Well, helloooooo! Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day to everyone out there! At first glance, I didn't think I had much going on worth documenting today; I think the plants all feel like I do--they just want to come inside and lie on the cool tile floor. But, since they aren't allowed to, I figured I wouldn't either. I got myself out into the yard, and, wouldn't you know it, I found some real little gems.
If you visit me regularly, you know that this mystery orchid has been keeping me in blooms for months now. I wish I knew what it was so I could tell you; but, if you really want one, you could print out a picture and take it to your local Long's Drugs and ask them if they could special order you one from Hawaii. I'm sure it would be no problem.
Technically, this is my neighbor's red ginger, but it's in that weird little property-line space between our houses, so I'm claiming it for today. Normally, you just see one spike, like that little one poking up in the background, but for some reason, this one has decided to go nuts and unfurl the biggest cluster I've ever seen.
My crape myrtle surprised me this year with quite a lot of blooms compared with previous years. Of course, the height of their show was in August, during all of the non-GBBD days, but that's OK. I know they were there, even if I don't have proof!
My coleus (red leaves) managed to sneak a little purple stalk into the middle of the Blue Daze (Evolvus glomeratus) blooms next to it.
I pruned my bleeding heart (Clerodendrum thomsonae) at the beginning of August, and it's rewarding me with lots of blooms right now.
My Pink Quill (Tillandsia cyanea) hasn't bloomed for quite some time. I was beginning to wonder if I needed to repot it, but it appears that I don't!
The same Pink Quill, just from the other side--I have this planted under an awning, so the other side gets the sun as it's passing by; this side is in the shade.
Another flower that I haven't seen in a while! The notes I have for this orchid say, "Bllra. Peggy Ruth Carpenter 'Jem'" I don't know what all that means, but there you go.
When we first moved to Hawaii, this Jewel of Thailand (Curcuma cordata) is one of the plants that I earmarked as a "someday" plant as I flipped through my Tropical Ornamentals book. (Actually, now that I'm looking at the book, Curcuma zedoaria is the one I earmarked, but...close enough!). I finally found one a few years ago, and, as highly-coveted as it was, it almost manages to sneak past me every year. Every time I've just about forgotten about it or assumed that it must be dead, it starts sending up little green shoots (around the beginning of June--who starts growing in June??). Then, about the time I've decided it's never going to bloom, this little gem appears as if out of nowhere.
Well, this tiny volunteer passion flower is a viney intrusive mess, but it does have some nice little flowers and provided quite the photo op, really. Not only can you see the little green bulge that might turn into a tiny passion fruit, but if you look closely enough (click to enlarge), you can also see the teeny tiny red ants that are running around all over it.
That's what my garden has managed to produce during this hot end-of-summer month. What's going on in your garden? Visit our GBBD host, Carol, at May Dreams Gardens to see what else is blooming or to share your September gems.
