Florida Botanical Gardens Revisited

Today is a good day! After being off blogging for the last week, except for a quick post on Monday, I can once again spend a lovely morning posting and visiting. Funny how you can come to miss spending time with friends you've never met face-to-face, but enjoy so much. Working an average of sixteen hours a day for the last week, I found myself wondering who was posting what and what was I missing?

Outdoor Wednesday is a perfect day to reemerge from the darkness and into the light. On Sunday I was so over looking at my computer and coming out of the studio only for meals and other essentials that I just grabbed my camera and headed over to the Florida Botanical Gardens. I needed to walk, to move, to breathe in some fresh air! I only had an hour or so to spare, so the gardens was the perfect place to unwind and refocus.

Since everyone seemed to enjoy last week's post of some of the more unusual flowers we can grow here, I thought I would share a few more of what you can find at one of my favorite places to visit. For the most part, it's just too hot to enjoy the beach, so the shade at the gardens beckons. This doesn't mean it wasn't hot, I came home dripping wet, it just means the sun wasn't beating down on me. I left my house frazzled and returned rejuvenated!

Pink Powder Puff Calliandra emarginata

Seven Golden Candlesticks cassia alata
reclassified as senna alata
Thanks Florida Sue for naming this plant!

Glory Bower Vine Pandora jasminoides

Princess Flower Bush Tibouchina urvilleana

White Water Lily Nymphaea odorata

Water Lily Nymphaea Dao Fah

Calico Flower Vine Aristolochia elegans

The last unusual flower, the Calico, is so stunning. The first photo comes from Floridata.com, so that you could see the leaves of the vine it grows on. I came across one flower on a huge vine, but it was so intertwined in the weeds on the ground that I couldn't get a shot with the flower and the leaves together without destroying it's natural beauty. I did flip it over gently, so you could see the "Dutchman's Pipe" shape underneath. To truly appreciate this blossom, you should know that it is larger than my face. The Calico got it's name because the purplish pattern is reminiscent of calico fabric. This unusual vine is native to Brazil, but will grow here in Zones 8–10. Because it is an important larval food source, this unusual vine is planted in our Butterfly Garden. Floridata.com reports that it has been assigned a new name Aristolochia littoralis and is classified as a Category II invasive, so if you're thinking about adding this to your yard, I would suggest growing it in a large hanging pot.

So there you have it, more beautiful flowers to enjoy on this wonderful day. There is one thing I know for sure, if you visit Susan over at A Southern Daydreamer, you'll find links to even more outdoor wonders from all those who are sharing their beautiful world with us.