Show me your garden.

Florida Sand Hill Habitat

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:59:14 -0400

I have the distinct honor of serving on the board of the Florida Wildflower Foundation. At our annual board meeting, we met at Weikiva State Park in Central Florida.
For the first time, I encountered a true Sand Hill habitat, and was enthralled by its beauty. Mostly Long Leaf Pine and Turkey Oak as canopy, and relying on periodic fires to keep the oaks from overtaking, it is an open and airy habitat, filled will lovely expanses of wildflowers and grasses, such as the Coreopsis and Blazing Stars shown in this picture.
Ah, La Florida!

Busy Bees

Wed, 6 Jul 2011 19:40:37 -0400

I smelled the orange jasmine even before I saw it, in a corner by a vacant lot next to our house. It was about 4 PM and being a novice beekeeper, decided to check on it, to see if it was attractive to them. Not a one was to be seen.
At 6:30, went outside to help my husband with a fence and heard a loud buzzing. I thought it might be a swarm, but when I searched for the spot, lo and behold, that same orange jasmine was now covered with bees!
As you can see from my photo, they were loading up on pollen and just in a frenzy of excitement over this plant.
Now, my question is: Does a flower announce its “readiness” to be pollinated? Why were there no bees on the bush at 4 PM, a more likely time for the bees?
We have so much to learn from the Earth.
“The Earth, it speaks to me, if I have the heart to listen.”

Painted Buntings

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 11:59:03 -0400

Many thanks to Pat Deitrich from Boca Raton, Florida for sending me this amazing picture taken in her garden. It couldn’t have been any lovelier if they had posed for her camera! Painted Buntings are often seen in home gardens this time of year, and do enjoy seed.

Amazon Lily

Wed, 2 Feb 2011 21:13:07 -0500

Looking much like a daffodil, the Amazon Lily, (Eucharis amazonica), is a bulb that will bloom reliable year after year in the shade! Give it an area that gets regular irrigation, and you will be surprised and delighted when they lift their heads each spring.

The Garden Gate

Wed, 9 Jun 2010 14:46:31 -0400

This is a recent picture of The Garden Gate. It’s so full of color and variety that I just had to share it with you. It’s time to make friends with your sweat and get out in the garden; the plants are loving it.
Don’t waste this precious time. Plant trees, shrubs, wildflowers and even a summer vegetable garden. With the plentiful rain and humidity, we live in a natural greenhouse. Take advantage of it.
Because we do sometimes have tropical storms and hurricanes, all the more we need to plant, plant, plant!
The more you have, the less devastating a weather event will be. Trust me on this.