Saturday, July 17, 2010

FIRST FOLIAGE FOLLOW-UP~JULY

Thanks to Pam at Digging for encouraging Garden Bloggers Bloom Day participants (Carol at May Dreams Gardens) to follow up on the 16th of each month with foliage shots from your garden. I'm new at garden blogs, so here's my first edition from Tropical Texana.
Kaempferia elegans (Peacock Ginger)



Neoregelia bromeliads

They love Houston's heat & humidity and can almost stay out year round.
This Hypoestes (Polka Dot Plant) is root hardy and came back from a 21 degree freeze!
Who would believe it.

Patterns on a White Bird of Paradise leaf. It got scratched by some nearby twigs as it developed.

Aloe saponaria glows in early morning light.

Someone's snacking on this Bauhinia. And if you look on the left leaf, you'll see they're not finished!

This is the fancy cousin to our common green Oxalis. It blooms pink just like the rest of the genus and
has popped up from under a rock.

Duckweed from a nearby slough adds a whimsical feel to these water pots.

Washingtonia  robusta~ a palm that does well here in Houston.
(Note: robusta has the 'thin' trunk and 'filifera' has the robust trunk. seems backwards to me)

This stink bug takes a nap on a Zulu Fig leaf (Ficus lutea).

Don't worry...this Brugmansia will perk up as soon as shade comes its way.

We don't get much Autumn color, but sometimes we get a little gift from the canopy above.
This pecan leaf caught my eye.

On a tightrope. No, this is not Ralph. Ralph has only one antenna.

These agave capture the evening sun.
Agave desmettiana (highly variegated) & Agave ferox in the foreground.
Thanks for stopping by Tropical Texana. Come back often.

4 comments:

  1. Hello David - you have some lovely exotic plants in your garden. That last photo with the agave backdroped by the sun is lovely. :) Rosie

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  2. Hi Rosie,
    Thank for my first foliage comment. I've just started to view your blog and what you have is fantastic. It will take a while to see it all.
    Come back an visit anytime. I'm always updating the blog. :-) David

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  3. Love those agaves in the sun! And the aloe saponaria--have you ever actually tried to use it as soap? (We have one of those at the botanical garden here where I volunteer, and I always think that if it were mine, I'd have to try it... so I'm curious whether or not you have! :)

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  4. Hi and thanks for asking...
    the A. saponaria does froth when you break a leaf, but I haven't put it water to see if it cleans. I'll try it tonight. FREE soap. Yea!
    Another plant of interest is the pine cone ginger. The clear liquid inside the bloom head is used for shampoo in tropical countries. I tried it and it really works. It's not in bloom right now.
    David :-)

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I always appreciate your comments & questions! Happy Gardening from David/ Tropical Texana

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