A Pleasant Surprise

Another pretty orchid that I got from my mother's collection. Orchid blooms have a way of sneaking up on you. One day I walked outside and could see something white out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look and received a pleasant surprise.

Don't Know What Happened

This interesting looking tomato is called Paul Roberson. It is an heirloom variety that I planted for the first time. The plant grew well and then one day it started to decline very quickly. Fortunately, it lived long enough for two tomatoes to ripen. Yes, the tomato in the second picture is fully ripe. It has a hearty tomato flavor and was delicious, but I must say that if I served it to company they would have thought the tomato was rotten. The inside of it was a mixture of green, dark red and yellow. It did not look appetizing at all. I wish I knew what happened to the plant to cause it to die so quickly.

Caught in the Middle

I relish these last days of spring, knowing that the humid days of summer are slowly creeping up on us. The cool freshness of a new day is invigorating. Even the roses love spring, as their blooms are much larger at this time of year. As I wish for spring to hang around as long as possible, my yard is slowly dehydrating from the lack of rain. With a one-day-a-week watering restriction, sun-parched patches of grass and wilting plants are dreaming of a thirst-quenching summer rain shower. So it is with much longing that I cling to spring, but pray summer arrives soon.

Am I the Only One Who Grows Tomatoes in the Front Yard?

Due to lack of sun in my backyard, I'm forced to plant some of my tomato bushes in the front yard. I know in Europe they have beautiful little kitchen gardens in their front yards. So, in order to plant a few more varieties, I planted two tomato bushes and a couple of green bean plants amongst the landscaping, and I don't think they are too noticeable. Of course, when the fruit turns red, the neighbors may wonder what kind of flower it is! :-)

An Elusive Bloomer

Oh, how lucky I was this morning to get a good look at this elusive cactus flower. This particular cactus (don't know the name of it) blooms only at night. I noticed the bud looked ready to burst into bloom yesterday evening, and told my husband to remind me to go outside after dark to see it. Naturally, we both forgot! But, this morning as I was backing the car out of the garage, my daughter said, "Look mom, your flower!" I got so excited that I put the car in park, jumped out and ran inside to get the camera. I knew that if I didn't snap it right then and there, it would be closing up before I returned home.

As you can see by the second photo, the flower was half-way closed when I returned home. Whew, so glad I didn't miss it!

Time for Ti!

This is a snapshot of a flowerbed in my neighbor's backyard. He is quite good at using colorful foliage plants for adding color. In fact, he has a minimum amount of flowers. Most of the color comes from this hot pink stand of ti (pronounced like "tea") plants and crotons around his yard. He creates huge displays of one type of plant (such as this one), which definitely makes a statement in the garden. When the late afternoon sun hits these plants, the color is outstanding.

One FIERY Bromeliad!

This bromeliad is one of my favorites. With a couple of pups from my mother's garden, I planted it right off the back deck. At this time of year the center flares up into a fiery red/orange color whch is striking against the crisp green apple-colored leaves. You can't walk down the garden path and miss this hot tamale - she refuses to be ignored!

The Flamingos are Back....

I just mentioned in a post or two ago, that it just isn't proper to have a garden in Florida that doesn't include a "flamingo sp. plastic" or two, and how I had forgotten that the two I had, faded and cracked some time ago. Well, what do you know, "ask and you shall receive."

I was eager to attend today's annual plant show in the park downtown so that I could purchase a rain barrel and 'lo and behold, the first one I laid my eyes on was this one. I knew it was a message from above. So the decision of which one to purchase was an easy one!

A Vanilla Surprise!

This beautiful fuschia-color flower is dangling from - believe it or not - an orchid plant. This Malaysian orchid, Medinilla sp., is a member of the vanilla family.
It is growing in a pot in my mom's garden and is quite large. I didn't think about it at the time, but I should have smelled the flower or the large leaves (you can see them pictured above the flower) to see if they have a scent of vanilla.
Hey mom, Smell them for me and post the results on my blog. Thanks!!!

Little Backyard Oasis

This little oasis is in my mom's backyard. It's a small pond surrounded by bromeliads, cast-iron plants, orchids, irises and, of course, a couple of plastic pink flamingos. You can't live in Florida without having a couple of pink flamingos in your garden. It just wouldn't be proper!! Now that I think about it, I lost my pink flamingos a couple of years back - guess I better head to the store and buy some new ones!

Spring Seed Starting

This weekend I'll be busy planting these tomato seedlings in my garden. We'll be testing these heirloom tomato varieties: black cherry, white tomesol, Paul Robeson purple and Dr. Wyches yellow.
They sounded interesting in the catalog and I'm anxious to get them in the ground.

My Winter Garden

Okay, don't laugh! Most of my yard is covered in shade and there is very little space for a "real" garden, so I must (at least for now) be content with placing a few vegetables here and there. But these Georgia collard greens planted around my daughter's swing set did very well this winter. I've been enjoying them very much, and as my step-dad Charlie said they did taste even better after a few cold snaps.

I have much more ambitious plans for my spring garden. Since I read "The Art of the Kitchen Garden" by the Gertley's, I am planning on planting 7 tomato plants, melon, green onions, bush beans, ground cherries and cukes in various spots in my front and side yard. I'll keep you posted on how my unconventional garden grows.

As you can see by the first photo, the spring tulips are blooming in my zone 9 garden:-)!

Brrrr... It's Cold Outside!

There's always one night when we feel the frosty breath of Old Man Winter, and this year was no exception. With temperatures dipping to 31 degrees on Saturday morning, a few plants were burned. The very top layers of leaves on the angel trumpet crumbled at the feel of his icy touch, and a few leaves on the Jewels of Opar turned black when the blanket covering one plant was blown off. All-in-all, we lucked out as many other tropical plants and our staghorn ferns escaped his wintery wrath!

All Bundled Up for the Cold Weather

With our first freeze of the winter projected tonight, my Jewels of Opar plants are bundled tightly beneath some old blankets. These sun-loving plants do not like cold weather. They won't freeze to the ground but their tender tips will shrivel back a few inches. As usual, we get at least one cold and frosty night each winter - just long enough (2 to 6 hours of freezing temps expected) to have a few plants hanging their heads by morning. This photo shows the contrasts of a Florida winter - plants bundled up for freezing weather, while azaleas and iris bloom in the background. Hopefully, the weatherman will be wrong and the temps will stay right above 32 degrees. One can always hope!

A Blooming Bromeliad

This soft-colored salmon and yellow bromeliad has a show stopping bloom. The plant itself is quite tall (about 3 feet) and it produces this beautiful large bloom.

It's Lunch Time!

I was looking at this Anhinga (also known as the water turkey or snake bird) and couldn't figure out why he looked so odd. When I zoomed in on him with the camera I realized he had a fish in his mouth. He held the fish for quite awhile, shaking it from time to time. Eventually he held his neck straight up and swallowed the fish hole. Pleased with his full stomach, he held 0ut his wings and basked in the warm sun rays.

The Art of Aggravation

This tiny little gray squirrel is well versed in the art of aggravation when it comes to cats in his domain. He takes great pleasure in barking incessantly at Mocha when she's out in the garden. He even sits on the roof and barks at her whle she's lounging in the window seat indoors. What he doesn't know is that he provides her with endless hours of entertainment, and as you can see by the photo she is not in the least disturbed by his commotion.

Cracker Rose - A Southern Favorite

This rose is Louis Phillippe a/k/a the Cracker Rose. It is an antique rose that performs well in a partially shaded area in my yard. It's flowers are larger during the milder winter days and it is wonderfully fragrant and covered in roses right now. Malcolm Manners writes about this beauty in his Ultimate Easy Old Roses article on the American Rose Society's website.

It's a Wild Life!

As I was out enjoying the temperate weather this past weekend in my backyard, I couldn't help but notice that I wasn't the only one. No, there wasn't a neighbor to be seen, but there was a lot of wildlife friends enjoying the day as well. Everything from sunbathing turtles on a log, busy little birds in the trees, a huge turtle floating lazily on the water's surface and a solitary duck soaking in the bliss of the day.

It Feels Like Summer!!

The calendar says it's winter, but it sure feels like summer. With temps stretching into the upper 80's and humidity higher than normal, one can only wonder where winter is. Although I'm not complaining - it beats hauling plants indoors and worrying about the tropicals freezing back - a little touch of cooler weather would be a welcome relief.

Our orchids are definitely enjoying the feel of tropical warm breezes. They are basking in the rays of sunlight and blooming their little hearts out.