Moth Orchid

Moth Orchid

Phalaenopsis Fuller's Sunset 'Maui'

Wordless Wednesday

Yellow Zinnia

Zinnia

(ZIN-ya)

Wordless Wednesday

Blue Passion Flower

Blue Passion Flower
(pass-iff-FLOR-uh) (see-ROO-lee-uh)
Passiflora caerulea
Synonyms: Hardy Passionflower

Wordless Wednesday

Floribunda Rose ‘Lion’s Rose’

Floribunda Rose ‘Lion’s Rose’

Synonyms: Champagne Moment, KORvanaber, Lion's Fairy Tale

Wordless Wednesday

Topaz Jewel Rugosa Rose

Hybrid Rugosa Rose

Rosa 'Topaz Jewel'

(RO-zuh)

Synonyms: MORyelrug, Yellow Fru Dagmar, Rustica 91

Morning Glory

Variegated Morning Glory

Ipomoea purpurea

(ip-oh-MEE-a) (pur-PUR-ee-uh)

Garden Mum

Yellow Garden Mum

Chrysanthemum x morifolium

(kris-AN-the-mum) (mor-ee-FOH-lee-um)

 

Florist's Cyclamen

Florist's Cyclamen

Cyclamen persicum ‘Halios Dhiva Rose with Eye’

(SIGH-kla-men) (PER-see-kum)

Synonym: Cyclamen indicum

Wordless Wednesday

Korean Chrysanthemum

Korean Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum
(kris-AN-the-mum)

Wordless Wednesday 

Red Passion Flower

Red Passion Flower

Passiflora caerulea

(pass-iff-FLOR-uh) (see-ROO-lee-uh)

Synonyms: Passion Vine

Wordless Wednesday

Amber Rain Phalaenopsis Orchid

Phalaenopsis Orchid

Phalaenopsis ‘Amber Rain’

(fay-lay-NOP-sis)

Wordless Wednesday

Cherry Parfait Grandiflora Rose

 

Grandiflora Rose

Rosa 'Cherry Parfait'

(RO-zuh)

Registration name: MEIsponge

US Introduction: Conard-Pyle (Star Roses) in 2003

Synonyms: Fire & Ice (Australia), Jubilé du Prince de Monaco (Europe)

This is a super deep archive shot from 2007. I can’t say enough about how beautiful this rose can be. Right now I am torn between ordering ‘Double Delight’ or 'Cherry Parfait' for cutting roses. Since 'Cherry Parfait' is a grandiflora it probably wins the day. I am trying to order the roses now for spring delivery.

The shading on these rose flowers is variable but always looks nice. It is also a strong grower with good foliage.

Bonus shot from the same day.

Spotted Canna Lily

Canna x generalis

(KAN-uh) (jen-er-RAY-liss)

Miltoniopsis Pansy Orchid

Pansy Orchid
Miltoniopsis 'Hajime Ono
(mil-toh-nee-OP-sis)
Clonal name: Raspberry
Parentage: Mltnps. Martin Orenstein x Mltnps. Pearl Ono
Introduction: 1998
Wordless Wednesday

Blanket Flower

Blanket Flower
Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun'
(gay-LAR-dee-uh)
Synonym: Indian Blanket
Wordless Wednesday

Dewberry Candy Daylily

Daylily

Hemerocallis 'Dewberry Candy'

(hem-er-oh-KAL-iss)

This daylily is from my garden. Now that I am going to be moving I am not sure what will happen to it. There are some really nice cultivars in the group, which was collected over 15 years. Oh well time to get some new stuff. This photo was shot on a super hot day with the 105mm Nikon macro lens. The lens (actually the 105mm/ 2.8 micro-nikkor) has a brilliant ability to kind of equalize the light even in harsh conditions.

Daylilies are amazing plants and probably one of the most hybridized. There are over 60,000 registered daylilies. They are extremely hardy and generally not a chore in the garden.

Lobster Claw Flowers

Lobster Claw

Heliconia sp.

(hel-ih-KOH-nee-uh)

Wordless Wednesday

Money Tree Flower

Money Tree

Pachira aquatica

(pak-EYE-ruh) (a-KWA-tee-kuh)

Synonyms: Malabar Chestnut, French Peanut, Bombax glabrum

Dreaming about Florida so here is the beautiful flower of Pachira aquatica. This is the tree that is often subject to braiding and being sold in a 4-inch pot. It actually turns into a fine looking big tree. Now I have never seen a captured specimen flower but am going to try and get mine to bloom in the greenhouse.

This shot of the Parrots is just for fun. I wasn’t sure if the blue and gold was going to peck my eyes out or give me a kiss. 

 

Blue-and-Yellow Macaw

Ara ararauna

Marguerite Daisy

Marguerite Daisy

Argyranthemum frutescens 'Molimba Mini Yellow'

(ar-ji-RAN-the-mum) (froo-TESS-enz)

Synonyms: Argyelsin, Summer Daisy

Here is a happy group of Daisies to celebrate the above average temperatures we have been enjoying in the Northeastern United States. There is still plenty of time for the pattern to change and for winter to settle in but so far December and January have been somewhat mild. One thing that I have noticed about the climate on Long Island is the fact that it is almost always windy and damp. It is just a couple of degrees warmer than Connecticut, which can be helpful during winter weather events. This Daisy is a nice soft yellow that tend to glow under the right lighting conditions.

Here is a bonus snapshot since I have been so lackadaisical in updating this blog. I have really been concentrating on doing a good job at my new job and that has been taking up a lot of my time. Once springtime comes I hope to be back on a regular schedule.

Garden Cosmos

Cosmos bipinnatus

(KOS-mus) (by-pin-NAY-tus)

Cactus Dahlia

Cactus Dahlia

Dahlia 'Camano Messenger'

(DAHL-ya)

Quick post of a nice Cactus flowered Dahlia from this summer. ‘Messenger’ is part of the wonderful Camano series of Dahlias. This flower is fitting since I have been putting together a bunch of Dahlia orders for next spring. This one isn’t available but we want some Cactus types in the garden.

We have almost finished cleaning up everything from the storm but there is still some work to do. It has been the biggest, most complicated game of pickup sticks I have ever played. Getting a lot of the wood/trunks out of here required using some heavy equipment and a couple of cranes. It seemed the damage was straight up and down as in either a tree got totally destroyed or had no damage. I will never be able to figure out nature’s plan as far as those things go.

Toad Lily

Hairy Toad Lily

Tricyrtis hirta

(try-SER-tis) (HER-tuh)

Wordless Wednesday

Sombrero Hot Coral Coneflower

Sombrero Hot Coral Coneflower

Echinacea x purpurea 'Balsomcor'

(ek-in-AY-shee-a) (pur-PUR-ee-uh)

We planted this 2012 introduction last summer and it performed well. It is a quite stocky and compact variety with a brilliant flower color (only partially represented here). In fact the color completely overwhelmed the camera and the saturation and levels had to be adjusted in Photoshop.

I am not sure how much further out of control Coneflower breeding can get but surely we must be getting close to the pinnacle. It seems every year a couple more hybrids/cultivars make it to the market. Here is a link to a page with a lot of cultivars: Darwin Plants Coneflowers

Finishing up the discussion on the groundcover Lamium here is the Sunday bonus snapshot. This cultivar is a tidy garden citizen that shows off the silvery center of it leaves.

Spotted Dead Nettle

Lamium maculatum ‘Orchid Frost’

(LAY-mee-um) (mak-yuh-LAH-tum)

Bold Foliage

Hosta cv.
(HOSS-tuh)

This was a nice gold leaf Hosta I saw this summer. The leaves had kind of fresh look to them. With foresight I took a picture of the tag so it could be identified later but it came out blurry. Taking pictures of plant tags often requires the camera to back focus and that only happens when you don’t want it to. So this Hosta will remain nameless. It would probably help if I could remember where I took the picture.

Boldly colored foliage plants have always been a favorite of mine. It can be easy to go overboard but often a few well placed drifts can really light up the garden. This next groundcover often lights up the garden with grey green colored light, which under the right lighting conditions looks fantastic. ‘White Nancy’ is one of the best Lamium cultivars that can be readily available for use. If happy it makes a nice patch and is an awesome garden accent. The second Lamium is ‘Purple Dragon”. It seems to be getting some traction in the market and is getting more popular. The fine purple edge is very subtle but handsome. The flowers are a darker shade then most.

Spotted Dead Nettle

Lamium maculatum 'White Nancy'

(LAY-mee-um) (mak-yuh-LAH-tum)

Lamium maculatum 'Purple Dragon'

North Shore Shrimp Truck

North Shore Shrimp Truck

Wordless Wednesday

Lady's Slipper Orchid

Paphiopedilum Orchid

Paphiopedilum villosum 'V1-1’ x Hitachi Venus

(paf-ee-oh-PED-ih-lum)

Synonyms: Lady's Slipper Orchid, Venus Slipper Orchids

  

Happy and proud to display this Lady Slipper flower from the greenhouse at work. It has another bud coming along. It has been agonizing to watch this flower open. It was so slow. Finally last week when I returned to work it was open. Paphiopedilum orchids are a lot easier to grow than they look like. The Orchid Room at work has really come alive with about 12 orchids blooming and another dozen spiking. The climate control system is still a bit of a mystery but seems to be working out.

Happy New Year to all. 2013 is going to be a botanical adventure around here and I hope you will join me on the trip. This next picture is a spray from the Phalaenopsis orchids. They seem to be kind of plain to me but have been nice to have around. This one is on the main display table and has been blooming for weeks.

 

Phalaenopsis Orchid

Phalaenopsis ‘Sogo Yukidian’

(fay-lay-NOP-sis)