Welcome to my zone 9 garden. My roots are deeply planted in the sandy soil of sub-tropical central Florida, where the summers are long and hot, but the rest of the year is paradise!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day


This turned out to be the prettiest combination I've ever done in a container. I just love the smoky blue green color of the ornamental cabbage. It seems the colder it gets, the more colorful it is. The other flowers are a trailing petunia and a blue sage which both withstood the recent freezing temps. By the way, I wish I could take credit for having a sharp eye for color but this was by pure luck that it turned out so nice.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

What's That Smell?

Everytime I step outside I smell it. A pungent odor that permeates the air. It's the smell of my freeze-burned plants as they continue their slow demise. It's weird, but the damage was worse 3 to 5 days after the freeze. Black wilted leaves continue to hang from several large tropical plants and the crotons continue to shrivel up. But the odor of death hangs heavy in the air as I patiently wait, clippers in hand!


Thursday, January 03, 2008

Before and After

This is the plant I was most sorry to see freeze. My poinsettias did so well this year, blooming early in December. At least I got to enjoy them through Christmas.



Calculating the Damage

Temperatures were close to 32 degrees at 10:30 last night and this morning they were a bone-chilling 30 degrees. So, as expected many tender tropicals were cooked. Fortunately, the winds kept any frost from settling on the grass so it is still green.
The angel trumpet leaves look like wilted greens.
The glorybowers are toast, but they needed a major pruning anyway.
This croton really took a beating, but it also needed a major pruning in spring.
These jewels of opar are probably one of the most cold sensitive plants in my yard. They look like this when temps get into the high 30's. Too tender for this part of Florida.
And the impatiens are hanging their sad little heads this morning. They also needed a major spring pruning. The good news is that the crinum lilies and the bromeliads look great.

All Bundled Up for the First Winter Chill

Old Man Winter is dropping by for a visit, so we've been busy brining in orchids and other tender plants, and bundling up a few others that are too big to bring indoors.


Plants are everywhere! We had to use the dining room table instead of the floor this year because of a new kitten in the house.

Even the kitchen counter is doing double duty.




These staghorns covered with blankets dangle from the trees like hugh chandeliers.

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