The First Signs of Spring

Here at latitude 27 and longitude 88, spring creeps in slowly way before the official vernal equinox on the 21st of March.


The first sign of its arrival is in early February. It slips in between occasional cold snaps, and is evidenced by the colorful blooms of azaleas. Like the bulbs of the north, these pink, fuschia, white and red flowers bring cheer and hope to yards dotted with the frozen remnants of tropical plants.



Around the middle of February the moment of dawn arrives sooner and dusk stretches out minutes later each day, giving us more time to enjoy the increasingly pleasant temperatures. A small group of Purple Martins arrive ahead of the pack to scout out the territory where they will migrate to next on their journey northward.

The oaks begin their amazing transformation. One by one, handfuls of dry brown leaves float to the ground. The giants are shedding their old leaves and quietly gearing up for the start of a new season.
About the third week of this month, the first trees in my yard to complete this transformation and herald the spring is the laurel oak, followed by the maples, sweetgums and lastly, the live oak. With trees adorned in their fresh green canopy of leaves and azaleas looking like bouquets of flowers, my mood is lifted and once again the hope and promise of a new gardening season springs alive. I become obsessed with ideas and plans for the garden.

The Osprey also come back to life as they begin to rebuild their nests for the next brood of young 'uns. They soar through the air, happily chattering away as they collect branches in their strong talons and carry them back to their gargantuan nests perched atop cypress trees.
With congenial temperatures in the 70's, I can hardly resist being drawn outdoors with a rake in one hand and clippers in the other. I no longer can wait until February 28 -the last expected frost date for our region- to begin cutting away the dead reminders of winter.

As I begin cutting back plants, I notice tiny leaflets emerging from the bare branches. Once again the plants are quietly and mostly unnoticed, undergoing the process of recovery from the harsh breath dealt them by old man winter. Hope does spring eternal, even in plants!

The Fourth "R"

A few posts ago I wrote about cleaning out my stash of empty pots in Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Well now I have a fourth "R" to include among the original three. - RETURN. My mother was reading the post and in the photo she noticed a pot of hers that has been missing for some time. She called me on the telephone, and kindly asked if I would return her missing pot.

So, when you clean out your stash of pots, don't forget to reduce, reuse, recycle AND return.

A Distant Memory

Here's what's left of my angel trumpet after cutting back the damaged branches from January's cold weather. It's amazing how tough this tropical plant really is. Last year the bark on the main trunk actually split away from the tree. At that time, I thought the tree would die back to the ground. Instead new shoots shot up from the main trunk.

Here's a photo before it succumbed to the freeze. I took it just days ahead of the cold weather because I knew all the blooms would be gone. Its lush canopy was covered in sweet-smelling blossoms. I really hated to see it all turn to mush.
The trumpet-shaped (hence the name) blossoms are about 10 to 12 iniches long and dangle from the branches. I'm guessing the other part of the name "angel" must come from the heavenly scent of the blossoms. It's such an unusual flower and a real eye-catcher in the garden.

Here's a stunning view of the tree from underneath. A mixture of green and apricot that just looks so cheery!
And, a close-up view of the gorgeous trumpet blossoms as they hang suspended in air. The bees really have to travel deep into the heart of this flower to reach the hidden nectar. The good news is that the angel trumpet won't be a distant memory for long, as new green leaves are already emerging from the scarred trunk. I look forward to her return and can't wait for the first bloom later this spring.

Please Don't Toss the Leaves

It's the time of year when our oak trees totally transform themselves by shedding their entire canopy of leaves and regrowing a fresh new cover. Just think of all the energy it must take to complete this cycle. A really awesome and magnificent undertaking of nature in my opinion.

I'm fortunate to have 10 oaks (laurel, live and water) in my yard that create a great canopy of shade that I am especially grateful for during the summer months. With a good portion of leaves already off the branches we can see more sunlight and blue sky, and it's easy to spot squirrel and bird nests.

Many people get rid of their trees because they're messy and grass doesn't grow well beneath them. But I feel that their benefits far outweigh the falling leaves, as well as branches and moss that I pick up throughout the year.

As their leaves slowly float to the ground many end up in my flowerbeds as mulch. It's a real time-saver to have self-mulching flowerbeds. And, they're FREE! Which translated means - you can spend more money on plants when you don't have to buy mulch. These azaleas love oak leaf mulch.
And, then there are the ones that end up on the grass. That's where I come in. Every couple of days I go out and rake them into the flowerbeds. But most of my neighbors rake, bag and toss them to the curve.

And that's when I find myself (among protests from my embarrassed daughter) pulling over to the curb and quickly tossing a couple of bags into the back of my S.U.V. I have to agree with her that it is a little embarrassing but I just can't resist a bit more of free mulch especially when I didn't have to rake it.

By the way, I must confess that I come by this practice honestly. I actually never saw my mom snitch the neighbor's leaves on the curb. Instead she raked the neighbor's yard each spring and now she has beautiful garden soil. So, there we have it, another one of mom's ideas!

Lone Survivor

The winter freeze of 2009 will not long be forgotten in Florida, for it has left a path of dead and damaged plants in its wake. The 5 or 6 nights of 32 or below temps damaged all of the tropical plants in my garden except for this poinsettia. It is the lone survivor.

Generally, my poinsettia will be hanging its head after one night of freezing temperatures but not this year. I don't understand it because the tropical plant right next to it (I already cut if back) was brown and dead after the first night of freezing weather.

My angel trumpet (more on that later), hibiscus, impatiens, and crotons (not under tree cover) are brown. Even the pygmy date palm branches are singed.

Everytime another freezing night was projected, I figured that would be the end of the poinsettia. My neighbor told me I should cover it up, and my mom said I should cut it back and plant the cuttings. I don't understand how it survived but I'm glad it did. It looks even more beautiful among the brown and dead plants.

Uninvited Visitor

I caught a glimpse of you out the corner of my eye.

A feeling that was hauntingly familiar crept over me.

Oh no, not again!

You're welcome in the yard where your appetite for small delicacies is much appreciated.

But not in the house where you creep me out!

So, out you go. No personal offense intended.

Please don't drop in again next year.

Here he is trying to find his way back outside. Last year another rat snake (same size) was actually inside the house wrapped around a wall sconce. I still shudder at the thought.

January Orchids

January was a good month for orchid blooms, especially when you consider that they spent a lot of time indoors because of cold weather.

A couple of these carried over from December, and oh yea, there is a bromeliad stuffed in the middle. I bought it at Lowes. I just couldn't resist the sunset color combination.

I love this deep bold purple color. It looks like velvet.


This is a real beauty with a large and deliciously scented flower. It filled the entire kitchen with its sweet aroma, but on this day it is out soaking up the sunshine.

Ah, this is one of those very tiny orchids in a plastic bag that you find at one of the box stores. There is a picture attached to the plastic but you're never really sure what you'll get. I can't remember what the picture looked like but I am very pleased with this sunny yellow beauty.

I couldn't resist including this photo of Allie the cat. In our family, even the cats appreciate beautiful flowers. But as you can see, she has bad cat manners as she lies sandwiched between two orchid plants on the kitchen counter.

Reduce * Reuse * Recycle

The day finally arrived when I got sick and tired of looking at this messy corner of pots strewn here and there. As you can see, I'm not very good at keeping my stuff organized. When I'm in search of a pot, I move them all around, and then (yes, I admit it!) I walk away leaving my pots in disarray. Or when I'm finished planting I just toss the new pots on top.



The warmer weather this week has put me in the right mood to delve in and clean up this mess. I separated, stacked, swept, reorganized & tossed pots out all the while thinking, "Wow, I sure bought a lot of plants last year." When you purchase a handful at a time it doesn't seem like you've spent much. But when the pots are stacked all together it's a real eye-opener.

I did, however, enjoy looking at the plant tags and remembering which plants I purchased, until I knocked them off the garbage can lid one too many times. Then they just became an additional nuisance I didn't need around.

Finally, the job was complete, and I was satisfied with the results. I never part with the larger pots because I generally purchase small plants, and I need the larger ones for repotting. Now, I see that I need to get the bleach out and clean the concrete - always another task right around the corner!

But, I did manage to reduce my stash pretty significantly. Our county trash hauler recycles these nursery pots which makes me feel a lot better about tossing them in the garbage. But I shudder to think how many pots in the past I've sent to the local landfill. Fortunately, those days are over.

Would Someone Please Turn up the Heat!

Our second night of freezing temperatures (around 28 - 29) dusted our lawns with a coating of frozen ice. By 9:00 a.m. plants such as the crinum lilies, philodendrons and even the azalea buds were hanging their heads - victims of the chilly breath from Old Man Winter.

Chilly Weather Headed Our Way

It looks like winter is arriving here in Florida. We started out with unseasonally cool temps in November, followed by a warm December. But now that we are officially in our winter months (January & February), our first taste of really cold weather is headed our way. We'll have to bundle up our plants and bring our orchids indoors.

My mother came up with a great suggestion for my sister. She lives in a rural area where temperatures can be lower than in the city and she has a large number of orchids. My mom suggested that she place all of her orchids on a small trailer (used to haul 4-wheelers). She can easily bring them into the garage, and then pull them out again when it warms up.

I thought that was a great idea and it got me thinking about how I could simplify the task of hauling our 44 orchid plants in and out for the next couple of months.

Voila'! Thanks to my mom's idea I came up with a solution to my orchid conundrum. I used an outdoor table and cart (do you recognize these Jane?). I placed as many orchids as possible on these two pieces of outdoor furniture and now my husband and I can easily lift them and bring them into the house when necessary.

When it warms up, we place them right outside the back door on the patio for easy watering. I can't get all of my orchids on them, but it has significantly reduced the number of trips required to get them all indoors. My mom always comes up with good ideas!

The Making of a New Bloom

I look out my back window and unexpectedly discover a new orchid bloom just beginning to open.

I'm excited about the new whiteish green flower and wonder what color it will be. Later that afternoon one of the blooms is beginning to open up a little more.

The next morning a tinge of pale color is beginning to show up and the second bud is showing signs of opening up.

The next morning the one flower is open fully and the pale color is beginning to deepen, while the second bloom moves quickly to catch up.

On Friday, the second bloom is fully open.

And, by Sunday I can see what color this beauty will be. A beautiful soft hue of lilac with a yellow throat. I wonder where we got this orchid from until I visit my mom's blog and see that she has the same orchid in bloom. Now, all of the mysteries have been solved.

Turning Over a New Leaf

The nice thing about a new year is that it's a time to start fresh, to begin again, to do things differently. Last year I vowed to keep up with my garden maintenance better. I always wait until the weeds have taken over or the plants have grown beyond their bounds, and then I have a BIG clean-up job. Since I have two yards to take care of, I really needed to get my act together. For the most part I did a pretty good job. I still get behind now and then, but mostly I stayed on top of it.

Now, that brings me to 2009. I've been thinking about what I want to do differently or better this year. I know that I still need to stay really focused on regular maintenance chores, but I also need to take it one step further and stay on top of bug problems. As you can see the old leaves on my azaleas plants have had the juices sucked right out of them by those pesky lace bugs. I've had good results with Bayer Advanced Rose & Flower Insect granules in the past. The only problem is that I don't have a system set up to apply the stuff regularly. I guess I need some sort of calendar or perhaps a notebook might work better. I can jots dates down and look back when needed. There that might take care of those pesky bug problems.

But what about a little more fun in the garden. What I really want to do, no matter how busy life gets, is take a little walk around my garden each day. I want to see what secrets the garden holds, catch more flowers in bloom, see what plants are happy or not, and be more aware of what's happening as the seasons come and go.

So, for 2009, I'm turning over a new leaf (figuratively and literally - so I can see what bugs are hiding under there) and vowing to get better acquainted with my garden.

A New Season Begins

We made a short holiday trip to the wintry state of Pennsylvania in search of snow. Unfortunately, temperatures ranged from the 30's to almost 70ish. And the only snow to be found were piles of dirty stuff on the side of the roads. We did, however, get a taste of cold weather which made our return home even sweeter.


If you're not from the north or some other cold weather climate you don't realize how bleak winter can be. It's cold, the sky is gray and overcast, and, most trees and plants are bare with the exception of the evergreens (which by the way, I was surprised to find that most folks don't decorate them for Christmas).

A trip up north in the winter makes me appreciate living in Florida. I couldn't live without the sunshine, the greeness and being able to garden 12 months out of the year.

As I took down the Christmas decorations in the warmth of an 80 degree day, I noticed the azaleas buds had swelled and were popping open in large bunches. For most folks, azaleas represent spring but in Florida they start to bloom in late winter. They are a little early this year because our temperatures have been on the warm side as of late.




I did notice that some other plants are putting out new growth, including a crepe myrtle. It feels like summer and the plants think its spring. But that's not necessarily good. We still have the possibility of some cold weather sneaking in within the next 6 to 8 weeks and zapping the tender new growth.

Christmas Blooms

Instead of a white Christmas, it will be a warm one with temps expecting to reach 80 degrees. That's not exactly the wintry feel of Christmas that most people experience but our plants love it and there are plenty of blooms in the December garden.

My poinsettia bloomed in time and has yet to be touched by old man winter.

A plethora of orchid blossoms bask in the warm sunny days of December.

The Christmas bromeliad. My mom says this one blooms every Christmas, and once again she was right. It opened its first bloom yesterday.

A sunny orchid to brighten our day.

and another pretty holidayish bromeliad.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!

A Colorful Autumn

It's rare for our deciduous trees in Florida to turn brilliant colors of scarlet and gold in autumn because our weather is balmy in October and November. But this year we experienced early and consistent cool temperatures, and in return we got "real" fall trees. Even the sycamore and cypress trees usually turn more brown than golden, but not this year. They were golden and vibrant. Some of the most vibrant leaves were on the crepe myrtles. This maple tree below was draped in a cloak of deep burgundy.
And, this cypress tree looks very "holidayish" as it literally glows in the afternoon sunlight.

I was so astounded by the amount of color that I had a hard time keeping my eyes on the road as I drove around town. I'll take early cool temps every year if it brings a colorful fall down our way.