Thanks Jim!

Lovely tour Kathy!!!

Beautiful gardens there, Kathy. You're so dedicated, spending hours per day deadheading your daylilies! I like to do that, too, but rarely find the time.

Quick addition here, this is Brazilian Plume from a cutting I traded last fall. It really does make plumes!

Great color on that Brazilian Plume!!
They yell at me when I don't deadhead and the next day takes so much longer!!!!

Took a bunch of pics of my caladiums today. They do love this hot, moist weather and have jumped up since all the rain we had.
This one is 'Miss Muffet' - she's getting greener out in the afternoon sun.

A NoID I got at HD in April, Aroid forum folks think it might be 'White Queen'

Two Thai NoIDs in one pot, the black one gets a "stained glasss" effect of red shining through it which I think is cool.

This one we think is 'Jungle Rain'

This white one 'Candidum' is in a hanging basket with a huge white begonia

Unlike Miss Muffet, 'Carolyn Wharton' gets greener in more shade, a lot bigger and more pink in a sunnier spot.

All nice, Elaine. I don't keep track of caladium names but I have lots of friends who do.

I found this lovely ginger blooming in the cycad garden today. I used to know the nameof it but I've lost it.


And some begonia foliage.



Jim

Nice guys!
Today's garden tour photos... http://bit.ly/NiE9gS

Pretty Caladiums! I like the Curcuma looking Ginger.

I know that ginger, too. Just can't come up with the name. The wide leaves are a big hint.

Here's one of my favorite gingers, although it gives me fits trying to get a good pic of the flowers. Kaemferia or 'Peacock Ginger'.


And a surprise for me yesterday, my Dragon Fruit cactus - Pitaya - is going to flower soon! Must remember to get out there after dark the next few nights to check on it. I'd hate to miss it's opening night performance. I also have another start, a cutting of the cultivar 'Physical Grafitti' that is putting up new growths.

You are right, Ursula. It is a Curcuma but then Curcumas are gingers. I looked up the name and it is Curcuma 'Sulee Sunshine'. It's a real looker.

Jim

It sure is!
I posted some "deck stuff" into the house plants thread
The thread "What other houseplants do you grow 4" in Orchids forum

and my Lotus is starting to bloom, one flower was fully open this morning and there was another bud! Anise scented! I love it! This one is hardy and survived two NJ Winters.

I think I need a hardy one. Mine just don't winter over inside and they cost $60!

Beautiful Lotus, Ursula, and I enjoyed your deck tour.

Jim

Kathy, the fellow at Waterford garden told me never to cut a fresh Lotus blossom stalk, he said if water enters through that, the chance for the plant to rot is high. I must have been lucky perhaps, I have never heard of that before.

I've never cut the stalks but it's just very chancy to winter them over. I bet mine weren't hardy!

We spent a couple of relaxing days at our "extended garden" this weekend. The weather was gorgeous and we took some long walks, enjoyed the place. You know you are really relaxing when you start watching a turtle making tracks in the pond.


The Epipactis helleborine are starting to bloom - here are some small plants, flowering along the path through the woods. We also spotted some nice and tall plants in bud on several locations.


Some nice seed pod of a Dandelion family member


Morning Glory


And by evening a balloon drifted over the Corn-fields, you need to open the thumbnail to see it.

I can see why it is not hard to relax in such beautiful surroundings.

Jim

You are lucky to have your "extended gardens!"

no question on the Turtle tracks?

The turtle tracks are the disturbances in the water? That's what I assumed anyway.

I just talked with my aunt who lives on a farm in nothern Indiana, just south of the Michigan line. She said it was 106 degrees outside and that, plus the lack of rain, had turned their corn crop to toast. It's a different story here in Florida. My yard is just plain soggy. With Debbie and her 14.4 inches of rain on a Sunday and daily afternoon downpours since, I'm living in a swamp. My lake is very high and we still have two and a half months of rainy season left. It is pouring down again as I type this. I can see big turf fungus issues in my future. I'm thankful my orchids are nice and snug in the OC. Send flotation devices!

Jim