After finding a discarded snake skin amongst some freshly potted Angel Trumpets a few days ago, I knew it was just a matter of time before I found the owner.  This afternoon I found him basking in the sun.  I was glad to see that it was just a friendly black racer. He was about 4 feet long and was spread out along a half dozen 3-gallon sized pots. He did not seem too concerned that I was snapping photos of him until I moved in close to take a frontal shot. I'm sure our paths will soon cross ...

Sometimes when a new Brugmansia seedling blooms, it is love at first sight. That was certainly not the case with this seedling from a 2007 Brenda Delph cross involving Brugmansia Adeline x Miss Caylie. As you can see the blooms have a wrinkled and unkempt look to them.  At first I thought this may be something the plant would grow out of as the plant matured. Last fall I actually tagged the plant to be culled when I had time. I have a real hard time tossing plants tagged to be culled so I ...

For the past month almost all of my hibiscus seedlings I started last summer have been blooming.  Here's a photo of one that is a real stand-out.  It is a cross between Exotic Hibiscus Remembrance x Intense Passion.  Living up to its father's name, the color is certainly intense.This seedling will definitely be carried over into 2011 and could end up being the first hibiscus seedling I end up naming and registering.

This new Angel Trumpet seedling decided to tease me right before I left for a multi-day work trip this past weekend.  It is from a cross between Brugmansia Angel's Moonlight x Jazzy. The bloom was average in size with great form and substance.Seeing how I was gone for 4 days, I have no idea what the final color turned out to be or how the bloom evolved...I hate when that happens!  I'll anxiously be awaiting the next set of blooms so I can evaluate the seedling further. 

A couple of nights ago I came across this cool tree frog basking in the moonlight.  From his perch high up on a brugmansia leaf, he has a perfect view of the rising full moon.

It looks like I have another single yellow Angel Trumpet to add to my watch zone for 2011. A cross involving Brugmansia Inca Sun x Mountain Treasure produced this nice yellow trumpet.The blooms had a nice form with a waxy texture and pleasant fragrance.  Only time will tell if it inherits its mother's blooming traits.  It will also be interesting to see if the blooms stay yellow as cool weather approaches, or pick-up some orange coloring like Inca Sun.        If it continues to impress me ...

One thing I love about Florida is that we have some really cool storms. During the summer and and early fall, Central Florida becomes a breeding ground for massive thunderstorms.  The storms are fueled by the collision between the east and west coast sea breezes.   A few days ago this massive storm developed in less than an hour.  As it grew larger and larger the sun started to set and the entire sky turned an eerie orange color.  Here's one of my monster seedlings silhouetted be the growing ...