Day 53

Salvia Leucantha

"Mexican Bush Sage" or "Wooly Sage"

This is not the salvia you see in the news that is sometimes cultivated for it's psychedelic effects.  This variety is native to forests in central and eastern Mexico and is grown as an ornamental in gardens found in warm climates.

Day 52

Bombax Ceiba

Cotton Tree

This tree is widely planted in Malay, Indonesia, South China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.  The dry core of the red flower is an essential ingredient of the nam ngiao spicy noodle soup from the Shan State of Northern Thailand as well as kaeng khae curry.  During the peal of it's flowering season in Hong Kong it is said the you will find elderly people picking the flowers off the ground to dry and make tea from.  This specimen is found on the grounds of The Ringling in Sarasota Florida.

Day 51

Exothea Paniculata

Inkwood Tree

Woohoo, back to my yard today.

The hard, heavy, durable, red wood of the inkwood tree has been used for piles and boats because of its resistance to shipworm, a tiny saltwater clam that is notorious for boring into, and eventually destroying, wooden structures that are immersed in sea water. Inkwood bark and berries can be used to make a homemade ink-like substance.  It is native to the hammocks of South Florida, the West Indies and Central America.  The fragrant flowers bloom from January to April.  Everyone that walks up our driveway enters the house with a head full of these sweet little flowers.

Day 50

Bride's Dream

Hybrid Tea Rose

Elegant pastel pink buds on long, low-thorned stems would make a dreamy bouquet for any bride.  It is a hybrid tea rose and has a lovely mild fragrance.  

Today, pink roses enjoy their own unique position representing elegance and refinement, as well as communicating thanks and admiration. The recipient of an arrangement of pink roses is sure to feel appreciated and special.

Day 49

Peggy Martin Pink Rose

This rose was one of only two plants surviving 20 feet of salt water over the garden of Mrs. Peggy Martin, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, after the destruction of Hurricane Katrina in late August, 2005. Peggy lost her home, her parents, her rose garden of more than 450 antique roses she had collected for 30 years, as well as their commercial fishing boat to the storm!  Sounds like a rose I may be able to keep alive.

Day 48

Home Run Rose

Red Roses for Love and Romance

Traditionally, red roses are symbolic of love and romance and is the universal way to say "I Love You" to someone special. Across all cultures and geographic locations, red roses symbolize true love. Historically speaking; however, red roses are a political symbol for the socialist party in Britain, Ireland, France and Spain,  and religious significance in Christianity and Islam as well.

This is a hearty garden variety that encircles the center of Mable's Rose Garden.

Day 47

Hybrid Tea Pale Yellow Rose

Yellow roses represent warmth, happiness, gladness as well as affection. It may also be used to represent joy, wisdom, friendship, caring and power. However during Victorian times these flowers were used as a symbol for jealousy.

Day 46

Pat Austin English Rose Shrub

If you Google Pat Austin, images of this glorious orange rose pop up everywhere.  These roses are fragrant and huge!

The meaning of an orange rose?

Desire, Enthusiasm, Pride

Just as the red rose means passion and the yellow rose means friendship, orange roses often mean a cross-over between these two emotions. Orange roses are vibrant, cheerful and express fascination when you give them to someone. Who wouldn’t be fascinated with these alluring, fiery blooms? They come in all the colors of a romantic and enthralling sunset. Whether it’s the brilliant orange of Lambredo, the vermillion orange of the long-stemmed Fire King or the pale apricot of Pareo, orange roses are sure to please anyone who captivates you.

Day 45

Crocus Rose, David Austin, English Musk

Snow Goose

White Roses mean unity, sincerity, loyalty, purity, and a love stronger than death. 

A single white rose is said to symbolize the love and innocence of a longstanding love. Used as a gesture of strong emotion and devotion, the tradition of sending one single white rose is practiced by lovers, people who share great esteem and love for one another, and others who want to declare a message of love and hope.

Day 44

Hybrid Tea

Pink Primrose

As a symbol of grace and elegance, the pink rose is often given as an expression of admiration. Pink roses can also convey appreciation as well as joyfulness. Pink rose bouquets often impart a gentler meaning than their red counterparts.

Day 43

Grandiflora

Sunshine Daydream

Mable Ringling's Rose Garden was established in 1913.  It is Italian inspired and it's circular design is patterned after a wagon wheel.  The pathways of the garden are lined with sculptures of courting couples and pastoral scenes.  None of the original roses survived when the estate fell into disrepair in the late 30's early 40's, but the restoration was careful to include many of the 1200 varieties of roses that Mabel herself had planted.  This image is of the Sunshine Daydream variety that is the only rose selected to win the 2012 All American Rose Selection.  This is one of the few roses in the garden that has no scent, but it's beauty prevails.

Day 42

Gardenia

Sigmund Freud's favorite flower.  The evergreen gardenia shrub and small tree are native to regions of Africa, southern Asia, Australasia and Oceania.  It was named for Dr. Alexander Garden, a Scottish born American naturalist.  They bloom from mid-spring to mid-summer and are very fragrant. 

Day 41

Lantana Camara

Common Lantana or White Sage

Lantana is native to tropical regions of America, Mexico, Caribbean, Venezuela and Colombia.  It is very popular in butterfly gardens.  It is known to cause illness in grazing animals because of it's toxicity.    It is listed as a category one invasive toxic species in Florida.  I usually see this plant with clusters of red and orange flowers.  Below is the white variety. Lantana camara blanca.

Day 40

Poinsettia

Christmas Star

I know it's Valentine's Day, but you're getting the Christmas flower.  At least it's super bright red!

Native to Mexico and Central America, the Poinsettia was introduced to the United States in 1825 by Joel Roberts Poinsett.  He was the first United States Minister to Mexico.  The poinsettia enjoys huge popularity due to it's religious association.  The pattern of the blossom represents the Star of Bethlehem. It's crimson color depicts the blood of Christ through his crucifixion.  It has been a part of Christmas celebrations since the 17th century.  Feliz Navidad!

Day 39

Bromeliaceae

Bromeliad Family

There are over 3000 different species of this flowering plant that are mostly native to the tropical regions of the Americas.  Most bromeliads are ornamental as they are a low maintenance hearty plant.  However, there is one species that is harvested for food.  It's the pineapple.  You can cut the top off of a pineapple and plant it to grow your own.  We did that once.  It took a few years for it to produce on sweet, tiny little pineapple.  Below are images of flowering bromeliads.

Day 38

Senna Mexicana var. Chapmanil

Bahama Senna

Native to South Florida, Bahamas and Cuba, the Bahama Senna blooms year round.  It can grow to 6 ft tall and is a excellent host plant for butterfly gardens attracting orange-barred sulphur, sleepy orange sulphur and cloudless sulphur butterflies.

Day 37

Galphimia Glauca

Shower of Gold

It's a common ingredient in homeopathic remedies for asthma and allergies, especially hay fever.  The extract from this plant has been used in traditional Mexican medicine to treat mental disorders such as anxiety.  This is an evergreen shrub that grows to roughly 6 ft tall.  It is native to tropical regions of Mexico, Central America and Guatemala.  

Day 36

Euphorbia Milii

Crown of Thorns, Christ Plant, Christ Thorn

Native to Madagascar, it is said to have been introduced to the Middle East in ancient times.  Legend has is associated with the crown of thorns that Christ wore.  It's sap is poisonous.

Day 35

Desmodium Nudiflorum

Naked-flowered Tick-trefoil

Considered a weed in some places, this plant is actually used frequently in agriculture because of it's ability to stave off many insects.  It contains high levels of antixenotic allomones that repel insects and also allelopathic compounds that kill weeds.  Some species of desmodium have been used for medicinal purposes as they contain flavonoids which can protect the liver.

Day 34

Arachis Glabrata

Ornamental Peanut

Hardy low-maintainance ground cover that is drought tolerant.  It is slow growing.  Because it's part of the peanut family it creates it's own nitrogen.  Therefore, there is no need for nitrogen fertilizers.  This perennial blooms from spring until the first frost, which in Florida means year round.  The flowers are the size of my pinky fingernail.  So tiny!

Day 33

Malus Ioensis

Prairie Fire Crabapple Tree

The fruit from this tree is generally very sour and not often eaten raw.  The wood from this tree gives off a pleasant smell and is often used in cooking and smoking different food as it burns hot and slow.

Day 32

Tradescantia Pallida

Purple Heart, Purple Queen or Wandering Jew

This plant is native to the New World, found from Southern Canada to Northern Argentina.  It is considered invasive in parts of the southern United States and Australia.  When I work with this plant it definitely irritates my skin leaving it itchy with red splotches.  It goes away by the next day.  This plant serves as a great houseplant as it is known to do an exceptional job improving indoor air quality filtering out pollutants that cause respiratory problems.

Day 31

Opuntia Cochenillifera

This is my kind of cactus.  No thorns.  It bears fruit commonly known as Prickly Pear, however, the fruit from this thornless variety is bland compared to it's spiky cousins.  The paddles of this cactus are where it's at for your culinary delight.  They are loaded with potassium, magnesium, calcium, manganese, copper, zinc and iron, as well as thiamine, lutein, niacin, riboflavin and beta-carotene. You can break off a paddle and crunch on it raw, add it to your salad, or even dip them in batter and fry them.  They grow super fast, are drought tolerant and can still survive our rainy season somehow.