Last Chance Squares

Today marks the last day of Becky’s ‘In the Pink’ Square in September photo challenge.  It’s been delightful contributing and I’ve no doubt Becky has been kept on her toes, all but completely overwhelmed by the response and the responses.

I have been thrilled to share the pink flowers in my garden and I’ll admit, I’ve learnt a lot along the way, thoroughly enjoying researching them and then sharing this knowledge.  Albeit some flowers I shared were not pink, they were either in their prime, meeting Becky’s ‘In the Pink’ criteria, or I was ‘Tickled Pink’ by them – just as I was with a recipe I shared and the photo I took of the Moon with my new camera.

So as Becky’s photo challenge comes to an end, I’ve decided to share some photos that didn’t make it, and not because there weren’t good enough, but because there are only 30 days in September.

From left to right, here’s a quick rundown.

Top Row

Princettia – Euphorbia pulcherrima, also known as Christmas Star and available in pale pink and white varieties.  This is the end of a bloom and I’ve since trimmed it up to encourage new growth and more blooms.

Crucifix Orchid – Epidendrum radicans also know as fire-star orchid, rainbow orchid, this orchid will grow in concrete and is a spectacular addition to any garden. I have a spectacular orange and my friend Lisa recently gave me a cutting of her red one.

Desert Rose – Adenium, belonging to the same family as Frangipani, these are grown as house plants and make for a spectacular bonsai.  I think I need to prune mine but will have to look into it before I do.

Middle Row

Brazilian Walking Iris – Neomarica this is another ‘grow it forward’ plant from my Aunty Pat’s garden.  It provided me with many beautiful blooms to admire this time last year, and this is a photo of the first bloom for this season.

Geranium – aka Pelargonium – I did share photos of my Geraniums (twice), but not this photo.  I like the dappled effect in the background caused by the palm that it is planted near.  I also love the pink ruffling along the edges of the petals.

Chain of Hearts – Ceropegia woodii and the oldest plant I own.  I was giving a small piece by a friend back in the late ’80s.  Our daughter looked after this plant when we travelled around Australia and I now have it back in my safe keeping.

Bottom Row

Petunia – a delightful ‘surprise’ striped flower that appeared in a tray of seedlings.  These seedlings were sold as a ‘pot of colour’ and I had no idea what their colours would be.  So far the flowers that have appeared are magenta, soft pink, and this striped delight.

Unknown – however, I believe this is closely related to (if not) Sedum ‘Little Missy’, a gorgeous little ground cover that arrived in the bottom of a pot containing a magnificent white frangipani from my friend Denise.  I now have this growing in several pots and positions.

Anthurium – I did share photos of my Anthuriums, but not this one.  It opened just a couple of days ago and is a pretty pale pink.

– ⋅ o ♥ o ⋅ –

And finally, as seen in my header image above . . . another plant that has me tickled pink.

This is Zantedeschia aethiopica and it belongs to the Araceae family, more commonly known or referred to as the arum family which also includes other decorative favourites such as the Peace Lily and Caladiums.

This specimen is, in fact, a Giant Arum Lily and the spathe around that flower spike (the white bract) is as big as my face!

Also referred to as Calla Lily, I prefer to call it my Arum Lily and because it is currently throwing blooms, it is living inside the house where I can constantly enjoy it.