Color all around

I can report all is well in my garden corner as the new plants settle in and begin new growth.  The calla lilies especially are standing tall and have new leaves and flowers (see below).

All of the rose bushes in the island are thriving and several blooming.  I planted a new bush today called Double Delight, which has a creamy white base and red-tipped petals.  That makes 10 bushes in the island, which is perfect for the space. 



Another plant I added to the island, though, is a Blue Daze (to the right and front of the fountain).  I love the contrast of blue flowers with the red and pink roses.  Below is a closeup of the new rose bush with the blue ground cover next to it:

I thought this would be the end of my planting this season, but I have discovered a small flowering tree that I would love to have somewhere in the yard.  It's common name is Yesterday-Today-and Tomorrow because its small flowers open as purple then gradually fade to pink and then white.  It has been grown successfully in Orlando according to another garden blog, so I am on the hunt, both for the tree and a site in my yard for it.

I'll let  you know if I'm successful with that.

More later....

More color for the gardens

Last week began the marathon of planting at the Barrett "estate."  I say that laughingly because I was asked one time if I had a gardener!  Yes, me, I explained.  I couldn't tell if the question was one of praise or slur at the condition of things in the yard.  Last week I certainly felt like a gardener.

Somehow I managed a span of four hours nonstop as I planted three dwarf powder puffs, a gardenia, tomatoes, peppers, canna lilies and calla lilies, and transplanted an arborvitae and liriope grass.

The arborvitae fills the spot left vacant by the transplanting of the magnolia two weeks ago.  I searched and searched for a tree (preferably blooming) that would grow well in a shaded corner.  That proved fruitless other than tropical plants, which I didn't want.  I realized finally that the arborvitae that I had growing in a pot in the back corner was doing well in the shade and, once in the ground, should thrive and spread to fill the space. 

The gardenia replaces the nearly dead azalea in the garden in front of the house.  I had expected a major effort to dig out the roots, but it was easier than I thought.  Perhaps that accounts for the dying plant.  The gardenia looks small now, about 2 feet high, but I know they can grow quite large if left to spread, which I will do for a few years.  

The air in the front will be resplendant with roses, magnolia and gardenias, but probably not all at the same time.

The canna and calla lilies were impromptu buys, as I was caught by their beautiful color and foliage.  The red and pale yellow cannas are on the south side of the house, which failed to produce the mail-order lilies I planted as bulbs last year.  I seem to recollect they were not appropriate for our zone but I had hopes to succeed anyway.  I take chances like that but this time it didn't work out. 

The calla lilies are planted on the north east side of the house, near the pool pump.  It's a small garden that features dwarf bougainvilleas that bloom nearly all year long.  But that is just half the space.  I'm hoping the callas like the site and will spread.  They are red and pink  -- like nearly everything else in my gardens.

I continued the planting today with a Knockout rose bush in the rose bush island in the front yard.  I realized I have space for one more, so that will be added next week.  The other planting was another powder puff.   This one is in front of the arborvitae, providing color against the green bush and brown fence. 

I'll start taking photos as the plants get rooted and show more color.

That's it for now.

Moveable gardens

     I've only taken a few small steps on the road back to gardening, but they have energized me for more.

     My husband says my gardens have wheels because I have little reservation about moving plants or trees that don't thrive where they are planted.  And I don't mean plants in pots.

 After another round of leaf raking on Saturday, I decided I would move that woebegone magnolia in the back yard east corner.  I've been keeping track of the available light there and concluded there just wasn't enough anymore to satisfy a magnolia.  I extended the western end of the garden along the fence and replanted it there.  It is near the ash tree, but the ash doesn't leaf out for another month and it's quite tall so the magnolia for now will get sun in the morning plus all afternoon.  Even when the ash is in full leaf, the canopy is not dense and there will still be dappled light early.  I soaked the magnolia roots for 24 hours and have given it a dose of Miracle-Gro Quick Start.  I'll follow up with daily watering as I did with the magnolia I planted in the front yard last year, which by the way is looking good.

     Near the new location of the magnolia is a camellia I was sure had died in the drought last fall.  I don't know why I had left it in the ground then, and I thought I would pull it out now but amazingly I discovered a few new leaves sprouting, so its demise has been reprieved.

     My task today and tomorrow is to research and find a small tree for that back corner that will thrive in the shade.  And then tackle the weeds that thrive in every type of light, soil and moisture.  Is that fair?

     More later...

Familiarity still has surprises

     Walking the same path nearly every day may seem boring to some, but the magnificence of God's work always excites me.  Keeping an eye on the flora of the neighborhood frequently uncovers surprises: a new bloom, a hawk on a utility wire, the swoop and cry of an osprey, the robins enjoying the warming weather, or a new nest. 

      I have my eyes on a new nest to discover who is the builder.  Back in December, in a tall tree that had lost its leaves, I noted remnants of a squirrel nest .  Squirrel nests are identified by the branches of leaves that form its shape (birds don't use leaves) and squirrels around here are constantly reconstructing them.  I thought no more about the abandoned nest until several weeks ago.  Passing by the tree on my walk, I noticed the nest had grown.  A closer inspection revealed that it wasn't a squirrel nest but a bird's nest.  Within a week, it had nearly doubled in size.  I haven't seen the constructors yet -- the tree is several blocks away so I cannot give it constant attention -- but I'll keep looking on my walks.  Here is the tree and nest -- the green leaves are on the trees behind.  The twigs are more evident in the second photo, taken at dusk.

Closer to home is a firecracker plant that neighbors have been growing for several years.  This year it has grown even bigger and I love the look.  I was unsuccessful in growing the plants myself, so I have to be content with enjoying them from afar.

That's all for today.

Surprise in the garden

Supposedly the danger of frost has passed for Central Florida and I am happy to be able to get back to my gardens.  Today I spent pruning the roses although it was somewhat difficult.  They are all showing amazing growth with quite a few new buds.  Those I left for pruning after they bloom.   The surprise I got were the dewdrops edging the leaves like a row of pearls.  Below is a sample.

The pansies in the rose garden have fared well over the winter.  Here is one of my favorites:

Another surprise were the blooms already on the powder puff bushes.  Obviously, the cold snaps didn't affect them.  I did find some damage to the snow-on-the-mountain bushes, but there is also new growth so the pruning should be beneficial. 

I still haven't decided what I'm going to do with the stunted magnolia.  The leaves look healthy and there is some sign of new leaf growth, but only the ends of the few branches. Otherwise, it is just not growing and filling in .  I can't give it more sun in its current site, which is why I'm considering moving it.  I only have a week or two to transplant for optimum results, so I must decide soon.

More later....

Hurry, Spring

It's time to resurrect the garden corner.  Other than raking leaves, there hasn't been much to do in the gardens during the past few months.  But I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I will do in the spring.  Some of my ideas include removing the nearly dead azalea in front of the house and filling the void with the stunted magnolia from the corner of the back yard.  It's evident that corner doesn't get enough sun for the magnolia.  The front yard offers more, and the new site is near the magnolia I planted in the fall, which, by the way, is hearty and showing new buds through all the branches. 

The break in the weather -- high 70s for a change -- is just what I needed to jump-start my garden genes.  I spent 2 hours this morning digging out the many weeds in my vegetable garden and reinforcing the fence line where the neighbor's dogs try to dig under.  I was happy to find last year's parsley is still growing.  I will add fertilizer in a few days and that will be all until I'm ready to plant: tomatoes, of course, and cayenne peppers, plus perhaps a new vegetable.  

While I was outside, I also pruned my holly tree.  It had a side branch that was shooting up and competing with the leader.  I checked many of my other plants and was pleased to see that there didn't seem to be much freeze damage, as there was last year.  Moreover, I've been blessed with roses, honeysuckle and bougainvillea blooming continuously.

That's all for today.         

  

Here comes winter

Most of my thoughts about gardening these days concerns what I want to do in the spring.  I'll see how my plants fare over the next few months and what I'll need or want to replace.

After several days of much-needed rain, the grass and plants have greened up and are blooming in a few cases.  No doubt the unusual warm temperatures have been the cause.  My new magnolia (left) has several buds about to open (bottom left and near the top) and the pansies (right) are full of color.

I haven't seen much more of landscaping on my walks to warrant new photos, but other scenes have captured my eye.  Below is a rainbow that seemed to emerge through the cloudy haze above the trees.  It was very ghostly as if not certain if it should appear.

On another walk, I was searching for the hawk and owl that have been frequenting the treetops  but with no luck.  Instead, a mockingbird (left) let me know that all manner of birds are worthy of imagery and posed for quite some time.  I was within six feet and it didn't react at all.

Although there will be no planting for a while, I'll have plenty to do raking the leaves that are now filling the lawns.  At least the weather will be cool for the task.

Happy holidays! 

Plants as sculpture

On my walks and drives through the neighborhood, I have been fascinated with a giant palm that stands in the middle of a front yard lawn (left).  With its current size, it looks like a giant sculpture.

The tree is a Bismarck palm, native to Madagascar where it can grow to 70 feet.  In U.S. gardens in the South, it will grow to 40 or 50 feet.  It is nearly insect-proof and disease- proof. 

Another striking plant I admire on my walks is a neighbor's bird of paradise.  The nearly 8-foot tall bush anchors a corner of the house and is striking when morning sun hits it.  I had no luck trying to grow the bird of paradise when we first moved to Florida, so I really admire others' efforts.

I thought I was finished planting for the fall, but my granddaughter has requested we plant some flowers when she comes to stay with us next week.  That will be fun!

Until then.....

The promise of winter color

What wonderful cool weather we are having!  It makes garden work so much nicer.  I spent Saturday morning planting pansies all around the rose garden for additional punches of color during the winter months, a new rose bush on one end of the garden to replace a dead one, and red geraniums to fill the spot where I had to dig out a dead boxwood. 

The rose bush is a Chrysler Imperial (below) -- red roses with a strong, beautiful scent. It is rivaled only by the Mr. Lincoln that anchors the other end of the oval garden.

I'm hoping the rose garden will balance the yard in color as the front island is exploding with red from the ixora and the bougainvilleas, seen below.

 

The final planting for the morning was an arborvitae that I put in the large urn in the SE corner of the garden in the back yard.  It sits behind the magnolia.  I have a few others, on the side and in front of the house.  I love their spreading "arms" that give such distinctive shape to each plant.  I  hope the new one will do as well in the urn.

That's all for this week.  I'll be spending the next 5 days preparing for and enjoying my daughter and grandsons who will be here for 4 days.

Fall blooms in the gardens

With the high temperatures sliding downward, my plants are showing renewed vigor.  The flowering plants, especially, are rejoicing with new blooms.  Here are some of the ones I photographed this morning.

The honeysuckle has joined the clematis with new blooms.


The climbing rose is really showing off!

I couldn't resist this closeup.

And my dwarf powder puffs are appearing again but I'll wait until the bushes are full for another photo.

Enjoy!