The Blooms of May

The riot of springtime blooms is now giving way to the returning heat and humdity of summer. There are still plenty of plants tough enough to standup to a Florida summer, and keep on blooming but Spring takes first place for the sheer volume of blooms. Or, perhaps it just seems that way following the winter months.

Blooming in the month of May are:
Fourth of July rose


Peace lily and impatiens Lotus begonia
A close up of the Lotus begonia

Agapanthus

The caladiums are back. The peacock ginger in the background will soon be disappearing.
The Dancing Lady orchid
A closeup of the Dancing lady and vanda orchid
And, not quite a flower but a fruit, a lemon boy tomato - yum!

A Show Stopper

The agapanthus is so fanciful with its large puff of dazzling blue color that sits atop a tall sturdy stem. At the first sign of buds, I impatiently watched as the stems reached for the sky and waited eagerly for the flowers to pop open. I was not disappointed with the show they put on.

A Place to Sit for a Spell

I photographed this part of my sister's garden on Sunday when we celebrated Mother's Day. It is one of my favorite parts of her garden. This spot is drenched in shade for most of the day, but for now the sun is shining in to highlight this peaceful place where you can sit for a spell with her cat(s).

Neglected Tomato

This volunteer tomato bush that sprouted on its own in pure builder's sand received no fertilizer and only rainwater so far has produced 51 smaller than normal roma (?) tomatoes. It is definitely a hardy variety (unknown) that didn't need any t.l.c. My pampered bushes that I planted can't even compare to this. I'm definitely keeping seeds for this variety that I named "Brawny Roma."

Now Take A Deep Breath

The fragrance of this antique tea rose known as Sombreuil (1850) will make you want to linger a little longer. She's a tall, leggy French gal with a hint of soft pink blush in the center of her creamy white petals - a real beauty! And, she's one of my favorite roses. I never miss the opportunity to stop and take a deep breath when she's in bloom.

I'll take an antique rose over a hybrid any day. The scent is better, they require less work and they bloom in profusion. They don't require spray and the plant keeps its overall shape a lot better. I couldn't ask for anything more!

Happy Earth Day

"The Earth Laughs in Flowers"

These hollyhocks at the local library seem to echo the quote above by E.E. Cummings. They appear to be laughing out loud with their towering stalks waiving in the wind. You don't see hollyhocks growing in people's yards here in Florida, but here's proof that we can grow them as a winter annual. They're fabulous!




This proud mom and dad are protecting their 4 little goslings.

A New One for Me!

I wouldn't say that yellow is one of my favorite colors, but I am attracted to yellow flowers. They just stand out in the garden and grab your eye, and they look good with purple, orange, red and blue flowers. Plus, yellow is a very cheerful color.
This adorable little miniature-looking petunia is a new plant for me. I was searching for something different for this fern pedestal when I discovered it. It's called calibrachoa. I don't know if it has a common name that is easier to say, but it is really cute. It looks larger in the photo because of the up-close shot. I'm not sure if they will survive the summer heat, so I'll just enjoy them while they last.

Getting Used to the Wind

My new garden has a challenge that I've never faced in Florida before - WIND. It's not just a soft breeze that dances across your skin or lightly lifts your hair up. Oh no, as you can hear in this video it is a powerful north wind that scatters Spanish moss all over the entire front lawn every time a cold front blows in. We burned two mini-mountains of Spanish moss this past winter, and the trees are still full of it. So, I can’t plant any delicate debutantes like my favorite angel trumpet or banana trees whose leaves would be in shreds in no time at all. Fortunately, the winds are at their strongest during the winter months only.
The good thing about being on the south side of the lake is that it keeps the temperatures a wee bit warmer in the winter, and it seems that we get more rain in the summer. And, in Florida, these days that’s a good thing!

Strollin' Along

My daughter and I took a stroll around Lake Hollingsworth a few weeks ago on a lovely spring day and here is what we discovered:

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day

Here's what's blooming in my April garden:


A pass-along daylily from my step-father


Society garlic and knock-out roses


A hula girl hibiscus from my mother's garden


and, the best for last, lots of knock-out (so appropriately named) roses.

What Kind of Day is This?

We were well on our way from spring to summer when winter unexpectedly returned. Our northern friends experience "Indian summer" when hot weather returns in the fall, but as far as I know, there is no name for winter's chill creeping into our spring/summer weather. The bright sun lit up this stand of oak trees along the water's edge on this crisp, clear morning of 46 degrees.

A Few More

Here's a few more pics of azalea blooms. The blooms have faded on the larger plants and I've trimmed them back and fertilized them, but the fashion azaleas (red orange blooms) are still blooming.
Even Makayla is admiring these from the screened patio, or could it be that she is just watching anole lizards scamper around on the mulch.

March Orchids

Some of the first orchid blooms of the year.

Springtime Show

It's not too late to grab a seat and enjoy the springtime flower show.

It's First Blossom

This newly planted (early summer '07) Tabebuia tree produced its first blossoms this month. I was excited when I turned into the driveway one afternoon and saw this single bloom welcoming me home. I was surprised and delighted by the number of blooms our scraggly 6 feet tall tree produced this spring. I Can't wait until next spring!

One Last Hurrah!

The last two mornings were in the upper 30's. Hopefully this will be the last "very" cold weather we receive this winter, as spring is in the air for us. Everything is popping out and I am eager to get out in the yard and begin the spring ritual of trimming, fertilizing, planting and enjoying some "perfect spring weather."

More Azaleas!

The azaleas are still blooming away, although it is quickly approaching the end. I hate to see them go, as they are so colorful and cheerful!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

Azaleas are the quintessential southern spring flower.

They signal the start of spring in my zone 9 garden, and come in hues of bright fuschia, white, violet, sunset orange, red, and hot pink to name a few. When I was a kid, there wasn't a yard that didn't have at least a handful of azaleas scattered around. Many had the giant 7 foot tall Formosa varieties that were covered in blooms. But now, you see fewer and fewer as professional landscapers fail to add this southern staple to new yards. Happy Valentine's Day to all of the Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day bloggers!

A Breath of Fresh Air

It was a dreary day as I sat working on the computer, when all of a sudden the sun popped out. I glanced out the window for a look, and there it was - a splash of spring green reflecting the sunlight. My neighbor's Laurel oak was awash in brand new leaves. I couldn't believe it! I jumped up to check on our tree but it was still in the process with teensy little baby leaves just beginning to pop out. I was amazed at how quietly and quickly the tree had transformed itself from winter to spring. It is the "star" of the neighborhood, as it is the first to announce spring is arriving.

A Magical Discovery

My daughter and I were walking in the woods behind our home when we happened upon seven zebra longwing butterflies hanging from an oak branch. They were folded up flat and blended in so well that it is amazing that she saw them. It was a dreary day and the woods were dark from the thick canopy, and they seemed to be napping. At first we thought they had just hatched from their cocoons, but we couldn't find any remnants of them.



We startled them and they began to flutter all around us. I tried to snap a photo of them but it was impossible to see them in flight, so I settled for the one below as he settled back on the oak limb. We were totally delighted with our magical discovery.

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.

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!

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.