"Queen Crepe Myrtle" This is one of the largest of the trees.
"Queen Crepe Myrtle" The parking lots are filled with these trees, which
provide color and shade.
"Coral Mussaenda." The bush is growing very lushly this year.
"Coral Mussaenda" close-up. Those are actually petiole bracts around each little flower.
"Royal Poinciana". Many of these trees are planted alongside one of the
lakes in the community. They sometimes let the lower branches droop
down into the water.
"White Crepe Myrtle" by our Gazebo. They give concerts out here, and there
are outdoor yoga classes around the gazebo. It has recently been redone with
lots of new flowering plants all around. Right now, the White Crepe Myrtles
are blooming.
"Cone of White Crepe Myrtle"
One of two "Pink Crepe Myrtle Trees" by this building. The two of them
are quite striking and dramatic this year.
"Pink Crepe Myrtle." The trees have never had so many flowers before.
Huge Cone of "Pink Crepe Myrtle" blossoms.
The "Raspberry Crepe Myrtles" by the Children's Playground.
These are my favorites.
"Pigeon Orchids." The small white flowers grow on vines with no leaves.
They last two days and then fall off. But then there is a second batch about
two weeks later. They are quite unusual.
"Tabebuia Rose-Alba" There are two sets of these, one on either side of the drive.
The group facing south and getting lots of sun is filled wit flowers all the time.
You can see them here. The flowers on the other side, facing north, have very few
flowers and they are not very big. Lots of sunlight is crucial.
"Pony Tail Palm/Elephant Foot" in bloom. Most of the time, these palms just have
those drooping pony tails on top. But when they bloom, they are dramatically different.
The Christmas-tree-shaped flowers appear - white on the male trees and pink on the female.
"Pony Tail Palm" in bloom. This is the male; the female is pink.
"Elephant Foot" on Pony Tail Palm. They get their alternate name from this huge
swelling at the base of the trunk. They look like the huge feet of elephants.
"Copperleaf." This is a very nice plant which has not been trimmed, and so the
colorful leaves show up even at ground level. They come in many colors and
they are very hardy. They make excellent back plantings to a flower bed.
"Adelina" Pink Pentas
"Harlequin Lantana." This mixture of flowers is very bright and colorful
and often used as ground cover.
"Yucca" in bloom. This is up high, perhaps fifteen feet above ground.
"Red Stemmed Philodendron" They look very much like rhubarb. They need to
be pruned regularly and replaced every few years because the stems become
very long and unsightly. They make a dark, exotic corner to the flower beds.
There are many types of "Plumeria" around the world. This is "Fiddle Leaf Plumeria,"
named after its unusual leaf. This is the first one I have found one in my neighborhood,
although I pass many on the way to my bridge club. They are covered in small
clusters of white flowers and they look this way from the time they are merely
six feet tall, and they may reach 30 feet in height.
"Fiddle Leaf Plumeria" - close-up.
The "Heliconia" in front of this building continue to bloom in great numbers
month after month. It is the nicest heliconia in my area.
"Alocasia / Elephant Ears" with the early morning sun shining through them.
Some of our fiber glass fish are being repainted or replaced. This is a new one.
Until they put up a name plate, he is known as the "Oranges Fish."
"Golden Trumpet /Golden Alamanda." "Yellow Alamanda" is a lighter color
and is the variety I have always seen before. This is a new young bush blooming
for the first time, and he is definitely richer and deeper in color.
Two "Bismarck Palms." I wish they would not trim them and they would stay
shorter and look much better. But the grey-green color is always a nice contrast.
"Philippine Ground Orchids" are now appearing to replace old "Imperial Purple"
or "Mardi Gras" ground orchids.
And I think that will conclude my morning flower walks for now;
I hope you have enjoyed them.
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