On My Walk This Morning 4r

 

Each day, more "Queen Crepe Myrtles" burst into bloom.  Because they are pruned

so high, only the people on the 6th floor get the full effect and all the color.  But

they are beautiful even from my view.

The "Queen Crepe Myrtle" has large clusters of large flowers, as opposed to the

small clusters found on regular crepe myrtles.

"Yellow Alder" is a very bright, cheerful flower with very precise leaves.

I first saw one in Cypress Bend three years ago, but they did not come back again.

This new bush is in Palm Aire.  I hope they keep it.

"Fountain Grass" is one of the popular decorative grasses.  This one is in the

Succulent Garden.  It gets pretty big.  All of the plants in the Garden have grown

a good deal.  The "Spanish Shawl" with purple flowers, really needs to be trimmed back.

"Elephant Bush / Portulacaria" is one of the ground covers in the Succulent Garden.

It has taken a while to get going, but is now very nice.

The "Coral Mussaenda" Bush draws my attention everyday.  I have watched the

flowers gradually open and cover the bush and swell out in clusters.  Now I see that

the flowers are beginning to turn peach in color as they age.

"Coral Mussaenda" Bush.  The flowers are big, thick clusters that start out pink and

then turn coral and get even thicker, and finally begin to turn peach in color.

This is a very nice "Pink Ixora."  Horticulturalists have been able to make this plant

do many things because it likes the Florida climate so much.  Mini-flower clusters

have been developed, which are only an inch in diameter.  And others, like this

"Salmon Pink" Ixora," have been developed to about 7 inches across.

"Jungle Flame / Ixora Coccinea."  This plant came originally from India, but it is

one of the most popular and common plants in Florida.  These bushes sit back from

the sidewalk, so they do not get trimmed too much, and thus they can bloom a lot.

I enjoy this color very much.

"Yellow Flame Croton" is one of the dozens of varieties of crotons and colors

in the flower beds.  It makes a nice hedge.

This is the time of the year for "Crepe Myrtles" to bloom.  Because of our very

plentiful rainfall and hot days this year, the crepe myrtles are blooming more

prolifically than ever and also larger. This is my favorite color, "Raspberry Crepe Myrtle." 

 These two bunches are particularly full and large.  The tree is covered with them.

This is another "Raspberry Crepe Myrtle," by the Children's Playground.

The dark color of the flowers sometimes makes them difficult to see against

the foliage.

"Yellow Crown of Thorns."  Several nice bushes have been planted as part

of a hedge.  You can see the thorns on their stems.

"Red-Orange Royal Poinciana Trees" are blooming all over town.  These have been overly

pruned so you don't get the full effect of the orange canopy.  On trees which have

been allowed to keep their lower branches, they are covered in flowers all the way to the ground.

Close-up view of "Royal Poinciana" flowers in the tree canopy.                              

                                                       

The last of the orchids to bloom are these "Golden Ducat" Oncidium Orchids.

There are several of them blooming along my path this week.

"Queen Crepe Myrtle" Tree in the parking lot.  More clusters of flowers appear

each day as I walk by.

 "Queen Crepe Myrtle" flowers.

This "Royal Poinciana" is squeezed between other trees in the meadow behind the pickleball 

courts.  But the color in the sunlight caught my eye this morning.

One of my favorite flower beds, which I visit frequently, is this circle of

"Imperial Purple Ground Orchids."  I have met the man who lives in the apartment

 right behind them and takes care of them.  He is very proud of them.  It seems to me

he has been lucky or smart and gotten two kinds of these orchids.  The variety in back 

is slightly taller and darker in color, and shows off like a fan.

But it is a wonderful view of what you can do with flowers in South Florida.

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On My Walk This Morning 4q

 

The pot of "Pale Peach Tuberous Begonias" continues to bloom.

They come in many colors.  The nicest display I have seen was up

in Montreal.

"Imperial Purple Double Ground Orchids"  are multiplying and

enlarging their bed.  Groundskeepers periodically come through and take some

of the new plants and use them to start new beds.

"Sky Blue Plumbago."  The color of this plant makes it popular as a contrast to

all the reds and yellows and pinks of other flowers.

"Water Hibiscus."  These islands of floating plants have begun to appear along

the Ste Genevieve Canal.  Their leaves are filled with tiny air pockets which

enable them to float on the surface of the water.  They can become a nuisance.

"Shell Ginger," one of the many varieties of ginger.  This plant has become

very large and very high;  I don't know how big it will get.

Close-up of a cluster of flowers on the "Shell Ginger."

The inside of each flower is yellow with red markings.  A couple of flowers 

in each cluster open each day.

"Tabebuia Roseo-Alba."  We have many Tabebuia trees all over the city and

they bloom colorfully, especially the "Golden Tabebuia."  But the flowers are

all single blossoms.  This variety has large clusters of white flowers.  These are

also quite short, five feet high, in contrast to the usual trees, which are 15+ feet/

"Ixora Coccinea / Jungle Flame" were planted beside the white "Tabebuia."

"Plumeria / Frangipani."  These flowers are used to make the leis in Hawaii.

Around here they are decorative bushes or plants 6-12 feet high.  They come in

various colors.

The "Prickly Pear Cactus" is in full bloom.  It is covered with hundreds of buds,

and a few open each day.   The fruits are edible and can be eaten raw after

removing the skin.  

A lovely "Orange Frilled Hibiscus" has begun blooming.  It is set back,

so the pruners did not get at it, and so it has lots of flowers right now.

The green plant with lots of shoots/leaves in back is a "Tillandsia."

It is an epiphyte, that is, it grows on another plant.  It does not take substance

from the other plant, it just lives there.  The white flowers are "Mini-Phalaenopsis."

The lovely peach orchids continue to bloom in their secret hiding place, and

I never see anyone else notice them.

The crepe myrtles are coming into bloom.  This beautiful full bush is a

"White Crepe Myrtle" blooming in front of the building next to mine.  They have

never had so many flowers or so large; it is because of all the rain recently.

The flower panicles are often called "Snow Cones" because they look like

the popular snack.

This is a large "White Crepe Myrtle" by the Children's Playground.

A number of trees were planted about five years ago and have grown and

been trimmed each year.  This year, with their age, and all of our rain, they are

blooming more profusely then ever before.  The area in the park is very lovely.

Some "Pink Crepe Myrtles" by the building beside the park.  The panicles are also

bigger and fuller than in the past.

A panicle of "Lavender Crepe Myrtle."

The beautiful variegated "Bougainvillea" Bush I showed some time ago

lost all its flowers and has not look like much.  But now it is starting to bloom

again with brightly colored flowers. 

The "White Crinum Lilies" are in full bloom, and a couple of  bunches, which 

I guess have never been trimmed, are filled with lilies.

"White Crinum Lilies" blooming in a bunch of plants.  There are perhaps

ten bunches like these.

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On My Walk This Morning 4p

Various flowering trees are now in bloom.  This is one of the 

"Royal Poincianas" in bright red-orange.  They are all around the property.

A closer view of the "Royal Poinciana."

Above my head, the "Blue Jacaranda" tree is filled with clusters of

bright blue flowers.

"Jacaranda Flowers"

"Magenta Vincas" are especially popular this year.  The flowers themselves

are larger and more prolific than usual.  This must be a new variety.

The "White Vincas" are also larger and more prolific than usual.

This bush is almost totally covered with flowers.

"Alison Oncidium Orchids" continue to appear; they are much later

and smaller than the Phalaenopsis Orchids.

Part of the "Succulent Garden," which has developed very nicely.

That "Pencil Plant" at the top which has no leaves has filled out very well.

"Magenta Moss Roses" have begun to appear on the left.  The two"Sedum"

plants expand.

These "White Impatiens" are  much more prolific than usual and they are

longer lasting than usual.  They really fill up this space very well.

The "Magenta Moss Roses" are a nice surprise.  We always had them in the garden,

but this is the first time I have seen them in Florida.

I turned a corner today and found a beautiful "Princess Charlotte" pale pink

oleander bush.  It was hidden by another larger bush.  The flowers are quite large

and very soft pink with thick petals.

"Princess Charlotte" pale pink oleander bush.

"Tipuana Tipu / Pride of Bolivia" South American Tree.

As I entered the park this morning, I was greeted with this sight - a tree completely

covered in yellow blossoms.  The "Tipu Tree" has only recently been introduced into the

U.S.  It is very popular in California, where Santa Barbara and San Diego boast of

their large collections of tipus.  The tree is excellent for shade; its leaves are delicate

and fern like, but very dense.  And then it gets completely covered with yellow flowers

during the summer.  We have two of them.

"Portulacaria Afra / Elephant Bush" is a succulent vine from South Africa.

It has done very well draped from a tall urn.

"White Cape Jasmine."  It makes a big difference which direction you walk

on a path.  I changed direction today to avoid some hot sun, and suddenly

I saw flowers I have never noticed before.  These are "Cape Jasmine,"

which are shorter bushes than the usual and with more flowers and a

beautiful aroma.

 

Bushes of "Whiter Cape Jasmine" close to the ground.

Just a little to the left is the "Blue Jacaranda Tree."

The "Coral Mussaenda" is doing very well.  They had overpruned it the last two

years, and it did not look very nice. but this year it has a nice shape and lots

of flowers.

Close-up of "Coral Mussaenda."  I was introduced to the flower by an elderly

Greek couple, who said they had many of them in Greece and enjoyed having

some around the house here.

I have always liked this corner by the door, filled with these "Orange Heliconias"

and "Mardi Gras" Ground Orchids.  Both flowers last a very long time.

My favorite "Frilled Double Orange Hibiscus" continues to bloom.

"Frilled Double Orange Hibiscus."

A beautiful "Pink Oleander Bush" by our swimming pool.  Two years ago,

they butchered it in pruning, and we had nothing last year.  But this year it has

recovered and is blooming very nicely.

Clusters of "Pink Oleander"

Another flower I stumbled on walking in the opposite direction is this

"Orange Geiger Tree."  They are short, decorative flowering trees.  They also

come in white.  There are several others on the other side of the community, but

they have not bloomed for a couple of years.  It was nice to see this one.

Another colorful morning in Palm Aire and Cypress Bend.

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