Sunday, August 7, 2011

Summer plants and flowers

A leaf from a young tree fern -
& the pathway it grows by -
Blossom of a wild ginger (hummingbirds LOVE these, but are impossible to photograph, speedy little rascals that they are -
Love the diverse texture of the leaves, too -
Blossom of an ornamental banana - about the size of my thigh -
Heliconia plant outside our guest bedroom is another favorite of hummingbirds -
As is this ornamental banana -
I have not seen hummingbirds on our hydrangeas, but do love the flowers, anyway -
Have lots of these small, native orchids growing on the rock walls surrounding our yard:

Summer flowers & plants

Agave plant provides a sculptural note to the SW corner of the garden -
We have 3 varieties of anturium, this one is my favorite -
These bananas should be ripe in about 5 months ... in past years, blue tanagers have built their nest on top of the bunch, and had their hatchlings airborne by harvest time - have not seen the tanagers - yet - but I am expecting them to arrive soon.
Of course, when one lives in paradise, they also need birds of paradise in the garden -
Boca de lion (lion's mouth) is another favorite -
I consider bougainvillea to be beautiful botanical barb wire (have thorns), so have several colors growing on our exterior walls.
Love the native bromeliads, too
Our 2 dozen oldest coffee bushes are in full bloom - very sweet aroma!
These heliconias have blossoms, then leaves - I was lucky to get a photo where one can see both.