are running around all over it. 

That's what my garden has managed to produce during this hot end-of-summer month. What's going on in your garden? Visit our GBBD host, Carol, at May Dreams Gardens to see what else is blooming or to share your September gems. 

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day-September, 2012

It's Garden Blogger's Bloom Day! That means we get to see what's blooming in everyone's garden! As always, Carol at May Dreams Gardens is our lovely host, so please stop by to see what else is blooming around the world. Here's what's going on in my world:

This mystery orchid is in flull-bloom right now along with three other stalks of the same variety. It's no wonder given the awesome job I did repotting them a while back. 

Ha! Apparently this is the key to successful orchids.

My golden shrimp plant, Pachystachys lutea, fondly referred to as Bob Fosse, is putting on a good show, jazz hands and all.

Mocha creeps around, doing a full inspection of the inner-workings of my blue plumbago every day. I'm still waiting for a full report of what, exactly, goes on in there.

Although I didn't buy it for its flowers, my coleus is putting them out anyway. I quite like the color, so bonus!

Believe it or not, there is a rose growing in this pot, but right now, the sweet alyssum are the ones in bloom.

This red ginger is about half-way open. I think I like this stage best.

Okay, not exactly a bloom, but I did notice something new emerging from this pot the other night as I walked by. 

I think I'll call him Flower, if I want to.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day-September 2011

Well, it appears that I have, officially, missed GBBD which is hosted on the 15th of every month over at May Dreams Gardens.  I am not going to let that stop me though!

As it turns out, one extra day was all that my rose needed to open up all the way, so I think it was meant to be.

"Mardi Gras (Jacfrain)"

This is not necessarily the best picture that I got of my plumeria, but it is the best picture that I got with Mocha lounging stealthily in the background.

My Ice Blue plumbago blooms all the time, and so the poor thing hardly ever gets a shout-out here, but these are the first blooms that it has put on since the severe pruning that it got last month, so I figured I would show them off here.

I still have one tiny patch of lobelia that is hanging in there.

My Hardy Ice Plant is shrugging off this hot end-of-summer weather we've been having without even breaking a sweat.

My snap dragons look like they're having to put forth a little more effort, but they still have a few blooms hanging on as well.

My recently-planted lavender is showing itself to be quite hardy so far.  It survived the transplant and subsequent heat wave/lack of rain/poor watering skills of its owner to come back with a whole new blush of flowers in the last few days.  I almost clipped all the stalks off after they bloomed, but I'm glad I didn't. As you can see on the middle flower, the new growth appears at the tips, on top of the spent blooms.

My golden shrimp plant, whom I have dubbed Bob Fosse (see last month's post and comments).  Jazz haaaands!

My red ginger has gone from one big bloom to several smaller ones. I am following its development for an upcoming Progression Obsession post. 

Of the 15 spider lilies that I have in my yard, this is the only one blooming right now.

My rosemary is blooming more than usual.

My orchid has taken a little time off, but it's getting ready to come back to work.

And, as always, my Blue Daze could be counted on to make an appearance, even if this was the ONLY bloom it had to show today.

As always, thanks to Carol for providing an excuse for all of us gardeners to get out into our gardens and show off our prized possessions companions. 

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day-September 2010

(Just a reminder that I am holding a drawing for free copies of Zan-Gah:  A Prehistoric Adventure and Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country.  If you are interested, please leave a comment on the original review post by today.)

I just got back home late Monday night after two-and-a-half weeks of vacation in France (with a side trip to Italy).  Luckily the jet lag had me up at 3:00 this morning, plenty early to get my GBBD post up!  I think I had fewer floral casualties than I did after my last trip in June, but I think my miniature roses are beyond resurrection.  :(  What's that?  Time to go flower shopping, you say?  OK, OK, if I must...

'til then, here's what's blooming in my yard.

My canna, bright and fiery this morning.

My bouganvillea, which, despite always looking a little parched, somehow manages to put on a pretty regular show.

Red ginger, a constant performer.

Shrimp plant

I bought it for its foliage, but my polka dot plant does put out some cute little flowers.

Spider lily, Crinum asiaticum

Unidentified orchid

To see what else is blooming today, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens, where she hosts the monthly Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.  Thanks, Carol!