A Summer Day in Maine

On my quest to visit all 50 U.S. states in my lifetime, Maine is the latest. It was on the day before the first day of summer, but it felt more like the end of winter. It was a brisk day in the upper 50's with a boat load of fog to go along with it. But nonetheless, it was extremely beautiful in this quaint northern town.

A glance down main street in Bar Harbor


A walk in the park for a closer look at the flowers.


A beautiful pink peony


and more flowers, of which I am not familiar. It looks like some sort of sage, and perhaps a geranium.


Oh, how I wish I could stay for the entire summer!

myly

A Visit to Green Gables

A visit to Prince Edward Island means a stop at Anne Shirley's (or better known as Anne of Green Gables) house.


And one cannot miss a walk through Balsam Hollow, so aptly named by the young girl with a vivid imagination.


I can see why these woods gave her so much "scope for imagination." They look as though they are out of a fairy tale. Ostrich (if my memory is correct) fern covers the floor of the woodland,


along with a beautiful and delicate blue wildflower.



The woodland is alive with the melodies of song birds and the gurgling sounds of the creek as it passes under the foot bridge.


What a beautiful place to get lost in one's imagination.

Canadian Flowers

We just returned home from our vacation to Canada and Maine. Springtime is in the air with cool temps, lots of fog and beautiful flowers. This photo was taken outside of a sugar shack in Quebec.


A rock garden planted on Prince Edward Island


I don't know what these are but they're beautiful.


A hosta and iris garden on Prince Edward Island


Same garden on Prince Edward Island


Peggy's Cove (Halifax, Nova Scotia) garden in full bloom.


And, the lighthouse at Peggy's Cove shrouded in fog.


I don't know what most of the flowers are with the exception of hostas and irises. I think the pink ones might be bleeding heart (fuschia). Perhaps someone will enlighten me.

The Start of a New Season

It's the start of a new season, and I don't mean a new "gardening season." Nope, on June 1st the 2008 Hurricane season began. I was out spraying some water on my orchids when this bright color among the green grabbed my eye. Yep, the "hurricane" bromeliads were putting out their first bloom of the year - right on time. I guess that's how they got their knickname the "hurricane" bromeliad.


Here's the scoop on Hurricane season from the national hurricane forecasters: "For 2008, the outlook indicates a 60 to 70 percent chance of 12 to 16 named storms, including 6 to 9 hurricanes and 2 to 5 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale).

The main factors influencing this year’s seasonal outlook are the continuing multi-decadal signal (the combination of ocean and atmospheric conditions that have spawned increased hurricane activity since 1995), and the anticipated lingering effects of La Niña,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “One of the expected oceanic conditions is a continuation since 1995 of warmer-than-normal temperatures in the eastern tropical Atlantic.”

Summer Can Begin

Memorial Day always seems like the official start to summer here in Florida as the temps reach into the low 90's and the humidity creeps up on us. Summer is not my favorite time of year to do a lot of yard work (did I mention the humidity), so I made one last trip around the yard this morning clipping here, there and everywhere. I had a couple of last items on my spring "to-do" list that I needed to wrap up, and a few more bags of mulch to spread (pine bark only - no cypress). I'm tired, hot and sweaty but my garden looks so nicccceeee.




Now with the aid of my garden helper (Round-Up) I should be able to keep things in check throughout the summer without too much trouble. I will have to do a mid-summer trim because summer showers make monsters out of my plants. And, then there is the weekly lawn mowing that must be done. Most people would think this crazy, but I actually enjoy it (and I'm not one of those lawn perfectionists either). Weeds and crabgrass are okay with me, so long as they're green. But I must admit that the best part of mowing the lawn is when I dive into the pool after I'm done. It is such a refreshing experience.




I'm fortunate to have a very shady and breezy backyard.

This pathway leads from the side yard to the backyard, and both this photo and the one below have "borrowed" landscape from my neighbor. The pink Ti plants and the Lady palm above them are part of an adjoining flowerbed that belongs to my neighbor. We color coordinated :-)
Can you tell I just mowed the lawn?

The cold weather did a number on my Angel Trumpet, but it is making a comeback. However, the Plumeria (further down the picture) is very slow to generate some new leaves. We're keeping our fingers crossed on that one.

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.