On My Walk This Morning 4i

"Martina" Orchids - pale lilac with white and wine colors.

"Daphne Orchids" - white with purple throats.  These were among the

first to start blooming this year, and they have now been blooming for more 

than two months.

"Funny Face Orchids" - deep purple with lavender and white spots.  It has

many more buds, so I shall watch with interest as they all open.

Lemon Chiffon Orchid" is a beautiful yellow with purple throat.  There are

two plants on this tree and three stems, so there are lots more blossoms to open up.

"Maid of Orleans Orchid" keeps opening more blossoms; it may be the

largest collection of flowers on my route.

This is the second stem of "Maid of Orleans."

The two stems growing on the tree.

"Lilac Cloud Orchid" has many buds very close together, so it has a different

appearance from other orchids.  I am interested in seeing what it will look like

when all those buds open.

"Cranberry Katy" is a beautiful orchid on a long stem.  There are three

more blossoms facing the other direction.

"Butterscotch Orchid" is one of the many yellow orchids in the area.  This one

is deeper and with more orange in it; the throat is a deep wine color.

"White Mini-Phalaenopsis."  This year there are a number of mini-orchids

in various colors.  We did not have them in the past.  I have seen them in stores,

and these must be gifts people received and then put outdoors for the next year.

"Dark Blue Lobelia" is an interesting low growing, ground cover plant.

The "Succulent Garden" is growing nicely, and the man seems to be adding

more plants.

Alcantara, Pineapple, Sedum, and Pencil Plant

"Dark Purple Ground Orchids" with wide blade leaves make a very nice

contrast to other plants in the succulent garden.

On the wall behind the Succulent Garden, there is a single, dramatic

"Dusty Rose Orchid."

The "Dusty Rose Orchid" seems to be growing out of a straw hat.

"Aztec Gold Hibiscus"  This bush is just a few feet from the Succulent Garden.

It suffers brutal trimming frequently, but it always comes back loaded with bright

yellow blossoms.

"Art Deco Fish" is one of about 40 such statues, each painted differently

and placed all around Pompano Beach.  Local artists decorated them.

"A Touch of Blush Orchid" was new on this tree this year.  It seems to be loaded

with buds, so I am expecting many flowers.  It has beautiful firm petals and

delicate colors.

"Purple Passion Orchid" has the deepest and richest red-purple color.

They are just to the side of the "Touch of Blush" and make a great contrast.

One condo got ahold of a new variety of impatiens, the "Splash" or "Sonic."

I first saw them in Montreal.  Instead of all the flowers being a solid color, they

look tie-dyed or as if the color were splashed on.  These are the "Pink Splash Impatiens."

They change from day to day.

"Purple Splash Impatiens" or "Purple Sonic Busy Lizzies."

"Magenta Splash Impatiens."  The Impatiens beds are all along the front of this

condo building and really make it look very colorful and tropical.

A White Orchid photographed against the sun, rather than the sun behind my back.

I like the unusual effects you can get, and the transparent look to the petals of

the orchid.

"Die Lorelei Orchids" look as if they are singing their taunting songs to sailors

on the Rhine River below.

"Lady Rosemary Orchid" is a bold, unusual, deep wine color.

"Whispers of Love Orchids"

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On My Walk This Morning 4h

 

"Dark Knight" Phalaenopsis Orchid.  This is one of about a dozen orchids at

the entrance to this condo.  It has three blossoms facing this direction and

three more facing in the opposite direction.

"Mardi Gras" Ground Orchid 

This building has a number of ground orchids in different colors

 around the bases of trees.  These orchids grow in soil rather than

absorbing moisture from the air.

"Cranberry Katy" Orchids is the type of orchid growing on a flexible stem

with many buds on smaller stems.  Every day there are more flowers.

"Maid of Orleans" Phalaenopsis Orchid

This orchid has been blooming for more than two months now, and it keeps

adding more flowers.  It is close to the door, where everyone can admire it.

"Voodoo Alcantara" is one of a number of Alcantaras which are all

dramatic showpieces in a garden.

"Velvet Purple" Orchids surrounded by greenery of several types.

This orchid looks and feels like thick, rich velvet.

"Gaillardia / Indian Blanket"

The plants keep reseeding themselves from year to year, so you have flowers

for many years.

"Pinwheel Jasmine"      Lovely aroma.  The Jasmine bushes flower prolifically,

then drop the flowers, then a few weeks later they put out another covering

of flowers.  This goes on all year long, and they have a beautiful aroma.

"Lemon Chiffon"  Orchids with Wine Throat.  This one plant has three stems

growing from it, so each day I come by, there are more flowers blooming.

And there are more to come.

"Simba"  White African Iris.  These are small flowers, but this year they seem

to be particularly prolific.  There are beautiful beds of Blue Iris and Yellow Iris

as well as these white ones.

Succulent Garden with Agave, Blue Daze, and Bougainvillea.

"Dark Blue Lobelia" - lovely ground cover.  I used to plant this in my gardens

because the colors are so intense and the flowers become so dense.  It comes

in several shades of blue and white.

"Orange Bougainvillea"  Bougainvillea comes in every color and

mixtures of colors.  It grows in the soil, but it also seems to do well in pots.

"Loop-de-Loop" Alcantara.  The Alcantaras make wonderful showy splashes

of color and bending leaves in a garden.

"Mini-Ixora."  These clusters are each less than one fifth of the size

of standard ixora.  But they fill bushes up to six feet tall and make a

colorful background.

"Butterscotch Delight"  Orchids.  There are many varieties of yellow orchids,

and each has a different colored throat.

"Pink Pentas / Egyptian Star Flowers."

 With regular watering and good light but not all-day sunshine, these flowers

flourish and spread very nicely.  They come in many colors, and they seem 

to do well whether planted in soil or in a pot.

"The Orchid Tree" at Building 5 in Cypress Bend.  This tree was outstanding

two years ago, but last year had almost nothing after the groundskeepers trimmed

the hedge and trees mercilessly.  But this year it is back and quite splendid.

"Bill's Angels" is a beautiful pale, lilac orchid with delicate stripes.  It is growing

happily on the tree.

"Apricot Ashley" is a lovely tawny orange color with purple throat.

The color is rather unusual for orchids.

"Theodora" Orchids.  Orchid varieties with purple or lavender spots and splashes

are numerous, and I find new ones on each building.  But I like them.

"Winter Cascade" is a beautiful variety of white orchid with just a touch

of yellow in the throat.  These White Phalaenopsis Orchids are probably the

most common variety of orchids.

"Ms Dior" has several stems of flowers on the tree.  They make a wonderful

welcome to the building.  Varieties of this color and pattern are also

quite numerous.

"Anne of Brittany" is a deep purple orchid with an even darker throat.

It is quite regal looking.

"Funny Face" has been blooming for more than two months.  It keeps adding

more flowers.  Before it finishes, we will be able to see the two white eyes and

the mask-like appearance.

"Liriope" is one of the decorative grasses which are used in planting.  It comes in many forms -

thick and thin blade, all green, green and white, short, medium, and tall.  But it makes

a nice border.

The "Golden Tabebuias" are in full bloom all over Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale.

They line the streets by gas stations and Walgreen's.  They are inexpensive,

hardy, and bloom their hearts out every year.  These two are across the street

from where I live, in Cypress Bend, where they have a number of them.

"Golden Tabebuia"  The flowers appear before the leaves, so the entire top of

the tree is a mass of yellow flowers.  The leaves gradually grow out and

the flowers fall to the ground.  There are also Pink and White and Lavender

Tabebuias, but they are not as bright or dramatic as the "Golden."

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