November Musings

November is one of the most perfect months in Florida. As Summer’s unfaltering heat and oppressive humidity have finally faded away, it is replaced with balmy Chamber of Commerce weather. The kind of blissful days that draw even the most homebound person outdoors to soak up every minute of perfect weather.


I grab my bucket of garden tools and plan to start in the side yard pulling weeds and clipping back plants as I work my way around the house.

The bromeliads are in desperate need of thinning as they are encroaching on the brick walkway. The peacock ginger is slowly fading away until next spring and I can finally see my small collection of ceramic mushrooms again.

I discover this nasty little weed called Heartleaf Drymary is popping up in various parts of the yard where the grass is sparse from too much shade. If I ignore it, it’ll take over the yard in a heartbeat.

I spread some mulch and then decide to take a break. A large glass of ice cold water and an apple seem the perfect snack to enjoy while I sit on the deck and overlook my backyard.

I’m not seated long…more weeds to pull…potted plants need relocating…one idea after another pops into my head and I MUST do it now!

I grab some apple slices and stroll to the other side of the yard. The hibiscus seem to relish this time of year with an abundance of blooms.

This morning glory has decided to use this hibiscus plant as a trellis. They actually make quite a nice pair.

A pretty pink begonia dangles in the wind.

And a couple of Brown Turkey figs are ripe for picking. The day draws to an end, and...with a BIG smile on my face...I make plans for another "perfect" day in the garden tomorrow.

Mount Dora Plant Festival

It was the perfect weekend for the Mount Dora Plant Festival. A breezy day in the 80's made it even more enjoyable. There was a good variety of vendors, and lots of customers loading up their carts or carrying bags of plants.

There were your usual stands of orchids, bromeliads, tropicals, and some really unusual plants like this hanging pitcher plant.

And, there was plenty of color around. Perennials and butterfly plants could be found in abundance.

My first intention was that I really didn't need anything, but I would go "just in case" their might be something out of the ordinary. Does that sound familiar to anyone? Then I remembered the tillandsia guy and the begonia vendor from last year, and I got a little excited thinking about picking up one of each.

Well, I did end up finding two tillandsias and 3 begonias. I must admit that when I'm confronted with numerous choices (especially plants), it's very hard to select just one. Plus the begonias were 3 for $5. Who could pass that up?

And, of course there were a few other plants I just couldn't pass up either.

Like this dazzling leopard lily with leaves that feel like a succulent and whose blooms are a pretty violet color. They had this plant potted in a hanging wire basket and the plant had surrounded the entire basket. It was stunning!

Oh, and this very unusual variegated fern. I've never seen one like this before, so "I just had to have it." You know the feeling, right?

Oh yeah, and this really cute crinkly-leaved fern and this beautiful red-colored bromeliad. I did, however, display some self-control. There were about 3 other ferns I wanted but I was determined I wasn't going to spend every penny I came with. So now, I'm looking forward to next year's festival. :-)

My Dad's Garden

My dad has never been much of a gardener but he is big on keeping things looking nice. And since he retired and moved to Alabama he has taken more of an interest in gardening. The woman who built their house did a great job in establishing the garden.

This is a gorgeous ornamental grass. I don't know the name of it because we don't grow it here in Florida but he has lots of it in his sideyard.

Another beautiful plant (or should I say tree) we can't grow in my climate is the Japanese maple. I can see why people love these small artistic looking trees. The color is fabulous, too!

Luckily, we can grow River Birch trees in my zone 9 garden. You just can't beat that flaking bark, and you can't walk by it without grabbing a piece.

Flaming Heavenly Bamboo. It puts on quite a display in the fall.

A well-known plant in the south, this Confederate rose blooms white on the first day and turns to pink on the second day. It's quite a conversation piece as the plant generally has both colored blooms on it at one time.

There's lots of natural rock in his yard of which I am very jealous since we have to pay for rock here in Florida. Here's a huge flat boulder, just perfect for displaying this potted ivy.

And, lastly, this is a great (and I mean GREAT) piece of garden art in the yard. The previous owner had this face carved into a dead tree trunk. If only I could carve wood!!

A Change of Weather

I wish I could say the change of weather was here in Florida but unfortunately it's still quite warm and unexpectedly humid for this time of year. These photos were taken in northern Alabama while visiting family.

The autumn parade of leaves was still in its infancy but there was still plenty of color to be found. Especially for us Floridians who aren't used to a lot of autumn color.

We visited Burritt House which is a living museum to the way life used to be in this neck of the woods. Outside one small cabin was a kitchen garden overflowing with herbs and vegetables.

A plant that's already gone dormant for the season still has a few colorful berries for the birds. These may even be rose hips. I'm not quite sure but the more I look at the photo the more it looks like a rose.

The temperature this day was a brisk 52 degrees. All bundled up in our jackets, it was a great change from the heavy humidity we've experienced lately.

I couldn't miss taking a snapshot of this adorable scarecrow surrounded by the changing season. It was the perfect autumn shot.

As was this one. A really cool concrete bench flanked by black pottery and a dusting of leaves on the ground.


Rich vibrant gold and red maple leaves are a sight to behold.

Especially when contrasted against the deep dark brown of the tree trunk.

It's always a joy to see the autumn leaves!

Early Morning Discoveries

I headed out into the garden early this weekend in an effort to control some weeds with a weed killer spray. I wish I could garden 100% organically, but my new garden is large (a couple of acres) and without the help of an unnamed weed killer, I wouldn't be able to keep up with the steady onslaught of weeds.

When you walk slowly and look down, it's amazing what you'll discover. As I briefly lifted my head, and looked out over my wildlife area the unusual flower of the Dutchman's Pipevine caught my eye. I can't really say it's beautiful but it is indeed, eye-catching.

I planted this vine along a fence in the hopes of attracting pipevine swallowtails to my garden. Here's a photo of both the open flower and a couple of other buds that will soon open. The flowerbuds look like small pipes, and I'm going out on a limb here to say that's probably where its name comes from. Definitely, very strange and other-worldly looking. I'm definitely glad I didn't miss these blooms. Next, was an unusual looking bee. Instead of a yellow and black bumble bee, this bee is black with white sides. It's kind of hard to see the white because she's sipping nectar from a white wildflower.
Then there was this GIANT of a strange fiery-orange bug scurrying across the ground. I made sure to stay out of his way since I defnitely didn't want him crawling up my leg.
And, then another gargantuan bug. He was kind of freaky and I think I was interrupting his mating ritual, so I moved on quickly. The back of our property is woods and you can see that we get a lot of strange and unusual looking critters.
And, lastly I made a grim and sad discovery. At first, I thought it was 4 butterflies sitting on the ground together and I was eager to see what they were doing. But it turned out this butterfly who had met the end of his lifespan. Three of his wings were separated from his body. I hope he enjoyed sipping nectar from my butterfly plants.

I have no idea what kind of bugs these are, but I'm sure they all serve a unique purpose in the wild and I'm glad to have them around to discover.

A Simply Wonderful Day!

Here's a little fall color in my garden!

At long last, a taste of fall has arrived in Central Florida. Temperatures for the past two mornings were in the mid-60’s - HOORAY! While I will temporarily revel in the delightfully refreshing coolness of the morning, I won‘t get too used to it because the humidity will be back by Friday. But nonetheless, it was a most welcome announcement that our “endless summer” is beginning to give way to autumn.

Later that day I was driving down the road with my sunroof open , happy as a lark enjoying the spectacular weather when a funny thing happened. All of a sudden, I found my car automatically turning into the nursery. Oh, “Perhaps a few mums and some fall vegetables - collards, lettuce and broccoli are needed for the garden,” I said to myself. As I was walking out with my cart full of “new stuff,” lo and behold, I discover my neighbor Nancy just arriving. It’s funny how a slight change in weather seems to reenergize us Florida gardeners.

This year I managed to keep up with my garden chores through the hottest months, so I find myself in pretty good shape. However, there’s always something that needs tweaking. Like the roses. They need a slight pruning to get them back in shape and a burst of fertilizer to get them blooming. Then there are the leggy impatiens that are screaming at me to give them a haircut. I just fertilized my poinsettia (which is looking really good) for the last time this year. And, the small bed around the mailbox is in dire need of weeding, reshaping and replanting. That will be my main fall project. But for now, I’m going to just hang around outside and enjoy the weather!

It's Not Quite Fall Yet!

With temperatures climbing into the low 90's, fall hasn't arrived in central Florida yet. Although, the weather report promises a low of 65 and a high of 85 by the first of October, I'll believe it when I feel it.A slight change in the temperatures and the humidity can be felt, especially in the morning and evening. But for now our skys are sunny and bright blue with whispy clouds.

And, the only autumn color to be found is on the leaves of colorful foliage plants.