When I was checking over my neglected front yard this weekend, I found it odd that my crinum lilies had no grasshopper damage this year.  They seem to be one of the favorite foods of the giant Eastern Lubber Grasshopper, or lubbers as they are commonly called.  Well Monday I got my Lubber fix when I spotted one resting on an Angel Trumpet leaf.Despite their giant size as an adult, they actually eat less than grasshoppers a fraction of their size.  They are monsters too, typically reaching 3 ...

If you are a weather fanatic like I am, Central Florida is a great place to live.  During the summer the sky comes alive almost every afternoon when the Gulf and Atlantic Ocean sea breezes collide. Saturday's skyline was quite dramatic.While I was hoping we would get some rain out of these storms, the storm ended-up being all show and no action.  The exploding clouds were a good backdrop to showcase Brugmansia Sweet Summertime, a Monika Gottschalk introduction that thrives in our Florida heat.

I decided it was time to start naming and registering a few of my Angel Trumpets that have been on my "To be Registered" list since last year.  Here is the first of many I plan to register this year.  I named this one Brugmansia 'Marshmallow Sunset'.This seedling originated from a Brenda Delph cross involving Brugmansia New Orleans Lady and (Angel's Flight x Charming). You can see easily see traits from both parents in these blooms.  The bloom form and size is more in line with those of ...

One thing I love about Central Florida is that we have beautiful sunsets almost every day.  Here's a photo I captured yesterday of Brugmansia Sacajawea silhouetted by a thunderstorm.What is unusual about this photo is that I am shooting towards the east, not the west, so you would expect this to be a sunrise photo instead.  This sunset was so bright that it encompassed the entire skyline, reflecting off the numerous afternoon thunderstorms in the area.A touch of fill-in flash shows off the ...

Here's another group of recent bloom photos from my collection of Exotic Hibiscus: The first and second pictures are of unnamed seedlings, and the rest are of named cultivars. I still have lots more to show you, but I'll save those for next month.The bloom below looks like it is on fire!I just started a bunch more hibiscus seeds and by this time next year I hope to be able to show you the results of those crosses.I hope one day Brugmansia will be as widespread and popular as hibiscus. Thank ...

Here's round three of some of my recent Exotic Hibiscus blooms.  This first picture is of one I grew from seed and it is one of my favorites.The color starts out lighter with a mixture of pastels, and then the color deepens to what you see above.The color combinations available with hibiscus are totally amazing.The radiant red hibiscus pictured below is another one I grew from seed. Right now I'm just growing hibiscus for fun so I have no immediate plans to name and register any of the ...

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During one of my morning strolls through my jungle I captured this shot of a cluster of Exotic Hibiscus blooms about ready to open.You may not know this but you can actually snip off hibiscus blooms before they open and place them in a glass of water in your refrigerator to enjoy a few days later.  Just pull the buds out when you are ready and they will open wide.  You can then enjoy their beauty for the remainder of the day.Now here's the money shot of the same three buds pictured above.  ...