Janice obviously has more of a life than I so I'll start the new July thread. We came from The thread "Show Us Your Garden 24, June 2012" in Orchids forum. Orchid lovers do grow other things so post your garden delights here.

It is now crape myrtle season in Florida so I offer up my two.


The rain switched on the rose garden.


Gardenias have started a second round of blooms.


Here is a beautiful ginger and a doubly hibiscus.


Yesterday morning I planted a Sanbokan Citrus tree. The fruit looks like a huge lemon and tastes like lemonade. Rare and wonderful.


These are the leaves of my chaste tree.


Finally, I spotted this fat fellow on the windowsill inside the OC. I grabbed him and put him out in the garden for better eats. I hope he's happy.


Jim

OO, Jim that looks like an invasive Cuban Tree Frog! See the info here http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu... I've been capturing and euthanizing them here for 3 years now.

They are voracious and will eat the native frogs in your garden. Btw, the big ones are the females, males are only about 2in. long. Check your pool water for eggs!

Lovely roses and crepe myrtles, Jim. I have a few new things brought on by our deluge last week, too. Sorry the pics are not really clear, the light was fading fast and the camera was having trouble focusing.

Pinecone Gingers - cute little ivory flowers, and then the 'cones' turn bright red and last for months.

Brugmansia 'Stardancer' gets pinker and pinker as the flowers age. The fragrance is wonderful at night.

Hedychium coronarium smells heavenly and a dwarf canna with pink spots.

Gloriosa lilies look cool at every stage of the flowers.

Plumeria pudica has no scent, but lovely pristine flowers. Begonia 'Odorata Alba' is huge and scented in the mornings.

Begonia 'Looking Glass' really does have reflective silver leaves with deep green veins. Another pale one, 'Don Miller'

Beautiful start of the month, Jim and Elaine! It would be impossibly for me to pick out a favorite!
The little Frog does have a cute personality though.

Jim and Elaine...wonderful tours!!

Jim, love the Floofy Hibiscus!

Elaine, the Ginger and Begonias are mesmerizing!

Ah, Florida!!!

You know, I thought that little toad had a Cuban accent. I should have been more vigilant.

Elaine, nice show. I'm going to have to get one of those Gloriosa lilies. They're just too cool not to have.

Jim

Thank you , ladies. I enjoy my crazy garden, even when I have to bushwhack through the weeds to get pictures of the good stuff.

Jim, the Gloriosas are actually a small climber, They grasp by wrapping tendrils on the ends of the leaves around strings or supports. Check out the tips of the leaves in the close-up shot. So if you find one right now, it might be 6ft. tall.

If you haven't got one by fall, let me know and I'll send you a start. They multiply by tubers underground, so I have lots!

Beautiful Jim and Elaine! Are those ginger flowers fragrant..or just amazing to look at?

The pinecone ginger, aka Shampoo ginger are not fragrant, Lindsay. But if you gently squeeze the 'cone' you get a handful of fragrant lotion that smells quite ginger-y.

I put it on my legs as insect repellent. Doesn't last long, but I'm not outside for very long in this hot weather anyway.

As for my ginger, I've never noticed a fragrance.

Jim

The Hedychiums are the ones with the wonderfully fragrant flowers. Now that I'm thinking about it, I have five other types of gingers - Alpinia, Kaemferia, Zingiber, Curcuma and Costus - and none of them have fragrant flowers, although the foliage and roots smell gingery when they're handled.
This is my fave, Hedychium 'Dr Moy' before the storm smushed the whole clump down. They're looking rather scruffy now, but still smell great!

hmmmm good to know about the insect repellent !

This crinum lily is really putting on a show.


Looking up through the crape myrtle:


A few caladiums:



And finally duranta golder dew drop:


Jim

Love your Crape Myrtle, Jim!

Great colors there.

It has been so hot here, been hiding inside.....

Beautiful! The Crinum lily pictures are especially gorgeous!

What are your conditions for your crinum. I have 2 in pots that put up leaves but never flowers. I could plant them in the garden if I knew what they like for light.

Just put more photos up of my garden yesterday. http://bit.ly/RbYIfQ
I'm having a daylily open garden on Sunday if anyone wants to come.....
Happy 4th!

Kathy, my Crinum are in full sun and are blooming their heads off!

Okay! Thanks! Love to see these after 4 years of caring for them....

I enjoyed the tour, Kathy. Your garden is beautiful. My crinum lilies get about 6 hours of Florida sun a day.