Some of our garden in July, Zone 9B Florida

 

One of my favorite things to do in the morning is go outside while the sun is shining and take in the nature & beauty of the garden. In my opinion, there is nothing like that morning sunshine illuminating a flower or plant foliage.

Here are a few shots I took of our central Florida Zone 9B garden flowering plants I have that are looking beautiful today. 

Heliotrope 'Fragrant Delight'. This one smells amazing. We also have the 'Augusta Lavender' version of Heliotrope, which I think smells even better. Fragrant Delight Heliotrope offers deep purple flat head blooms that smell strong like vanilla & a hint of licorice or anise. I think the Augusta Lavender Heliotrope smells sweeter, almost like soft vanilla baby powder. I love it! These do seem to be slightly affected by the higher temperatures and rain this year. I have them in the ground, but they would probably do better in pots, here in Florida.

Next is Lantana 'Dallas Red'. It is an amazing plant, but the roots are very invasive and grow like crazy. I do not recommend planting this variety in the ground if you do not want it to get out of control. I have ours in a big pot, and once the roots get too root-bound, I actually take it out of the pot and root-prune around the whole root ball, and it seems to bounce back just fine.

Third down is a lilac-colored Bougainvillea that looks pale pink or pale lavender depending on the lighting. I'm not sure of this exact variety that I have, if anyone can identify properly, please let me know in the comments! This one is definitely gorgeous!

Then I have a pink Vincas that is just a young plant but thriving beautifully. I can see it from my 2nd story window and it looks like little cartoon flowers and very vibrant. I keep these in little pots in full sun.

Next is a double Bougainvillea that is a hot, vibrant pink when the sun is shining on it. The double blooms are packed with bracts and color, and I've noticed with this variety, unlike my other bougainvilleas, the bracts do not fall off after they fade and dry on the plant, they stay attached through the entire flowering process, so less shedding! Like all boungainvilleas, it will flower best in full sun and little watering.

Then last but certainly not least is one of my top favorites in the garden, which is our exotic hibiscus 'Batnam Rooster', which I'm not sure if it is available for purchase anymore, but it surely is beautiful. The vibrant yellow and red hues change from bloom to bloom and vary with temperature fluctuations. This type of exotic hibiscus likes to be moist but with very well draining soil, especially in Florida conditions.

I hope you enjoyed getting a peak into my garden this morning, and check back for more posts in the future as I experience my journey of gardening in my Zone 9B Florida garden. 

I hope you all have an amazing day!

-

Alexander