The Great Wall of Lutz : June 2012

Thursday, June 21, 2012

B is for….

…Blackberry Lily

My first seeds came from Susan,at Simply Susan – thank you for these beauties.

Previously,they had been planted in dappled shade.

They bloomed ok…

but just that.

Ok.

Oh,I got seeds,

and they sprouted,

but it was just ok…..

When TheTree went down,they were dug up and stored in pots,until the pool was finished.

Now,they are in full sun.

All day.

I worried,at first,that it would be too much sun for them.

But I was wrong.

Now,they are all close to five feet tall.

Standing straight and true.

No flopping over allowed here….

And the flower scapes have started.

Today,I found the first of what should be many blooms.

Thank you again,Susan.

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B is for Brown Fig, ficus carica

Having always wanted a fig tree,I bought a Brown Fig tree last fall,

with hopes it would make it.

It has performed so-so.

Just when I was ready to chalk it up to a lesson learned,and ripping it out,I found this….

My first fig!

and the only one,but who’s counting?

I think it can hang around a little bit longer….

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and,lastly….

B is for…

Beach Baby….

You didn’t think I’d go this long without a picture of Miss Emma,did you?

Sunday, June 17, 2012

What a difference….

…a year makes….

On this Father’s Day,

I look back and see where TheGreatWall has been.

First of all,

I lost my Dad,

my gardening mentor,

the greatest gardener I shall ever know.

But,as he would say,

”The garden goes on whether you’re here or not.It is what it wants to be.You cannot control it.”

Sooo….

With that in mind,I shall look back over the past year…

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A year ago,TheGreatWall was getting ready for its fifteen minutes of fame…

…and lamenting on the amount of shade that was here…

….But then….

TheTree went down…

before…

after…

and left this garden in total sun….

…not to mention a totally ruined swimming pool…

but TheGreatWall has persevered…

A new tree has been planted to replace TheTree

(which was a Florida Oak).

The new one is a Sweet Gum.

Planted further away,and closer to the water.

The old,cracked pool has been replaced with a new and better version…

to be enjoyed by another generation…

To quote my Dad,

”The garden will tell you where it wants to go.You need to learn patience.”

I’m still working on the patience thing,Dad.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Immersion Therapy…

Some people are afraid of clowns.

I’m not.I just don’t think clowns are all that funny.I always thought all that make-up was dumb.

But,I digress…

Those who know me well,know I have a thing about butterflies.

…They freak me out….

…There! I said it….

I love watching them flit around the garden.

I plant plants just to attract them.

I can identify them all.

But I prefer to watch them from inside the screened lanai.

When a Red Admiral got inside the pool cage,I refused to go out there for 2 days!I left the doors open and,thankfully,it,finally,flew out.Or else,I would still be stuck inside my house.

All my photos of butterflies have been taken with my big zoom lens.

I’m not afraid of snakes.

Actually,they kind of fascinate me.

I have never been to a butterfly house,and have always refused invitations to go to the one in Gainesville,or any public garden that has one,for that matter.

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Where did I get this weirdness from?

Probably,it is from,when I was little, my older brothers telling me Dragon Flies and butterflies would sew my ears shut if I let them get too close.They scarred me life,I tell ya…

But no more!

Yesterday AM,when I was trying to get a photo of a mama alligator and her brood

…totally missed that shot…she wasn’t happy with me anyways…

I noticed a Zebra Long Wing on the Jatropha.

Time to get over this!

“I can do this.”

So,with shaking hands I crept up on him/her….

and I did it!

with the regular lens,too!