April at a Glance

~  Notes on the April Garden ~

As April draws to a close...and spring along with it, I'm sorry to see it go. I love the cooler morning temps and the lower humidity but summer is impatient and seems determined to arrive early this year.

Hopefully, the heat and humidty will get the thunderstorms fired up soon as April was our driest month so far this year with a stingy .69 inches of rain...bringing us to 9.8 inches for the year.

As I stroll around the garden I'm surprised to see that a couple of cool-season plants are still going strong despite the hot afternoons. In January I planted 3 delphinium plants (colors unknown) and now the third plant has produced a HUGE spike of lavender blooms. This bloom is larger than the previous two and is a real beauty. The other two plants (a dark blue and a white) still look healthy and are producing smaller spikes of flowers. It'll be interesting to see how long the plants survive in the heat.

The wave petunias are still...amazingly...going strong, too. I'm sure it won't be for much longer though. I planted this winter annual to pick up the slack for the Mexican Bush Sage when the cold temps damaged its foliage. It did its job but now the bush sage is quickly reclaiming its turf.

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The Alpine stawberries are still producing tiny sweet berries that never seem to make it inside the house :-) and the English dogwood is winding down with just a handful of crisp white blooms left.

The pink and white cleome were  added to the island bed to add a bit of sparkle. And, some Mealy Cup Sage 'Victoria Blue,' some "volunteer" native ferns and a golden-colored Anise 'Florida Sunshine' were added to other spots around the garden.

The Flowering Maple planted last fall has been a most pleasant surprise.

A cold-hardy member of the hibiscus family...I planted her in full sun in the center of the island bed. She sailed through the winter with no problem. Even the frost didn't faze her.

If she passes the summer heat test, I'll be adding more of these plants to my garden. Don't you just love her delicate lantern-like flowers?

Since she has exploded in size the last couple of months I'm assuming that she is VERY happy with her spot, and I'm very happy with her presence in the garden.

The "March Madness" bloom affair continues in the garden with the daylilies determined not to be left out.

The orange (on the left) is a new addition from my late aunt's garden. It dies back during the winter but returns with vigor. The other two daylilies (on the right) are vigorous, old-time varieties from my stepfather's yard. They are fabulous sun-loving perennials!

And, yes, the caladiums want their moment in the spotlight...or in their case the shade.

I especially like the way the pink (sorry I don't know the name) caladium looks with the Louis Philippe rose.

The Dark Side of the Garden

As in life we must take the bad with the good...and, the garden is no different. These innocent looking (at least for now) little black creatures...the Eastern lubber grasshopper looks harmless enough, but they are wreaking havoc on the amaryllis, and soon many other plants will bear witness to their existence in the garden.

I give them a good foot-stomping when I see them, and I'll even go as far as squeezing them between my gloveless fingers, if need be. I know it sounds disgusting...but if I don't dispatch them now, I'll have to deal with them when they're BIG and GROSS!

First-time Bloomers in my Garden...

A couple of new plants added in the past 6 months...Red Shrimp, native Cherokee or Coral Bean, soft yellow bicolor African Iris also known as Peacock flower, deep purple buddleia and Tangerine shrimp.

The Faithful and Reliable in the Garden...

The plants I can count on to bloom year after year...Coreopsis, Indian Blanket flower...a particular favorite of mine, Nandina (Heavenly Bamboo), Texas Sage and Society Garlic.

Gardening by Color

Here's a favorite color combination of mine that I discovered quite by accident a number of years ago...blue/purple along with orange/yellow. I'm not sure why I like it so much...but, I do! It's very bold...even the cool deep purple is bold, and they just look very warm and inviting to me. 

April's Simple Pleasures

A few quiet moments with a cup of hot tea and the annual addition of Victoria's Gardens of Bliss!
A chance to study some beautiful gardens and dream...

As May approaches...the Agapanthus or Lily of the Nile are waking up, and stretching their long-stemmed flower stalks up to the sun. Soon we'll have a bed of these gorgeous bluish lavender spheres of blooms to keep the show going.

And, hopefully some rain will fall on all of our gardens as summer arrives in full force.

Afternoon Tea

My Neighbor Nancy invited my daughter and I to an afternoon garden tea party last week. Altogether there were 6 of us.

Nancy has an unbelievably beautiful garden...so I new the 3 young girls that were coming would love walking barefoot along the many brick pathways that meander throughout her garden.

As tea parties go...there was a beautiful table set, colorful flowers and delectable cake, cupcakes and tea sandwiches that were enjoyed by all.

Don't you just love that unusual silver vase?

Breakfast tea and peach tea were served from pretty teapots.

 It was the perfect way to spend a late spring afternoon.

Now, how about a stroll through her garden.

I must warn you that the remainder of this post is going to be rather lengthy but when you get to the end I don't think you'll mind...in fact, I'm sure you'll be glad that I took so many photos of Nancy's garden. So, prepare to feast your eyes on a magical garden.

Take a look at that LARGE lotus begonia (left)...

It's a real beauty!

In the front yard the wave petunias are taking over the circle courtyard...

There are many pretty vistas in Nancy's garden...

What's that...oh, I hear your oohing and awing. It's beautiful isn't it?

And, lots of unusual bromeliads...

There's also whimsy in the garden...

And, a number of towering Australian tree ferns...

This one is at least 12 to 15 feet tall

And, there's a waterfall flowing down the hillside...

She made this waterfall herself...she's one talented woman isn't she?

There's lots of walkways...in fact, there's not one blade of grass in her large suburban lot...only mondo grass and lots of plants...

And, there's lots of rocks...each one put in place by Nancy herself...

Stone pathways...

Yep, made by Nancy...

Pebbled pathways...

Brick pathways and steps...

You got it...each brick layed by Nancy

Around every bend there's something else to see...

Nancy likes lions...they're all around her garden...

Fortunately, most of them are on the pottery.

See the lion faces at the base of the beautiful container.

Here's some more lions...

          

        Even some blue lions

And, another lion. This guy will truly keep the

 evil spirits out of her garden...

Notice the Nun's Orchid...it survived the freezes planted in the ground

And, sadly the tour must come to an end. I've only captured a portion of her garden...there's many more beautiful nooks and crannies. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you. It's definitely a magical place and is a testament to Nancy's creative imagination, love of gardening and lots and lots of hours in the garden!

This adorable parting gift was made and given to the 3 young girls by Nancy...

Isn't it sweet?

I hope that my daughter will never forget Nancy's garden, and that she'll be inspired to create a beautiful garden someday. I know I get lots of inspiration from Nancy's garden and always enjoy strolling through it to see what's in bloom.

Don't ya'll think Nancy needs a garden blog of her own?

 That way everyone can visit Nancy's garden whenever they want to!

Worth the Wait

Back in February I did a post entitled Anticipation on a handful of buds that were taking their sweet time to open. Thankfully, all the buds eventually opened much to my delight.

This red kalanchoe is a succulent from my late aunt's garden.

Planted in the ground...it survived the winter with very little damage.

My mom shared one of the offspring from her clivia...a member of the amaryllis family...with me.

It's the first time it's bloomed, and it's a real beauty.

The green onions allium planted in the veggie patch burst into bloom this spring.

 I like these unusual blooms so much that I'm planting seeds throughout my sunny garden beds.

Another passalong plant from my mom...this Nun's orchid is a stunning bloomer with it's large flower stalks.

And, lastly, Belinda's Dream has gorgeous, ruffly blooms that grow larger as they continue to open.

Was the wait worth it? You bet!

Gardening is definitely a lesson in patience!

March at a Glance

Sombreuil

~~ Notes on the March Garden ~~   
    

If I had to choose a favorite month out of the year it would...without a doubt...be March!

Warm days...cool nights...and a RIOT of non-stop flowering plants. There's so much blooming at this time of year that I barely have time to catch my breath between the waves of spring blooms.

MARCH MADNESS

You could call it March Madness...not that boring basketball stuff (no offense :-) to all you basketball fans), but the wonderful madness of a garden exploding with spring flowers in all shades of the rainbow.

And it all started with the azaleas in soft shades of pink and purple.

Followed by the bright yellow Tabebuia tempered somewhat by the blue (Blue Sage) and white (Indian hawthorne) beneath her. But she definitely takes center stage.

Along with the warm weather comes the beautiful  winged creatures. Their return to the garden is a most welcome sight as they drift from one flower to the next drinking up all that first sweet nectar of spring.

And, then the roses!
After a short rest period and a trim in late February they're back in full swing.
Just look at all those eager buds.

Planted last year...this Double pink Knock-out has won my heart with its phenomenal flush of beautiful flowers. I can count over 65 blooms just on this one side...definitely one of the best bloomers in my garden. It must be very happy with its location...and all those sweet words of praise I keep lavishing on it.

It's an amazing transition from the reddish new leaf growth...to the first early blossoms...and then that "wonderful madness" of blooms!

Something New!

I like ground orchids...but I don't like the fact that they need protection from the cold weather, so this year I decided to try the Chinese ground orchid more commonly called the hardy ground orchid Bletilla striata. This orchid can be planted in the garden without fear of freezing. Its foliage disappears in late fall (similar to the peacock ginger and caladiums), and returns in late February for a March bloom.

I ordered a plant from an online nursery that quickly developed buds and bloomed. The funny thing is that I was visiting my neighbor Nancy, and noticed several clumps of this jewel in her backyard. I asked her about it, and she eagerly shared that this was the plant that got her hooked on gardening. She also insisted on giving me a nice-sized clump to take home with me. I split the clump...kept half of it and shared the other half with my mother, who also likes ground orchids. I look forward to dividing clumps of it in the future and spreading it around the garden.

Another newbie and first-time plant in my garden is the delphinium. I've admired them in other people's gardens, and this year I bought 3 and planted them in a sunny location in late January. They did not disappoint! Next year I'll plant a few more.

Don't you just love it when you discover you can grow plants you never thought you could?

 A little more blue and white

Left to right: Virginia sweetspire (wonderful fragrance), along with two natives:  Blue-eyed grass and Flag iris.

And, the WONDERFUL MARCH MADNESS continues...  

Is it obvious that I like color...all colors?

In the upper right photo you can see that delphinium towering up in the air.

Four Reasons to Plant a Bottlebrush Tree

This small tree was alive with polllinators...so much so that it sounded like the tree was buzzing.

Life's Simple Pleasures

So much sweet juicy goodness in one small berry!

As the month of March winds down...one by one...the amaryllis bulbs are joining in on the blooming madness of a Florida spring garden,

And the English Dogwoods are joining in, too. This airy, free-flowing plant will soon be covered in these simple but adorable bright white flowers.

This cold-tolerant plant...located in the shade...loses some of its leaves in winter, but spring brings a new flush of fresh green and pretty flowers, too.

It very slowly multiplies in size, and new plants can easily be separated from the mother plant.




But not all was pleasant about March. The last day of the month brought a scary storm...with winds over 60 mph...that left a lot of damage in its wake and a deluge of rain...so far 3.5 inches.

A large oak branch toppled many orchids on the back deck.


As well as knocking over a stand of hanging orchid pots.

Our back and both side yards are littered with small and large oak branches. The poor oak over the deck took a real beating.

I do hope that no one experienced devastating damage to their gardens from our uninvited visitor. Another bit of March Madness...but definitely not the good kind. We are fortunate that we don't often have such damaging spring storms. It looks like I've...and probably most of you, too...got a little clean up work to do. :-)

I have enjoyed seeing the many blooms in all my Florida garden blogger friend's garden's this month, and find it fascinating watching as spring spreads northward week by week.