So Many Dishes

We’ve had as long a stretch of cool weather as I can remember in all the years we’ve lived in Florida, and it’s going to get even colder. We’re expecting freezing temperatures here Saturday and Sunday nights. Brrr!!

But it has been nice to walk in the brisk air this week. This morning, Ken and I passed a blooming Clerodendrum quadriloculare, known by the common names starburst plant or shooting star.

The flower clusters are pretty both as buds and when the flowers have bloomed. Unfortunately, the blooming period is pretty short, so for most of the year it’s just this nondescript shrub. It’s a plant I like to look at in other people’s gardens, but I wouldn’t want to plant it. The roots send out suckers, so it’s hard to keep the plant from spreading.

My research says Clerodendrum isn’t very hardy, so we’ll see how the plants tolerate this weekend’s cold. I’ll be taking down the hanging baskets we have on the patio and moving the patio pots to a sheltered corner. Then the only remaining question will be, how well will I tolerate the cold?