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"Possibility and promise greet me each day as I walk out into my garden. My vigor is renewed when I breathe in the earthiness and feel the dirt between my fingers. My garden is a peaceful spot to refresh my soul." Meems






Welcome to my Central Florida Garden Blog where we garden combining Florida natives, Florida-Friendly plants, and tropicals.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Some New-To-Me Blooms: GBBD April


Purple Passionflower or Maypop, Passiflora incarnata is brand new to Hoe and Shovel this year. As unusual as the detail of this flower appears it isn't really one of my favorites. I bought it more to host the Zebra longwing and Gulf Fritillary butterflies. The very first flower on this new vine showed up today.

Tickseed, Coreopsis leavenworthii, is among the native plant purchases this spring and also decided to bloom its first bloom today.

Spiderwort, Tradescontia ohiensis
A native plant purchase as well but these hardy plants have been blooming everyday since purchased in March.
And Some Old Favorites ...

Salvia, 'Indigo Spires'

Just when I was trying to photograph a swallowtail in the veggie garden today this red admiral flew in and landed so still on the white Pentas lanceolata.
Day lily
I'm sorry to say I have no idea the name of this lily that has been faithful to bloom for years.

Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea

African Iris, Dietes iridioides

For more blooms this beautiful month of April go to May Dreams Gardens. Carol is host to Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day on the 15th of each month.
Carol notes that her shrubs are blooming early. Everything around here is blooming late- I guess that's what happens when it freezes and kills every blooming thing in January. Gardening is so different down here in the south.
Thank you so much for coming along today. Meems

31 comments:

  1. Beautiful, beautiful, Meems! Love how the center of the daylily glows. Funny story about the Tradescantia. I got mine from my friend in Zephyrhills! (ohioensis and I got it from Florida - LOL)
    Looks like your garden is recovering well from those nasty freezes!
    I really must get caught up with your blog! I've been so very busy with work and will be until the end of April. I miss you, my friend!

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  2. I really like the purple passion flower. I wonder what kind of beautiful blooms might grow here? :)

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  3. meems,

    i will be planting some passion flowers this year for the first time too. i think they are so interesting looking. all you have blooming right now is so diverse which adds so much interest.
    i really like the spiderwort.
    love the red admiral on the white pentas. so fun.

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  4. Meems~~ Plants are behind schedule here also. Usually my lilacs are in full bloom by April 15th, but they're still eensy weensy bud-lets. Beautiful day lily. The purple passionflower is to die for--a real work of art.

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  5. Watch the passionflower Meems, mine seeded everywhere so I took it out. I now have one that is barely hardy so doesn't fruit. I haven't yet looked to see if it has come through our harder than usual winter. Just shows that, like you, I am not that fond of the flowers or I would have looked by now!

    Best wishes Sylvia (England)

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  6. Beautiful blooms! Spiderwort you purchased? Man, it grows like a weed here!

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  7. I used to have a Passion Flower vine growing on our fence,until our neighbor decided he thought it was ugly,and sprayed Round-up on it.I still hate him!
    Your's is beautiful.

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  8. Hi Meems, those are all wonderful but the butterfly wins the prize. We saw a monarch on Easter, it was finally a warm sunny day, but none before or since. Your garden is so delightful and well tended. I would love to see it some day in person. :-)
    Frances

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  9. Such lovely blooms Meems. I really like your "flying" blooms. I can't wait to see some in our garden.

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  10. I love your new header, Meems, Oh to have coneflowers blooming already! You are so right when you say gardening in the South is different:) But it does look as though your garden has had no ill effects from the earlier freezes. The passion flower is lovely; I've never grown one, but if they attract other butterflies, I may have to give it a try. Seeing the butterflies and bees here is quite a treat.

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  11. Meems,

    You have such a long, fabulous growing season! I've never met a purple flower that I didn't like, so I am drawn to the passion flower.

    I have a pot of tradescantia waiting to be planted in the rain garden. Many years ago, at a previous house, I gave a friend of mine some of my spiderwort and monarda -- she recently sent me an email asking what companions I used back then! I can't remember -- too long ago, but at least those plants have lived on.

    Cameron

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  12. Dear Meems, Lovely flowers! As I was reading your post I wondered how it would feel to wake up every morning and step outside to a garden in flower! I think it must be a delight and to such loveliness...The freeze was terrible....how long before the garden fills in and you don't notice the damage. I hope the natives are more tolerant of cold. Not much butterfly activity here, just a few cabbage moths that loved the over wintering kale! I loved seeing my summer friends coneflower and tickseed! Have a great day...gail

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  13. Good morning Meems. The passion flower has always fascinated me. I can't grow them here but used to when I lived in the south. Love the photo of the Red Admiral on the pentas.
    Marnie

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  14. Hi Meems - it's fun to see your new plants blooming in time for GBBD. That native Maypop is really pretty- bet the butterflies will find it soon.

    Thanks so much for linking to the tale of driving down the dirt road to Jane's nursery. It's a wonderful photo essay about that unusual place.

    Love that Dietes iridiodes...thought I'd bought one a few years ago but when it bloomed it was Dietes bicolor, still pretty but not as lovely as your fortnight lily.

    Happy GBBD,

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

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  15. I am also new to the purple passionflower, my vine is doing great and growing very aggressive. All the other blooms are beautiful as usable

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  16. Hi Meems....you have several of my favourite blooms there.....
    Salvia and the deep coloured daylily are two of them. Coreopsis is another....I have to plant it as an annual here, and keep it well away from rabbits (they love this plant)....

    Your garden is like summer in the UK

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  17. I like your new header too Meems! and I'm really excited to see your 'Maypop' passion vine. I just bought one because it's supposed to be hardy to zone 5 (my zone)!! How great is that?! I've been warned about how invasive it is too but in my climate, I'm thinking it won't be a problem?? Everything else is just beautiful in your garden. It's wonderful to see butterflies again. It seems so long since they left my garden. Enjoy the new & old blooms alike!!!

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  18. You have so many lovely blooms Meems! And the photos are so nicely done. It will be a while before we see any daylilies. I'm not wild about passionflowers either but if I thought we could have fritillaries I'd run out and buy one today!

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  19. AbFab header!!! I have to say, I do love the passionflowers. And I have to agree with the majority here... the admiral is a beauty! I chased one of those up and down the riverbank in Largo, but he adamantly refused to sit still. You have inspired me to expand my little butterfly garden. Tomorrow morning, I'm making a beeline - butterflyline? 8-} - for Ace.

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  20. Kylee,
    OHIO-ensis HA. No problem on being busy... It is hard to keep up with everything. Glad you are getting some spring weather to garden in, too.

    mjm,
    Soon you will have your own garden to think about... you will have to find some TN blogs to peek at for some idea. YAY!

    marmee,
    I had seen the buds on the passion vine but had no idea of any flowers until I walked out with the camera and there it was... just like the tickseed... it's fun when buds that have been there for days decide to bloom all of a sudden. hugs to you.

    Grace,
    I get the feeling our bloom times are late or early all over the country after reading other blogs.
    That passionflower is amazing in its detail.

    Sylvia,
    I DO hope it won't be a big problem here. It's on a trellis and if the butterflies love it I think it will be worth it - besides they are supposed to EAT it. LOL Thanks for the heads up.

    Darla,
    Yes, I purchased it for $1 each and yes, they grow like weeds on the side of the road... they even look like weeds to me but they are native so I'm working with them. LOL

    Chris,
    Oh dear. That round up is wicked stuff.

    Frances,
    Isn't it amazing how the warmth draws the butterflies out and you have to wonder where was it hiding and now where has it gone. We have monarchs year round but they are coming out in larger numbers these days. Hey- if you are ever down this way you know I'd love to have you visit. And... maybe... just maybe when I get up to see marmee again we could make it over to your faire place.

    Lisa,
    Thanks. It is so good to have the flying flowers coming out in numbers these days. Yours will be back soon with warm sunny days.


    Rose,
    Those coneflowers attract so many flying, buzzing critters it's amazing.
    Nothing that died in our freeze has come back to bloom yet (except the orange lantana which grows like crazy)but others like the African Iris that never died are faithful to keep on blooming.

    Cameron,
    A very loooooonnnng, growing season indeed. Purple is a great color in the garden... neutral I believe is what you call it?

    Dear Gail,
    It will be a while before some of the damaged plants fill in and yet others have made earnest effort over the past couple of very warm weeks.Our gardens down here are not based so much on blooms as on lush greenery and foliage... another big difference in our zone. We do love seeing our green year round... none of that dismal brown for months on end for us. LOL

    Marnie,
    I wonder what it must be like to move from the south to the north.You have adjusted well. The admiral was my favorite too.

    Annie,
    Two Gulf Fritillaries were all over the Maypop today and I also saw some eggs on the leaves so they must have found it before today. YAY.

    Our trip to Jane's Garden was extremely interesting and delightful... thanks for clicking over there to come along.

    Rusty,
    Oh, I bet the passionflower does crazy things down there.

    Dear Cheryl,
    I am curious to see how the also new-to-me wildflowers do in the summer here. So many flowers don't like our extreme humidity. I'll be learning about these new purchases this summer. I wonder if you grow the same cultivar of tickseed we do here.

    Hi Kathleen,
    Thank you. The butterflies are such a treat in our gardens. I think you are right about your passionflower in your zone... it shouldn't be a problem there.

    Leslie,
    I'm glad the passionflower itself isn't any larger - for some reason I always thought them to be 4 or 5 inches across... just too gawdy. But this one is only about 2.5 and much more petite all around than I imagines. I looked at one up close today and all the detail is starting to fascinate me. PLUS... the butterflies love it.

    Sophiemae,
    I've seen a few of them over the last couple of weeks and none of them sat in one place like this one did. Sometimes it just happens and this time I happened to already have the camera in hand. I'm thinking more about hosts plants these days. You've always inspired me about butterflies so maybe you're just getting some back now. LOL

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  21. Those lovely new natives are very obliging to give you flowers for Bloom Day, Meems :)
    Nice of the red admiral to be so cooperative too. You got a great shot!
    Daylilies and coneflowers already! And ours are just poking through.
    Love that salvia, and your African iris is simply beautiful!
    Happy Bloom Day dear Meems :)

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  22. Always sigh leaving your lovely garden, Meems! Though I love spiderwort, intertwining with my daylilies, I spend many hours ridding my garden of this too friendly friend :) Today was Michigan lovely ... my soul and garden are most thankful.

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  23. How funny that you are growing the Passionflower for the butterflies - I think the flowers are so stunning. It's also funny to see my old friend, the Purple Coneflower in bloom now in Florida.

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  24. I so hope my coneflower I planted in the fall blooms! I love the passion flower. One of the prettiest things I've ever seen!
    Brenda

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  25. I think you're the first FL garden blogger I've looked at. The flowers are incredible - but I like your honesty: 6mos paradise, 6mos hot and humid!

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  26. Isn't this weather wonderful!

    Maybe you daylily is a Ming Toy? (mine is here: http://floridabackyard.org/2009/04/17/sanctuary/ )

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  27. Hey Meems, Your garden continues to inspire me! Someday I hope to have as great a design- as soon as I figure out what I'm doing, that is ;) Thanks for stopping by today!

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  28. My tickseed is coming up now and so is some of the purple coneflower. I save seed but wait and see what Nature replants and so far so good. You have a nice blog.

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  29. Meems -- How nice of you to host the butterflies with your Passionflower vine. I had one at the last house that was much too invasive for me, but they are pretty. I love your photo of the Spiderwort -- the sunlight on the bloom is lovely. Your African iris looks so delicate - that's such a pretty color -- mine are no where near blooming yet here in Austin.

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  30. Beautiful blooms! I think I just bought that same Daylily at Target yesterday, I have picture on my blog and am trying to find out what it is. If I find out I will let you know. I also have the Spiderwort, what a treasure it is.

    Jake

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  31. I knew I'd find some pretty blooms once I finally got here, and I was not disappointed. I love that African Iris, though it is probably out of reach for me to grow in my garden. I'll admire it in yours!

    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

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Have a blessed day,
Meems


September 2010

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