Beautiful Bougainvillea Pergola in Florida Garden

I love this beautiful bougainvillea pergola in our friend's patio and pool garden in warm, tropical Florida. Left double click on this photo to enlarge this photo and note all the lovely architectural and landscape details.

Lovely Landscaped Garden in Florida

A photo of our Florida friend's lovely landscaped front garden which complements the beautiful Spanish Mission architecture.

Beautiful Florida House and Garden

A special friend since our childhood sent me this picture of her beautiful Spanish Mission style home in Florida.

Goldfish Pond...My Main 2007 Garden Project

Looking back on various garden projects this past year, I am pleased that I was able to install this goldfish pond myself, although moving and stacking 2,300 pounds of stones one-by-one was laborious. I have new respect for the slaves who built the pyramids. My goldfish and waterplants are thriving and seem very happy in their new home with just the right combination of morning sunshine and afternoon shade.

Cashmere Bouquet...Fragrant Flower..Stinky Leaves

This deciduous 6' shrub forms a dense thicket if not restrained. It has these beautiful and fragrant (like the old-fashioned soap with the name "Cashmere Bouquet") clusters of flowers up to 8 inches across in summer, but its leaves when crushed have a disgusting stench.

A Reindeer In A Florida Garden

My first cousin sent this photo of his reindeer yard art that he has in his Florida garden for a Christmas decoration. I much prefer his beautiful crotons in the tropical background over a snowy landscape.

Season's Greetings

I hope your Noel will be noteworthy and all the best to each of you in 2008.

Magnificent Medinilla

My first cousin told me that this may be his favorite plant in his Florida garden. It is easy to see why he selected it and the Latin name "Medinilla Magnifica" is most appropriate.

An Orchid With The Fragrance of White Chocolate

My first cousin said that this orchid in his collection has the incredible fragrance of white chocolate.

Huge Orchid Plant in my cousin's Florida Garden of Eden

My first cousin in Florida sent this photo of a huge orchid plant in his garden. It is hanging above his wife who is sitting in their swing.

Ginger in a Florida Garden of Eden

Another interesting pic from my First Cousin's garden in Florida. This is an edible variety of ginger with its beautiful red seed pods.

A Hat Of Chrismas Cactus on a Roman Lady

I have a pair of these terra cotta wall planters on the patio that were cast from Roman Era effigies excavated in London. The faces have very strange expressions and truly are "conversation pieces".

Another Christmas Cactus Photo

With your mouse pointer, LEFT DOUBLE CLICK THIS PHOTO to see details of these blooms.

Christmas Cactus Doing Its Thing Timely

For once my Christmas Cactus plants are actually blooming at the appropriate time. Some years they bloom at Halloween and other years at Valentine's, but this year they are right on schedule.

Peacock Kale With Its Feather Leaves

I am impressed with the Japanese horticulturalists' progress in developing amazing new varieties of ornamental kale and cabbage. Each year I see interesting new types of leaves and colors.

Yellow Pansy Singing A Solo Of Farewell To Peppers

Our first freeze of the season is forecast for tonight so by morning these red peppers will be mush, and then the yellow pansies will have room to flourish in this crowded terra cotta pot.

The ULTIMATE Pansy IMHO: Ultima Morpho

The cool nights and morning sun are making these pots of Ultima Morpho pansies perk up. I used to think the variety, Majestic Giants II, was the best for this climate but now my blue ribbon for "Best Of Show" goes to this one.

'Tis The Season For Bright Red Flowers

The history of the poinsettia: The plant we know today as the poinsettia has a long and interesting history. The fact is, that lovely plant you place in your home during the holidays was once used as a fever medicine! Native to Central America, the plant flourished in an area of Southern Mexico known as Taxco del Alarcon. The ancient Aztecs had a name for this plant found blooming in the tropical highlands during the short days of winter:cuetlaxochitl. Not merely decorative, the Aztecs put the plant to practical use. From its bracts they extracted a purplish dye for use in textiles and cosmetics. The milky white sap, today called latex, was made into a preparation to treat fevers. Joel Roberts Poinsett: The poinsettia may have remained a regional plant for many years to come had it not been for the efforts of Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779 - 1851). The son of a French physician, Poinsett was appointed as the first United States Ambassador to Mexico (1825 - 1829) by President Madison. Poinsett had attended medical school himself, but his real love in the scientific field was botany. (Mr. Poinsett later founded the institution which we know today as the Smithsonian Institution). Poinsett maintained his own hothouses on his Greenville, South Carolina plantations, and while visiting the Taxco area in 1828, he became enchanted by the brilliant red blooms he saw there. He immediately sent some of the plants back to South Carolina, where he began propagating the plants and sending them to friends and botanical gardens. Among the recipients of Poinsett's work was John Bartram of Philadelphia, who in turn gave the plant over to another friend, Robert Buist, a Pennsylvania nurseryman. Mr. Buist is thought to be the first person to have sold the plant under its botanical name, Euphorbia pulcherrima (literally, "the most beautiful Euphorbia"). Though it is thought to have become known by its more popular name of poinsettia around 1836, the origin of the name is certainly clear!

Red Passion Vine Flower

Another nice photo from my first cousin in Florida showing a red passion vine flower in his garden.