Orange Flowers

 
The beauty just keeps coming. The last one seems unusual to me.

Lantana is a familiar plant in many gardens although it is not hardy this far north. It's native to South America and Africa. It has become a serious invasive pest in the South Pacific and Australian area. There are both herbaceous and woody shrub Lantanas. This one is a shrub. The flowers of all have an interesting feature that they change color as they mature resulting in the varied flower heads.



The next two plants I pictured for the orange foliage. Croton is another garden and houseplant favorite, although it's known for being fussy. I killed one once, but then... I've killed MANY houseplants. There are a number of plants called Croton, but this is Codiaeum variegatum pictum.

If you live in Sri Lanka it's native and you'll have better luck! These ones in the conservatory at Stan Hywet were very happy.



Another foliage favorite for landscaping is Japanese Maple. The leaves are really more burgundy, but look what the morning light did to them! The rear of the Manor house is in the background.



Finally, I bring you Turk's Cap lily, but in a pale orange shade with small blossoms. I'm not usually fond of pastels, and this was indeed a soft orange, but I loved how airy and carefree it looked. I have no idea if this is a particular variety, that always produces small flowers in the light orange shade, or if it was some fluke of the minerals in the soil. The plant was labeled as something completely different! (Unless the other plant was tucked in between but not blooming.)



I think this concludes the flower closeups from Stan Hywet. I do have some general shots of the gardens that will give you a feel for the sheer expanse of the manicured space.

	See Pink Flowers
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