Wedged between the driveway and the sidewalk:

Pride of Barbados (Caesalpinia pulcherrima), Beautyberry (Callicarpa), Russelia rotundifolia 'Desert Fire'



Dwarf Cherry Barbados (Malpighia glabra)

I guess your pulcherrima lives outside during the winter months? I've tried, but gets too cold here.

An eye-catching combination, Sandi.

Yes, it dies back, but returns in the summer.

Thanks, @porkpal. I just didn't realize how big they would get when I first planted that area.

It rained and now I'm seeing red :). Wish they last longer. Rhodophiala bifida, I think.

Gorgeous reds!

Looks great! Still waiting for mine.
Sandi, I have the Dwarf Cherry Barbados in a very shady area. Looks like it likes sun.

Yep...it likes sun and very little care here.

I may try pulcherrima again here. Maybe if it's in a southern facing location and if I'll just leave the couple of feet of oak leaves that will naturally accumulate and maybe add some more it will survive the winter months. Can't hurt to try. Insects and mice have no trouble staying warm under the oak leaves, so maybe with the southern sun warming up the pile, the roots will survive. Sometimes if I can just get something through the first winter, it's tougher in subsequent years. Caesalpinia gilliesii will live through the winter here, but I got rid of the plant I had because it continually had atypical growth. Bad genes, I think. I want that one again and hope for a better one.

Gilliesii is a plant both my grandparents grew. It's really sort of an heirloom plant to me since my great grandfather planted it along the sides of the lane leading up to the old farmhouse. My grandparents lived there when I was small so I remember them growing there quite well. I've never seen it grown in such quantity again. It was a controversial plant within the family, though. Some family members simply despised and hated it and others loved and protected it from the hatred. The family member following my grandparents living there eliminated it.

I seem to be adding a lot of heirloom type plants lately. The Rhodophiala bifida was a pass along plant a few years ago. This year I was given a pregnant onion (Albuca bracteata) and a very large handful of Crinum bulblets. I'm not sure how successful I'm going to be with Crinum. I didn't plant them all, but after I planted some, I started seeing them all over the place where the squirrels (or something) was digging them up. They apparently didn't miss a one because nothing has shown up. I think I may pot up the the other bulblets and wait 'til next spring to plant them out. If I do it that way maybe I can provide some cover until some get established and growing. It was a problem I didn't anticipate.

I was asked by someone else why I wanted those 'old-fashioned' plants. I really didn't know how to answer that .

Something really unexpected. One of the Lithops bloomed. We had a touch of frost yesterday morning. Very light so I think it probably won't affect anything except a bit in the tops of trees really sensitive to a frost like pecans and maybe some hackberry trees in the pasture. Still, yesterday afternoon, I did a survey of some of the plants because I have some of those that are sensitive. And found this bloom. This year is the first time I've ever grown the plant and it has done well so far. I lightly watered it one time, but otherwise it has depended on rainfall since I potted it early spring. The Eucodonia sneaked in with it via the soil. I thought the Eucodonia would die without regular water, but it has thrived. I want to remove it, but don't want to mess with the Lithops so there it is covering some of the Lithops. The bloom is attractive and just about covers the plant.

What can I say? Plants love you.

Great pics! I missed the source of the yellow flower when I first opened the post.

porkpal said:What can I say? Plants love you.

Not always. And never very much in the winter months.

Bubbles said:Great pics! I missed the source of the yellow flower when I first opened the post.

When I first saw it, I thought a dandelion or something has managed to sprout and grow in the container and I hadn't noticed. Here's a photo from last May before the Eucodonia rhizome started growing. I'm not sure how I'm going to extract the Eucodonia without unpotting everything. I don't want to do that, but there is certain to be even more rhizomes which will show back up next year. They are so fragile and crumble easily leaving little pieces which can then grow again. I'm just not wanting to disturb the Lithops. At all.

Great hanging "basket"!