Mosaic Monday: Japanese Garden

It's Monday and that means Mosaic Monday, hosted every week by the lovely Mary at The Dear Little Red House. Be sure you visit.

Edited to include link to Today's Flowers -- a virtual flower garden. So many of you have enjoyed the iris, I thought I should share them a little more!

Mr. Dragon and I went to the Japanese Garden in Hermann Park last week.

It was a beautiful afternoon. The humidity was low and we had the garden almost to ourselves.

With its waterfalls, bridges, and stone paths that wander among crepe myrtles, azaleas, Japanese maples, dogwoods, and peach and cherry trees, the Japanese Garden is a peaceful hideaway in the Park. This particular garden is a daimyo style, and includes a tea garden, a kaiyushiki stroll garden, and a scroll garden.

I have lots of photos and you may have to put up with them for several weeks!

This is the Japanese Tea House and all of these photos are shots from or around the Tea House.

We were too late for the azaleas in the Japanese Garden, but there were a few Iris still blooming.

More next week!

***

A quick update on Mr. Dragon. The feeding tube is out and he is learning how to eat all over again. Much easier said than done. He doesn't have much energy, so when we go out we make sure there are plenty of places to sit and rest. The Japanese Garden was perfect. Going in the afternoon, all the school children (at the museum of natural science or the zoo) were gone and we could find a good parking place. He's lost weight. Each day is an adventure, but the doctors are happy about the pathology report and very optimistic. We keep plugging along.

Thanks again for all your love, prayers, support, white light, et al.

We do appreciate it and you!

Todays Flowers

Visiting Today's Flowers will take you to a virtual flower garden from around the world.

Last weekend, the zoo had a photography day. They opened the gates early for around 150 of us with our cameras and umbrellas. We had the zoo to ourselves until the regular admission time.

You can see the first animal photos we took in the Camera Critters post below. But it wasn't only animals we were looking at. This shrub stopped us dead in our tracks. It was quite impressive. In other words, the WOW factor was off the scale!




The shrub with its stunning blooms was over five feet in height. I just had to know what kind of plant it is and the zoo folks were happy to find out for me.



Megaskepasma erythrochlamys ‘Brazilian Red Cloak’, ‘Brazilian Plume’, ‘Red Justicia’
‘Brazilian Cloak’ is a herbaceous shrub that is very showy and fast growing.

A blazing mixture of flaming red and vivid pink flowers, is what Brazilian Red Cloak in full bloom looks like. In spite of its name, this splendid plant comes from Venezuela where it is found naturally in tropical woodland. An evergreen shrub with boldly veined, shiny green leaves, it bears from early autumn into winter spikes of very showy, 12 inch, crimson flower spikes. (Actually white or pink flowers in the cloak of the very conspicuous crimson bracts.) The showy ‘flower’ consists of red bracts surrounding the white true flower. The growth habit of the Brazilian red cloak is considered by horticulturalists to be a shrub. It does not grow compactly as many shrub's do but instead is tall and lanky (an average of approximately 10 feet) while yet full. Under ideal growing conditions the plant can hit fifteen feet (4.5 meters) in height.

Where flowers bloom, so does hope - Lady Bird Johnson

Today's Flowers

Go visit Today's Flowers to visit a virtual flower garden from around the world.

Written information on this post is from Gardens Ablaze.

Pictures were taken in our backyard - Musashi's Garden.

All our zinnias were planted by seed and in pots.

I remember my grandmother seeding zinnias and how lovely they were.
I'm so glad this old-fashioned flower is back in style!

If you didn't grow any Zinnias this year, put them on the top of the spring wish list for next year, and you will thank yourself over and over all season. This is a plant that is started incredibly easily from seed, flowers very quickly, has a wide range of flower types and colors, withstands full sun and heat, makes an excellent cut flower, attracts bees and butterflies, and can make the difference between so-so garden bed and a spectacular garden showcase. Whether a beginner or a seasoned gardener, there is a Zinnia out there for every taste, budget, and style. Creating a Zinnia garden is the perfect way to teach children about gardening, and they will delight in the big, bright, bold colors.



Zinnias are another member of the large Aster family of plants and originate in Mexico and the Southwest United States. They come in a form suitable for every garden situation, including single, double, cactus, dahlia, ruffles, and pompon. Colors include every shade except blue, and many are multicolored. Most are prolific bloomers that add beautiful color to the landscape, and many have growth habits that make wonderful additions to container plantings. The uses for Zinnias in the home garden are almost endless. Use them as border plants, fillers for bare spots in perennial gardens, or massed in a garden all their own.



Zinnias are quite easy to start from seed, grow quickly, and adapt well to many gardening situations. Seed can be started indoors and seedlings can be transplanted easily outside for earlier bloom, or the seeds can be started in the garden after the last frost date when the soil has warmed. Germination is not as good in cold soil.




In a Habitat type situation, Zinnias are veritable beneficial insect magnets, and they will thrive in less-than-perfect soil conditions as long as their minimum sun (at least 6 hours a day) and water requirements are met (though they do come from the hotter zones, they do still need an adequate water supply).




Zinnias are not a poisonous plant and are safe for gardens frequented by children and pets. However, they are not a culinary flower, and are not used as food garnishes, etc., though cut flowers do make a colorful and elegant centerpiece for the table.

Where flowers bloom, so does hope. - Lady Bird Johnson

Have a beautiful day!

Today's Flowers

It’s so hard to find someone who doesn’t like flowers. Flowers represent all our best feelings.
To see other flowers from around the world, visit the virtual flower shop at Today’s Flowers, created by Luiz Santilli, Jr.

This is what is currently blooming in our backyard in Musashi's Garden. We have loads of beautiful Ixora blooms in gold and red. Ixora are native to India and Sri Lanka. Ixora is too tender to grow outside of the tropics and subtropics. It prefers a warm, humid climate with temperatures rarely dipping below 50F. They need protection during the winter months in the Houston area.

A fairly small, bushy shrub, usually only 5-10ft tall. There are dwarf varieties that are much smaller. Ixora will flower when only a few inches high. It is commonly used a hedge or small garden plant. They prefer to grow in full sun. Plants have only moderate drought tolerance. We have drought conditions here and water every day.

The plant is mainly grown as an ornamental, but its flowers also have some medicinal uses.
I hope you enjoyed seeing what is blooming in Musashi's Garden.

We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts, we make our world.

~ Buddhist Saying

Joy to You!