Two Beauties!

My daughter took this stunning photo, and it's so beautiful that I just had to post it. 

This beautiful red Cardinal is sitting on a branch of our neighbor's beautiful Chickasaw Plum in full bloom last month. We are so lucky to be able to see this large tree from our patio. For the last two springs, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the blooms, one by one, cover the entire tree creating one gorgeous blooming piece of art!

So glad she happened to look up at the right time and had her camera in hand!

Spring Comes in all Colors

In my garden Spring is all about flowers...in all colors!

Predominantly my frontyard is composed of three main colors: purple, yellow and orangey-red.

But, an occasional pink flower and definitely some white flowers can be found.

These colors were chosen because of their boldness. You see I have a pretty large frontyard and if the colors weren't bold they'd be barely noticeable from the street.

Purple...orange...yellow - such an eye-pleasing combo to me!

The local garden club in our area surprised me with this. It was very sweet of them to bestow this honor on my hardworking garden. I do the planting and weeding...but the plants create all the beauty!

I've never seen a group of the green grasshoppers...Lubbers, yes. They look like little plastic soldiers all perched on these liriope leaves.

And, this butter yellow dragonfly adds a little more sunshine to the garden.

But what about this fella...brown is not my favorite color in the garden but he is part of the habitat. He is a brown water snake and not a water mocassin...don't you think?

With Each Passing Day

With each passing day and each new blossom...

each new leaf...

and each new critter...

spring arrives in my garden!

The First Signs of Spring

Here at latitude 27 and longitude 88, spring creeps in slowly way before the official vernal equinox on the 21st of March.


The first sign of its arrival is in early February. It slips in between occasional cold snaps, and is evidenced by the colorful blooms of azaleas. Like the bulbs of the north, these pink, fuschia, white and red flowers bring cheer and hope to yards dotted with the frozen remnants of tropical plants.



Around the middle of February the moment of dawn arrives sooner and dusk stretches out minutes later each day, giving us more time to enjoy the increasingly pleasant temperatures. A small group of Purple Martins arrive ahead of the pack to scout out the territory where they will migrate to next on their journey northward.

The oaks begin their amazing transformation. One by one, handfuls of dry brown leaves float to the ground. The giants are shedding their old leaves and quietly gearing up for the start of a new season.
About the third week of this month, the first trees in my yard to complete this transformation and herald the spring is the laurel oak, followed by the maples, sweetgums and lastly, the live oak. With trees adorned in their fresh green canopy of leaves and azaleas looking like bouquets of flowers, my mood is lifted and once again the hope and promise of a new gardening season springs alive. I become obsessed with ideas and plans for the garden.

The Osprey also come back to life as they begin to rebuild their nests for the next brood of young 'uns. They soar through the air, happily chattering away as they collect branches in their strong talons and carry them back to their gargantuan nests perched atop cypress trees.
With congenial temperatures in the 70's, I can hardly resist being drawn outdoors with a rake in one hand and clippers in the other. I no longer can wait until February 28 -the last expected frost date for our region- to begin cutting away the dead reminders of winter.

As I begin cutting back plants, I notice tiny leaflets emerging from the bare branches. Once again the plants are quietly and mostly unnoticed, undergoing the process of recovery from the harsh breath dealt them by old man winter. Hope does spring eternal, even in plants!

A Distant Memory

Here's what's left of my angel trumpet after cutting back the damaged branches from January's cold weather. It's amazing how tough this tropical plant really is. Last year the bark on the main trunk actually split away from the tree. At that time, I thought the tree would die back to the ground. Instead new shoots shot up from the main trunk.

Here's a photo before it succumbed to the freeze. I took it just days ahead of the cold weather because I knew all the blooms would be gone. Its lush canopy was covered in sweet-smelling blossoms. I really hated to see it all turn to mush.
The trumpet-shaped (hence the name) blossoms are about 10 to 12 iniches long and dangle from the branches. I'm guessing the other part of the name "angel" must come from the heavenly scent of the blossoms. It's such an unusual flower and a real eye-catcher in the garden.

Here's a stunning view of the tree from underneath. A mixture of green and apricot that just looks so cheery!
And, a close-up view of the gorgeous trumpet blossoms as they hang suspended in air. The bees really have to travel deep into the heart of this flower to reach the hidden nectar. The good news is that the angel trumpet won't be a distant memory for long, as new green leaves are already emerging from the scarred trunk. I look forward to her return and can't wait for the first bloom later this spring.

Strollin' Along

My daughter and I took a stroll around Lake Hollingsworth a few weeks ago on a lovely spring day and here is what we discovered:

What Kind of Day is This?

We were well on our way from spring to summer when winter unexpectedly returned. Our northern friends experience "Indian summer" when hot weather returns in the fall, but as far as I know, there is no name for winter's chill creeping into our spring/summer weather. The bright sun lit up this stand of oak trees along the water's edge on this crisp, clear morning of 46 degrees.

Springtime Show

It's not too late to grab a seat and enjoy the springtime flower show.