November Monday Morning

Carol Come To The Garden, Nature

I live in central Florida which has a semi-tropical climate.  Over last weekend a cold front came down to Florida, and we had over a day of gray skies and rain.  The lows dropped to 50 degrees F for the first time since last winter.  Our highs have been about 62 degrees F for a few days.  As usual the gray skies blew away and we have beautiful blue skies again.  (By Wednesday the high was 77 degrees F.)  These photos were all taken Monday morning around 10:30 AM. The air is cool and the sky is blue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You see my little crepe myrtle to the left in the photo above has practically no leaves and has lots of seed pods.  Crepe mytle and frangipani are both decidous trees and no longer have leaves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Otherwise, most of my plants still have leaves and a few flowers.  The periwinkle or vinca ground cover are blooming in the small flower bed by the sidewalk.

 

 

 

 

 

Periwinkle (Vinca minor) is an excellent evergreen groundcover with dark green foliage. Oblong to ovate leaves are opposite, simple, ½ to 2 inches long, glossy, with a short petiole. They exude a milky juice when broken. Flowers are purple, blue or white depending on the cultivar. Plants bloom in March or April and sometimes again in the fall. Vinca minor grows about 6 inches tall, spreading in all directions by sending out long trailing and rooting shoots, which make new plants.

 

 

Experts write that it only blooms in spring or fall.  That is not true in Florida.  They re-seed and the small plants start to bloom almost immediately if they get rain.  They grow big and I remove them. Soon little seedlings pop up and I thin those so it doesn’t take over my yard.  Native to Asia and Europe, periwinkle is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wishing you sunny days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Carol

I was raised in Tennessee but have lived in Florida for many years. Love my small home in the Tampa Bay area and its developing garden. My decorating style is eclectic - some vintage, some cottage, all with a modern flair. Pursuing a healthier lifestyle. Spent many years in social services but am happily retired.

33 thoughts to “November Monday Morning”

    1. oh don’t I know it – I love Michigan in the spring and summer but then the fall gray skies come and I have to get out! Wish I cuold send you some sun.

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    1. we mostly have sunny skies – I’ve seen blue skies the day before a major hurricane and the day after – it’s really the norm

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  7. Oh such gorgeous sky and floral photos ~ Weather has been a bit erratic in MA ~ temps up and down ~ another rain and wind storm tomorrow ~ like everything in the world lately ~ very unsettled. Xo

    Living in the moment,

    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

    Reply

  11. Oh pretty — Carol I’ve seen those flowers around here, but didn’t know what they were, so I really appreciated this informative post. Happy to be back on our corner of Florida.

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  12. Greetings and Salutations! Lovely to see flowers this time of year. Friday we had rain, sleet and snow. Snow did not stick because the ground is too warm. Ugh. Winter is just around the corner. And so it is.

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  13. You living very beautiful there and here in NL the autumn has started already for a while and blue skies are still hardly there. The flowers and plants do very nicely with you. I have a small balcony garden but many are inside now because they can’t stand the cold.

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  15. I love the vinca. It is gorgeous. I wish mine would come back every year like yours. My mother had one that she grew in her house for years and it just kept spreading and blooming. She didn’t have just a green thumb, she had a green hand and could grow anything. Pinned and tweeted. Thanks for sharing at #omhgww.

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  18. I could just about manage 77 degrees (sigh) . If only. Your flowers seem to be thriving in the cooler temperatures Carol. We are very much into the start of winter now at eight or ten degrees most days.

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    1. flowers don’t do well in cold temperatures I’m afraid – but you know that – in the summer you have a more mild heat than I do – there’s good and bad in all climates I guess

      Reply

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