Abutilon (Flowering Maple)

This plant has several common names, among them flowering maple and parlor maple. I usually call it Abutilon, because I like the sound of the word.
I do not know the actual cultivar of this flowering maple, but perhaps it is A. pictum'Thompsonii '. It seems to be the most numerous one pictured on the web. I have had this one (or cuttings of it) for several years. It is a tough thing and survives to bloom in spite of uneven and careless horticultural practices. This is it's current state of bloom, in a greenhouse where I try not to let the temperature fall below 40F. (It has gone into the 30's on at least one occasion this winter). This garden year, I plan to put a cutting of it into the ground and see how big it will get. This one is about 2 feet tall, not including the pot.

 This is an Abutilon that I grew from seed this past year. I had a nice color selection as you can see from the picture below with the floating blooms. On the stem of the above plant you can see what is the main trouble to me of growing Abutilon: mealy aphids. They are almost impossible to get rid of on potted plants, and will spread to nearby plants. This lead me to plant 3 of my seedling plants in the outdoor bed last summer, where they thrived. In fact, they held their leaves till the last time it went down to 23F. I am still hopeful that they will put out new leaves this spring. I read on the net that they are hardy to 26F, and this coincides with my experience. So keep your fingers crossed for me that they will regrow in the spring.
 Meally bugs do not seem to be as bad outside, although they do occur. Perhaps there are critters out there that prey on them or maybe rain and overhead watering washes them away, but whatever the reason, putting a plant outdoors that has mealy bugs will usually help it if not cure the problem.

January Orchids

This yellow and bronze orchid is Odontocidium 'Pacific Sun Spots'. This is the first bloom for me and I hope in the future it will have more flowers on the bloom stalk. I cannot let January and February go by without getting  a cyclamen, which is sitting here beside the 'Pacific Sun Spots'. I love cyclamens, for both their unusual slicked back flowers and their beautiful leaves.

I believe this is also an interspecific orchid; in other words, they are crosses between two orchid genera. However, I do not have the name of this one anymore, if I ever did. It is big and beautiful and very crimson.

Chocolate Persimmon

This persimmon tree was growing in the yard at the Brantley Citrus Farm in Daphne, Alabama. It  was a beautiful tree, maybe about 15-20 feet tall. Aunt Imgrid said it was called chocolate persimmon and that she liked it because it was not so soupy when it was ripe as some other varieties. When fully ripe, it is brown inside so that is where the chocolate part of the name comes from. I found them very delicious, and  I also liked that they were not so liquid inside when ripe. The smaller size was also appealing to me. The fruit size was larger than our native persimmon (these have no seed), but about a third the size of the ones I see in the grocery store, so I guess they could be described as medium sized. They are more oblong in shape than grocery store persimmons. The cheapest ones I saw online came from Willis Orchard Company in Berlin, GA, which is just south of Moultrie. Ummmm. Thinking about it...

Brantley Farm in Daphne Alabama

It's not often you see chickens running loose in the yard anymore, but there were some here. It reminded me of long ago, except the usual chickens were Rhode Island Reds. These are Dominicas and some variety of buffs. Beautiful. Here you see the fruit stand just out Aunt Imgrid's  back door. She has satsumas, Meyer lemons, kumquats, and some persimmons.

More Animals at Brantley Farm in Daphne Alabama

                                                                  Pot bellied pigs

                                                                   Horse and donkey

Peacocks at Brantley Farm

These peacocks were on display at the Brantley Farm in Daphne.
I admire peacock plumage so much! I think these birds are just exquisite. The only thing about them that is not so good is their voice. That makes my skin crawl.
I did not see any females. Maybe they were somewhere setting eggs?

Dora Kills Snake

On the second day of the year, Dora found and killed a snake, albeit a very small one. She likes to sleep in the sun nestled in the leaves. I did not see her find it, but I imagined it was lurking about in the leaves.

I

 She dispatched the snake and deposited it where I would not miss it--at the foot of the back steps. When I first saw it, I was sure it must be a copperhead as I sometimes see them around here and they are always small. But NO! This snake has a wee pointy head without the viper arrow shape to it's head. I do not know what it could have been. It was very small, smaller than the diameter of a pencil, and maybe 6 inches long. Any guesses?