nursery visit

miniature anthuriums, they make beautiful live centerpieces

pretty coleus, I have had no luck with these so I stay far away from them

this yellow ixora was not for sale however I plan to get one soon.

Yesterday I stopped briefly at one of my favorite nurseries to see what was new. This was a very brief stop because I had the hubby with me and we had gone to the supermarket just before. So we had food stuff in the car including some of hubby's favorite haagen daz ice cream. He was most concerned that it will be melted by the time we got home so he was on my case to hurry up and leave. That was the shortest trip to the nursery I have ever taken. The next time I will leave him home. I didn't get to see anything! Lovely wet day today so am house bound or I'll go to my favourite hardware store.

Bloomers of a watery kind

day bloomer

day bloomer

day bloomer

day bloomer

night blooming pink

night blooming white

magenta night bloomer

Alas!! The rains have come! There is a steady downpour and it is comforting to know that my plants are being fed from the skies above. So today I decided to post from a watery perspective. Growing water lilies can be fun and so rewarding. There will be a bloom everyday in your water garden when things are done correctly. There are four types of water lilies to my knowledge. These are the hardy, the tropical day bloomers, the tropical night bloomers and the amazon Victoria.

The hardy ones are better suited to cooler regions and they also grow well in the tropics. They are very pretty and have the widest range of colours . They go dormant and will reappear the next year. The blooms float on the water's surface . These are normally propagated by root divisions and by tubers or rhizomes.

The tropicals are more vivid in colour, the blooms stand above the water, are larger in size and many of them are scented. In the tropicals there are two types, day bloomers and night bloomers.

The night bloomers are large with a leaf span of 3-8 ft or more, and come in three colours, light pink, magenta and white. There are other characteristics that define the night bloomers. They are more prolific and are very aggressive growers. They cover a larger area and can stifle any other lilies that are in the pond. The blooms open at night hence the name night bloomers around 8pm and will stay open until 10 -11am the next day.

The day bloomers include miniatures, medium size to large. The colours range from many shades of blues, yellows, pinks, whites, purples to hybrids. Recently there was a successful hybridizing of a night bloomer with a day bloomer. Propagation is done by way of root division, seeds, rhizomes and viviparously. Viviparously means that the young plant develops on the leaf of the mother plant.

The Amazon water lily or the Victoria is the largest of water lilies. It originated in the Amazon and one lily will need a space no less than 20ft by 20ft. So that one is enough for large ponds. The leaf of this water lily is thorny and care must be taken when tidying up the plant.

Water lilies are planted in pots or basins without holes, in clay soil and be careful not to bury the crown of the plant. They grow in in full sun in depths of 18 - 30 inches of water. Mind you I have seen some growing in depths of 14 inches. If you have Koi fish I recommend that you find a way of protecting the plants from them or just do not put water lilies in the same pond. We had Koi a few years ago and they lived well with the water lilies until one day we came out to see the plants all eaten and uprooted. What a mess it was. So we decided to sell the Koi and replace them with comets. Since then we have had no more problems. The comets look like Koi without the damage to the plants. So be careful of the types of fish to put into your water garden. Ask your self whether you want a fish pond or a water garden and that will determine the type of pond you will have. Water lilies are voracious feeders and must be fertilized regularly, every 4-6 weeks or the leaves and flowers will become smaller and eventually stop flowering. If the water lilies are planted in the bottom of the pond like a natural pond, they would not need any fertilizing. They will get their nutrients from the fish waste and the soil. Their roots will be free to travel in search of food. Water lily fertilizer tablets are available in many plant shops and if they are not available you can use a slow release fertilizer like Osmocote . I will take the plant out of the water, lift or pull the sides away from the pot and sprinkle some Osmocote. Or I recommend that you get some old pantyhose or knee highs and cut them into pieces that will hold about a tablespoon or two of fertilizer. Tie the small tight bundles and push them down into the soil that the water lily is growing. Remember to cover the fertilizer with more soil. From my experience the Osmocote will last longer than the tablets.

Water lilies are very hard to kill and the plant will have a lifespan of 10 years or more if you pond conditions are right. High or Low pH is a definite killer and always check the pH before adding water lilies to your pond. If it is too high or low I will say not to put them in until you can adjust the pH. Water lilies thrive best in a pH of 7.5-8.5 Anything over 9.5 and below 7 will quickly kill your plants.

blimey it's bloomin' Friday

lemon ginger monocostus uniflorus

dwarf oleander another poisonous plant

This is not a hosta after all it is a cardwell lily proiphys amboinsis

white mussaenda

plumbago a very poisonous plant

I cannot believe that it is blooming Friday again. Where has the week gone? It seems as if it is hurling down through the time tunnel. Still no rain and am now watering. Some of my potted plants have begun to shrivel up so I must water. Rain rain where are you? Have a great weekend to all you gardeners and garden bloggers. Visit Katerina on roses and stuff for more blooming Friday blooms

SOS Who are you? Can I grow you?

update ...this is a peony

these are lilacs

viburnum

viburnum plicatum tomentosum

I was in Illinois attending my daughter's graduation in May and I took a stroll through the campus with my daughter. She was pointing out where she attended classes, this moment I will always cherish . Having THE EYE, I came across several plants that made me hyperventilate. Lauren couldn't help me even though she had spent five years there living on campus and passing these flowers every year! I was enthralled with these blooms and I am asking the world garden community to come to my rescue! Those Illinois garden bloggers who had their spring fling in Chicago in May this year (I'm soo jealous and Oh how I hate you all) will definitely know the names of these plants. Jean I hope you are reading this!

bloomin' friday and garden rant

dendrobium orchid

 
Barbados cherry

lipstick pink ixora

white dendrobium orchid

anthuriums

hosta or not a hosta can anyone help me?

Here are some blooms happening around the garden today. I am also not pleased with the recent water rate hike by the government. The rates have been raised by 60% so my water bill at the end of this month will determine the plants I will keep and the ones I will sell. This island is one of the most expensive places on earth to live. This island produces very little and imports almost everything. With this new hike in water rates, this will hike the price of locally produced food, vegetables, poultry, fish and anything that uses water in their production. A trip to the hairdresser will cost more, the price of plants will have to go up and hotel rates will go up in a shrinking economy that depends on Tourism for its survival. Since the new government has come into office they have raised the land taxes, the road taxes and the cost of drivers licenses have been doubled. This has and will impact negatively on the general population, the last straw was the water rate hike. This is a vital service and I consider the rate hike extortion at its finest. The political and financial backlash will determine the future of this present government. We are in for a very, very rough ride.

My happy birthday

I had the curried shrimp with basmati rice and veggies

coconut crusted shrimp with fries my husband's favorite

These youngsters waiting for the big one that never came

the view from the restaurant

Yesterday I celebrated my 53rd year of living. My husband and I had lunch at Champers, one of my favorite restaurants on the south coast of Barbados. It was a cloudy day and we've had some rain earlier in the morning to my delight. The location is one of the best on the south coast. The food was good and very consistent. In Barbados eating out is expensive and hit and miss. The prices were reasonable and the service was excellent. Now good service in Barbados is a rarity to bajans (bay-jans) like me. The visitors say they get good service but when it comes to one of their own, bajans seem to think they should not demand nor give the same service. My motto has always been, I am a firm believer in excellent customer service, I give it and expect to receive it. Cheers to Champers!

Flamboyant season

My flamboyant trees have started putting on their annual show around the garden. I have two reds on my property and one yellow I planted at the entrance to my driveway on my neighbours' land. I have planted another yellow on my property but it is still young and maybe it will flower next year. I plan to plant another two or three around the property when the rainy seasons starts. The flamboyant is also known as the Royal Poinciana, Delonix Regia, and flame of the forest. All around the island you can see flashes of red, orange and yellow along the roads, through the tree tops, in church yards and schools and hotels. It puts me in a good mood and I haven't been in one since my dental surgery last week. Today I had the stitches out so am feeling better and with all that colour in the landscape am smiling from ear to ear :-)). We had some rain last night and more is predicted.