• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • The Gardenangelists Podcast
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

I Didn’t Know I Needed Orange Flowers

June 27, 2023 By Carol 3 Comments

I didn’t know I needed orange flowers until I planted some in a container that I see every time I look out the kitchen window.

And I find myself smiling at how bright and cheerful they are.

I’ve already exclaimed about how on fire I am for Celosia ‘Flamma Orange’ which is on the left in this picture.

Next to it in the center is a double-flowering snapdragon, DoubleShot Orange Bicolor, which, like the Celosia, I grew from seeds sent to me by All-America Selections.

And peeking out over there on the right is a plant I purchased when I saw its little orange flowers just barely showing amid a mass of green foliage. I thought it might be a nice addition to a container full of orange flowers.

It is new-to-me Crossandra, also known as firecracker flower, a tropical plant native to India and Sri Lanka. I’m obviously growing it as an annual but I see that sometimes people pot it up and grow it inside as a houseplant which means that later this summer I will need to think about possibly digging it out of that container, giving it its own container, and bringing it inside for the winter.

Isn’t that how it is with gardening? You don’t think you need something, like orange flowers, and then you grow some and you think how you really did need them.

Then you realize one of them is a tropical plant, so now you need to at least think about potting it up to bring inside for the winter. Or in the words of my friend, Marianne Willburn, author of Tropical Plants and How to Love Them, I need to decide if my relationship with Crossandra is going to be just a summer romance (which will end with it in the compost pile after succumbing to the frost) or will it be a long-term commitment (which will continue with it potted up in its own container and introducing itself to other plants in the sunroom?)

Regardless of what I decide to do with the Crossandra, I have decided I need a bright spot of orange flowers in a container on my patio every year! What took me so long to figure it out? That’s probably a topic for another blog post…

(No, I will not explore what happens when you plant a firecracker flower next to a “Flamma Orange” celosia with DoubleShot snapdragons all around. It sounds explosive and dangerous, like someone is drinking while setting off fireworks, but there they are…)

(Yes, I did write up a list of orange flowers for Family Handyman. The snapdragon and the crossandra didn’t make that list but if I rewrote it the list today, they most definitely would. Feel free to suggest other orange flowers I should grow, either in a container or out in the garden.)

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: annuals, humor, tropicals

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dee A Nash says

    June 27, 2023 at 11:09 am

    I love crossandra. I found a new variety this spring called Watermelon. It’s now growing right outside my kitchen door. ~~Dee

    Reply
    • Carol says

      July 6, 2023 at 7:49 am

      Honestly, Dee, I had never really paid attention to it. I don’t buy many tropicals as a rule and these were just small plants when I bought them, but one of them had a flower that caught my eye.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,144)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Sign up for my new substack newsletter

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT