Is it hot?

Damn straight it is!

taken at 6:00PM…….

On a screened lanai……

In the shade….

Under a ceiling fan…..

A big ass ceiling fan,I might add….

Where is Fall?

by the way,I didn’t even attempt to garden,today…..

The Cat Days of Summer….

When it’s 90+ degrees in the shade…

…note to self:turn off the solar pool heater…

…with no cooling afternoon rains…

…and even at 8 AM it’s too hot and humid to do much in the garden….

…what else can you expect from the Chief of Security…..

…… but this?

….can you blame her?

:: stay cool :::

Coming in like ……

a lion…..

…….yep,it got down to 32 degrees at TheGreatWall,but there seems to be no damage….

Indian Hawthorne (Rhaphiolepis indica)

did fine….

as did the Coral Honeysuckle(Lonicera sempervirens)

which is just now starting to bloom…..

Even though I didn’t cover it,and it was in bloom and bud,

Banana Shrub (Michelia figo) also sailed through…..

I followed Dad’s advice,and left the orchids on their own……

….some were protected on the lanai,and some were under other plantings…

and they did just fine…..

This is the time of year my orchids are putting on their show…..

                                      Soooo……

                                                           March better go out like this…..

 

….just sayin’…..

Odds and ends…..

When the coldest weather of the season is moving through.

It’s rainy,cloudy,windy,

a probable freeze is due,

and the cats look at you…

Soooo….

After taking cuttings from the tender tropicals,

it was time to cruise the internet….

….or,

no,I don’t wanna watch basketball with you.

I’m good.

Here,on the internet….

Carry on….

and Go Gators!

Look what I found!

Free…

 -yep,I said free downloads-

Vintage Posters!

Here…..

I downloaded this,

…and printed it out…

just ‘cause it was cold outside

…and I liked it….

and I wasn’t watching basketball….

I printed it out on matte photo paper and used two mats I already had,but I need a frame.

I think it will go in the guest bath.

But,how about these?

For a kitchen….?

You could take them to Staples or Office Depot and have them enlarged to poster size…..

I just may do that for the new kitchen…

How do you pass the time on a cold day?

and you don’t wanna watch basketball…..?

Random shots…..

The garden has been ignored for long enough.

Overgrown and weedy.

That’s being kind…..

The weather has been delightful.

Time to get up off my !@#$ and do something.

      Sooooo…..
             ……with clippers,machete and camera in hand I set out to something about this mess…..

but I got distracted by the photo opportunities…..

I really need to get my ADHD under control……

I have weeds……

lots of weeds…..

Seriously,I do…..

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?

Thoughts on the LAST cold front of the season…

…This one is s’posed to be a strong one.Hopefully,it will be the last one.I’m ready to get back into gardening,in earnest.Some serious gardening.

But….

today,I didn’t venture outside until after noon time.When the temperature finally made it into the 50’s!

I managed to get a row of garlic planted…

My first time trying garlic.I thought I would give it a try.

…and two rows of onions…

Yesterday,was spent spreading compost,a good thick layer of mulch,and watering.All the while,wavering back and forth between “Should I cover,or not?”

Then I saw this…

An Agapanthus in bloom?! What the…?

This one has never bloomed,ever!And,now,before the worst cold snap of the season,it decides to bloom!

I’ll cover…

I drove a steak into the ground and covered it with an old pillowcase.To the right is the Banana Shrub,which is covered in buds.To the left is the Queen Emma Crinum,which already has new growth,and another pup started.

Thanks,Gramma,for taking care of my plant.

No problem,Emma.

The Angel’s Trumpet was also covered.

It has been through so much.What with TheTree narrowly missing it,back hoes,pool reconstruction,and January’s cold spell,and it has still hung in there.Now,that it is covered in new growth,I realize what a trooper it is,and I want to save it.So,covered up,it is…Under the striped cover,are baby Angel’s Trumpets.Rooted cuttings from the big-daddy.I took the cuttings when I thought the big-daddy was going to be succumb to the pool reconstruction.

All of the orchids,bromeliads,and tender tropicals are already on the screened lanai.I created a sort of windbreak,and because the pool needs to run,if the temperature is going to drop too low(so the solar pool heater doesn’t freeze up,during the night),I’m hoping that the heat given off by the pool,tonight,will be enough.Got my fingers crossed.And toes…

The bird seed cakes,which I posted about  here.,seem to be a hit.

I’ve had to make a second batch,

and today, the wrens were eating their full.

….I feel a third batch coming up…

They’re soooo quick and easy to make,and,obviously,the birds at TheGreatWall like ‘em.Give the recipe a try.

Now,I think I shall get warm and make myself a cup of hot tea. A half and half mixture of Passion Fruit Tea (from Tazo) and Green Tropical Tea(available here).

It’s all part of my decision to cut out the caffeine.So far,so good…

And listen to some Beach Boys music,on Spotify - my new addiction.Have you tried it? It’s great!

…look at seashells…

… and look ahead to warmer weather….

Come on Spring!

We Survived…

…the first,

and hopefully,

the last freeze of the winter…

 

I didn’t cover anything.Call it laziness,not enough time,Dad--always blame everything on your parents,right?--or too much going on in the yard…

…but I left everything to chance.

OK-I had hopes…

and

prayers…

 

Today,was the first chance I had to get into the garden and really inspect how things fared.

I was pleasantly surprised.

The damage was,for the most part,hit-or-miss.There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it.

 

Needless to say,the self sown impatiens,that I let grow,are mush.That’s one way of ridding the garden of them,right?

 

This Brandywine tomato may be done for…

The green peppers,beans,and cucumbers are goners…

Even though it was protected by the collards,this hot banana pepper took a hit.

While a sweet banana pepper right next to it,has not a bit of damage.

Sweet v. Hot?

Sweet always wins…

Cabbage and broccoli did just fine…

As did the lettuce…

and the turnips and collards sailed right through.

 

Even though it is out in the open,totally unprotected,the largest Queen Emma only has some damage…

The three pups were protected in the garden shed.

 

The lone surviving Australian Tree Fern

(the other was lost when TheTree went down)

seems to be unscathed,while a banana,next to it,is damaged.

While the impatiens are mush,all the plantings in the container…which I forgot to water…are just fine.

 

and a Caladium?

Go figure….

 

My Dad’s orchids,which made it through TheTree drama unscathed,and were then hidden in the only shady spot left in the yard,were brought into the laundry room.

They had buds on them!

Today they came out to enjoy their new home on new screened porch lanai…I’m working on the calling-it-a-lanai thing…

Not too shoddy for being close to 60 years old…

We should all look that good,right?

 

Speaking of the new screened porch lanai.

Should be totally done,this week.

 

Yippee!!!!

Can’t wait!