An incredible sunset!

 September ended on an incredibly gloomy note with rain nearly every day and much cooler than average temperatures. It was a HUGE departure from how we started the month - a heat wave with record warm mornings well into the 70sF. 

After record-breaking rain on September 29 (more than 8" at JFK airport (4.30" in my backyard), I saw this brilliant "apology sunset" from Mother Nature. WOW what a sight!

Rutgers Gardens Plant Sale Haul

Last week I went to Rutgers Garden's annual plant sale. If you live in the NYC metro area and love plants, this plant sale (which happens in the first weekend of May every year) is the place to be. Great prices and a great variety of plants for sale. I am almost finished planting all of these plants out and will make a post soon showing where all the plants ended up! Here are a few of my favorite purchases!

Colocasia illustris, Colocasia Tea Cup, and a variety of Begonias


Passiflora incarnata and Fatsherdra (tree ivy) are both hardy to zone 7. I'm looking for a warm microclimate in the yard for both so a cold winter will not knock them out!



Passiflora incarnata


A colorful variety of coleus


I've been looking for Banana cannas for years and they had beautiful clumps for sale at the plant sale. I am so excited to have these growing in the yard this season.



These hardy delosperma ice plants will look great in a sunny spot. I'm also really excited to have these in the yard.



Tibouchina grandifolia is one of my favorite annuals. I really fell in love with these plants in Florida, the fuzzy leaves are hard to miss and the bluish flowers are just another great plus.



These tassel ferns should stay green year round in my gardening climate. The foliage is really beautiful and I have the perfect spot for them so I am very excited to get these in the ground!



I've been looking for Musa zebrina for a long time now as well and finally found one. Bananas grow so much in a single season that this plant will be unrecognizable in a few weeks if all goes well!





I went to Rare Find Nursery a few weeks ago and while I found some great plants I was disappointed that they were sold out of Magnolia ashei. Rutgers Gardens had them for sale though! This magnolia is not evergreen, but the massive foliage, huge, fragrant blooms, and low growing habit makes it perfect for bringing the tropics to a small yard. I am so excited to finally have one!



Another really cool purchase were these Farfugiums! These plants are so weird and beautiful and also are documented to have decent cold tolerance. They are way too rare for me to attempt them in my zone 7 yard outdoors so I'll be keeping them in pots and bringing them into the garage over the winter for now.



Farfugium japonicum 'Gigantea' has massive foliage


Farfugium japonicum 'Aureomaculatum' has yellow specks on the leaves making it great for adding a bit of color to a shady spot.


Another exciting purchase was this Musa Basjoo. This is definitely the largest basjoo I've ever seen offered for sale (nearly the size of my garage door!). The price was very fair. I'll be putting it as the centerpiece of my front yard. If all goes well this could become the tallest banana I've ever grown in a few more months! The fact I won't have to dig it up in the fall is such a nice plus!



This cabbage tree is not cold hardy but it sure looks cool. I had to get one!



I'll end with these hardy ground orchids (Bletilla striata). I think only plant nuts like me can really get excited about the idea of having an orchid survive the winter outdoors, but everyone can appreciate the beautiful foliage and modest blooms of this species.  Native to Japan and one of the easiest orchid species to grow, they should get more beautiful with age! they will breeze through NYC winters.


I hope you approve of my plant purchases. Get excited because the growing season is here!!

Late September Pics!

The yard is still going strong as we approach the first week of October. Here are some pics from this weekend!

Plumerias going very strong. The blooms are nice but the fragrance is really incredible especially at night.

 

The only Desert Rose I have ever kept alive has been going strong for 5 summers  now!

I moved my Ti plants from the stairs because the wind kept blowing them down. I kind of like them here. 

The tropicals are doing a good job keeping our electrical equipment hidden. 

This orchid bloomed all winter long indoors and it's at it again!

A large shot of my orchid with my croton plant below and a lot of spanish moss. 

Spanish moss really completes the tropical look. 

Pool area with my Brugmansia to the left and a several different Colocasia and Alocasia. 

My largest palm and a new purchase, a Yucca schottii! Excited to get this one in the ground. 

Pictures around the yard today!

Mid October is about the time of the year when all the plants in the yard begin to get tired looking. They definitely aren't in their prime anymore, but they are still pretty close to it! Here are some pics from this weekend.

Colocasia "Mayan Mask" bloom

Spanish moss on a still green tree

My Cassia is blooming nicely!

My largest plumeria is about to go inside. This was definitely not as easy plant to take in. It's something I dread doing every Fall, but it is worth it!

Here's a look from the front yard!

When I got this ginger as a tourist plant from Hawaii in 2010 I would have never thought it would be a repeat bloomer in my yard every year and get as tall as me by October!

Thanks for looking!

Tibouchina grandiflora

I definitely must admit that I didn't expect my yard to look so nice at this point in October. It still has a lot of tropical vibes which is just how I like it although the weather is certainly feeling like it should with highs in the mid 60s today.

The bluish flowers on my Tibouchina are a nice sight to have in the yard. 

A bonus macro shot of the colorful patterns on my Mojito Colocasia.

And my Castor bean is looking appropriate for this time of the year with lots of deep red colors.