Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

The flowering shrub, Brunfelsia, is commonly known by the name "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow."  It grows well in zones 9, 10 and 11.  Most commonly at about 3 feet tall, without pruning, it can get to 10 feet in height.

What makes this plant so lovely and unusual is that the color of the flower changes during the day.  It will open in a soft purple, change to pastel lilac and then finish near-white.  With all three colors on the plant at one time, it is outstandingly beautiful.  It is a favorite of mine, though I understand the plant is poisonous to animals. 

The hydrangeas

Our neighbor has some beautiful hydrangeas in her yard. These flowers are so amazing to me. The color depends on how much acid there is in the soil. I have a friend in Texas, who says her daughter has beautiful blue hydrangeas in her Texas garden.

These two pictures are from the same plant here in Florida. I think this is the most beautiful flower.

On the other hand, we decided when we had to cut our hibiscus hedge way back because of frost damage this winter, that we would throw in a package of cucumber seeds under the hibiscus came back. Well, the cukes have gone crazy and they really taste good. There will be plenty more.

Golden Trumpets

I have always loved pink and red flowers. Especially in Florida, they bloom all year long. But this time of year, there is a very special tree that doesn't bloom for a long time, but it is breathtaking.

It is called the golden trumpet tree or Tabebvia chrysotricha. I have also read where it is the official flower of Brazil. The leaves all fall off the trees and these beautiful yellow trumpet shaped flowers replace them. For some reason, they are usually planted in a row along boulevards and streets. It is just a magnificent site. Enjoy!!

It's blooming

Every February, without exception, my one remaining orchid blooms. I do not have a green thumb, that I admit, but I do love flowers and plants. But since we are away from home during the summer, I also know that I should not get too involved in possessing many plants. There is only so much you can ask a dear neighbor to do for you. It's that 'asking' thing again!!

I got this orchid in 2000 and it has traveled with us through several moves. I will admit, the two years we lived in Wisconsin, it did not do well. It was almost to the point of wondering whether I should toss it. I did toss two others I had at that time.

Last summer while we were gone, I tied the whole orchid pot to the branches of our magnolia tree. I was surprised how well it looked when we got back in October. In November, when it started getting cooler at night, I brought the orchid in the house and this is what it looks like today. Normally there are 5-6 blooms, but only 4 this time. They will bloom like this until about August.

Someday, when we don't travel as much anymore, I hope to have many, many more orchids because I just love how perfect and fragile the blossoms are.

Beautiful Saturday

QUOTE OF THE DAY "I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers." --Claude Monet

Beautiful

My outdoor poinsettia is not quite as bright as usual for this time of year. We had quite a cold snap a couple of weeks ago, but now with 80 degrees every day this week, we are finally seeing the beauty of this plant. It was foggy and dewy this morning and you can see that on the leaves. It just seems to make Christmas a little prettier.

The lights are glowing brighter also, because one daughter and family will be coming down to spend Christmas with us. Hopefully next year, our other daughter and family will be able to make the trip.