It must be Spring……

‘cause the irises have started to bloom!

The Blue-Eyed Grass, too….

Thanks to two mild winters,the Angel’s Trumpet is now close to 10 feet tall,

and has bloomed

continuously….

see the Cardinal couple ?

It’s gotten a little leggy,so I think I may cut it back,a bit….

Yep,it’s

Spring!

The Apocalypse Is Nigh……

or as we Florida gardeners like to call it…

….a possible freeze….

With that in mind,I thought I would take a few photos of the tender tropicals that are blooming away….

The Angel’s Trumpets…..

Kinda appropriate for Christmas,dontcha think?

….and the Bleeding Heart Vine…..

Merry Christmas…..

Stay warm….

I’m not covering anything up.

You?

Let The “Fun” Begin…

Now that the pool has passed all inspections and it is ours,to have and to hold,

…and take care of…

…it is time to begin the putting back of the gardens.

I figured I would start out easy.

…work my way slowly,back into gardening shape…

So what looked like this…

It would make a good Croquet field,or Bocce court,wouldn’t it?

Now,looks like this…

Plants used: 1.Blue Sage (from a cutting from Meems)
                    2.Camellia sasanqua
                    3.Banana-I forget what variety this is,but it’s a miniature.Grown for foliage,only.
                    4.Agapanthus
                    5.Cassia senna
                    6.Indian Hawthorne-I have started using these wherever there is a curve in the garden.They seem to take the beating from hoses,etc.much better than anything else.

…and this…

Plants used: 1.Agapanthus
                    2.Blackberry Lily
                    3.Indian Hawthorne-the curve
                    4.a container that had been shoved to the back of the shadiest part of the yard.Just for surviving I figured it needed a place to shine.
                    5.Ti plant

             6.Angel’s Trumpet-this plant has survived the most any plant can.Back-hoes,graders,a freeze,and,yet,it is still thriving.The pool contractor actually admonished his workers,”Watch that plant!It’s a survivor.” And all the workers were so good about it.I those guys!
             7.Butterfly garden-pentas,Tampa Vervain,Mexican Heather,daylilies.Already the bees and butterflies are back!

The entire garden is interspersed with Giant Liriope,which had been dug up and sat in pots for all these months.All of the plants are ones that were moved after TheTree went down.I bought nothing,except for organic garden soil,and new Eucalyptus mulch.I have found that wherever I use Eucalyptus mulch the bugs stay away.Especially the lubbers!
{In the veggie garden I use Melaluca mulch.Both are environmentally friendly-especially the Melaluca mulch-,organic,and don’t float.The Melaluca mulch almost forms a mat,which keeps almost all of the weeds out.}
This area is semi-shady,right now.When summer arrives,this area should receive shade,or,at least,diffused sun,in the afternoon,from the screened lanai.
The stones that are there,are just to mark the border of this garden.Sod still needs to be brought in…I ain’t doing that!…
I realize how out of gardening shape I have become.After two days of digging,planting,raking,spreading mulch,my back hurts,my thighs hurt,my hips hurt,my shoulders hurt…you get my drift…
So,now,excuse me while I enjoy this….

and maybe a football playoff game or two..

‘cause I still have to tackle the rebuilding of TheGreatWall.

Any volunteers?

I thought so….

Pleasant Surprises…

While checking out the progress on the pool….

 

 

…imagine my delight,to find a few pleasant surprises.

 

This Camellia,which I had been training to grow into tree form,was left in full sun.

…when TheOak went down…

I was convinced it was a goner for sure.

 

But it hung in there.

 

And to my pleasant surprise,I found this…

Not only was it covered in concrete spray,but it also is covered in buds…

 

…and a bloom….

Covered in concrete spray,but still beautiful.

 

And the Angel’s Trumpets may be covered with the same concrete spray,but they are,again,proving their toughness.

And the Thyrallis may be half covered with dirt,but it’s hanging in there.

And the Gerberas….

 

I’m starting to think the garden likes me.

I feel like the plants are saying,”We like you,lady.We can take it.We’re there for you.We know it’s gonna get much better around here.”

 

Yep…

it is!

 

…Tomorrow,we pick out the tile…

A Moment of Sadness,Please….

for the Angel’s Trumpets….

After over five years of growing by the pool,

tomorrow,

they shall give way to the back-hoe…..

Almost,as if they know their demise is imminent,they are putting on quite the show….

Kinda like going out in a blaze of glory….

But not to worry,

in anticipation of this,

cuttings were taken,and have already rooted and are growing blissfully away.

Yep…

Now,I’m looking forward to the

 new

GreatWall….

That Was Then......

This is now......

Back on January 25th,I was in shock.

Total,

utter

shock

over seeing

.......this.......

But .......lo and behold,not only did the Angel's Trumpet come back and bloom....

It bloomed twice!


And thrice!!!

Each succesive bloom has been better than the last.And this time it is

incredible!

White blossoms changing to peach.........

Now,over six feet tall!
and many,many cuttings have been started off of it.....and passed around...............

Mucho thanks to Sue at Luxe Lanai for the idea of taking the lower leaves off,and making it more of a tree shape.
It soooo shows off the blossoms!Thanks,Sue!

Angel's Trumpets

This past winter,I wrote of the Great Freezes of '09,which struck Florida,and the devastation that happened upon the GreatWall.You can read about that great sadness here.
But hope is eternal,and the Angel's Trumpets have survived and are thriving.I love when they are in bud,and flowering at the same time.
When they first open up,they are white,and then their color changes to........

....... the prettiest,palest peach color!

This is a 3-fer post,because,as some you already know,we are incredibly lazy arse people!

For more of Scenic Sunday,click here...............

For more of Today's Flowers,or to visit Luiz Santilli,click here.........


For more of Share A Garden Sunday,click here.........................

Signs Of Life!!

Today has been a truly awesome day,weather wise. Knowing that I couldn't do anything with the gardens,I decided to turn the compost pile.And what beautiful compost I found under there.
I also found this little guy making a valiant effort to grow:
A pineapple off shoot from one of the old pineapple plants I had tossed in the pile, last fall. I quickly rescued him/her and planted him/her where he/she can grow and grow.
Considering that,after the freezes of the past two weeks,all our pineapples look similar to this:I am one happy gardener.Looks like the Pineapple Plantation is still in business after all.Fingers are crossed that all the other pineapples are just freeze damaged,and not dead.

I took a stroll around to check things out,and found the Angel's Trumpet made it through the freeze,too.Oh happy day!

Can spring be far behind?