Winter's Been Good To Us

Powder Puff Calliandra haematocephala

One of the beautiful wonders of living in a warm climate like Central Florida is that we get to see (and hear) pollinator activity from spring through winter. Powder puff is a 10-12' shrub that explodes with fiery red 'puffs' right in the heart of winter. It is clear the bees are as much a fan as I am.

American Goldfinch

Among the critters that only visit in winter are the American Goldfinches. Dozens of them fill the oak tree branches as their sweet song fills the air. The male finches are starting to show their bright yellow plumage. Just about the time they turn brilliant yellow all over they will migrate back to the north for summer.

Mixed sunny border... collard greens lower right corner.

In my sunniest borders I've mixed up perennials, annuals, vegetables and herbs. Winter edibles tend to be easier to maintain than spring/summer edibles. They don't require nearly the water. This year greens, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, herbs and tomatoes blend in with Pentas, bulbine, violas, sweet alyssum, salvias and cosmos among others.

Nasturtiums color up a sunny border.

Bright and cheery Nasturtium planted from seed bloom orange and golden yellow flowers in the sunny border. About the time these fade away, Caladium foliage (bulbs stay underground through winter) will sprout back out to supply summer beauty, as the soil warms.

The southern side of the tropical garden

Winter has been so mild that none of the tropical plants have been deterred. Conditions have been perfect to promote growth and colorful foliage.

'Louis Philippe' Rose

Cool nights and brilliant sunshine during the day provide the ideal conditions for this Old Garden Rose 'Louise Philippe'. It equally handles our high humidity in summer and occasional chilly winter nights. A delightful rose with a sweet fragrance every Florida gardener can grow.

I hope you are enjoying your Florida garden this especially mild winter. For all my other friends, your time will be here soon. Spring is right around the corner.

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Happy gardening,
Meems

Spring Swells with Expectation

Don't you just love to walk out in the garden early morning to see the sunlight streaming through from above! Somehow the sight of it evokes thankfulness and so much appreciation for God's stunning handiwork.

The light and the reflections and the sense of peace do not go unnoticed. It is beneficial to take a moment's pause, calm the task-driven brain, breathe these moments in ... reflect on gratitude.

I happen to be one of those rare Florida natives that finds the color green discovered in foliage equally satisfying as a large dose of color from a stunning mass of flowers. It truly excites me to see varying heights, forms, and textures, in what I consider the pillars of the garden. Those beauties that faithfully remain no matter the varying elements.

The ones that give all they've got season after season and ask for very little in return.

The numbers of them are increasing around here. Because they shined right through the freezes we had these past few winters. They don't shrink back through the droughts of spring and perform without a hitch in the rainy season of summer.

Spring came early this year. It has reminded me of "normal" Florida Februarys of old. Truly beautiful, mild weather our late-winter has turned out to be.

The garden has responded to our warm, sunny days with life abundantly bulging forth in every direction.

So on this cheery morning with camera in hand I settled in to one of the most relaxing and all consuming hobbies I have... taking photo after photo of vignettes in the morning garden.

With each click of the camera I noticed more and more new buds/growth and bright blooms and leafing out of crepe myrtles.

I just kept thinking about how life in the spring garden swells with each passing day in expectation of life's eternal timeclock ticking on into summer. And so it goes...

A jubilation that can almost be felt on this brisk early morning.

Even the alocasias are waking up from winter's slumber early.

There are more to come but the first of them are feeding my lust for foliage!

And the red bananas are quickly pushing out new leaves with the dark coloration I adore.

The first self-sown zinnia flowers are bursting forth already.

Spring is full of promise.

Plants don't require a lot of extra attention when the principle of "right plant; right place" is practiced.

The helpful pollinators are actively at work each day enjoying a chemical-free environment that invites them to nectar freely.

Their sweet, buzzing music is often the only sounds to be heard in the stillness.

These are the days when being outside every minute of the day isn't enough.

We find ourselves wishing the fleeting hours would last and last.

And maybe if darkness wouldn't fall we could capture this serene state of the spring garden and never let it go.

Or better yet ... an exercise in thankfulness for the moments we have is in order. And I think I'll contemplate making the VERY most of each one while I have it.

Happy spring! and Happy Gardening!
Meems

A Garden That Loves Humidity

Earlier this spring three new Red Rocket Crepes were planted. Two in the back and one in the front.

Quite unexpectedly their pretty red blooms flushed out in early July and they are still giving us color for summer. I thought for sure I'd have to wait one year for them to be so pretty. Nice surprise.

August is almost over and most gardeners are shouting hallelujah about it. It goes without saying how very hot and humid our summers are. Every year.

But honestly, summer is a gloriously, vibrant time in the garden.

The summer rains have been (almost) completely sufficient for irrigation. And the garden has recovered fully from the unusually cold winter we experienced. So what are we complaining about?

Over time we've learned better and better how/what to plant for this environment.

Humidity is a factor much different than heat alone. Moisture in the air remains at high percentages leaving humans feeling clammy, muggy, damp, and sticky. Think: Outdoor sauna. Lovely.

On the other hand, there are many plants that require these high levels of moisture present in the atmosphere in order to thrive. In keeping with our high temps that persist into the nighttime hours for the better part of summer and fall it is wise to choose specimens that can take the heat and humidity and be happy about it.

Once we find the right plants for our climate even better is to locate them in the right place within our garden.

These methods and principles will surely save on aggravation and frustration when summer is intensely upon us. Planning for these dog-days of August when doing our spring plantings surely does pay off.

Pentas are a good choice in any central Florida garden. A year-round flowering perennial here that becomes shrub-like and tends to need a little trimming this time of year. Easily rooted in good potting soil those clippings should not go to waste.

Butterflies, bees, small insects of all sorts are very drawn to their bright color. I've even seen hummingbirds visiting mine this year.

On a not-so-happy note is the bane of my garden. Easter Lubber Grasshopper.

Have. No. Mercy. On. Them.

One of my tattered and chewed Queen Emma Crinums. A favorite of the evil lubber. Just so you know... dozens of them have been recycled back into the earth ... usually headless. I must refrain from speaking anymore about the lubbers for I will say ugly things and well... I'm sure you don't want to hear it.

Back to happier thoughts...

There are a few plants blooming that ever-so-slightly hint of a change of season on the way. The Cassia Alata being a late-summer flowering plant serves as a striking statement in any garden.

As an added bonus they have hosted a number of cloudless sulphur cats during these warm days of summer.

I won't pretend I love this season (again, think: sauna) but my garden does. In Florida we are so blessed to garden all year long. So we adjust and we work with nature.

And ... we look forward to cooler days. No, that wasn't complaining. :-)

To view more photos taken today in my garden you are welcome to view the entire album by clicking here.

Hope your weekend was fabulous. Meems

Bouncing Bumble Bee

Today I planned to spend a couple of hours in the garden finishing up a few tasks I started yesterday. There was another list of chores waiting for me inside to ready for the Easter company tomorrow.

It's always nice to be out in the garden early. Some of the smallest critters of the garden buzz about in those first hours. I got such a chuckle out of this bumble bee. It was enormous.

Buzzing from flower to flower it latched on and pulled the slender lavender stem over like a bungee rope and there it bounced gently up and down while nectaring.

One after the other, each stalk giving way to the weight of this big fellow. Did I say he was enormous. What a joy to hear him and to watch him gather his sweets.

A little later when my couple of hours in the garden was long gone and there I was still enjoying every minute outside this handsome guy shows up. It's been great to see all the dragon flies back to their busy activities.

A pretty green chamelian I disturbed while moving some things around inside the screened porch. I'm glad he is happy there. Please do help yourself to all the bugs you find on the potted plants.

Here's wishing each of you a very Happy Easter. Our family will be here celebrating this very special day with us. I hope you enjoy some time with loved ones, too.

Blessings, Meems

Veggie Garden: A Flurry of Activity

Can I just confess here that I am completely drawn in at the wonder of all the activity in the vegetable garden! Every day there are new things to notice.

The extremely warm, sunny days we've had this past week have caused an increase in plant sizes at a very fast rate. Flowers and fruits are starting to set faster than I can keep up with.

It is a fact this part of the garden is all at once enticing me with its sights and sounds. The very things I was hoping to acheive are happening all around me. Bees, flies, wasps, butterflies... all buzzing around from place to place drawing me in to watch and notice with sheer excitement.

The tri-color sage ... such a pretty little plant as a companion to the carrots, limas, nasturtiums and blue-eye asters.

Chocolate mint, Mentha piperita cv. with that oh, so yummy scent and wonderful deeply colored brown stem contrasting with its green leaves is irresistible. For controlling its overly aggressive habit it is positioned in a container between raised beds and grouped with oregano and cilantro. It is needful to pinch off a piece at each pass to just let the divine aroma of chocolate fill my senses.

Tomato plants, parsley, sweet basil and bell peppers all keeping company in the tomato bed. For the record. All is not complete bliss. I have already smashed a few worms and killed a few aphids on the tomato leaves ... they really like the warm weather, too. Every day I'm inspecting the undersides of that pretty green foliage.

We've got quite a good start with our tomato crop.

Eight days ago I reported the pole bean tendrils just beginning to wind their way up the poles. Just have a look at them now... they are two feet taller and making their way up to the top of the trellis. They've started to flower along with the rest of the bean family... green beans and limas, too.

I LOVE the wide, prickly, stalks of squash leaves. I sowed some squash seeds in the back yard in a bed with some agapanthus--- just for fun. To me... they could easily pass for a tropical plant.

And look a little closer. One day there was a flower and the next day (look below the flower) there is already zucchini growing. It is simply fascinating. If only the entire landscape would grow so quickly as vegetables once they get started.

Green bell peppers are blooming and starting to set fruit. I've put the pepper plants in a few planting beds this time rather than grouping them all together. It adds a bit of whimsy to the garden not to have everything placed where might be expected.

The feathery carrot tops next to the lima beans make a pretty picture.

And the "Little Gem" and "Petite Rouge" lettuce has been delightfully sweet and tasty in our spring salads.
Is there another color more bright or more clear than the cheery red of "Cherry Belle" radishes in the garden? Every empty space in the garden has a few radishes tucked in. I've been planting them in succession since November.

They are great for making any gardener feel accomplished aren't they?

Thanks for indulging me for another round of photos from the veggie garden. I find myself snapping away with every pass through. Vegetables and fruits ARE beautiful.

Happy weekend gardening!

Meems