Viewing comments posted by Lavanda

To simply say this is a pink flower would be an understatement. It is a cactus-type with elongated petals with a pointy tip, of a glowing medium-pale pink shade with darker pink veins.

I have raised this lovely plant on and off for years. In my borderline zone 7b/8a, it acts as a half-hardy perennial, lasting for a few years (not more than three seasons), until a colder than normal winter takes it out for good. I then replace them.

They drive hummingbirds crazy with joy.

I like to use them to surround the birdbath.

This rose was bred by the illustrious British breeder David Austin prior to 2011.

It is named for the heir to the throne, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth, and William's new wife, Catherine (Kate) Middleton.

The rose was named to commemorate their wedding in spring 2011.

I love this rose! It has large blossoms, which are white with pale yellow and pink accents, mostly picotee. Fragrance is nice. I have grown it at previous residences, and it is back on my want list.

The translation for 'Rotes Meer' is Red Sea.

This is a plant that has been in my life for as long as I can remember.

It is a beloved wildflower in Texas, with a blooming season from March to June.

The color of the blooms, even within the same clump, ranges from pure white to a medium rosy-pink, including all shades in between.

Blooms consist of four petals with yellow anthers.

They grow as wild volunteers on our property, and the bloom season is much anticipated. When observed at night, when the blooms open, they seem to glow in the darkness, or semi-darkness. Day or night, pollinators LOVE them !

They also appear in drainage ditches, along the side of interstate highways and other roads. State road crews do not mow until the bloom season for these, bluebonnets, coreopsis, gaillardias, thistle and other wildflowers is finished for the season, in agreement with the Wildflower preservation originated by Lady Bird Johnson.

Ours grow in full sun as well as in partial, light shade under our trees.

It is very typical, when driving, to see gardens and yards where homeowners mow around these, leaving tall clumps of blooms. A breathtaking billowy moving cloud of beautiful pink and white !

At our ranchito, whoever is mowing receives threats of NO DINNER if they mow down my precious primroses before the end of the blooming season: they must be allowed to produce and drop seed for the future seasons ! (the plants, not the mowers)

This plant, known as Chaya in Spanish, is popular in Mexican and Latin-American cuisines

It should NOT be eaten raw, but is used, cooked, as a vegetable, or as an ingredient in composed dishes, notably in the very popular "Tamales de Chaya."

It is a pre-Hispanic historical food, first used in the indigenous cultures of Mexico and Central America.

The leaves are used as a very pleasant aromatic herb.

Chaya is rich in anti-oxidants and more nutritious than spinach or other leafy green vegetables grown on land. This was discovered when research was performed by the USDA in Puerto Rico.

Before they can be eaten safely, the fresh young tender chaya leaves and stems should be cooked in boiling water for 20 minutes. That length of cooking time will cause any toxins to vaporize, and result in safe-to-eat veg and broth.

IT MUST BE COOKED IN NON-REACTIVE COOKWARE !!! Meaning NOT ALUMINUM !!

Chaya is used in all types of things from smoothies and cocktails to desserts, or any course in between. yum !

Montezuma is one of my top all-time favorites and I have been growing roses for over 45 years.

Although the photos posted here are beautiful, they don't do justice to the live blooms.

I grew this in humid areas of zone 9-10, within 50 minutes of the coast, and also in a more northern, drier climate and experienced no issues with disease, including black spot.

I so want it again, but cannot find a source.

Here in our neighborhood, the songbirds, notably cardinals, love to build their nests in this bush. The rose bush can grow taller than a one-story home, and can house numerous cardinal families.