Spring Amaryllis'

Nothing says "Spring" quite like the amaryllis. We may not be able to grow tulips here, but amaryllis' are right at home in our early spring gardens. And, who can resist these beautiful large blooms. 

Mostly, I have a variety of red bulbs that family and friends have shared with me over the years. I purchased the Apple Blossom (middle right photo), and Nancy (a gardening friend) gave me the unusual burgundy and green bulb (upper left photo). The orange and white stripe (lower left photo) was grown in a neighbor's yard when I was a kid. The flowers on this variety are particularly long-lasting.

Last week I purchased a solid white bulb, and I will look forward to seeing it bloom next spring.

As spring moves along, the daylilies have already started blooming and the agapanthus are sending up bud shoots all according to their natural rhythms.

Love, love, love Spring and all it's beautiful flowers!

Beautiful Sunny Days

The weather this past week was perfect - sunny and warm with a little rain tossed in.  I noticed that the Anole lizards were out in full force soaking up all the warmth. You hardly see any of them scampering around in the winter, but come sunny, warm days and they quickly reappear.

I personally like seeing them peering at me over the top of the patio wall or scurrying in front of me to get out of the way. 

My kitties (Zoe pictured here) love watching them, too! Fortunately, they're indoor cats but every once in awhile a misguided lizard ends up inside, and then they all have a field day going after the tiny little dinosaur. My daughter and I have rescued many a lizard by tossing a dish towel over it and scooping it up, but occasionally the cats win and the lizard becomes a tasty treat.

My dwarf Mulberry tree is loving the warm weather, too. With a new flush of spring green leaves in place, it didn't waste any time producing a crop of dwarf-sized fruit. Luckily, I've been able to get to the ripe ones before the birds. We had Mulberry trees in our neighborhood when I was a kid and our purple-stained mouths and fingers made it easy to see what we had been up to.

My little kitchen garden is happy to receive a little more sunshine these days. Swiss chard, broccoli, green peppers, green onions, basil, and a container of red potatoes are happily humming along. 

Everything looks so much more cheerful under the glow of a sunny day!

March Blooms

As I listen to the soft pitter patter of rain drops through the open window, I'm thankful for the much needed rainfall we're getting today. The grass was just starting to green up and now with the rain it's looking even better. After several bouts of brown patch (Zoysia grass is all new to me), I wasn't sure what it was going to look like come spring. But, not to worry, it is looking good.

On one of my many strolls through the garden this past Saturday I made an exciting discovery!  I always check the Milkweed for caterpillars, and today there they were . . . feasting away to their heart's content. Look at those two little guys just munching away!

Couldn't help but take one last photograph of my little Pygmy Fringe tree as its flower tassels are quickly being replaced by new leaves. It's such a delicate little blossom with a barely detectable scent!

 Just around the bend, the Nun's Orchid is rapidly opening her buds. She is in a container and gets center billing right smack in the middle of the shady garden pathway for now. Her flowers look like beautiful butterflies fluttering in the wind. The wind sure is hard on her foliage though!

Hope you're getting some of the raindrops from Heaven today!

March at a Glance

Sombreuil

~~ Notes on the March Garden ~~   
    

If I had to choose a favorite month out of the year it would...without a doubt...be March!

Warm days...cool nights...and a RIOT of non-stop flowering plants. There's so much blooming at this time of year that I barely have time to catch my breath between the waves of spring blooms.

MARCH MADNESS

You could call it March Madness...not that boring basketball stuff (no offense :-) to all you basketball fans), but the wonderful madness of a garden exploding with spring flowers in all shades of the rainbow.

And it all started with the azaleas in soft shades of pink and purple.

Followed by the bright yellow Tabebuia tempered somewhat by the blue (Blue Sage) and white (Indian hawthorne) beneath her. But she definitely takes center stage.

Along with the warm weather comes the beautiful  winged creatures. Their return to the garden is a most welcome sight as they drift from one flower to the next drinking up all that first sweet nectar of spring.

And, then the roses!
After a short rest period and a trim in late February they're back in full swing.
Just look at all those eager buds.

Planted last year...this Double pink Knock-out has won my heart with its phenomenal flush of beautiful flowers. I can count over 65 blooms just on this one side...definitely one of the best bloomers in my garden. It must be very happy with its location...and all those sweet words of praise I keep lavishing on it.

It's an amazing transition from the reddish new leaf growth...to the first early blossoms...and then that "wonderful madness" of blooms!

Something New!

I like ground orchids...but I don't like the fact that they need protection from the cold weather, so this year I decided to try the Chinese ground orchid more commonly called the hardy ground orchid Bletilla striata. This orchid can be planted in the garden without fear of freezing. Its foliage disappears in late fall (similar to the peacock ginger and caladiums), and returns in late February for a March bloom.

I ordered a plant from an online nursery that quickly developed buds and bloomed. The funny thing is that I was visiting my neighbor Nancy, and noticed several clumps of this jewel in her backyard. I asked her about it, and she eagerly shared that this was the plant that got her hooked on gardening. She also insisted on giving me a nice-sized clump to take home with me. I split the clump...kept half of it and shared the other half with my mother, who also likes ground orchids. I look forward to dividing clumps of it in the future and spreading it around the garden.

Another newbie and first-time plant in my garden is the delphinium. I've admired them in other people's gardens, and this year I bought 3 and planted them in a sunny location in late January. They did not disappoint! Next year I'll plant a few more.

Don't you just love it when you discover you can grow plants you never thought you could?

 A little more blue and white

Left to right: Virginia sweetspire (wonderful fragrance), along with two natives:  Blue-eyed grass and Flag iris.

And, the WONDERFUL MARCH MADNESS continues...  

Is it obvious that I like color...all colors?

In the upper right photo you can see that delphinium towering up in the air.

Four Reasons to Plant a Bottlebrush Tree

This small tree was alive with polllinators...so much so that it sounded like the tree was buzzing.

Life's Simple Pleasures

So much sweet juicy goodness in one small berry!

As the month of March winds down...one by one...the amaryllis bulbs are joining in on the blooming madness of a Florida spring garden,

And the English Dogwoods are joining in, too. This airy, free-flowing plant will soon be covered in these simple but adorable bright white flowers.

This cold-tolerant plant...located in the shade...loses some of its leaves in winter, but spring brings a new flush of fresh green and pretty flowers, too.

It very slowly multiplies in size, and new plants can easily be separated from the mother plant.




But not all was pleasant about March. The last day of the month brought a scary storm...with winds over 60 mph...that left a lot of damage in its wake and a deluge of rain...so far 3.5 inches.

A large oak branch toppled many orchids on the back deck.


As well as knocking over a stand of hanging orchid pots.

Our back and both side yards are littered with small and large oak branches. The poor oak over the deck took a real beating.

I do hope that no one experienced devastating damage to their gardens from our uninvited visitor. Another bit of March Madness...but definitely not the good kind. We are fortunate that we don't often have such damaging spring storms. It looks like I've...and probably most of you, too...got a little clean up work to do. :-)

I have enjoyed seeing the many blooms in all my Florida garden blogger friend's garden's this month, and find it fascinating watching as spring spreads northward week by week.

Spring Speaks for Itself

Tabebuia Tree


Indian Hawthorne


Begonias

Louis Phillipe Rose

Orange Blossoms

Spring Bouquet

Crinum Lily

African Iris

Oh, How Sweet the Sound...

Finally, the soft sound of rain gently falling could be heard again in our backyard. It has been so long since we've had a rainshower, and our winter-damaged plants and thirsty yards were desperate for a good dose of it. It is a miracle-tonic for grass, as I could see our neighbor's parched, unwatered grass turn a soft shade of green by the end of the shower.

A Fabulous Weekend in the Garden!

Both Saturday and Sunday were beautiful spring days. I totally enjoyed myself as I piddled around in the garden all weekend. Lots of little spring jobs to do such as a little edging here, a little clipping there, rearranging a few plants and filling in a few empty spots with coral-colored impatiens. All the tasks were thoroughly delightful as I soaked up the warmth of the sun and enjoyed the colorful show of azalea blooms surrounding me.

In the afternoon I relaxed on the deck with a cup of coffee and a stash of garden magazines (new and old) but couldn’t seem to sit still for long before I was up again finding some little something to do. I was finally forced to drag myself into the house when the sun sank below the horizon and my family was hungry for dinner!

Pictured is the first African iris to bloom in my garden this spring.