On My Walk This Morning 4d

This is a typical "Brunfelsia" tree.  "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow."

This is the way I have always seen them before those bushes by the palm trees.

They are small, decorative trees which bloom profusely for almost two months

and are always covered with blossoms - brand new dark purple, several days old in

pale lavender, and a week old turning white.

Close-up of "Brunfelsia Tree."

Three colors of flowers on "Brunfelsia Tree."

A beautiful bush of "Marie Antoinette" Yellow Hibiscus.

This is an old bush which has been pruned many, many times over the years,

but it continues to grow and blooms prolifically.

"Lady Godiva" White Phalaenopsis Orchids with yellow throats.

White orchids of many kinds hang on the trees.  They grow easily.

"Fairy Fountain / Alcantara Bromeliad."

I saw this from a distance and loved it.  It is highly decorative and seems very hardy.

"Amethyst Jewel" Phalaenopsis Orchid.

It is hanging above a bench in front of a condo building.

"Philippine Ground Orchid / Spathoglottis."

The flower is a different color and shape from any of the other ground orchids

we have around here.

"Yellow Kalanchoe" on someone's patio.  Usually these are indoor plants,

but the weather outdoors is fine for them here.  This one seems to be doing very

well and spreading out nicely.

The Pink and White Begonia Bed along the driveway is filling out

and becoming more and more lush.  I think they did a really good job.

"White Angel Wing Begonias" with "Pink Dragon Wing Begonias."

"Pink Dragon Wing Begonias"

"Hyacinth Orchids."

This is another new variety of the ground orchids which I just discovered.

The two toned petals are very attractive.

A bed of White, Red-Orange, and Purple Impatiens / Busy Lizzies.

Each condo building chooses its own color scheme each season.

Large, snow white Impatiens.

Hot Red-Orange Busy Lizzies

Rich purple Busy Lizzies

Another nice colorful walk this morning.

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On My Walk This Morning 4c

 

Many of the condos do their winter planting now, and these plants will bloom

until May or so, when the summer plants will be put in.  These are Pink, White,

and Red Impatiens or Busy Lizzies, one of the usual standbys.  They will grow into

bushes two or three feet high and covered with flowers until summer.  Note the

pointed leaves.

The various Hibiscus trees are coming into full bloom.   Yellow with red center,

but in differing proportions, is one of the favorites.  This is "Arizona Sunset"

and can be pruned a great deal.

The other very popular small flower is the "Vinca / Periwinkle"  You can distinguish

it from the Impatiens by the leaves.  These are shiny and oval, whereas the

impatiens is a flat green and pointed.  They come in many colors, and each condo

chooses a different combination; here we have Pink, White, and Magenta.

The Orchids on trees are all coming into bloom; it is amazing.  "Daisy Mae" is

a lovely blue with white spots tied to a small American Hawthorne tree.

The "Red Amaryllis" have finished blooming, but this White Amaryllis

on a patio was still in bloom.

"Dainty Doris" is loaded with buds and is only one of six orchids

tied to this tree.

Ti Plants are highly decorative and grow to four feet or so.  I first found this one

all in bloom.

But then a little while later, I found this clump of Ti Plants loaded with flowers.

Ti Plants come in a variety of colors, although the most common are the

deep purple.  But various shades of green are also common.

"Orangina Double Ruffled Hibiscus."  The bush was covered with blossoms.

The orange color comes in several varieties; this is one of the fanciest.

This is a "Thatch Palm," which has just been planted.  It looks like it has been growing

for years, but it was just put in.  I think it is a very nice, decorative variety with broad

fronds coming down low.

"Bubblegum Pink Hibiscus" seems to be particularly hardy, and many buildings

have one or two of them in front.

This is another yellow and red hibiscus, but it is a much deeper yellow, almost

orange, and many deep veins in the petals.  This is "Aztec Gold."

Outside one doorway is this very nice collection of Bromeliads (with the broad,

spear-like leaves) and Coleus.

"Peachy Keen" is a lovely orchid plant with a number more blossoms to open.

Phalaenopsis Orchids.

"Torenia / Wishbone Flower."  I haven't seen one of these in years.  They are very

prolific bloomers and come in many colors, always with white centers - red,

blue, lavender, pink, etc.  They are small bushes, about 18" high.

"Yellow Crown of Thorns."  You can see the very thorny stems in several places.

They come in red, yellow, white, and a mixture of red and orange.  These were

small, about two feet high, but some grow to four feet.

It was a nice, colorful walk today.

On My Walk This Morning 4b

My neighborhood, Palm Aire, continues to plant new flowers and trees in front of the

buildings and along the Ste Genevieve Canal.  These are "Brunfelsia / Yesterday, Today, and 

Tomorrow" Flowers.  They are usually planted as individual small decorative trees.

But here the city has planted two large beds of Brunfelsia around clumps of three

new palm trees.  When the flowers first open, they are a deep bluish purple.  In a few days

they fade to a light lavender, and then in a few more days they fade to pure white.

"Brunfelsia / Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" Plants

The landscapers here tried something new this year.  They planted two large beds of

white and pink begonias.  "White Angel Wing Begonias" have been around for a long

time, but the "Pink Dragon Wing Begonias" are a totally new flower.  The

combination makes a beautiful entry into this condo bulding.

"White Angel Wing Begonias."  These grow as bushes which reach 3-4 feet

in height.  They take pruning, and some have lasted around other buildings for more

than a year. I will check and see how these do.

These are the wonderful new "Pink Dragon Wing Begonias."  They are as tall as the white.

We have always had small pink Wax Begonias, but never like this.

In front of this same building, someone since last September has tied an orchid plant

to each of the ten or so palm trees.  The plants have looked mangy and as if they

were almost dead, but in the last couple of weeks, most of them have sent out stems

loaded with buds, and today, there were five of them in some stage of bloom.  This

one, "Snowflake White Phalaenopsis Orchid," is the most mature one right now.

"Asparagus Densiflorus Fern."  They make a nice border and last for years.

The "Crimson Red Amaryllis" is the last of the amaryllises growing.

The "Resurrection Fern" is an Epiphyte; it grows on another plant, usually a tree, without

causing any harm.  This fern has the greatest drought resistance of any plant.  It can lose

up to 95% of its water, and it will still revive and thrive after a rain.  These fronds are

quite small; when fully grown, they will be about 12-15 inches long.

One of the three "Yellow Bell" Decorative trees.  They were planted last summer, and

this one is now showing its sixth set of flowers.  The tree will be completely covered

with yellow flowers which last a couple of weeks, and then drop the flowers.  It will

be a green tree for a few weeks.  And then it will produce another huge crop of

yellow flowers.  It is a wonderful little tree.

"Pink Floss Silk Tree."  I have shown you the earlier "Purple Floss Silk Tree."  Notice all

the little spines or thorns growing from the lower trunk.  The flowers look like orchids.

This tree is about 100 yards from the other one.  There are three more around, but they

have not bloomed yet.

"Pink Floss Silk Flowers" on tree.

"Broad Leaf Lady Palm"  One of the condos has a bunch of these on either side of

the entrance.  They look very nice, hardier than the usual decoratve palm.

"Purple Periwinkle / Vinca."  There used to be a large bed of these flowers

growing here, but they got long and straggly and the landscapers ripped them all out.

Except that some piece of root must have survived underground and grew back as

this lovely single plant.  They are very hardy and colorful flowers.

"Blood Red Ixora" Bush.  I think I like this deep red color the best of the ixoras.

The lady in the next building who buys orchids and hangs them on hooks on the wall

outside her door has bought a couple of new plants.  They are doing well.

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Some Art Works 4a

 The very first issue of my arts magazine this year is filled with wonderful images and articles

 which I enjoyed very much.  I thought perhaps you would enjoy some of them also.

"A Glorious Sunset" by Alma Thomas.

Alma was a Black middle school teacher in Washington, D.C. for many years and

painted in her free time.  She loved nature, and she developed a style of intense

colors, abstraction, and a mosaic-like appearance.  This work is part of a show

which is currently at the Fort Lauderdale Art Museum featuring Color Field

Painters from Washington, D.C.

This cabinet, made of various kinds of exotic wood, was created by Holland

and Sons in London for the Prince of Wales in his new house in 1873,

Marlborough House, with his new wife, Alexandra of Denmark.  It has

shelves inside for storing towels.  Prince Albert was the son of

Queen Victoria and later became King Edward VII.

"Flora Imaginaria" by Robert Walker is a photograph taken in the

Montreal Botanic Gardens and being shown now in Palm Beach

as part of a photographic exhibit featuring "Imaginary Flora."

A gallery in Palm Springs, CA, is showing five young California artists.

This painting of "House Interior" and its flat style are typical of a number of

artists, all of whom are indebted to the British artist, David Hockney, who

lived in Los Angeles for a number of years.

This is an oil painting by Kesja Tabaczak of Norway, not a photograph.

"Impossible to Resist" depicts a young girl with a peony in photographic

detail.

"Portrait of Vita Sackville West" by Nikoleta Sekulovich. who lives in Madrid, 

is a painting of the British author and lover of Virginia Woolf.  The juxtaposition

 of richly patterned background with the realism of the face is another

trend in California painting.

There is a very large and rich show of art works set in the pueblos of the Southwest

at Colby College in Maine.  Both Native American artists and Anglo artists who

worked with them and in the pueblos are included.  William Robinson Leigh's

"Zuni Potter Working" is from 1903.

John Marin, "New Mexico Landscape" is a watercolor from 1929.

Marin was a New England artist who spent time in the pueblos and desert.

"Acoma Water Vessel" is an earthenware jug made on the pueblo.  Native American

Pottery began to attract much attention at the beginning of the 20th century, and

Native American potters became famous artists.

"Basket" by Sarah Sockbosen is made from aluminum house siding and spray-painted.

Sarah is a member of the Penobscot tribe in Maine, and is famous for the baskets she

makes from many materials.  She works with other Native American artists.

Dan Namingha, "August Moon" is from 2022.  Dan is a famous Navajo artist.

Thomas Moran, "Acoma," 1902. Moran traveled throughout the West and Southwest

in the late 19th century and came back East and painted very large and dramatic

paintings which established the idea of the West for Americans.

Jason Garcia is a young artist who works to understand the relationship

between his Native American heritage and the Anglo world around him.

"I Live Off the Land . . . and Sonics" is one of his paintings showing

a Native American woman using both the traditional and the very modern,

He paints with the simple shapes and flat colors of Pop Art.

Zhong Wei.  "Two People in the Blue of the Sky."  2023

Zhong lives in Beijing and is one of many Chinese artists represented by

galleries in the U.S., especially in Los Angeles and New York.

Carrie Ann Plank is interested in geometric, carefully constructed

abstract patterns. "Elemental Lattice Orange Red." 2022

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