Yesterday was the official day that my Premium WordPress account expired, which meant I lost some of the fancy features that I don’t think I even used this past year. I looked today and I don’t think I was missing much from my site except possibly storage (later on). I had to reduce most of my image sizes in the last several posts in order to keep storage at a minimum, did anyone notice?
If you’ve read my post from four posts back I mentioned I started posting for one whole year this past August 9th. I mentioned that I will not be paying for Premium WordPress and will wait to see where that will take me. Some of you seasoned bloggers may giggle to yourself and say “Ha! That will get you nowhere without Premium and Business services”, you are probably correct. I know there is definitely that risk but hey, I’m new and I’m still trying to find a balance between time and dedication to this art.
I will continue to write this blog to share my flower pictures and to create a digital portfolio of plants I love with my mere audience of five people. Someday, I hope to share this portfolio with my grandchildren! So without further rambling, here are this week’s favorite blooms:
ROSES
It’s hard to capture the beauty of these mini orange roses in this photo but they are so vibrant in real life against the dark shiny green foliage.
Angel’s Trumpet, also known as brugmansia, are blooming abundantly in my garden this week. Two varieties I am particularly excited about finally bloomed. The Pink Velvet was recently potted up after it was living unhappily in the ground for over two years! It flowered a little bit before but the colors were not the true pink color that it was supposed to be. In this pot now, it bloomed more flowers and the colors are delightfully pink and true to its kind. It starts out white and the next day it changed to pink!
Angel’s Trumpet Pink Velvet
The double pink trumpet below is truly adorable with its double ruffles like two flowers stacked in one. It opens into a light yellow first before turning pink like the picture below. What a wonderful work of God!
Audrey Lea Angel’s Trumpet (double pink)
This Charles Grimaldi has been in the ground for 3 and a half years and it is about 9 feet tall. I grew them by my trash bins area to combat the smell when I take the trash out! It is strongly fragranted in the evenings.
Hibiscus
I’m not sure which kind of hibiscus this is because I planted this long before I thought about being a gardener. I bought it because I LOVE the colors of this hibiscus. Amazing colors! This one is also in horrid clay soil for years but periodically fertilizing seems to help it flower from August until November, sometimes in hot December, too!
Cape primrose “Wow“
This little beauty below is spectacularly beautiful with its half ivory and magenta petals. It really does make you want to say “wow” when it flowers. This is a new plant for me and I meant to keep them indoors but for now it’s in mostly bright shade. I don’t water it too much either, only every 3 days.
Four O’clock
I love these Four O’clock flowers. To some people they may seem invasive as they keep appearing everywhere in the yard but it has really beautiful colors like this yellow below. I have dark pink, light pink, orange, and this yellow all over in my backyard. I posted about them in many of my posts before.
Maximillian Sunflowers
Funny story about this sunflower plant is that last year I planted this when I was in a hurry so I did not make a note of where it is to water it. I forgot all about it after I planted. So naturally it died from lack of water ,I guess, but this year it appeared. I had a “that’s where it went” (face palm moment) when I saw it bloomed. By the way, isn’t that a beautiful cranberry hibiscus bush in the background?
Buddha’s Hand
Isn’t this Buddha’s Hand the weirdest fruit ever? It really is creepy and cute at the same time! It’s green now but will turn yellow in a few more weeks and should be good for eating. I never eat these but have used for decorations. They smell really nice and citrus-like. Ignore the long grass weeds in the background. They are so out of control, I have no time for it!
Dragon Fruit
I never thought I would like this plant but it is growing on me. It’s ugly and cactus-like at first but now that is has grown in this pot for more than 2 years, it is starting to sprout a fruit as you can see below. I never liked store bought dragon fruit but maybe this baby will convince me it’s a plant worth keeping.
Well, I will end this post for now. Getting ready for a fun-filled gardening weekend where I pull weeds, clean up the yard, and possibly plant some hibiscus.
Rosella is a beautiful light pink lily. It had three large flowers on a short 12-inch branch, maybe because it is only in its first year of bloom.
Shrimp Plant
This Shrimp plant is very unique and tolerates heat and dryness well. I have seen them grown in masses on the streets. I like how they look so I purchased them years ago to fill my garden. The flowers are soft and feathery and look like shrimps.
China Asters
I grew a mix of China Asters this year and so far I have many beautiful colors. A few blogs ago I showed them in purple, white, and dark pink. I don’t know much about asters but I love how they grow to have so many pretty flowers!
Poppy or Mantisalca Salmantica
I thought this was a poppy but I cannot find proof in my seeds collection that this is a poppy. I used a plant identification App and was identified as being similar to this Mantisalca. I can tell you that it is heat tolerant and has many beautiful blooms.
Red Courtesan Sunflowers
Just a beautiful red color! I love these sunflowers!
Plumbago
I love plumbagos for its drought tolerance and beautiful flowers. It blooms in clusters in the summer. It is great to grow as a privacy hedge since it fills up and out very quickly .
Amaranth
This new amaranth sprouted in the same location that I planted several last year. It must have reseeded. The ones from last year had their leaves munched up by some creatures. These are edible leaves to humans too. Somehow this perfect little amaranth was unscathed. I love red leaves in plants, so striking in the garden!
Daylily
Beautiful yellow daylily to end the blog! Have a great weekend!
Verdant Garden 