Tropical Waterlily

Tropical Waterlily
Nymphaea
(NIM-fee-uh)

Here is another Waterlily shot from Florida with the Nikon D70s and the 80-200mm 2.8 lens. I wasn’t used to shooting across the lily pond and being able to get a good sized picture of a flower. The lens is pretty amazing with excellent color rendition and sharpness.

This next photo is from Key West’s Mallory Square and also uses the 80-200.


My Pansies turned to mush over last weekend and need to be replaced. The owner of the house is a gardener and understands that you can get burned by trying to push the season a little. Since th flowers are for a memorial service I have to replace them on Friday (if it doesn’t snow).

Yesterday was a happy day as we scored tickets for the world’s greatest teenager’s summer tour. Selena Gomez! We were able to get a couple of meet and greet tickets for my birthday! Her she is singing her hit song ‘Naturally’.

Florida Snapshot Flowers

Silver Vase Bromeliad
Aechmea fasciata
(EEK-mee-uh) (fash-ee-AY-tuh)


Impatiens walleriana
(im-PAY-shuns) (wall-er-ee-AH-nuh)

Figleaf Hollyhock

Figleaf Hollyhock
Alcea rosea 'Peaches 'n Dreams'
(al-KEE-uh) (RO-zee-uh)
Synonyms: Antwerp Hollyhock

Garden Phlox

Garden Phlox
Phlox paniculata 'Nicky'
(floks) (pan-ick-yoo-LAY-tuh)

This is a tall Phlox that has a deep color. The flowers are nicely fragrant and form big trusses. A nice plant for the summer garden.

The last couple of nights have been a little uneasy for us as we made a big planting of Pansies and Andromeda last week. The temperatures just haven’t been cooperating over night. I knew it was risky but since the flowers are for a memorial service next week the work had to be done. I guess I will see if there is any cold damage to the stuff this morning.


This is a picture of some left over Chihuly glass from Fairchild Gardens.

Pot Marigold

Pot Marigold
Calendula officinalis
(ka-LEN-dew-luh) (oh-fiss-ih-NAH-liss)
Synonym: English Marigold

This picture was shot in early October and you can see the Calendula was still shining brightly. Being a good cool weather plant is one of things I love about Pot Marigolds. They can really fire up the fall garden.

There are about 20 species of Calendula and they are mostly native to Europe and the North Africa region to Iran, and the entire Mediterranean region in between. They have been in cultivation for thousands of years. Many medicinal properties are associated with these flowers and the oils are used to treat a variety of maladies.

Since it is Sunday and that means Todays Flowers here is a bonus flower. Today’s Flowers for flower pictures from around the world.

Here is a plant that I hadn’t seen in so long I had forgotten about it. Quite a dramatic landscape plant the large patch at the NYBG was really a sight to see. The twigs have just enough color to add to the effect. It was growing in a bottom area that had obviously been recently flooded.


Black Pussy Willow
Salix gracilistyla 'Melanostachys'
(SAL-iks) (grass-il-ih-STY-luh)

Beallara Purple Haze ‘Jimi Hendrix’

Beallara Purple Haze ‘Jimi Hendrix’
Beallara
Parentage: Miltonia Boulivot x Beallara Tahoma Glacier

Sorry about the all of the Orchid photos lately but they are the freshest pics that are on my hard drive. This Orchid is one that I had been trying to photograph for a while and I was happy to see it at the 2011 NY Orchid show. Often times when I want to shoot a particular flower it is good for me to go ahead and try to get a good photo and move on.

This flower is named after the great rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix. The color combination and size of the flower make it a true gem. It is an intergeneric hybrid.

This next Orchid is an Odontocidium type. I am not sure which cultivar it is but it had an impressive array of flowers. The bud picture shows the flower before opening. It doesn’t portend the great colors and markings of the flower to emerge.

Virginia Cup Plant

Virginia Cup Plant
Silphium connatum
(SIL-phee-um) (con-NATE-um)

It can be a bit of a struggle identifying the flowers that I shoot pictures of. Especially when it was several months between shooting and posting. This daisy had a tag with the name Silphium connatum, however it wasn’t displaying some of the key traits that they usually have like square red stems and heights of up to 10 feet tall. So that leaves it a bit if a mystery.

The clearness of the yellow and the shape of the flower make it nice no matter what the species. I usually find Silphium to be a course, kind of rangy, genus that is usually regulated to the back of the border or mass plantings in moist areas. It does attract a lot of birds and butterflies when it blooms July-September.

Two Phalaenopsis Orchids

Phalaenopsis 'Brother Pepride' x 'Brother Nobel Star'
(fay-lay-NOP-sis)

These two Phalaenopsis are from Hawaii. The name tags were confusing since they seemed to have the complete parentage on the tag and had several names. The first one is a nice yellow, which isn’t the most popular Phalaenopsis color. The fact that it is spotted is a bonus as I really like spotted flowers.

The second Orchid is a little more typical of the species and also has a nice spotted appearance. I would have loved to visit Hawaii this winter but it wasn’t in the cards.


Our gardening season got shut down yesterday as we had a windy, rainy, cold, sleetly and snowy day. It is still snowing a little bit and there was enough overnight to cover the ground. I am sure it is just a minor set back but it is a little depressing.

Ball Dalhia

Ball Dalhia
Dahlia ‘Sarah Storm’
(DAHL-ya)

Dark Orchid

Orchid
Daegamoara Memoria Jay Yamada ‘Kauai'
(day garmo-ara)

Giant Crinum Lily

Giant Crinum Lily
Crinum asiaticum
(KRY-num) (a-see-AT-ee-kum)
Synonyms: Grand Crinum Lily, Spider Lily

It was a pleasure to see (and smell) these blooming in Fort Lauderdale last month. I was sure of the genus name but when I looked it up I saw there are a lot of species of this plant available to gardeners. Giant Crinum Lily follows it name and gets big. It is a stately plant that can be used as a dramatic accent plant. It actually grows from a large bulb (10-20 lbs, 5-9 kg) and likes a sheltered location in full sun (can accept some shade). A native of Southeast Asia it has become a popular landscaping plant in the warm areas of the United States.

I have been “developing” some snapshots from Florida and will be posting some the next couple of days. This first one is actually from Georgia. We loved our detour to St. Simons Island to see the lighthouse and visit some stores.


This next photo is probably a lawn weed but I liked the little purple flowers blooming in the grass. No idea on the identification of this one.


Finally here is the cruise ship Disney Magic docked at Key West. It was huge and I was happy to get the whole boat in the picture. Shot with the Nikon D70s and 18-70mm lens.

Moss Rose

Moss Rose
Rosa 'Gloire des Mousseux'
Synonyms: Gloire des Mousseuses, Madame Alboni

I had no idea that this rose had been bred in 1852 by the famous rose breeder Jean Laffy. There was a little bit of a distinctive air to it. There was a strong fragrance and that always makes taking the picture a little easier. A nice rose with a strong history.


Climbing Rose
Rosa ‘Climbing Gold Badge’
Synonyms: MEIgro-Nurisar, MEIgronurisar
Introduced: 1991 by Meilland Roses


This rose was amazing. The color was such a nice yellow. This variety is considered one of the heaviest blooming yellow climbing rose. The lack of fragrance was made up for with a statuesque appearance.

Since it is Sunday and that means Todays Flowers here is a bonus flower. Today’s Flowers for flower pictures from around the world.


Purple Wandering Jew
Tradescantia pallida
(trad-es-KAN-tee-uh) (PAL-lid-duh)
Synonyms: Purple Heart, Purple Queen

A nice groundcover for the tropical garden. This one was threading itself along the ground and the light purple flowers looked good against the dark purple foliage.

DayDream Shrub Rose

Shrub Rose
Rosa 'DayDream'
(RO-zuh)
Synonyms: BAIeam, Baieam

This rose seemed so happy when it was blooming last summer. It was just a shower of flowers. There are couple of nice things about this rose from a cultural standpoint including it is very hardy, it is disease resistant and it only grows to 2 feet tall. That combines into a nice package.

Here are some details on Daydream:
Breeder: Ping Lim
Introduction: Bailey Nurseries, 1994
Fragrance: Mild
Petal Count: 10-12
Parentage: Lavender Dream × Henry Kelsey

Delphinium

Delphinium
Delphinium elatum
(del-FIN-ee-um) (el-AH-tum)
Synonyms: Larkspur

These pretty blue Delphiniums are just a memory now but they were beautiful in their day. Always a star of the border Delphiniums never really disappoint me. They can be a little messy and need staking but it is well worth it. Delphiniums seem to be biennial in my garden with just a few stragglers coming back the following year and I have learned to accept them for that.

Today we woke up to a nice day here. A hint of spring is in the air and temperatures are forecast to rise to the highest level since last October.

St. Patrick’s Day Flowers

Dendrobium
Dendrobium ‘Burana Jade’
(den-DROH-bee-um)

I thought these green flowers were good for St. Patrick’s Day. Hope you are out celebrating or going to the parade we are going to be working.

Both of these Orchids have a green tint, which is a little rare. A couple of other Cymbidiums (‘Loch Lomond’) have a green tint as do a couple of other species.


Asian Corsage Orchid
Cymbidium Enzan Current ‘Aquarius’
(sim-BID-ee-um)

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing Butterfly

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing Butterfly
Ornithoptera alexandrae

Three Daylilies

Daylily
Hemerocallis 'Dewberry Candy'
Introduced: 1991
Flash Photo



Daylily
Hemerocallis 'Texas Shogun'
Introduction: 1984



Daylily
Hemerocallis 'Scarlet Royalty'
Introduced: 1988

It's the first official day of the 2011 gardening season here. Good luck to all.

Daylily

Daylily
Hemerocallis
(hem-er-oh-KAL-iss)

The Daylilies in my garden are about the only thing showing any signs of life. That is good since they were installed last year for the most part. If I can get plants through the winter that usually means they are established. That isn’t always the case because some plants look like they have made it only to falter when the time comes to really start growing.

This season is getting started as we have been getting some calls for work. Mostly clean up and snow damage but that doesn’t matter right now. It is good when people start thinking about getting their places straightened out. Email us if you need gardening services in Fairfield or Westchester counties.

This Daylily was blooming late in the season and may have been reblooming. I liked the color scheme and stripes.

Tropical Waterlily

Tropical Waterlily
Nymphaea
(NIM-fee-uh)

Here are two different tropical water lilies that were blooming in two different places. The pink one was at in the outdoor lily pond at The Kampong in Coconut Grove, Florida. It was our first visit to this public garden and it is really a spectacular place. In some ways it is almost the perfect Florida estate to me (only missing a swimming pool). With a large house and lot, deep water anchorage, water views and a super plant collection it pretty much sums up everything you would want to enjoy the southern Florida lifestyle. If you read the linked Wikipedia article you will see that it was the home of Dr. David Fairchild who among other things was responsible for introducing around 30,000 different plant species to the United States. I would recommend a visit to Kampong if you are in the area. This picture was shot across the pond with my new 80-200mm/2.8 lens. It was mounted on my back up camera a Nikon D70s giving an effective focal range of 300mm.


The second Nymphaea photo was taken last week in the water garden room at the New York Botanical Garden. It was nice to see them blooming indoors. The large Jade Vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys) over the water was blooming and dropping its unusually colored and shaped flowers in the water. I don’t care for the more washed out color in this cultivar (compared to the first photo) but there was something calming and delicate about it.

For more flower pictures from around the world check out:
Today’s Flowers .

Since it is Sunday here is a bonus flower. It is just one of the Hosta types from the estate’s gardens. The leaves are plain green and unremarkable but the flowers are nice with the touch of purple and fragrance.


Hosta
(HOSS-tuh)

Hawaiian Attraction Cattleya Orchid

Cattleya Orchid
Cattleya ‘Hawaiian Attraction’
KAT-lee-ah

The Cattleya orchids are some of the best looking in the genus. A close second to the Rainbow Orchids (Vanda) for me. This one with its pure white petals and purple labellum and nice fragrance was a winner. It was in the for sale section of the Orchid Show for $45US. Not a bad price but I couldn’t bite it off right now (wrong season) plus I know where to get Orchids wholesale so if I buy any it will be there.

Thanks for all the well wishes and enquiries about my sister. It turns out she was on Kauai and had to evacuate her hotel and spend the night in a shelter. She said everything was okay at the shelter and when she returned to her hotel there was no apparent damage. Its just the media hypes everything here so it was easy for us to get nervous. She was flying home to Maui last night so the airport was open and operating semi normally.