I came out of my apartment on Tuesday to a beautiful day with blue skies and azaleas in bloom. Using my phone, I had to try and capture the wonderful moment. This is the view of the courtyard and blue sky from my second floor home.
Read MoreCategory: Come To The Garden
Flowers and gardens, Eco-friendly Gardening
Tabebuia Trees Spring Blooms
Common name(s): Golden trumpet tree
Family: Bignoniaceae
USDA hardiness zones: 9B through 11
Origin: native to Central and South America
This last week I was surprised by the sudden blooms of bright yellow on trees in the neighborhood. I wasn’t familiar with the species. I did some research on the golden trees. Tabebuias are from the West Indies, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Central America, but several species are very well adapted to South Florida. I was thrilled to find the golden beauties here in central Florida. Since they are tropical plants, they WON’T SURVIVE HARD FREEZES.
Read More5 Reasons to Make Your Garden Organic
With Gardening Resource List
This is an updated post (2024) with information to help our pollinators. Several years ago I wrote about what to do to help bees, Make Your Garden A Haven For Bees, and butterflies, 5 Steps for a Butterfly Garden. Does it seem strange to write about gardening in February? No, now is the time to dream and plan. Forget the snow, and imagine a spring day.
Read MoreTulips at Publix Supermarket
I’ve been driving around and enjoying new places here in my new home of Lakeland, Florida. The days are mostly beautiful with blue skies although the temperatures have been chilly.
Read MoreWays To Make The Garden An Extension Of Your Home
Even though we are in winter and many of us have snowy yards, today I want to discuss making our gardens useful places to visit. For many of us, our gardens often feel like a separate outdoor space that isn’t used that often. The problem people have is that perhaps they find that their outdoor space isn’t really a user friendly space. You may have a large lawned area, perhaps planted a few plants at some point, and maybe it is good for sitting out when the sun shines or watching your children play. Now consider how it can be a space that can be used for all kinds of things.
Read MoreSeptember Yard In Central Florida
September is the height of hurricane season. It’s been hot, and we’ve had rain which means everything is growing. After years of getting up with an alarm clock, I wake up early most mornings. Sometimes I see a beautiful pink sky.
Read MoreEnd Of A Season Is Coming Early
The white frangipani (Plumeria alba) is a deciduous plumeria tree that is native to tropical areas. (Plumeria plants (Plumeria sp), which are also known as Lei flowers and Frangipani, are actually small trees that are native to tropical regions (zone 10 and 11) . It is one of the plants used for leis in Hawaii.
Nature has a clock that doesn’t always correspond to the calendar. When it comes to tropical plant plumeria, also called frangipani, they are deciduous and bloom from spring to fall. That usually means all the leaves and flowers end, and you’re left with just the stick-like tree. Here in central Florida my plant usually starts to bloom by early April. The leaves start to drop in September and the plant goes dormant by the end of October. It is September 5th and I only have a few flowers. I noticed in August that I had fewer flowers and several leaves dried up and fell. It seems fall started early for my frangipani.
Read MoreThe Best Ways To Add Privacy To Your Garden
I live in a neighborhood of small yards. Enjoying your yard is pretty public without some additions to it. Do you have the same problem? Or perhaps you have a view you don’t like. Let’s consider the best ways to add privacy.
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