A Yard In Fort Pierce

A while back I did some yard work for my neighbor that lives behind me. She is almost 90 years old and enjoys gardening very much. She has tons of cool plants in her yard. My neighbor gave me a pot full of succulent cactus that I have not yet identified. I like this perticular cactus because it does not have any thorns on it. It also ranges in color from a green to a pinkish red color depending on the amount of sun it gets. I put together a few pots with this cactus and other succulents. While I was outside yesterday I noticed a red flower on the cactus. I have never seen a flower like this before. It is a deep red and the tips curl back behind the flower. Here are some pictures of my succulent pot with a White Teddy Bear Succulent and the unknown cactus succulent with some cool ground cover. The first picture is the pot my neighbor gave to me.

If you can identify this succulent please let me know, thanks.

A few months ago I was at my fathers house and notice a plant that was amazing. I had to have it. This plant was the Variegated Tapioca ( Manihot esculenta 'Variegata' ). This plant looks amazing with it's red stems and unique variegation. I am not sure if this is edible or not so if you have any input I would greatly appreciate it. The Variegated Tapioca plant grows to about 6 feet tall and does well in full sun to partial shade. The Manihot esculenta 'Variegata' is easily propagated from stem cuttings. This is the process that I used to get mine. It looked a little rough for a while but looks very good now. Here are a few pictures of my Variegated Tapioca ( Manihot esculenta 'Variegata' ).

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Yeahhh!!!! My Mango Tree ( Mangifera indica ) or Bowen Mango has started to fruit for the first time ever! I think it is because I started fertilizing it last winter. It has never been fertilized, and I do not know how old it is. Mango Tree's can reach soaring heights of over 40 feet tall. The fruit is absolutely delicious. If you have never tasted a Mango then I highly recommend it. Here are some pictures of my new Mango fruit.

We finally made it back to our secret spot after 2 very long weeks. Our intentions on returning to the infamous Coccoloba uvifera 'Albo-variegata' or the Variegated Sea Grape were to attempt to Air Layer a few pieces. We brought our Air Layering kit that was packed with clear plastic bags, black plastic bags, root hormone, sphagnum moss, twisty ties, water, and the trusty old pocket knife. In about thirty minutes we were able to Air Layer 6 branches. If you want to see more pictures of the infamous Coccoloba uvifera 'Albo-variegata' or the Variegated Sea Grape then click here. The following pictures are of the Air Layering ( Variegated Sea Grape ) Project.

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A few weeks ago I purchased a Phalaenopsis Orchid from Wal-Mart's clearance section for $5.00. It was pretty beat up and not blooming so I had know idea what color it was going to be. I also have no idea on the identification other than it is a Phalaenopsis Orchid.

Last Week the Orchid started budding and now has 7 buds on it. One of the buds has opened to reveal the mystery. It is a beautiful white Phalaenopsis Orchid. The inner lip is yellow, orange and red. Another bud is going to open any day now and pretty soon it will be in full bloom. Stay tuned for the White Phalaenopsis Orchid in full bloom!

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Finally my beautiful Hybrid Orchid known as the Ascocenda ' Pattaya Beauty ' is in full bloom! This Hybrid Orchid is one of my favorite Orchids. I am attracted to the Vanda look and feel and the beautiful orange and gold color of the blooms. I have this Ascocenda Orchid hanging right next to my front door so everyone is able to enjoy it. Here are the picture of my beautiful Ascocenda ' Pattaya Beauty ' Orchid.

I hope you enjoyed them, please come back soon!!

As you already know I am extremely interested in rare and exotic plants. Located at McKee Botanical Gardens in Vero Beach Florida is a very nice Double Headed Cabbage Palm Tree ( Sabal palmetto ) which is Florida's State Tree. The Double Headed Cabbage Palm Tree was donated by Dr. John Rogers and The Vero Beach Sunrise Rotary Club.

Palm Tree's do not branch like other Tree's so to get a double or triple headed Palm Tree is very rare. This only happens when a tragedy has struck. It may happen when lightening strikes causing damage to the head and for some reason a new head forms while the other head is still alive and they both continue to grow. The Palm Tree may have been infected with some disease that may have triggered it as well. There are may factors that can cause multiple heads to forms, for whatever reason this happened I am glad I have seen this. I have a Double Headed Queen Palm Tree in my back yard. To see the pictures of my Double Headed Queen Palm click here. For now here are the pictures of the Double Headed Cabbage Palm Tree that is at McKee Botanical Gardens in Vero Beach Florida.

Huge Discovery!! This past weekend Brandan and myself were at a buddies house who owns loads of property. We had a few drinks and decided to go and explore the territory. For many many months now we have been searching for the infamous Coccoloba uvifera 'Albo-variegata' or the Variegated Sea Grape. This is one of the rarest forms of variegation. We must have looked at a million different Sea Grape Trees with no luck.

As we were on our adventure we could see up in the distance that there was something not right about the patch of vegetation we were approaching. To our extreme surprise it was the infamous Variegated Sea Grape ( Coccoloba uvifera 'Albo-variegata' ). We were speechless, we did it!! We found it!! This is a huge discovery for us and I want to share it with you. Here are some pictures of the new discovery.

This first picture is of me standing by the Variegated Sea Grape.

This second picture is of the regular Sea Grape next to the Variegated Sea Grape to show you the difference between the two.

And the following pictures are of the clippings I came home with. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

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While I was at a friends house the other day, my friend lives on a lot of property, I noticed a beautiful flower. Turns out the flower is know as the Indian Blanket Flower (Gaillardia pulchella). The Indian Blanket Flower looks like a Sun Flower but not near as big and is colored like an Indian Blanket. This plant is very drought tolerant and is happy in the sun. It is easy to over water this plant. Seeds from the Indian Blanket Flower are very sharp so I recommend wearing gloves when extracting the seeds. Needless to say I brought some home with me, here are the pictures for you to enjoy!

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I am long over due for an update on my Ice Cream Banana Tree ( Musa acuminata ). I purchased this Ice Cream Banana Tree off the Internet back in February. I did a post on Feb. 25th listing pictures of the baby Banana Tree. Click here if you want more information and to compare size. In just 5 short months my Ice Cream Banana Tree has grown about 3 or 4 feet. I finally put the Banana Tree in the ground today. Now it will really take off! You can see my water bottle irrigation project at the base of the Banana Tree. I have used this water bottle irrigation project on all my fruit trees. For more information on water bottle irrigation click here.

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The amazing Starfish Flower Cactus ( Stapelia grandiflora ) or the Carrion Plant was given to me over the weekend by a friend of mine that owns a construction company. He just bought two houses that were severely damaged by the Hurricanes and told me to come check out the landscaping before he leveled the place. I didn't find much except this amazing cactus. The flower looks identical to a Starfish hence the name Starfish Cactus.

When the Starfish Cactus flowers the aroma is that of rotting flesh. It smells very, very bad but it only happens about once a year so it is worth it to see the flower. The Carrion Plant is very susceptible to root rot so you don't want to water to much. The Starfish Flower Cactus is happy in morning sun to afternoon shade and grows about a foot tall. Here are some pictures of my new Starfish Flower Cactus ( Stapelia grandiflora ).